Space Kidz India, a Chennai-based space tech startup whose payloads were aboard Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram S launch vehicle, the first Indian private rocket to launch into space, announced that the mission met all of the required parameters and was a success.
Vikram S launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on November 18 with three customer payloads. The launch successfully validated Skyroot's technologies and paved the way for the launch of its Vikram-1 orbital launch vehicle next year.
Space Kidz India collaborates with students all over the world to provide them with real-time space technology exposure by building satellites and payloads. Its payload, FunSAT, consisted of 80 experiments conducted by 160 students from India, the United States, Indonesia, and other countries.
Dr Srimathi Kesan, CEO and founder of Space Kidz India, told Moneycontrol that the payloads included sensors such as gyroscopes, magnetometers, and accelerometers, which were all programmed by the 160 students.
"We were looking at sensors all working properly -- magnetometers, gyroscope giving all the details. If it gives data such as, what is the apogee (the point in the orbit of a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth), the pressure during the flight and so on -- that is a success. That is what we expected of the flight," Kesan said that the students were elated with the success.
During the flight, Space Kidz also tested its new onboard computer and processing system, its operating system, data compression algorithms, data distribution and transfer system, power management system, etc.
The preparation
The preparations for the production of these student-made payloads began in the middle of Covid last year. "We wanted to do a mission for middle school and high school students, where children can have fun while learning," she said.
At that time, Space Kidz India was conducting online classes with students from Dubai, Indonesia, India, and other countries.
"So we built PCB (printed circuit board) kits for them, soldered sensors onto them, and sent it to these children. From here they learnt a lot about these sensors," Kesan said.
"They had an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. So these children aren't familiar with all of these terms and concepts. They learned and programmed everything," she said. In addition, a programming library was sent to the children to assist them in coding, Kesan added.
Over the course of a few months, the students experimented with the sensors, programmed them to work in space, and returned them to the Chennai-based start-up.
After returning the programmed sensors (payloads) to Space Kidz, the start-up integrated them into the satellite superstructure. The startup then travelled to Hyderabad to Skyroot Aerospace's facilities to load the satellites onto their Vikram S launch vehicle.
"We were so happy that we could get so much data (from the sensors) from space," she added.
Apart from the CSR funds that Space Kidz India receives, the students' parents supported the initiative.
What's next
The startup intends to begin commercial operations and raise funds next year.
In addition to beginning commercial operations next year, the startup is currently working on AzaadiSAT, an initiative involving 75 government schools and 750 girl students from across India.
According to Kesan, the students and the start-up are developing an orbital satellite that will be launched into space next month aboard an Indian Space Research Organisation launch vehicle.
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