NASA successfully launches KalamSat, a 64 g satellite designed by students from Tamil Nadu

The world’s smallest satellite was just launched by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on 21 June. The satellite was designed by a team of students from Tamil Nadu and weighs a mere 64 g. It’s been named KalamSat in memory of former scientist and late President, APJ Abdul Kalam. The tiny satellite was launched by a NASA sounding rocket from NASA’s Wallops island facility. News Nation reports that this is the first time “an Indian student’s experiment has been carried by NASA.”  

Rifath Sharook, who helped design the satellite, states that the purpose of the satellite is to demonstrate the strength of 3D printed carbon fibre, designed the satellite. The satellite was selected via a ‘Cubes in Space’ competition, which was organised in part by NASA. 86,000 designs were submitted, Sharook’s design was the one that won. The rules of the competition stated that the satellite must weigh exactly 64 g and fit in a 4-cm cube. Sharook’s attempt was funded by an organisation called “Space Kidz India”. The satellite successfully endured 12 minutes of microgravity in space.