Montana State University Explorer 1 [Prime] Reaches Orbit

MSU satellite orbits the Earth after early morning launch

“Early Friday morning, shortly before 4 a.m. Mountain time, a student-built satellite called Explorer-1 [Prime] roared into the sky on a NASA rocket launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Almost two hours later, the satellite separated from the rocket and starting circling the Earth. Within three hours of launch, ham radio operators in France, England and The Netherlands had reported hearing from the satellite. … Updates on Explorer-1 [Prime] are available on the Montana Space Grant Consortium Facebook page.”