Sastra University student builts lightest FEMTO satellite for NASA launch

A second year Mechatronics Engineering student S Riyasdeen of SASTRA Deemed University has won the cubes in space global design competition for space launch in NASA rocket and scientific balloon.

His 37mm sized FEMTO satellite VISIO SAT v1 &v2 with a payload of 30mm weighing 33 gms make it the world's lightest FEMTO satellite. Femto satellites are satellites with a mass less than 100 grams. These new categories of satellites are, by concept, low cost devices if they are based on Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) components

Using polyetherimide thermoplastic resins and 3D printing technology, Riyasdeen won this global competition conducted by NASA in which around 1,000 students from 73 countries participated.

He was mentored by INRO Labs, Chennai, his satellites are designed to record around 17 parameters with 11 sensors and VISION Sat v1 shall be part of the SR-7 NASA Rocket Mission expected to be launched from the Wallops Flight facility, USA in June 2021 and Sat v2 shall be part of the NASA Balloon Mission RB-6 scheduled for launch in August 2020.

The SASTRA-TBI in 3D Printing & IOT will offer an incubation grant of Rs 5 lakh to Riyasdeen to further pursue his ambition of establishing a successful start-up.