If everything goes according to plan, SPACE HAUC, UMass Lowell’s first satellite, will launch into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, Aug. 28, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SPACE HAUC, UMass Lowell’s first satellite, recently passed a critical test that cleared the way for its upcoming launch into Earth orbit. The satellite was designed and built by more than 100 students from the Kennedy College of Sciences and the Francis College of Engineering over the course of five years.

The UTeach program, which turns science, math and engineering majors into classroom teachers, is now in its 10th year at UMass Lowell. Graduates are in great demand at local high schools, and one was named a finalist for Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year.

Physics Asst. Prof. Archana Kamal has won two early career development awards totaling $1 million from the U.S. Air Force and the National Science Foundation for her research on quantum information processing with open quantum systems.