Indian teen builds world’s lightest satellite

An Indian teenager has claimed to build the world’s lightest satellite.

The 64-gram (0.14 lb) satellite which was selected as the winner in a youth design competition, will be launched at a Nasa facility in the US in June.

Rifath Shaarook, 18, says its main purpose was to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fibre.

He told local media his invention will go on a four-hour mission for a sub-orbital flight.

During that time, the lightweight satellite will operate for around 12 minutes in a micro-gravity environment of space.

"We designed it completely from scratch," BBC quoted him. "It will have a new kind of on-board computer and eight indigenous built-in sensors to measure acceleration, rotation and the magnetosphere of the earth."

The satellite has been named KalamSat after former Indian president Abdul Kalam, a pioneer for the country's aeronautical science ambitions.