PicSat was designed and built by a team of scientists led by Dr. Sylvestre Lacour, astrophysicist and instrumentalist at the High Angular Resolution in Astrophysics group in the LESIA laboratory with Paris Observatory, Paris Sciences et Lettres University and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

This makes Beta Pictoris interesting for study as it allows astronomers to learn more about the very early stages of planet formation.

In the early 1980s, a large disk of asteroids, dust, gas, and other debris were found surrounding Beta Pictoris, leftovers from the formation of the star.

[3] In 2009, a giant gas planet orbiting Beta Pictoris was discovered by a team of French astronomers led by Anne-Marie Lagrange from Grenoble, France.

The project began in 2014 when Sylvestre Lacour, astrophysicist and instrumentalist at the French CNRS at the LESIA laboratory / Paris Observatory, thought of using a CubeSat to observe Beta Pictoris b's transit.

The PicSat science case was defined in collaboration with Dr. Alain Lecavelier des Etangs from the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, who had been working on the Beta Pictoris system for many years.

The middle unit contained two innovative technical tools: its fine-tracking ability, and its usage of a thin optical fiber, 3 micrometers in diameter.

[10] This was thanks to an accepted proposal to ESO for an opportunity to observe time in support of the PicSat project, led by Dr. Flavien Kiefer from the Institut d'astrophysique de Paris.

[10] Together with PicSat measurements, HARPS transit data would have allowed for more accurate determinations of the orbit and size of the planet, along with the chemical make up of its atmosphere.

A large network of radio amateurs were called to collaborate to track the satellite, receive its data, and transmit it to Ground Station.

[14] PicSat's official website displayed received information, as well as up-to-date light curve data of Beta Pictoris.

On 30 March it was believed contact was restored by a team at Morehead State University, but the signal received was from the TIGRISAT satellite.