Want to build your own satellite and launch it into space? It's easier than you may think. The first in a series of four books, this do-it-yourself guide shows you the essential steps needed to design a base picosatellite platform--complete with a solar-powered computer-controlled assembly--tough enough to withstand a rocket launch and survive in orbit for three months.

Whether you want to conduct scientific experiments, run engineering tests, or present an orbital art project, you'll select basic components such as an antenna, radio transmitter, solar cells, battery, power bus,...