School students roped in to work on communications satellite AzaadiSAT

It is an initiative of Space Kidz, a start-up of Anna University Incubation Foundation

To mark the 75th Independence Day, Space Kidz India announced its upcoming satellite mission ‘AzaadiSAT’. A start-up of the Anna University Incubation Foundation, Space Kidz has been working with school students across the country to create in them an interest in space. 

“For communications satellite AzaadiSAT, we worked together with 750 children from 75 schools across the country. A majority of these students were from government schools. They were given kits with basic experiments which they worked on,” said Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO, Space Kidz India. 

From February this year, students attended online sessions with Space Kidz where they learnt to work with the components they were given, and were taught about satellites, rockets, and some basic programming and coding. “They sent us back the experiments they had finished, and we have integrated this into the AzaadiSAT which will be launched on August 15,” Ms. Kesan said. 

For the launch, they had earlier signed an MoU with In-SPACe, ISRO, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were among several other aerospace start-ups from across the country. 

AzaadiSAT is the first major project of Space Kidz India from the Incubation Centre at Anna University. The team said their main aim was to work with girls from government schools, and encourage them to learn more about space. The aerospace start-up has previously launched 18 balloon satellites, 2 sub-orbital and 2 orbital satellites. 

Ms. Kesan said their larger aim towards promoting space knowledge was for the Tamil Nadu government to initiate the setting up of a space research park where children can come learn about space.