'This is a HUGE milestone.' Virgin rocket launches Cal Poly mini satellite into space
Mackenzie Shuman, The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Jan. 17—A Cal Poly nanosatellite was successfully launched into space Sunday morning for a NASA mission, according to Virgin Orbit, the company tasked with carrying out the initiative.
The launch was originally scheduled to happen on Wednesday, Jan. 13, but was delayed because Virgin Orbit "just had a bit more work (final checkouts, etc.) to complete, and we didn't want to rush anything," Kendall Russell, communications director for the company, wrote in an email to The Tribune.
The ExoCube 2 is a CubeSat device, a miniaturized satellite that was built over several years by a group of 50 Cal Poly students.