Ardusat gives young Makers control of satellites in space

Ardusat lets students to launch experiments in space and collect data from an orbiting satellite.

Ask any classroom of kids what they want to be when they grow up, and undoubtedly a few imaginative youngsters will answer emphatically with “astronaut!” With that lofty goal in mind, Salt Lake City-based startup Ardusat has partnered with satellite-based data provider Spire to launch a program that would bring space exploration to the classroom, allowing students to use programmable sensors onto satellites. And sure, while satellites may conjure up images of bus-sized contraptions, many of those now going into orbit are nearly the size of a softball.

As previously reported on Bits & Pieces, Ardusat is a first-of-its-kind open satellite platform that enables students to easily design and run applications, games and experiments in space, while also steering onboard cameras to take pictures. Since being first successfully launched back in August 2013 and transferred onto the ISS, Ardusat has already found its way into more…