MSU Space Program | Kentucky Studies

The Lunar IceCube, a miniaturized space research satellite built by space science students at Morehead State University in Kentucky, was among the CubeSats launched from the Artemis 1 rocket in November 2022.

A CubeSat measures 10 by 10 by 10 centimeters – about 4 inches square. Each CubeSat must weigh less than 1.33 kilograms, or 3 pounds. CubeSats can be combined in units of two, three, six or twelve.

The operations team at Morehead will use NASA’s Deep Space Network and Morehead’s own 21-meter ground station antenna to send commands to the Lunar IceCube in near real-time. Morehead is the only university that’s a part of NASA’s Deep Space Network.

Including the Lunar IceCube, Morehead has been involved in the launch of five NASA-funded satellites.