NASA Completes Cubesat Integration for Firefly-Powered ‘Noise of Summer’ Mission

NASA has integrated eight cubesats from the CubeSat Launch Initiative into a Firefly Aerospace deployment hardware ahead of its launch in early summer 2024.

Among the cubesats to form part of the mission are the University of Arizona’s CatSat, the MESAT1 from the University of Maine and the NASA Ames Research Center’s TechEdSat-11. After their integration, the cubesats will be encapsulated into the Firefly Alpha rocket. 

The “Noise of Summer” mission will launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 2, NASA said.

Firefly is among the vendors participating in NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract, which aims to develop new launch vehicles and expand the launch vehicle market.

The initiative is not the first time the U.S. space agency has turned to cubesats for a mission. In March, 10 organizations joined a NASA-led effort to expand opportunities in education and science and advance the development of new technologies.