(ROLLA, Mo., AP) — A team at the Missouri University of Science and Technology is competing to have a spacecraft launched into orbit.

The Rolla school says it’s one of 10 universities taking part in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Nanosat-7 competition. Missouri S&T’s team has received $110,000 in grants to build and develop two microsatellites.

The satellites are designed to launch as a single unit, then separate in orbit and maintain a specific flight formation.

More than 30 Missouri S&T students are devoting up to 20 hours a week to the two-year design and build competition.

This is Missouri S&T’s third time in the competition. The final review of the projects will occur in January 2013 when each team will power up its fully assembled spacecraft and computer control system.