BMC schoolkids build Pico satellites to be launched at KARC

The kids’ adventure began when the BMC held an open examination, based on the science textbooks of Class 5 to Class 8, to select children for the satellite-building project

Mumbai: Sahil Bhuvad, a Class 8 student of the BMC’s Sardar Nagar School No 2 at Sion, on Friday had the thrilling experience of seeing a rocket up close at the Kalpakkam Atomic Research Centre. Just as thrilling was the fact that he had built a Pico satellite that would be launched by the rocket.

BMC schoolkids build Pico satellites to be launched at KARC

Bhuwad is among the hundred students that were selected from over 5,000 shortlisted candidates to participate in the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission 2023. The event, in which children from Class 6 to Class 8 designed and developed 150 Pico satellites, was organised by the Martin Foundation, Tamil Nadu, in association with the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Space Zone India.

On Sunday, the satellites will be launched from Pattipuram near Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. After the launches, the rocket will land on the ground with the help of a parachute and can be reused for the next mission.

The kids’ adventure began when the BMC held an open examination, based on the science textbooks of Class 5 to Class 8, to select children for the satellite-building project. Twenty-two students from BMC schools and three students from a private school in Mumbai were chosen. “In January, we took them to Pune for a 10-day workshop and taught them how to build satellites,” said Rajani Patil, a teacher at the BMC’s Guru Govind Singh school and Mumbai project coordinator. “They built two during this period.”

According to Patil, this is the world’s first such rocket experiment with Pico satellites built by students. “It will be registered in a number of record books, including the World Record, Asia Record, India Record and Assist World Record,” she said. “Students will get certificates from all the record books.”

Aryan Matolkar, a Class 8 student from the BMC’s Guru Govind Singh school, said, “We built a satellite with GPS and radiation sensors to measure radiation in the atmosphere. This satellite stands eight inches tall and has an eight-hour lifespan.”

Bhuvad told HT that the exam conducted by the organisers was “very difficult” but once he cleared it, his dream of being selected for the satellite-manufacturing project came true. “It was so exciting to see a rocket first-hand after only seeing it on TV or in photos,” he said. “Here, we were shown how a rocket is made, how its parachute opens, how a satellite is launched. It was an amazing experience. If ever I get the opportunity in future, I would definitely like to become a rocket scientist.”