The students at Croydon High School for Girls, London, spent a year designing and creating a CubeSat, a miniature satellite which records how sunlight comes through the Earth’s orbit.

The project named ‘Mission Pegasus’ saw completion of the final stage of Phase II on 1 July. This involved the pupil-led Astrogazers club conducting live flight testing of the prototype satellite onboard the world-class FAAM Airborne Laboratory aircraft. 

Data retrieved from the CubeSat, will be analysed ahead of Phase III and Phase IV. These next steps involve building a flight-ready satellite using space-grade materials and, crucially, securing a rocket launch partner. The CubeSat launch is planned for 2026/27.