Working on the CXBN nano. Photo courtesy of Morehead State University Space Science Center.

....a satellite to NASA’s Launch Services Program on Friday, January 6th, marking a major milestone in the Space Science Nanosatellite program. The Cosmic X-Ray Background Nanosatellite (CXBN) was developed by MSU and partners during the past year and passed rigorous space environment testing and a series of design reviews, culminating in the flight readiness review held on December 31st.

CXBN is an astrophysics mission whose goal is to provide an improved measurement of the universe's X-Ray background and could help resolve a mystery in modern cosmology — the origin of the cosmic X-ray background. The mission was selected in January 2011 by NASA to fly on the Operationally Unique Technology Satellites (OUTSat ) Mission as part of NASA’s Educational Launch of a Nanosatellite (ELaNa) program. The Space Science Center submitted a proposal to NASA in Fall 2010 which was subsequently awarded, resulting in the flight opportunity on the OUTSat Mission.