Australia's SpIRIT nanosatellite has snapped its first "selfie" from space, marking a successful start to its mission.
SpIRIT — formally known as the Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal nanosatellite — is the first space telescope funded by the Australian Space Agency to carry a foreign space agency's scientific instrument as its main payload.
Launched in December 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, SpIRIT has now completed its commissioning phase, testing all its onboard systems, including its winged thermal management and deployable camera arm, which it used to take a "selfie" in space.
Recent images shared by the University of Melbourne show the satellite in orbit, confirming that its systems were deployed and are functioning correctly. The images include snapshots of the