The picosatellites we've raved about before have just enjoyed their first successful launch. Right now, their up there bouncing around radio signals and taking pictures.

SSETI Express, a low Earth orbit spacecraft designed and built by European university students under the supervision of ESA’s Education Department, was successfully launched this morning at 08:52 CEST from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Russian Kosmos 3M launcher. At 10:29 CEST this morning, the ground control centre at the University in Aalborg (DK) received the first signals from the satellite.

Neat, huh?

Check it out.