Student-Led Satellite Project MAHASAT Hits Key Milestone at BITS Pilani Dubai

Dubai, Eau -The student team on the Pilani Dubai Bits Campus (BPDC) has successfully completed the Mahasat-one Engineering Phase of Cubesat’s initiatives led by EAU students. This milestone marks the transition to the next critical phase of satellite development: tests and preparation for flight.

Originally launched at the end of 2023, Mahasat is an BPDC flagship academic initiative in collaboration with Eduteech4space. Its objective is to design, build and launch a 1U cubesat completely directed by students. Around the year and a half, the team has progressed through mission design, the creation of subsystem prototypes and now the successful development of a fully integrated engineering model. The project reflects the strong commitment of the University to experimental learning in aerospace and spatial technology, and the academic supervision of the BPDC faculty, with Prof. Dr. has been carried out. Raja Muthalagu serving as a faculty in charge.

The engineering model (EM) acts as a work prototype to test and confirm how Cubesat systems will work together before building the final flight version. The satellite includes essential subsystems such as the computer on board (OBC), the electric power system (EPS), the battery, the antenna deployment system, solar panels and the attitude determination and control system (ADC).

As part of this phase, the Mahasat team also developed solar simulator and fall configurations. These tools helped students understand the real -world challenges in energy management and guidance control.

Through the phase, the students worked by hand with hardware and coding and test construction subsystems such as the EPS, monitoring orientation using sensors (IMU), monitoring temperature and processing images. They were also presented to the defined radio of the software (SDR) to practice how satellites communicate with land stations using radio signals.

At the same time, the students used the VHF-UHF land station on the Pilani Dubai Bits campus to track real satellites, reinforcing their understanding of telemetry and communication. Real -time data were used to simulate Cubesat Downnink operations and analysis signal for educational ideas.

“Mahasat is a will to the power of innovation led by students, academic collaboration and engineering of the real world,” he said Prof. Souri BanerjeeDirector or Bits Pilani Dubai Campus. “This successful completion of the engineering model reflects our commitment to provide practical interdisciplinary learning that is aligned with national spatial objectives.”

Dr. Shrisudha ViscanathanFounder of Eduteech4space, he added: “This association with the Pilani Dubai Bits campus demonstrates what happens when passionate students have access to an expert tutoring and avant -garde learning tools. Under the visionary guide of Dr. Mylswamy AnnuraiThe minds of the Moon and Mars of India, Mahasat’s team has benefited immensely from the aerospace ideas of the real world. Mahasat’s engineering milestone is not just a technical achievement, it is a learning revolution in aerospace education. “

This phase concluded with the integration of all modules into a functional satellite prototype. Key validations included internal communication stability, power performance under simulated load and synchronized operations of the subsystem.

With the phase of the engineering model completed, the Mahasat team is now moving towards phase 4, which implies environmental tests, additional software development and the preparation of the final flight model. The project continues to serve as a unique platform for practical learning and innovation in the growing space technology of the EAU.

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