Becoming a NASA astronaut is out, and I’m a few thousand dollars away from a Virgin Galactic ticket, but a Mountain View-based startup Nanosatisfi can give me the next best thing. The company has built a very small satellite that once in orbit, allows anyone – from backyard astronomers to science-driven students – with $250 per week to take photos from space and run their own scientific experiments.

“Our one big goal is affordable, convenient, and accessible space exploration for everyone,” says Nanosatisfi CEO Peter Platzer (pictured right). Inspired by what Richard Branson and Elon Musk are doing to make space travel a reality for everyday people, Platzer wants to bring a different kind of space exploration to anyone fascinated with space and science, especially children. But Platzer, a physicist and former Wall Street analyst, isn’t all zero-gravity hugs; he plans to turn his own love of space into a bona fide business.