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COSMO (upper right) being deployed from the Transporter 16 rocket.

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Liftoff for two University of Colorado Boulder CubeSats!

The AEPEX and COSMO CubeSats, both projects of Professor Robert Marshall's lab, reached orbit today aboard the SpaceX Transporter 16 rocket, which launched at 5:02 a.m. MST from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Designed, built, and tested on campus, the satellites will serve different missions:

• (Atmospheric Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays)Ìý– Will investigate highly energetic electrons that fall into Earth’s atmosphere from the Van Allen radiation belts by measuring X-rays that are produced in the atmosphere. These electrons impact atmospheric ozone balance and satellite communications.
• (COmpact Spaceborne Magnetic Observatory) – Will conduct high accuracy measurements of Earth’s magnetic field, providing essential information for navigation.

AEPEX and COSMO are two of three recent cubesats from Marshall's lab. The third, named CANVAS, will launch sometime in April.

Find out more about all three cubesats.