SSETI-Express (XO 53, Oscar 53)

The SSETI Express (Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative - Express) mission is an educational mission that shall deploy CUBESAT pico-satellites developed by universities, take pictures of Earth, act as a test-bed and technology demonstration for hardware of the complementary project: the European Student Earth Orbiter, and function as an radio transponder for the rest of it’s mission duration

To accomplish SSETI Express’s mission statement, the following objectives have been developed:

• To demonstrate the successful implementation of this pan-European Educational initiative and therefore encourage, motivate and challenge students to improve their education and literacy in the field of space research and exploration,
• To carry as passengers, and subsequently deploy, up to three educational CUBESAT pico-satellites,
  

Three cubesats will be deployed by SSETI Express. They will be deployed from a T-Pod developed by UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory, Toronto

• XI-V from Japan, University of Tokyo
• UWE 1 from Germany, University of Würzburg
• Ncube 2 from Norway, Andoya Rocket Range

SSETI Express was lauched in October 2005 onboard a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle from the Pletsesk Cosmodrome.

Source: SSETI Website