BinarX – The Binar Space Program in Schools
In space—The BinarX Student Payload Development Program
The BinarX Student Payload Development Program mentors West Australian students to design and prototype research payloads (hardware and/or software experiments) for the Binar CubeSat platform, and then build those projects for launch on-orbit with the Binar Space Program at Curtin University.
The program’s pilot phase wrapped up at the end of 2023, and thanks to the efforts of our pilot schools John Curtin College of the Arts and Joseph Banks Secondary College, the program welcomed an additional 7 schools in 2024 and has engaged over 100 year 7-11 high school students.
Payload concepts have been selected, developed and built by the students and supported by their teachers and members of the Binar Space Program. In June 2026, those students handed over their payloads for testing and integration into the Binar-5 CubeSat, currently being built by the team at the Binar Space Program as part of the upcoming Binar-567 mission to be launched onboard a SpaceX rocket in Q4 2026 destined for the International Space Station where it will be deployed into orbit from JAXA’s Kibo module and start the operations phase of the mission.
During the mission, which is expected to last several months, the student payloads will gather data to fulfill their mission objectives, and using a combination of student-built SatNOGs ground stations and the one built by the Binar Space Program at Curtin University, will track their satellite and receive data from their payloads.
The program follows the same design reviews, milestones and qualification that our own Binar CubeSats go through as we build our spacecraft, and the students and their teachers travelled to Curtin University to present their progress at these key milestones to the engineers, HDRs, academics and professionals at the Binar Space Program team, Space Science and Technology Centre, and WA space industry heavyweights. This has connected those students not only to the knowledge and skills required to get a payload into orbit, but has also provided a direct line of sight from their high school careers up into post-secondary pathways and connecting them to WA’s growing space sector.
IMAGE: Binar-2, 3 & 4 are deployed into orbit from the ISS. Binar-5 carrying the student payloads are scheduled for deployment in Q4 2026 as part of the Binar-567 mission. Credit: NASA/JAXA
On Earth—The BinarX School Holiday Program
The BinarX School Holiday Program (SHP) runs over the summer break for 10 days. Eager students from years 7 to 11 learn how to design, program and launch their own payload in a model rocket that they personalise (and get to take home!). This rocket allows the students to use sensors to explore their natural environment in new and exciting ways.
The BinarX team is excited to announce that they will be opening their successful and innovative STEM program up to the primary school children from years 5 to 6. For the younger students, BinarX condenses the program into 5 days. We ensure that the information is engaging and easy to digest. All students are supported during every part of their unique BinarX journey by passionate, experienced and dedicated leaders in the BinarX field.
We thank The Fogarty Foundation, WA Government’s Department of Department of Energy and Economic Diversification and the Curtin University School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Curtin University STEM Outreach for making this possible.
We are also developing the BinarX SHP a micro-credential for teachers wishing to enhance their STEM experience and begin or continue delivery in their classrooms of this out-of-this-world program.
Bintroductions to Electronics Kits
New to microcontrollers and think it’s too hard to get started? It’s not! The Bintroduction to Electronics kits developed by our team are where our BinarX Student Payload Development Program started their journeys, and many of them were completely new to microcontrollers, coding and electronics.
Our Bintroduction to Electronics kits are a low-cost entry point start your tinkering journey as you grasp the basics of prototyping, programming and understanding the information you are sending and receiving data from your sensors. The kit includes all electronics you’ll need for your payload prototype, plus detailed instructional videos in plain English so that students can take command of their projects from conception to launch and beyond.
It’s hard fun at it’s best and we really think you’ll love it!
In the community
Progress updates, teaching resources, and full instructions on building a payload for the Binar platform are available on the BinarX YouTube page.
If you’re a WA high school student or teacher interested in joining future intakes of the BinarX program, drop us your contact details below, and we will send you any updates on future intakes or other BinarX activities!
