UVic satellite headed to International Space Station aboard NASA-SpaceX rocket

A small satellite created by University of Victoria engineering graduate students will soon be launched into space aboard NASA's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The satellite, called the ORCASat, will hitch a ride on the Falcon 9 to the International Space Station on Tuesday, where it will be in deployed in orbit for the next 18 months.

Once deployed, the satellite will orbit the world collecting and emitting data to scientists on earth.

The ORCASat emits consistent lasers and lights to provide an "artificial star reference" for scientists on the ground.

By examining the satellite's lasers, researchers can see how the environment may be affecting the brightness of the lasers as they reach the view of a telescope, and apply that data to calibrate their ground-based star photometers and instruments when examining distant stars.

The ORCASat is one of two satellites developed by Canadian students that will be onboard the Falcon 9, with the other being the LORIS satellite made at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS.

The two satellites won a national competition which involved 15 teams from every province and territory across Canada.

Weather permitting, the NASA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch from the Kenney Space Centre in Florida at 12:54 p.m. Tuesday.

The launch can be viewed live on the NASA website on Tuesday.