A nanosatellite built by Israeli teenagers was launched to the International Space Station on Tuesday evening. Named for Israel's national bird, Duchifat (Hoopoe) 2 is one of 28 nanosatellites from around the world launched into space. Tuesday's launch of the student-built satellite was a joint initiative of the Israel Space Agency and the Herzliya Science Center. The nanosatellite is tasked with mapping the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere. Among other things, the mapping will help transfer Global Positioning System signals. Duchifat 2 is the only satellite in the international project that was built by high schoolers -- the other satellites were built by university students and older researchers. Duchifat 2 is around the size of a milk carton and weighs around 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds). It was sent into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida via the Atlas-5 launcher. From the International Space Station, Duchifat 2 will be moved to the Japanese section of the ISS for 45 days, after which astronauts will use a special robotic arm to send it into space. Duchifat 1, which was also developed with the cooperation of the Herzliya Science Center, was launched in June 2014, and is still active in space, far exceeding its creators' expectations. For the past two years, over 80 high school students from Herzliya, Ofakim, Yeroham, Ofra and Hura have worked to develop the satellite, assisted by academic engineers and Israel Aerospace Industries. Herzliya Mayor Moshe Padlon said, "The Duchifat 1 and Duchifat 2 projects are an incredible achievement by any measure, and they are a testament to the success of our municipality's ... investment in education in general and in science education in particular, as well as the high level of the youth in Herzliya." Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis called the satellite launch "another step by the ministry to promote space education, research and public awareness of the subject."
