15 minutes later the team went outside and watched as the ISS transited across the night sky, a bright star floating by (caused by sunlight reflected off the station's solar panels), knowing that nearby Ex-Alta 1 was tumbling away on its journey to space.
A few hours later, as Ex-Alta 1 passed over South Korea and Japan, radio operators there recorded the first few beacons from Ex-Alta 1! This signaled the successful startup of the satellite, successful deployment of the antennas, and successful startup of the spacecraft subsystems!
The next steps will involve beginning the commissioning of the satellite in preparation for science operations.
Congratulations to all those involved in the ExAlta 1 mission!!