The maiden launch was partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, with backers buying some of the satellites’ time slots to run experiments. If there are enough extra time slots, paying customers will also be able to program controls on the satellites and run experiments for three days for $125, or for a week for $250.
The satellites run Arduino, an open-source platform popular with hobbyists, which will let anyone write code for an app, game or research project that uses the on-board instruments. Projects that will run on the first two Ardusats are yet to be announced, but a list of ideas from the developers includes tracking meteorites and making a 3D model of Earth’s magnetosphere.