| Keyword |
Description |
| Ixtli |
A Nahuatl word meaning “eyes to see” and the name of Mexico’s new satellite mission |
| CubeSat |
A very small, low‑cost satellite about 10 cm on each side and around 1 kg |
| Gxiba‑1 |
A nanosatellite that checks volcano gases to help forecast eruptions |
Mexico is building four small Earth‑watching satellites called Mission Ixtli to track weather, forests, farms, and safety risks, so the country can make its own choices without buying pictures from other nations. These satellites could start launching in December 2026, and the name Ixtli means “eyes to see” in the Indigenous language Nahuatl. Teams of researchers and students at Mexican universities began designing them in late 2024 with a first‑year budget of 100 million pesos, and the plan is to add more home‑made parts over time, up to about half of each satellite. The mission also aims to watch for wildfires, landslides, and the health of forests and crops to protect people and nature.
One piece of the plan is Gxiba‑1, a tiny CubeSat from UPAEP that will launch from Japan to study Mexico’s volcanoes by measuring gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which can help predict eruptions. CubeSats are about the size of a juice box—around 10 centimeters on each side and about one kilogram—so they cost less to build and send to space. Mexico already flew AztechSat‑1 in 2019, and experts say the biggest benefits may take years, but this shows the country is stepping into its space age.
Bridging words
These words sound similar in English and Spanish: Why not practice them now?
| English |
Spanish |
| Satellite |
Satélite |
| Indigenous |
Indígena |
| Eruption |
Erupción |
Time to discuss
- Why is it helpful for Mexico to collect its own satellite data instead of buying it from other countries?
- How can satellites help protect forests, farms, and towns from fires, landslides, and eruptions?
- What might be hard about building satellites with more home‑made parts, and how can teams solve it?
Let's write
Answer the following questions in one paragraph:
- Write a short story about a day in the life of the Gxiba‑1 satellite as it watches a volcano.
- Explain in one paragraph how small CubeSats can make space science cheaper and faster.
