Orbital Space, a private entity promoting space education and technology in Kuwait has announced that QMR-KWT is set to launch by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle on June 24, 2021. Translated from Arabic, QMR-KWT - ‘Moon of Kuwait’ will be Kuwait’s first satellite. The satellite will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (SLC 40).
Bassam Alfeeli, Founder and General Manager of Orbital Space, said, “Our goal is to make space accessible to all, and as a startup, we are excited to work with other startups to meet our mutual objectives. Once in space, QMR-KWT will be the outcome of efforts from all young companies including Orbital Space, EnduroSat, D-Orbit, and even SpaceX, which is less than 20 years old company.”
The mission of QMR-KWT is to empower students to contribute to the advance of satellite communication technology, further preparing them as future professionals capable of operating communication satellites.
Nada Alshammari, Director of Educational Programmes at Orbital Space, said, “We are already seeing engagement from students with our QMR-KWT educational programme ‘Code in Space’. Code in Space is an opportunity for students to develop and test new software solutions by writing software code to be uploaded and executed on the satellite’s onboard computer. We are currently accepting student proposals for this out of the world opportunity.”
The mission control and ground station will be located at Dubai Digital Park, Silicon Oasis, pertaining to the agreement between Orbit Space and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).