Universities prepare to launch experiments with NASA, Virgin Orbit By (0) Technicians prepare small satellites for launch at Virgin Orbit's processing facility in Mojave, Calif. Photo courtesy of Virgin Orbit Technicians prepare a small satellite, MiTEE, for launch in California after it was built and shipped by the University of Michigan. Photo courtesy of Virgin Orbit Quartz marbles and smaller material are packed inside the Q-PACE small satellite for an experiment in microgravity. Photo courtesy of University of Central Florida ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Experiments on a NASA educational satellite mission planned this month include two devices intended to inspect other spacecraft in space, a box of quartz marbles that will float in microgravity and a weather observation satellite to monitor storms.