China's first satellite developed by teenagers, dubbed as the Shaoning Xing, will be launched in August. The move is part of China's Teen Satellite Project that aims to engage the young generation in thinking about space, STEAM education, and satellite development.

The project was launched in April 2016 and has collected over 100,000 ideas from students in more than 1,000 primary and secondary schools in China. A number of applicants were picked and invited to design and develop the 2-Unit cubesat with the help of professional space scientists.

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After the Shaoning Xing, which means 'Junior Sat' or 'Youth Sat,' is launched, the satellite will be opened to all primary and secondary schools, and teen education institutions in the country to be used in the educational fields of aerospace, space, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics), the Global Times reported.

The project organizers, namely, the China Soong Ching-ling Foundation, China Association for Science and Technology, and Chinese Education Society, awarded students who have shown exemplary performances during the development process at a signing ceremony on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Youth Sat will ride as a secondary payload on the Zangheng-1 mission (also called the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite), which is scheduled to launch on August 16 aboard the Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan.

The Zhangheng-1 is designed to stay in orbit for five years and monitor the electromagnetic situation of earthquakes with a magnitude record of above 6 in China and above 7 globally. The 730-kilogram satellite will also carry several instruments to detect high-energy particles, plasma, and electric and magnetic fields. 

TagsChina space program, China's Teen Satellite Project, Shaoning Xing, Youth Sat, Junior Sat, Zangheng-1, Space mission, education