On December 8, 2022, participants of the Irvine CubeSat STEM program gathered at Portola High School to celebrate the accomplishments of the program. The CubeSat Program is a project-based learning collaboration between K-12 education institutions, industry partners, non-profit organizations, and parent volunteers whose primary focus is to teach, train, and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals, while also creating opportunities for underrepresented groups in STEM-related fields.
CubeSat brings together more than 100 students from six public high schools in the City of Irvine (Irvine, Northwood, Portola, University, Woodbridge and Beckman high schools) whose main objective is to assemble, program, test, and launch a CubeSat into low Earth orbit to perform a number of scientific experiments and explore new space technologies.
CubeSats are small satellites tasked with a purpose: Training students how to conduct scientific experiments in space, including photography, communication/coding and bio tech. The size is similar to a Rubik’s Cube.
CubeSat Through the Years:
- December 2015 - CubeSat Program is Born
- March 2016 - Official Kickoff of Irvine01
- May 2016 - Program Mentor, Cdr. Ronnie Nader Delivers Irvine01 Solar Panels
- 2016 & 2017 - Hold for Rocket Investigation
- 2017 - Teams Prepare Irvine02 for Launch
- May 2018 - Delivery of Irvine01 to Rocket Lab
- November 2018 - Irvine01 Launches Aboard Rocket Lab Electron Rocket
- November & December 2018 - Teams Carry Out Mission of Irvine01 with Photos and Communication from Space
- December 2018 - Irvine02 Launches Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
- 2019 - Teams Carry Out Mission of Irvine02 with Photos, Communication, and Propulsion in Space
- 2019 - Present - Teams Prepare Irvine03 and Conduct BioTech Experiments for Irvine04
CubeSat Teams’ Accomplishments:
- Multiple World Records
- Several “Firsts” for HS Level Programs
- Launches Aboard Electron and SpaceX Falcon 9 Rockets
- Hundreds of Students Impacted
- Four Design / Experiment / Build Processes
- Two Functional Satellites Placed In Orbit
- Example of Inter-District Collaboration Between IUSD & TUSD
- Collegiate & Professional Opportunities For Alumni
- “Out of this World”- Work Based Learning / CTE
- Encouraged Traditionally Underrepresented Students
- Collaboration Between Students and Professionals
- Awarded Several Grants For Launches
CubeSat Teachers:
- Paul Lewanski - Beckman High School
- Siu Ling Sit - Beckman High School
- Archana Jain - Irvine High School
- Jacqueline Tran - Northwood High School
- Ibeth Ortiz Jaime - Northwood High School
- Ryan Johnson - Portola High School
- Courtney Moder - Portola High School
- Erin Arredondo - Portola High School
- Michael Tang - Portola High School
- Matthew Bell - University High School
- Tinh Tran - University High School
- Jennifer Blackie - Woodbridge High School
- Steve Skwarlo (Volunteer) - Woodbridge High School
CubeSat Leaders:
- Brent Freeze and Kain Sosa - Founders
- Paul Lewanski - Beckman High School
- Siu Ling Sit - Beckman High School
- Archana Jain - Irvine High School
- Jacqueline Tran - Northwood High School
- Ibeth Ortiz Jaime - Northwood High School
- Ryan Johnson - Portola High School
- Courtney Moder - Portola High School
- Erin Arredondo - Portola High School
- Michael Tang - Portola High School
- Erin Arredondo/Michael Tang - Portola HS
- Matthew Bell - University High School
- Tinh Tran - University High School
- Jennifer Blackie - Woodbridge High School
- Keith Tuominen - IUSD
- Grant Litfin - TUSD
- Irvine Public Schools Foundation
Thank you to all who have made this program possible!
