You don’t need to be big to be impressive. This trio of tiny cubesats launched from the International Space Station yesterday, and looked totally badass floating out in the infinite ether.
The stunning picture was tweeted out by Chris Hadfield, soon to be commander of the ISS. The cubesats it features, measuring just four inches on all sides, were launched as part of a demonstration by the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA. Their small size helps to keep costs low, less than $US100,000 a peice, which is cheap as far as satellites are concerned. Tiny or not, they’re a sight to behold in contrast with their mammoth surroundings. Keep on keepin’ on little guys. [NASA via Chris Hadfield via The Atlantic]