The objective of the nanosatellite project is to provide hands-on experience to students in the design, construction, and control of complete satellite systems that will ultimately serve as the basis for a variety of space experiments. The first satellite in the series is called OUFTI-1: it is a CubeSat, which is a cube with a size of 10x10x10 cm and a weight of at most 1,33 kilogram.

The key, innovative feature of OUFTI-1 is the use of the D-STAR amateur-radio digital-communication protocol. This means of radio-communication will be made available to ham-radio operators worldwide. In the future, it will also be used to control space experiments. The telecommands and telemetry will be send to the satellite with the AX.25 amateur radio protocol. In case of the AX.25 system won't work properly a reliable telegraphy beacon should still be functional.

OUFTI-1 has been selected for the new ESA program "Fly Your Satellite!" and will be launched with the Soyuz launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guyana, on April 22, 2016.

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