San Jose State Students Developing CubeSat Launch Vehicle

A group of San Jose State University students are developing an air-launched booster capable of placing CubeSats into orbit.

Project Spartan Spear‘s goal is to build a rocket that would be launched by modified F-104 fighter jets operated by Starfighters, Inc., a company based in Clearwater, Fla. The launch vehicle would be capable of placing three 1U Cubesats or 1 3U Cubsat into orbit.

“Our goal is to create a fast and reliable launch vehicle that is cheaper than today’s options for delivering CubeSats into space,” the group says on its website. “Current forms of transportation for CubeSats can take several years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to take these miniature satellites into orbit. Our launch vehicle will be able to take CubeSats into orbit within a matter of months.”

On Jan. 15, the Silicon Valley Space Center will host Project Spartan Spear at Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, Calif. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. PST. Click here for tickets.