A trio of nanosatellites built and developed by the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa (Technion) and Israel Aerospace Industries launched this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, piggybacking on a Glavkosmos Soyuz rocket.

The Israeli nanosatellites will orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometers (340 miles) and transmit data to a control center at Technion’s Asher Space Research Institute, which will use it to geolocate people, planes, and ships.

The miniaturized satellites, of a class called CubeSat, look like thin shoeboxes, weighing about eight kilograms each. Each has four solar panels, sensors, antennae, computer systems, control systems, navigation devices and an innovative propulsion system. Theses satellites are designed to move in formation autonomously, without human intervention. The solar panels not only accumulate energy for their operation but also serve as wings to control their movement. If necessary, the formation could operation without fuel, using air resistance for movement.

The project was conceived as part of the Adelis-Samson project (the Space Autonomous Mission for Swarming and Geolocating Nanosatellites), led by Pini Gurfil. “Basic research over the course of many years, combined with advanced Israeli technology, allows Israel to take an important step forward in the field of nanosatellites,” explained Gurfil.