PUHI — On the threshold of celebrating 50 years of learning, Kauai Community College is making a monumental mark on history. In a mission originally scheduled for the spring and postponed until fall, KCC students will be involved in the
PUHI — On the threshold of celebrating 50 years of learning, Kauai Community College is making a monumental mark on history.
In a mission originally scheduled for the spring and postponed until fall, KCC students will be involved in the launch of a rocket using the Super Strypi launch system.
“Mission Control is right here on campus,” said Gary Ellwood, marketing specialist for KCC.
When the Super Strypi rocket takes flight from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, it will be carrying a satellite designed and built by University of Hawaii faculty and students.
UH will also play a significant role in getting the satellite into space. With this mission, UH has become one of the only universities in the world to have both satellite fabrication capabilities and direct access to orbital space, according to a press release.
“The University of Hawaii is pleased to support the state in becoming a low-cost gateway to space and to provide our students with real-world experience that will be invaluable as we train Hawaii’s aerospace workforce,” said Interim President David Lassner.
The mission will demonstrate a new, low-cost launch capability able to deliver 300 kilograms to low-earth orbit, according to PMRF officials. This is the first orbital launch from PMRF and will carry the University of Hawaii’s hyperspectral imager as the primary payload.
Ellwood said he is happy the students and faculty will have a chance to show off their accomplishments in an upcoming 50th anniversary celebration at the State Capitol on Oahu March 18.
Booths will be manned by students, including one displaying the satellite tracking software for the rocket launch.
They will use a webcam to show off the tracking system in place on the Kauai campus, Ellwood said.
KCC Instructor Georgeanne Friend, who works with the electronics, pre-engineering and science students, praised the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory at KCC.
“Some students are fresh out of high school and some are about to leave for Manoa or another university.” Friend said. “The students are often quite impressed by learning that what they are doing has a real world, high-tech application right here on Kauai and also within the space community.”
The mission manager for the rocket launch is the Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office. The model of the Super Strypi rocket is being built by Sandia National Lab. Aerojet General Corp. is building the rocket motor.
