GLOBE News
U.S. GLOBE Partners Bring Small Satellites to Pre-College Students
At the SmallSat Education Conference—a gathering for educators, administrators and students held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida—U.S. GLOBE Partners John Moore and Dr. Mike Jabot presented the A3SatPQ (PocketQube) project. A3 refers to “Acquire–Analyze–Apply.” Their presentation introduced the A3SatPQ Emulator to the pre-college community and provided attendees with access to component lists, software tools, open-source instructions, and strategies for classroom implementation.
Also attending and presenting was U.S. GLOBE Partner Dr. Kevin Czajkowski, whose team presented their Near Space ThinSat Project.
The SmallSat Education Conference focuses on pre-college students and educators and provides hands-on training to learn about CubeSats, ThinSats, and High-Altitude Balloon programs. The conference also provides networking opportunities with industry experts and insights from exhibitors and vendors. Seven hundred attendees participated in the 2025 conference.
John Moore said, “GLOBE has interacted with satellites and satellite data from the beginning, 30 years ago, with the introduction of LandSat datasets and image interpretation. It has continued to expand into numerous projects, bringing us to the point where GLOBE students can begin to build and use small satellites in their studies.”
Moore and Jabot’s project was developed to enhance in-class instruction and designed to be a part of a scalable technical education model. The A3SatPQ Emulator is a student-built PocketQube-class small satellite emulator designed to introduce pre-college learners to authentic aerospace engineering practices. It incorporates sensors, imaging, onboard data logging, and wireless telemetry to simulate critical PocketQube operations. The emulator offers authentic experiential learning opportunities by providing students with experience in mission planning, systems integration, and data analysis.
It is estimated that nearly 100 PocketQube-class satellites have been launched into orbit by teams around the world. The A3Sat (a CubeSat) has been successfully flown on multiple high-altitude balloon missions, reaching altitudes of over 100,000 feet.
Designed to include core small satellite systems while maintaining affordability for pre-college teams, the platform serves as a practical entry point. John Moore said, “Authentic career and technical education and STEM experiences like this can no longer wait to be explored only at the college or university level; they must begin in the pre-college community.”
News origin: United States of America