The image below shows the release of three CubeSats. CubeSats are miniaturized, "disposable" satellites designed for space research. The electronic components are typically conventional electronics found in stores and online; they are placed within a volume of no more than 1 liter and weigh up to 1.33 kilograms. This makes CubeSats inexpensive and simple to design and launch into orbit. Because of the low production and launch cost ($65,000 - $80,000), CubeSats have potential to be used by a large number of universities internationally. These three CubeSats were released from the International Space Station in November 2013. The CubeSats will be collecting wide angle imagery of the Earth, testing orbital radio communications, monitoring the Earth's magnetic field, and exploring the Earth's surrounding radiations. Once they finish collecting data within a couple of months to a few years, these CubeSats fall back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up.
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