The tiny satellite named MARIO sends a very Mario message to Earth

the Movie Mario based on the game Super Mario Bros. arrives in April. It’s nice and all. But have you heard of MARIO in space?

MARIO – short for Measurement of Actuator Response and Impedance on Orbit – is a loaf-sized satellite built by the University of Michigan. After entering orbit on December 29, the satellite launched a important message to earth: “It’s me Mario!”

On Thursday, NASA’s ISS program research office tweeted a view of MARIO’s deployment and noted, “He quickly sent out a transmission referencing the infamous catchphrase.”

“It’s me, Mario!”

Last week, NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative deployed its 150th CubeSat! Four CubeSats were released from the station, including MARIO from the University of Michigan. He quickly sent a transmission referring to the famous slogan. https://t.co/wPGAOeyYVw

— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) January 5, 2023

The transmission was the satellite’s way of letting its handlers know that it was working as intended and was able to communicate with the ground.

“The goal of the mission is to characterize the performance of piezoelectric actuators and health monitoring systems under low Earth orbit conditions,” said the Michigan Exploration Lab, part of the College of Engineering of the university, in a blog post.

MARIO entered orbit on December 29 with its release from the International Space Station. The satellite is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative program which works with educational institutions “to inspire and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists by providing a unique opportunity to conduct scientific research and develop /demonstrate new technologies in space”. CubeSats are relatively small and inexpensive satellites.

The tiny satellite won’t collect coins or stomp Goombas through space, but it does super mario galaxy just kinda feel real.