Wichita State University's SNAPPY satellite launches into orbit to study solar neutrinos
Updated
Updated · KWCH · May 7
Wichita State University's SNAPPY satellite launches into orbit to study solar neutrinos
11 articles · Updated · KWCH · May 7
The 4-by-4-by-12-inch CubeSat rode a Falcon 9 at 2am Sunday and was released first 77 minutes later, after years of work by physics professors Holger Meyer and Nickolas Solomey.
SNAPPY will test a proof-of-concept detector in polar orbit, aiming to gather at least a year of data during an expected three-year mission on neutrino activity closer to the Sun.
The loaf-sized satellite was assembled in a clean room at Jabara Hall, and positive results could support Wichita State plans for a larger NASA neutrino detector mission nearer the Sun.
Could this shoebox-sized satellite finally reveal secrets hidden deep inside the Sun’s core, a feat impossible from Earth?
Can a satellite in space outperform massive detectors buried a mile underground in the hunt for the Sun's 'ghost particles'?
SNAPPY Mission Validates Miniaturized Neutrino Detector and Tungsten Shielding in Low Earth Orbit
Overview
Launched on May 3, 2026, the SNAPPY CubeSat, developed over a decade by Wichita State University and NASA, successfully demonstrated its miniaturized neutrino detector and innovative tungsten-dust epoxy shielding in low Earth orbit. Operating for over a year, SNAPPY measured cosmic background radiation and downlinked data weekly to a ground station, where a research team analyzed signals to distinguish neutrinos from background noise. This collaboration not only advanced neutrino detection technology but also trained 36 students. The mission’s results are guiding the design of future, more sensitive neutrino observatories planned to operate closer to the Sun, enabling real-time study of solar core processes and fundamental particle physics.