Virginia Tech students send satellite to space

A satellite built by Virginia Tech undergraduate students will be launched into space on April 17th.

The satellite was created here in the university's "clean room' Once in orbit, students will monitor it from a hub on campus. Faculty say they are proud of the team and believe the experience makes them top candidates for future employers.

"They're really able to design, build, and operate hardware that goes into space," said Kevin Shinpaugh, Faculty Advisor. "That is a very rare opportunity. It gives them a leg up in the industry and something they are interested in."

A group of students recently delivered their small satellite to Houston to be incorporated into NanoRacks’ commercially developed CubeSat deployer.

The launch will be live streamed from NASA's website. It will launch on the payload section of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and then will be headed to the International Space Station.