This 19 year old boy from India designed the world’s smallest satellite KalamSAT, which can be held on one’s palm. Weighing only 1.26kg, the Kalamsat-V2 weighs less than a wooden chair and was designed and built by a team of students led by 19-year-old Rifath Sharook.
Rifath Sharook, from Pallapatti, a village in Karur, Tamil Nadu, has a special story. It all started with his dad, who was a scientist and Rifath’s inspiration. Sadly, his dad passed away when Rifath was just ten. But Rifath’s mom and family became his strong support.
When Rifath Sharook was only 15, he created a small helium weather balloon weighing two-and-a-half pounds. He did this for the Young Scientist India-2015 competition organized by Space Kidz India.
Later, Rifath Sharook met Dr. Srimathy Kesan during an interview when he was a student journalist. They both shared the same vision and passion. Together, they formed a team that’s more like a family.
They started from scratch to create something special. It’s a tiny satellite with a new kind of computer and eight built-in sensors to measure things like acceleration, rotation, and the Earth’s magnetic field. The big challenge was making an experiment that fits into a small space and weighs only 64 grams, even lighter than a smartphone!
This satellite, called KalamSat, is made from a special 3D-printed carbon fiber. They named it KalamSat in honor of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, a respected scientist and former President of India. The satellite was launched into space using a sounding rocket, and the whole mission lasted 240 minutes.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility in Wallops Island launched the designed satellite on June 21. It was the first time that NASA operated an Indian student’s experiment.
The entire country was upbeat on January 25, 2019 when India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C44) successfully injected Kalamsat V2 satellite into their designated orbits.
What have we done when we were eighteen? Well, this guy is not just making his family and surroundings proud, but also the entire nation. To receive such an honor from NASA is something many dream of.
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