Problems Keep ULL Satellite on Ground

By KEVIN BLANCHARD

LAFAYETTE – Technical problems led to the delay Tuesday of an early morning rocket launch that was to have put into orbit a small satellite built, designed and maintained by students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment, or CAPE, was to have launched its satellite into orbit – along with several other university built satellites from around the world – using a converted intercontinental ballistic missile launched from a former Soviet facility in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The so-called Cubesat project is run by California Polytechnic State University as a low-cost way for universities to give students experience in satellite technology.

According to CAPE’s Web site, the company contracted to launch the missile, Kosmotros, called off the launch because of technical issues.

The Cubesat Web site announced Tuesday that the launch of the cube-shaped satellite – about 6.5 inches long on each side – had been rescheduled for April 17.

ULL students from various disciplines have worked on the CAPE satellite for three years. They had planned to try to establish contact with the satellite Tuesday after it reached orbit.

For more information, visit the Web at http://ulcape.org and http://cubesat.calply.edu.

(c) 2007 Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.