History will be created when America’s space agency, NASA launches the world’s smallest satellite, KalamSat on June 21.
It has been made by an Indian student, Rifath Sharook.
Named after India’s nuclear scientist and former President, APJ Abdul Kalam, the satellite will be launched from Wallops Island of the US.
The weight of the probe is just 64 grams and it is fitted in a 4 centimeters cube. The probe is composed of 3-D printed reinforced carbon fibre polymer. Part of the components were supplied from India and other parts from abroad. The probe will be launched by a sub-orbital spaceflight.
The expected time span of the mission (post flight) is 240 minutes. The tiny probe will be operated only for 12 minutes to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fibre in a micro-gravity environment of space.
The first to be manufactured via 3D printing, the satellite was selected through a competition called ‘Cubes in Space,’ which was sponsored jointly by NASA and ‘I Doodle Learning’.
Significantly, it aims to take the performance of new technology to space. It’s a proud moment for India, as the satellite, weighing just 64 grams, has been developed by the 18 year old school student from Tamil Nadu.
It has been built with limited resource provided by an organization called ‘Space Kidz India’ which was established in 2010 in Chennai.
