CubeSat News of Note within NASA Goddard:

BRIEF SUMMARY FOR CENTER MANAGEMENT

Code 500 - Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate

ENGINEERING MISSION SUPPORT HIGHLIGHTS: [snip]

TECHNOLOGY, PARTNERSHIP, AND PROPOSAL/NEW WORK HIGHLIGHTS: * Intelligent Payload Experiment (IPEX) CubeSat: Phyllis Hestnes/587 - The IPEX CubeSat, a GSFC and JPL collaboration funded by the Earth Science Technology Office, was selected as the #2 launch priority (out of 20) under the recent NASA "CubeSat Launch Initiative". The CubeSat will include the GSFC-developed SpaceCube "Mini" as the intelligent payload science data processor. The system will be ready for launch in mid-2012. * Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XXIII Conference: Michael Krainak/554 attended the conference and was a Session Chair. Highlights were talks on the NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration, US Missile Defense Agency Near Field Infrared Experiment's on-orbit laser communications results, German Tesat multi-gigabit terminals, Japanese communication terminals and plans, and JPL's Deep Space technology development.