by Andrew Stephenson and MXL The two TBEx satellites launched in June 2019 will give scientists detailed insight into the effects of plasma bubbles in the upper atmosphere and how this space weather impacts space communication. On June 25, 2019,
TBEx Launch: T-minus 4 Days
MXL’s first pair of coordinated satellites are scheduled to launch in 4 days. This will be the first part of a constellation that we hope grows with additional nodes for space weather monitoring and technology demonstrations. The Enhanced Tandem Beacon Explorers
Strato night flight of LITE
The thirty-first flight of MXL’s Strato high-altitude ballooning project launched from a skatepark in Marshall, MI at 10:47 pm local time on May 10, 2018. The mission, called Strato LITE (LED Initial Testing Experiment), carried two prototype LED panels for
PHAROS Lights Up
The Michigan eXploration Laboratory has begun research and development on its tenth mission, PHAROS (PHased ARray Optical Satellite), which is an optical orbit determination experiment utilizing light emitting diodes (LEDs). The name of the mission comes from the Lighthouse of
TBEx flight build
The TBEx flight build is underway. Led by Nathanael England, the MXL team is building the two TBEx satellites and preparing them for final environmental testing. TBEx is scheduled to launch in mid 2018 as part of the STP-2 mission