Kuwait launched its first satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a space station in the US state of Florida.
Kuwaiti media broadcast a video of the launch of the KuwaitSat-1 satellite from the FKM platform.
The launch was the culmination of three years of hard work aimed at harnessing Kuwait’s capabilities in the field of building and designing satellites, as well as providing them with the necessary training and field experience.
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Operator Director at the National Project for the first Kuwaiti Satellite Ahmed Al-Kandari said that once the Kuwait Sat-1 reached its designated orbit, it would disengage from the rocket and spread its wings containing solar-powered batteries that would enable it to operate. Al-Kandari added that the satellite would be able to send its first message in four hours and two minutes after launch with the signal received at a station in Kuwait University.
During World Space Week on October 4-10, Hala Al-Jassar, director of the National Project for Kuwait’s First Educational Satellite and teaching faculty at Kuwait University, revealed that the launch was part of the national project for the first Kuwait satellite (Kuwait Sat-1).
The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences is funding this project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Colleges of Sciences and Engineering and Petroleum.
