MacTech and Southern Stars launching a satellite into space

The folks at MacTech Magazine have teamed up with the Southern Stars Group to launch a satellite, and you can have a hand in the fun.

The project, called SkyCube, is now on Kickstarter and looking for funding. The nano-satellite, designed to the CubeSat standard, is scheduled to take a ride into earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle next year as a "secondary payload".

Once in space, SkyCube will take photos of the Earth and broadcast text messages. That's where you come in. Depending on your contribution level, you can determine some of what it has to say. The options break down like this:

• For $1, you can send a "text" from space.
• For $6, you can take a picture of the Earth from orbit.

Another option is the SkyCube sponsor package, available to those who register for the MacTech Conference at the pre-registration rate of US$999. It includes:

• Sponsorship of 10 minutes of the mission (including bragging rights)
• Ability to broadcast 60 "text messages" from space
• Ability to request up to six images from the satellite (looking at Earth from space)
• SkyCube mission T-shirt

Finally, an iOS app will let you track its progress. Sound like fun? Then make a contribution and help make SkyCube a reality.