TN Assembly hails team of young scientists who 3D printed a CubeSat launched by NASA sounding rocket

Tamil Nadu Assembly lauded a team of young scientists from Tamil Nadu whose satellite was successfully launched by NASA. Named 'KalamSat' after former President late APJ Abdul Kalam, the satellite weighs just 64 gm and was a payload of a NASA sounding rocket that blasted off from the US space agency's Wallop island today. According to a release from the team, headed by Rifaath Sharook, KalamSat is a 3.8 cm Cube Satellite (Femto category), "weighing 64 grams."The state Assembly was all praise for Sharook, the lead scientist hailing from Karur in Tamil Nadu, and his team. The satellite's structure was "fully 3D printed" with reinforced carbon fiber polymer, the release from the team, calling themselves Space Kidz India, said. "This apart, we have worked on a CubeSat that is going to be launched from the United States in a reusuable rocket," it added.It also contains a "Nano Geiger Muller counter", which will measure the radiation in outer space. Handloom Minister OS Manian said the team had developed the satellite around Rs one lakh and promised to extend financial assistance to him. Opposition Leader M K Stalin also praised the team for their innovation.