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The University of Massachusetts Lowell is now offering loaner educational satellites to educational institutions for space launch!
This is an opportunity for students to work on a satellite experiment that could be launched into space.
Complete the Kiwi Satellite interest form.
We are excited to share an opportunity for your students to work on a satellite experiment that could be launched into space!
The Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology (LoCSST) at UMass Lowell has developed a compact educational satellite called the Kiwi that is designed for student use. Kiwi has most features of a satellite, such as communication, attitude determination using rotation, acceleration and magnetic field measurements. It is designed primarily for classroom use by students and contains some sensors that measure temperature, light intensity, air quality and air pressure. In addition, it would be possible to add your own instrument/experiment using an expansion board (not provided at this time).
At no cost to your organization, we are offering a Kiwi satellite for about 100 teams. When the satellites ship to those selected, they will be pre-loaded with a firmware that demonstrates the capabilities of Kiwi to the users. Users will also be provided with a graphical software to interact with Kiwi. In addition, the users will also be provided with a MicroPython firmware image, that can be loaded onto Kiwi for use with some example experiments/lessons. Experiments the users design using Kiwi will have the opportunity to be launched aboard a NASA high altitude balloon in August-September, 2026 and you will be able to get data from your experiment while the balloon is flying!
If you are interested in adding the Kiwi satellite to your curriculum and in taking advantage of the flight, please fill out the Kiwi Satellite interest form by 5 p.m. EST on March 6, 2026.
We look forward to receiving your applications. We will be happy to answer any additional questions that you might have, just email kiwi@uml.edu.
Best,
Lynne Schaufenbil, LoCSST Project Administrator
Kiwi is a compact educational satellite developed by the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology (LoCSST) at UMass Lowell to give students hands-on experience with space technology. Students can interact with a real satellite system, analyze data and learn core physics, engineering and computing concepts through classroom experiments.
Kiwi is designed for use by students at universities, community colleges, high schools and science centers, with no prior satellite experience required. LoCSST will work with participating schools on experiment development and satellite launches.