On the bleachers, a group of nine young engineers and computer scientists watched the rocket until it disappeared into the blue sky. They hugged each other, elated at their achievement.

The group, all of them students or recent graduates of Arizona State University, built a miniature research satellite named Phoenix that launched into space aboard anAntares rocket headed for the International Space Station. The students’ creation weighs just 8.6 pounds and is about the size of a loaf of bread — 12 inches long by 4 inches wide.