SpaceX launches Greek-built satellite for Kazakh school

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying a payload that includes a tiny, Greek-built picosatellite destined for a school in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The satellite, measuring approximately 5 x 5 x 5 centimetres, was developed by the Athens-based non-profit Libre Space Foundation (LSF). LSF, which specializes in open-source space technology, designed the device to help Kazakh students learn about orbital systems. The project was initiated after the Kazakhstan Space Agency approached LSF to develop an affordable ‘pocket-class’ satellite for educational purposes.

Beyond the educational payload, the SpaceX mission is part of a larger effort to deliver 21 data transport satellites for the United States Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, intended to enhance missile tracking and warning capabilities.