Mauritius’ first satellite, MIR-SAT1, is scheduled to launch on Thursday, June 3, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the CRS2 SpX-22 mission to the International Space Station at 5:29 p.m. (UTC).

MIR-SAT1 (Mauritius Imagery and Radio – Satellite 1) was designed by a team of Mauritian engineers and an experienced radio amateur from the Mauritius Amateur Radio Society in collaboration with experts from AAC-Clyde Space UK. Mauritius won the 3rd cycle of the UNOOSA / JAXA KiboCube program in 2018. JAXA gave the nation the opportunity to build and deploy a 1U Cube satellite via the International Space Station (ISS). In February, MIR-SAT1 was handed over to JAXA for deployment from the Japanese experimentation module (Kibo) “KiboCUBE” on the ISS.

The main objective of the MIR-SAT1 is to acquire satellite technology through the design process, design review, assembly, integration and testing. At the same time, the MRIC has set up a ground station located in its premises in Ebène, which will be used to control and operate the MIR-SAT1. This ground station will also allow the reception of data and telemetry from other satellites. The ground station is equipped with a “FlatSat” module, a replica of the 1U, allowing engineers to simulate all the maneuvers required before sending the command to the CubeSat. The FlatSat module is a key tool for Mauritian engineers to design future CubeSats after MIR-SAT1.

Read 2020 in review – Mauritius Space Program.

This is the second time that an African country will launch a satellite in 2021, after Tunisia placed its first satellite, Challenge One, into orbit in March. The satellite will accompany the NASA / SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon Cargo Resupply Mission (CRS-22) to the International Space Station. It will take off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:29 p.m. EDT (5:29 p.m. GMT). The launch will be broadcast live here.

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