Introduction to SEIC What is it?
 How to sign up
 How to prepare

Space
Engineering
International
Course29 June 2020

Edited by:
G. Maeda
革新的宇宙利用実証ラボラトリー
Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit
Experiments (LaSEINE),
Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech)
Kitakyushu, Japan
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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What is it?
Note: On the last few pages of this document, after
Page 32, you can read comments by some SEIC alumni
about their SEIC experience.
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Today, the global
space economy ishuge.
In 2018, it was 360
billion USD and is
growing by at least ten
percent per year.

SEIC seeks to prepare
2018 Global Space Economy, by Bryce Space and Technology
https://brycetech.com/reports

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

you for this highgrowth economy as ahighly-skilled global
engineer.
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Four SEIC students(Mexico, Nigeria,
Philippines, andSudan) receive

What is SEIC?
It is a post-graduate
engineering program at
Kyutech in Japan.
SEIC leads to a masters
degree (takes two years) ora Phd (takes three years).
It is taught in English so that
we can attract the bestengineering students fromall corners of the world.

Emerging Space Leader(ESL) awards during 2019
IAC in Washington, DC.

DO REAL SATELLITE PROJECTS

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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SEIC is I. Highlights
II.
Components
ofSEIC
explained
III. Career development
as four
opportunities
topics IV. Space projects
COVERED ON THE NEXT FEW PAGESIntroduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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I. Highlights
 Lectures based in English
 Rigorous space engineering curriculum Multi-cultural environment Japanese 日本語 lessons are provided
 Discover superb Japanese food & culture

Learn Japanese

和食

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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II. Components of SEIC
SEIC is structured around four
components:
 Research under supervision of afaculty member toward a Master orDoctoral degree
 On-the-job training through handson experience such as performing
field radiation tests
 Project Based Learning (PBL) througha space project led by Japanese andforeign students
 Lectures on subjects related to spaceengineering
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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III. Career development opportunities

On 25 Jan 2018, Prof. Jordi PuigSuari (Cal Poly) delivered thislecture: "CubeSats as Workforce
Development".

During 2018, Dr Werner Balogh(UNOOSA) gave a 2-credit course called"The Int'l Dimension of Space Activities:
Space Law and Policy for Engineers".

In July 2019, Dr Danielle Wood (MIT)taught a short course called “SpaceTechnology for the Sustainable
Development Goals”.

On 2 Oct 2019, Mr. Kittanart Jusatayanond (CEO of Astroberry, Thailand)
discussed his adventures of starting his own space start-up firm and gave careeradvice to SEIC students.

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

Throughout SEIC, we want
you to have a multi-faceted
experience. The goal is notjust to acquire high techengineering skills, but also tounderstand how thecontemporary spaceindustry operates in terms ofpolitics, business, space law,
space policy, R&D, out-reach,higher education, and so on.

This makes you more
attractive to employers
inside and outside of thespace industry.
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IV. Space projects

ABOVE: The HORYU-4 development team(46 staff and students from 18 countries)
BELOW: HORYU-4 flight model

Kyutech always has satellite
projects underway – see thenext page for a list of oursatellites that have beenlaunched. If there is a mutual
match, you can get involved.

(BIRDS-1 Project)

BIRDS is a special category.
It was designed to help nonspace-faring nations get theirfirst satellite into space; so thefunding came from thosenations.
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Kyutech Satellite History
G.Maeda, 13 June 2019

The 18satellites
that wehavelaunchedso farNo.

Satellite name(a) Date of Launch(b) ISS deployment

Nations involved

Note

1

HORYU-II(a) 2012/5/18

Japan

2

Shinen-2(a) 2014/12/03

Japan

3

HORYU-IV(a) 2016/02/17

Japan

4

AOBA VELOX-III(a) 2017/01/19

Japan and Singapore

5

BIRDS-I : Ghana(b) 2017/07/07

Japan and Ghana

Ghana's first satellite

6

BIRDS-I : Mongolia(b) 2017/07/07

Japan and Mongolia

Mongolia's first satellite

7

BIRDS-I : Nigeria(b) 2017/07/07

Japan and Nigeria

8

BIRDS-I : Bangladesh(b) 2017/07/07

Japan and Bangladesh

9

BIRDS-I : Japan(b) 2017/07/07

Japan

10

BIRDS-II : Philippines(b) 2018/08/10

Japan and Philippines

11

BIRDS-II : Malaysia(b) 2018/08/10

Japan and Malaysia

12

BIRDS-II : Bhutan(b) 2018/08/10

Japan and Bhutan

13

SPATIUM-I(b) 2018/10/06

Japan and Singapore

14

Ten-koh(a) 2018/10/29

Japan

15

AOBA VELOX-IV(a) 2019/01/18

Japan and Singapore

16

BIRDS-III : Nepal(b) 2019/06/17

Japan and Nepal

17

BIRDS-III : Japan(b) 2019/06/17

Japan

18

BIRDS-III : Sri Lanka(b) 2019/06/17

Japan and Sri Lanka

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

Bangladesh's first satellite

Bhutan's first satellite

Nepal's first satellite
Sri Lanka's first satellite

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Page 28https://brycetech.com/reports
If you download the report“Smallsats by the Numbers
2020” produced by BRYCESPACE & TECHNOLOGY (basedin Virginia, USA), you will seethat they credit Kyutech withthe highest number of smallsat
launches by any university inthe world.

#1

A major factor behind our highnumber is the BIRDS ProjectIntroduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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BIRDS weekly mtg

Mongolian Team

These are snapshots of SEIC students doing BIRDS-1 Project (2015-2017)
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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How to sign up

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Requisites
for joining

SEIC You must be passionate about space You should have a bachelors degree(4- or 5-year type) in some field ofengineering A physics bachelors degree is also
OK if you have a lot of laboratory
hardware and software experience As SEIC is taught in English, you
should be fluent in English (writing,reading, speaking, and listening)
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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If you are interested in joining SEIC, please send
your CV to Professor Mengu Cho or to AssistantProfessor George Maeda using these email
addresses:
cho@ele.kyutech.ac.jp
maeda@ise.kyutech.ac.jp

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Availabilityofscholarships

 Kyutech has no scholarships to offer – youmust secure from other sources One to consider is PNST, see
https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/bsti/fellowships.html

 Japan Gov’t MEXT scholarships via yourlocal Japan embassy -- because the application process differs
according to the country in which the Japanese embassy is located, pleaseinquire at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in your country fordetails. List of embassies/consulates:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/ JICA scholarships are available if you live ina developing nation – enquire directly at JICA offices overseas.
List of offices: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/countries/index.html

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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How to prepare

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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We are definitely looking fora specific kind of engineer.

You must be globally-minded
and must have a passion forspace.
2001: A Space Odyssey(the 1968 movie)
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Also, you must
enjoy “hands on”
laboratory work.
You cannot learn
how to build
satellites by justreading books.
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

The Philippines
BIRDS-2 Team:
Adrian SalcesandJoven Javier

The BIRDS-3 Team
doing
environmental
testing

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SEIC is taught inEnglish. So you
must have a strong
command of the
English language.
CEFR=Common European Framework of Reference

To comfortably join SEIC, you should achieve level B2 or C1 or C2 of
the English-language section of CEFR. CEFR is explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

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Some frequently asked questions
Q1
To enter SEIC, do I need a space or aerospacebackground?
A1
No, you do not. However, you must have a strong
engineering background in any of the standard fields(electrical, mechanical, chemical, civil, etc.). You musthave a 4- or 5-year type Bachelor Degree in some field ofengineering. SEIC will teach you space engineering.
Q2
To enter SEIC, do I need to know the Japanese language?
A2
No, you do not. However, you are encouraged to learn
Japanese culture and language because this opens a large
number of doors for you. At SEIC, you should learn morethan just space engineering. You should make lots of new
friends and contacts – whom you can stay in touch withfor the rest of your life. continued next column.

Your extensive human network is just important astechnical know-how. “Whom” you know can often be
more useful than “What” you know.
Q3
Is my space engineering degree only useful for spaceengineering?
A3
Emphatically no. We teach more than just spaceengineering. We teach you “systems engineering”,
which means you learn a bigger picture of engineering.
Bear in mind that a satellite is a system. An
automobile is a system. A jet plane is a system. A
modern building is a system. A seagoing ship is asystem. A high-speed train is a system. A smartphone
is a system. A high-tech farm is a system. A military
weapon is a system. Medical instruments (CT scanner,
MRI scanner, dialysis machine, etc.) are systems.
Therefore, when you learn about satellites and otherspace systems, you …. continued next page.

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effectively become a systems engineer. You become
dramatically attractive to any company, government agency,
or university, that needs a systems engineer.

Hence, many SEIC graduates go on to work at major
manufacturers or other engineering firms. Our graduates are
prized for their “broad view of engineering”.
Q4
How is space engineering structured at Kyutech?
A4
It is divided into undergrad and post-graduate. The
undergrad portion is taught in Japanese and consists of very
few foreigners.
SEIC is the post-graduate portion. It is taught in English andthe majority of the students are from overseas. Masterstudents must do a lot of course work and also must submit athesis in order to graduate; he or she is assigned to an
academic supervisor. Phd students have very little course
work to do but must conduct original research. This researchmust get published, under supervision by a thesis advisor.

Q5
Is getting a student visa difficult?
A5
No. If you work with Kyutech staff for getting into SEIC,
you will eventually get your COE (Certificate of Eligibility).
We will send it to you via snail mail. You take this COE tothe nearest Japanese diplomatic mission in your country
and the student visa will be stamped into your passport.

Q6
Can I take my family with me?
A6
There are many downsides to studying in graduate schoolwith your family around (both financially and in terms oftime management). However, if you really wish yourfamily around then Kyutech does not object.
Q7
Is housing hard to find?
A7
See next page.

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Housing: You will get full support from Kyutech to findhousing. There is no need to worry. We will help you.
Often, you will have access to on-campus housing indormitories – which tends to be very inexpensive and very
convenient for walking to classes. However, in many cases,
you are expected to move off campus (after several
months or maybe one year) to make room for new
students arriving at Kyutech. Kyutech off-campus
housing is not bad. It is significantly cheaper than Tokyo,
Osaka, Nagoya, and other well-known Japanese urban
areas. For a single-person apartment, you would pay
between 300 and 500 US dollar equivalent. Of course,
you can easily walk to campus from these apartments.
Q8
Can I buy and drive a car?
A8
Yes, many students have done this. But you will discoverthat it is easy to live here without a car. It is one of thecharms of urban Japan. Public transport is good here.

Q9
How is the climate?
A9
Kitakyushu has four seasons. Spring and fall are
fantastically pleasant. Winters are mild – we rarely getsnow on the ground. Summer is a problem because
August is brutally hot and humid. The terrain is green
because we have ample rainfall all year long.
Q10
Are there travel opportunities?
A10
Yes, quite a bit. Seeing Japan is easy because thetransportation infrastructure is outstanding: trains, buses,
ferries, planes, and so on.
In addition, you are expected to do presentations at
academic conferences (and many of these are overseas).
By working with your supervisor, funds are available forsuch trips. Past SEIC students have done a large numberof domestic and overseas trips.

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Q11
Does Kyutech have good Internet infrastructure?
A11
Yes. All throughout the Tobata Campus, students haveaccess to a high-speed WiFi network. However, off
campus you will be on your own. In Japan, many lowcost WiFi service providers are ready to help you get
connected – so do not worry.
Q12
What is the dining situation?
A12
Tobata Campus has a popular student cafeteria. During
normal academic sessions, it is open for breakfast, lunch,and dinner. The cost of this food is low.
If you prefer to cook at home, it is no issue. Tobata area
has several supermarkets. You can get food there, andthen cook at home. Most students conduct a mix ofusing the student cafeteria and cooking at home. The
cafeteria is closed on weekends.

Q13
What about health insurance?
A13
You have no choice. You must join the national system,and pay a small fee for it. However, it is comprehensive
in terms of medical needs and dental needs. It is a gooddeal for all foreign students and their families.
Q14
I have heard a lot about the BIRDS Project. Where can I
learn more about it?
A14
There is a monthly newsletter issued for this project. The
newsletter is archived. You have full access to all backissues (since early 2016) of the newsletter here:
http://birds1.birds-project.com/newsletter.html
Q15
I love sports. Does Kyutech have good sport facilities?
A15
See the next page.

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TOBATA CAMPUS SPORTS FACILITIES
Tobata Campus

Name of
Facilities

Outline of Facilities

Gymnasium

Volleyball - 2 courts, Basketball - 2 courts,
Badminton - 6 courts, Handball - 1 courts

Playing Field

400m and 100m track, Soccer - 1 court, Rugby
1 courtMultiField

Handball - 1 courts

Budo

Kendo, Judo, Training room

Kyudo

Japanese Archery

Swimming
Pool

50m with 7 lanes

Baseball Field

Baseball, SoftballTennis10 courts

All kinds ofsports areavailable!
(fromvideo)

剣道

SEE THE ENTIRE 5-MIN. KYUTECH VIDEO IN ENGLISH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URXGQ5HJZuIIntroduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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Kyutech is surrounded withconvenience コンビニ
shops – so you will nevergo hungry in Japan. Andeach shop is equipped withan ATM for easy cash
withdraw.
 Source:“New Foreign Students Orientation-- Simple guidance on how tosurvive in Japan“; page 18;
2 October 2017,by Dr Pauline Faure

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Q16
Is there a student association for foreigners?
A16
Yes: Kyushu Institute of Technology Foreign Students
Association (KITFSA)“The Kyushu Institute of Technology Foreign Students
Association (KITFSA) was formed to promote better
understanding and friendship among its members,
Japanese students, Kyutech staff, and local residents
through cultural, sports and recreational activities. KITFSA
organizes many activities, such as the International
Students Festival, sports activities and friendship events
among Kyutech campuses. KITFSA is an affiliateorganization of the Kitakyushu International Students
Association in Tobata, and of Iizuka Friendship Network in
Iizuka. You are automatically considered as a member ofthe KITFSA upon your enrollment to Kyutech.”

Q17
Where is Kyutech?
A17
Kyutech is in the City of Kitakyushu. It is in the northernpart of Fukuoka Prefecture – the red part below. Moreabout Fukuoka Prefecture on the next page.

The above passage is from:https://www.kyutech.ac.jp/english/campuslife/KITFSA.html

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Kyutech is in Kitakyushu, which ishome to about one million
persons. It also has Kitakyushu
Airport (Code: KKJ) with many
domestic routes but only ahandful of international routes.

KKJ

Kitakyushu’s slightly bigger brother is Fukuoka City, with a slightly
larger population. It has a major international airport (Code:
FUK), shown below. It is inside the city.

This is Fukuoka Prefecture2019 Population: 5.1 million

Hakata Station
It is connected to
Kokura, Osaka,
Nagoya, Tokyo, etc.,
via the“Shinkansen”(national highspeed train).

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

FUK

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Q18
How does the cost of living in Tokyo compare with
Fukuoka area?
A18
One website (Numbeo; 4 May 2020) says the following:

SEIC

Note thedirection ofNorthis based in
Buildings
15 and 23
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-ofliving/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Japan&city1=Tokyo&country2=Japan&city2=Fukuoka

So rent is much lower in the Fukuoka area than Tokyo.

Tobata Campus(the main campus ofKyutech)Main entrance of Kyutech
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Q19
Is there anything special about
Kyushu?
A19
Yes. It is not as famous as Tokyo or
Kyoto, but it has a lot to offer. One
reason: Kyushu has contributed
immensely to 2000 years of Japan’s
history. I hope you will find time to
explore Kyushu while you are here.

A view of Kyushu taken by BIRDS-3

Link for a 29-page visual tour of Kyushu:
https://birds3.birds-project.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Kyushu_for_SEIC.pdf
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Q20
Before entering SEIC, should I prepare a laptop
computer?
A20
Yes, before going to Japan or soon after arriving
here, you need to purchase your own laptop
computer.
In the table at the right, you can see the Kyutech
BYOD specs for “minimum case” and“recommended case”. As a SEIC student you
should only consider the “recommended case.”
You will be able to receive Microsoft Office (Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) from Kyutech for free
(under license) once you are enrolled as a student
here at Kyutech.
If possible, purchase Adobe Acrobat because you
will need to create many pdf documents during
your time at Kyutech. This software is notprovided by Kyutech.

Kyutech BYOD (Buy Your Own Device) Requirements
28 April 2020
[translated from Japanese document by G.Maeda]
Minimum Specification

Recommended Specification

Windows 10 Home/Pro (or better),or macOS Mojave [10.14] (or better)

Operating System
CPUIntel Core i5Intel Core i7, or better

Main memory

4 GB

8 GB

Hard disk memory

200 GB

SSD 200 GB

Display resolution

1366 x 768

1920 x 1080

Network connection

Wireless LAN: IEEE 802.11n compatibility(external unit is OK, too)External
interface* USB 2.0 or higher* VGA video output (using HDMI and USB Type-C adaptors are OK)

Battery capacity

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

3 hours

6 hours or more

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We conclude withcomments from some
SEIC alumni

All comments were written in June of 2020
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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This has been one of the best experiences of
my life because I have had the opportunity toparticipate in all the phases from a satellite
development project. I have worked in aninternational environment with not only
Japanese students but students from different
countries under the supervision of professor
and staff with a lot of experience.
In addition, I have enjoyed Japanese food,culture, places, and friendship of the Kyutech
community.

SEIC is a really effective and intensive
graduate-level course. Not only curriculum is
exciting but also environment, engagement,
projects, students, visitors, seminars, etc.,
everything is well fit. At Kyutech, you cantouch everything. You can be part ofeverything. SEIC is preparing large portion of
future space leaders. We can see in near
future, many young space leaders from manydifferent countries would be SEIC alumni.

Jesus Gonzalez-Llorente, Phd(Colombia)
Professor,
Electronics Engineering

T. Turtogtokh, Phd(Mongolia)
LecturerNational Univ. of Mongolia
Mongolia

Universidad Sergio Arboleda
Bogotá, Colombia
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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SEIC is a unique, all-inclusive and comprehensive space engineeringcourse which is incomparable to any kind of studies elsewhere. The
course contents are very relevant to learn about space technologies,
from mission design to its implementation and other space-related
subjects. The faculty members are highly educated and experienced in
the field. The best part of SEIC is its diversity and the learnings thattake place outside the classroom.
SEIC students come from countries all over the world with different
backgrounds and knowledge. Kyutech invites professors from MIT, UN,
Calpoly, and also astronauts who have undertaken expeditions tospace, to interact with SEIC students. As a part of the course, I was
involved in Bhutan’s first satellite project as BIRDS-2 member and also
be a part of BIRDS-3 project designing and developing the firstsatellites of Nepal and Sri Lanka. I could get hands-on training inbuilding CubeSats, and I could learn so much more by doing it actually.
These make SEIC a completely inductive learning environment.

Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

Pooja Lepcha(Bhutan)
Phd candidate,
LaSEINE, Kyutech

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I joined SEIC program for my master and doctoral degreefrom 2014. This program offers a very good environment for
research focusing on space technology. I also got the chance
to be involved in two satellite projects there, which allowed
me to gain broader knowledge through hands-on experience.
As a student, I had access to do the experiment using highspec laboratory facilities, such as space environment
chambers (thermal vacuum chamber, vibration machine,etc.).
Even though this program is conducted by Kyutech, Japan,
the courses are taught in English. I encourage anyone fromany nationality who is eager to seek experience andknowledge related to space science and technology toconsider entering SEIC.
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

Rahmi Rahmatillah(Indonesia)
Lecturer
Institut Teknologi Sumatera
Lampung, Sumatera
Indonesia
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My 3 years' doctoral degree experience in SEIC wasamazing. I was assigned to the research laboratory
called LaSEINE which offers me a multiculturalenvironment and during the first two years, I havethe opportunity to involve in the BIRDS-2 Project. I
never have any background experience in the
Aerospace Engineering or Space Engineering, but in
SEIC, I learned Space Engineering and Satellite
Development theoretically and practically.
I was lucky to have theopportunity to implement
all my understanding andknowledge in the realsatellite project. Because ofthis, I develop my passion
for space and satellite
particularly, and desire to
apply my skills and thetechnology I acquired in
Malaysia.

I will never take the experience of being able to design,
manufacture, test and operate real satellites for granted.
During my five years graduate program at Kyutech, I wasable to complete two satellite projects.
It was a complete engineering training that afford
students a unique design-thinking opportunities
propelled by a unique global collaborative environmentand supported by the best group of faculty drawn fromacademic and top space industry.

Syazana Basyirah(Malaysia)
Centre of Satellite
Communication;
UiTM, Malaysia
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

Tejumola Taiwo, PhD(Nigeria)MSc, PhD (Space Systems Engineering,
Kyushu Institute of Technology)
Now: Assistant Professor,
International Space University, France.

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From childhood, I have a passion for space engineering. I came toknow about SEIC and its lab facilities in the year of 2014. So, I
applied for my M.Sc. and got selected for the program. I was so
happy to be a part of this as in Bangladesh there was noopportunity in space education. From the first day at SEIC, my life
started changing. For me, this was more than my MSc. Degree,
because this gave my country Bangladesh, the first satellite BRAC
Onnesha which was developed under the BIRDS-1 Project and I
am extremely proud to be a part of BRAC Onnesha.
Raihana Shams Islam Antara(Bangladesh)
Lecturer
BRAC University
Bangladesh

SEIC is a multidisciplinary and multicultural department. I gather
knowledge from space system engineering to space law and also,
the more valuable are the people whom I got to come in contact
with. I made friends from around the world which is helping me
also in my professional life.

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 Deployment of BIRDS-3 satellites(Nepal, Japan, and Sri Lanka) from theISS on 17 June 2019. This is a 3-min.
YouTube video – just click on the link
below.

The Endhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NdTc1dEa6c
Introduction to SEIC of Kyutech

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