One of three newly launched satellites now orbiting Earth is named after a Stone Oak Elementary School student.
GHGSat-C3, also known as Luca, dedicated to incoming second-grader Luca Esparza, was aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when it took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 25.
According to North East ISD, the student was honored thanks in part to his father Angel Esparza’s work with GHGSat, a global company that develops space-based greenhouse gas-monitoring systems.
A GHGSat news release said two other satellites that launched May 25—GHGSat-C4, or Penny, and GHGSat-C5, or Diako—are also named after the children of GHGSat team members.
The Esparza family viewed the Falcon 9 launch on-site, and Angel Esparza said seeing the launch in person was a “transformative experience.”
According to Angel Esparza, Luca got to wear an astronaut’s suit and helmet during their visit to Cape Canaveral.
“That was quite a commitment since that day was sunny, humid and with a temperature of 87 degrees,” Angel Esparza said of his son.
Additionally, a digital copy of Luca’s photo is loaded into his namesake satellite’s internal memory for good luck.
The company, which has a Houston office and four offices aboard, said it now has six total satellites in space capable of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.
Serving as a technical adviser to GHGSat, Angel Esparza said having the names of company associates’ children on the satellites serves to remind their children and future generations of the importance of their work.
“Everything happened in one minute and few seconds, but being there, feeling the vibe and expectation of the people, hearing and feeling the thrust force, and attentively observing how the rocket is being elevated really redefines the concept and purpose of my job,” Angel Esparza said.
Angel Esparza said the rocket and satellite launch has also boosted his family’s curiosity about science.
“Any previous interest in space and science has been magnified from that experience,” he said.
