A student presents their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

A student representing a team from Merritt Island High School presents their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky