CubeSat released in orbit, proving feasibility

China's Tianzhou 1 cargo spacecraft successfully released a cube satellite while in orbit on Tuesday, and signals from the satellite - known as a CubeSat - were immediately received by ground technicians, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The CubeSat was carried into orbit by Tianzhou 1, which was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan province on April 20.

Tuesday's release was the first time China has activated a cube satellite - typically measuring 10 centimeters on each side of a cube - from an orbiting spacecraft.