杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� message of hope and peace for our troubled world is about to lift off into space.

The Spei Satelles, or 鈥淕uardian of Hope鈥� satellite will carry a record of the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 Statio Orbis of 27 March 2020 鈥� held at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic 鈥� into orbit around the earth.

The SpeiSat 3U CubeSat will launch on 10 June 2023 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US state of California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will place it in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 525km.

Peaceful payload

The satellite鈥攁bout the size of an American football鈥攚ill house a 鈥渘anobook鈥� version of 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� Why Are You Afraid? Have You No Faith?, a book containing images and words from the Statio Orbis.

The nanobook was created by the Polytechnic University of Turin, is about the size of the tip of a pen, and can only be read by highly-advanced nanotechnology reading devices.

Yet, anyone with an amateur UHF-band radio can pick up a broadcast beamed from the satellite on 437.5 MHz to hear excerpts from the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 book as it passes overhead.

Hope and action

The initiative also offers an invitation for people to get involved, and live out the Gospel message of hope in their own lives.

According to a press release, the website gives people the chance to follow the mission鈥檚 progress, and have their name inscribed in a dedicated memory chip aboard SpeiSat.

鈥淚n order to obtain a virtual boarding pass, those interested will be asked to pledge to do a work of mercy on behalf of peace and hope,鈥� read the statement. 鈥淓ach person involved can thus become a concrete seed of hope in their daily lives.鈥�

The satellite could potentially stay in orbit for up to 12 years, but the radio transmitter will continue to broadcast for only 6 months to a year due to battery-induced limitations.

Representation of the nanobook

Prophetic icon of hope

The headquarters of Vatican News 鈥� Vatican Radio hosted a press conference on Monday to present the initiative, exactly three years after the momentous papal prayer was held in St. Peter鈥檚 Square.

The Vatican鈥檚 Dicastery for Communication鈥攖he parent organization of Vatican News鈥攊s promoting the initiative in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency, the National Research Council, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Instituto para el Diálogo Global y la Cultura del Encuentro 鈥� IDGCE, the Salesian University Institute Venice 鈥� IUSVE, and the Digital Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Turin.

Fr. Luca Peyron, who leads the Digital Apostolate of Turin, told reporters that the SpeiSat carries a prophetic message of hope, spread through the marvels of advanced technology.

鈥淓ven though the nanobook cannot be read with the naked eye,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t will be there, orbiting our planet. It thus becomes a sign and an icon, just like 杏MAP导航 Francis as he stood alone in that empty St. Peter鈥檚 Square.鈥�