The AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (AO-7) amateur radio satellite was launched in 1974, expected to last 5 years, but a battery failure meant it had to run off of its solar panels. It's still operating.

I work for a lab in the US. We do a lot of things, but among them space and defense. Literal rocket scientists. A lot of old-school hackers. Like not Hollywood movie "hackers", I mean the type of people that take great pleasure in making something functional out of miscellaneous junk.

Among them, there is a surprisingly large number of licensed hams. Myself included.

Idk where I'm going with this. But there's an overlap between "space nerds", "radio nerds", and "tech macgyvers", so they find a way.

There are cubesats nowadays, you can get one up in low orbit for a couple of thousands of dollars. It won't last long as the one in the article though, in low orbit it will somehow quickly fall down and burn up in the atmosphere. Months I guess.

Kind of cool though.

Ham radio networks were considered part of usa civil defense strategy and a means to keep communications going during disasters.