Dr. Kayyali Mohamed - Supporting Small Satellite Missions: KSF Space Foundation

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, host Tom Patton talks with Dr. Kayyali Mohamed, Founder and CEO of the KSF Space Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization supporting small satellite missions by working with universities to build and launch small satellites without sacrificing a significant portion of their budget.

KSF Space Foundation offers cubesat kits and consults with universities to help them develop missions for those spacecraft. They have developed the ’Experimentation Opportunity Program’ which is dedicated to enabling institutions in developing countries realize their own space mission aspirations. The scope of the program allows institutions from developing countries to collaborate and participate with other institutions that are currently working and developing their own missions.

The KSF cubesat kit is designed to facilitate the creation of low-cost CubeSat-class satellites. Reducing the cost of spacecraft development in this way allows spacecraft development efforts to be funded from teaching funds, instead of requiring faculty to seek research funds to conduct this activity. Using teaching funds (instead of research funds) facilitates greater student leadership and involvement, as it reduces the risk of mission failure to the responsible faculty member. Additionally, as teaching funds are generally recurring, this approach facilitates incorporation of the small satellite program in curriculum on a year-upon-year basis.

The KSF Space Foundation is further supporting small satellite missions by sourcing and managing rideshare opportunities with a network of international launch providers. They can help institutions launch their own experiments with affordable pricing below normal market rates.

The foundation is also in the process of working with the Kansas University to develop Jupiter 1, dedicated to Cubesat/Nanosatellites and hardware flight testing to ensure the satellite would pass all major necessary tests such as vibration, thermal and telecommunication before its orbital flight. The vehicle is a 2 stage reusable rocket which makes it cost effective, supported with excellent recovery systems carrying three Cubesats payloads.

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry, and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.

Website: https://ksf.space