Northern Idaho School Chosen for NASA Satellite Launch

RATHDRUM, Idaho (AP) — NASA has selected a team of students at a northern Idaho charter school to design and build a research satellite for launch next year.

The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, reports that a proposal by STEM Charter Academy in Rathdrum was one of 20 nanosatellite ideas chosen by NASA to fly as auxiliary payloads on rockets planned to launch in the next three years. The high school's CubeSat team, which has 10 students, will spend the next year designing the satellite.

According to the students' abstract, the satellite will deliver a Morse code message. While the satellite is in space, educators will be able to have their students build an radio frequency receiver to receive the message when the satellite passes over their school.