Now in Phase Two, the TK1 Space Program is back and better than ever for the 2026-27 school year. Check out photos here of our Sept 28 2026 CubeSat launch at Fort Sumner! Led by Dr. Jordan Alexander, with awesome contributions from Dr. Michael Garcia, this year students in the TK1 Space Program will:
- Build Cricketsats - practice satellites that actually work when connected to our in-house ground station.
- Build CubeSats with customizable sensors for low-altitude balloon launch
- A self-guided project exploring one major aspect of Human Technology in Space.
- Go on a Field Trip, likely to the Very Large Array in Socorro, NM sometime during the winter.
- Take leadership positions on our Family Space Day, which will bring the community together to witness the launch of our CubeSats. Each will have a GPS tracker so we'll go find them in the mountains once the balloons pop!
Our CubeSat workshops teach young learners how to design, build, program and launch small satellites. Core learning concepts include space systems engineering, electronics and sensors, orbital mechanics, data collection and telemetry, and payload assessments (e.g. what types of sensors to include on satellites and why).
CHECK OUT our videos on the program below!
This project is currently supported by LANL. For the 2025-26 school year, it was supported by LANL, the Encantado Foundation, and is based upon work supported by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under NASA Cooperative Agreement No. NM-80NSSC25M7069.
