Use your iPhone and iPad to explore orbital space with ‘SkyCube’ nano-satellite

“For the first time, you will be able use your iPhone and be part of space exploration. Tim DeBenedictis, who developed SkySafari — a cool astronomy app for your iPhone and Mac — has created a nano-satellite named SkyCube, which will allow you to broadcast messages and take pictures from space,” Markin Abras reports for MacDirectory.

“By contributing to the SkyCube Kickstarter campaign you will have the opportunity to broadcast your personal message or take pictures during its mission,” Abras reports. “Campaign contributions start as little as $1 for a single message containing 120 characters and $6 for six messages and one photograph.”

SkyCube Pledge levels (estimated delivery: March 2013):

$1+: Sponsors 10 seconds of the mission. You can broadcast one (1) 120-character message from the satellite.

$6+: Sponsors 1 minute of the mission. You can broadcast six (6) 120-character messages from space, and request one (1) image from the satellite.

$10+: Sponsors 100 seconds of the mission. You can broadcast ten (10) 120-character messages from space, and request two (2) images from the satellite at any time during the mission.

$30+: Sponsors 5 minutes of the mission. You can broadcast thirty (30) 120-character messages from space, and request five (5) images from the satellite at any time during the mission.

$60+: Sponsors 10 minutes of the mission. We’ll send you a SkyCube mission T-shirt. And you can broadcast sixty (60) 120-character messages from space, and request six (6) images from the

$100+: Sponsors 15 minutes of the mission. An ideal family pack – we’ll send you two (2) SkyCube mission T-shirts! And you can broadcast one hundred (100) 120-character messages from the

$600+: Sponsors 1 hour of the mission. Great for classrooms or schools! We’ll send you a flying SpaceX Falcon 9 model rocket, and ten (10) SkyCube mission T-shirts. You can broadcast six hundred (600) 120-character messages from space, and request up to one hundred (100) images from the satellite.

$1,000+: Sponsors 2 hours of the mission – a great high school or university classroom sponsorship package. We’ll send you a radio receiver which you can use to detect transmissions from SkyCube and other satellites already in orbit! You’ll also get a flying SpaceX Falcon 9 model rocket, and twenty (20) SkyCube mission T-shirts. You can broadcast one thousand (1000) 120-character messages from space, and request up to two hundred (200) images from the satellite.

$6,000+: Sponsors 12 hours of the mission. We’ll provide one launch viewing ticket, and round-trip airfare for one person to Cape Canaveral from anywhere in the continental US, for you to see the satellite lift off! We’ll send you the same rewards as our $1,000 sponsors (amateur satellite radio, SpaceX model rocket, 20 T-shirts). You can also send up to to six thousand (6000) messages from space, and request up to one thousand (1000) images from orbit.

$10,000+: Sponsors one full day of the mission – and we’ll let you operate SkyCube for that whole day! We’ll provide launch viewing tickets and round trip airfare for two (2) people to Cape Canaveral from anywhere in the continental US to watch the satellite lift off. Once it’s in orbit, you’ll have exclusive use of SkyCube for one full day! Send up to ten thousand (10,000) messages from space, request up to two thousand (2000) images – even make a movie of the Earth from orbit! Includes all rewards for our $1000 sponsors as well.

Read the full interview with DeBenedictis here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Justin A.” for the heads up.]