Brophy CubeSat Club Launches Weather Balloon that Reaches the Edge of Space
5, 4, 3, 2, 1… The Brophy CubeSat Club is officially out of this world after the successful launch and recovery of a weather balloon last Friday that reached the edge of space. The exhilarating ascent occurred against the desert sky in Tonopah, Ariz., to test data collection equipment for implementation on the team’s satellite in low Earth orbit.
The CubeSat crew — Alexander Motola ‘25, Henry Silvernail ’27, lan Koeninger ’25, Leo Ma ’26, Lucas Vargas ’26 and Sami Shammas ’26 — was on hand to witness the ascent that captured a glimpse of the curvature of the Earth at its highest point (video below). The crew recovered the weather balloon approximately 85 miles away near Maricopa. Making the successful launch and recovery possible is club moderator Mr. Jason Svedin and the support of other faculty members, as well as the Brophy Rocketry Club.
The Brophy CubeSat Club is dedicated to launching a small satellite into orbit to measure dust cloud formation over the Southwest U.S. to better predict outbreaks of Valley Fever.
Brophy College Preparatory celebrated its 76th commencement on Saturday, May 18, at 9 a.m. in Robson Gymnasium. This graduation was significant for the Class of 2024, who began their high school journey remotely due to the pandemic.
The Class of 2024 demonstrated resilience and connection despite the challenges of starting their education online. Their unity and adaptability were evident throughout their time at Brophy, embodying their class theme: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Valedictorian Doer Leo He delivered a memorable speech, drawing parallels to the movie "Finding Nemo" and encouraging his classmates to persevere with the phrase, "Just keep swimming." President Bob Ryan and Principal Jim Bopp also spoke, highlighting the graduates' resilience and urging them to be agents of positive change.
The ceremony concluded with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment, celebrating the Class of 2024's journey from remote learning to a united and triumphant graduation.