Subject: NASA to Launch Three New CubeSats in November

Three small research satellites with amateur radio educational payloads are scheduled for launch in late November.

Called CubeSats because of their shape, they come from Montana State University, the University of Colorado and Kentucky Space as part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite mission.

Kentucky's KySat-1 is believed to be the first CubeSat to carry a 2 meter-to-70 cm FM transponder - truly a crossband repeater in space and one that should be accessible by most radio amateurs within its flight path, authorities said.

CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called pico-satellites. They have a volume of about one quart and weigh no more than 2.2 pounds. The University of Florida was selected as an alternate in case one of the three primary spacecraft cannot fly.