By Amanda L
KUCHING, July 7: Long before his name was etched onto a CubeSat bound for space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Irfan Annuar was simply a student from Kuching driven by curiosity and a habit of saying “yes” to opportunities.
Today, the 25-year-old Sarawak-born astronautical engineer hopes to channel the experience he has gained back home, inspiring the next generation while helping realise the State’s satellite ambitions.
A former student of Lodge International School, Irfan earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London before pursuing a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC).
He now works at USC’s Space Engineering Research Center, where he led the integration and testing of MAVERIC, a 3U CubeSat scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just hours after his virtual session with students at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus today.
Besides overseeing the satellite’s integration, he also developed its ground station software and trains the team responsible for operating the spacecraft after launch.
For Irfan, watching years of work finally leave Earth is a moment that still feels unreal.
“It’s a bit crazy. It’s such a surreal experience because something you built, something you touched and signed, and even put your name on just two weeks ago, is going up into space.
“The whole team is absolutely ecstatic. A few months ago, it was still in pieces. To build it up and see it become a complete satellite is an amazing experience,” he shared.
The project was the product of four years of collaboration involving about 50 students, although only around 10 engineers led the final year-and-a-half of integration across six major subsystems, ranging from communications and onboard software to guidance, navigation, power systems and payload development.
During the session, Irfan also demystified CubeSats, explaining that unlike conventional satellites costing millions of ringgit, they are compact, standardised satellites built using commercially available components, making them far more affordable for universities and research institutions.
While small in size, CubeSats can perform tasks such as Earth observation, weather monitoring, communications and scientific research.
For Sarawak, Irfan believes they could play an important role in flood forecasting, agricultural planning, land and forest monitoring, ship tracking and natural resource management.
Rather than relying on commercial satellite operators to collect images over the State, he said owning a satellite would give Sarawak greater control over critical data while reducing long-term costs.
“It’s not that a farmer would log into a satellite and look at the data. It is for the decision-makers, the politicians and the land resource management people to use that data to make more informed decisions that will eventually affect everyday ordinary people,” he said.
Having worked on MAVERIC, Irfan is convinced Sarawak already possesses the engineering talent needed to build its own CubeSat as the State works towards launching its first satellite by 2030.
“I think the Sarawak government’s 2030 target is definitely achievable.
“We absolutely have the capability to build a CubeSat. I’m certain of that.
“What we need now is a clear plan and vision. The engineering talent already exists here. If we put everything together, I believe Sarawak can build this industry right here at home, and that’s something I’m very excited to be part of,” he affirmed.
Yet the engineer admits his career was never part of a grand plan.
Looking back, he said he never imagined working in the space industry, crediting a series of seemingly ordinary decisions, including studying overseas, pursuing a niche Master’s degree and joining research projects, with shaping his career.
“It really comes down to the small decisions, the decision to go overseas and the decision to pursue such a niche subject as astronautical engineering for my Master’s.
“You should never stop asking yourself, ‘What if?’ What if I didn’t go for that project? What if I didn’t join that lab? What if I didn’t write that research paper?
“You have to keep believing in yourself and keep choosing to put in a little more work,” he reflected.
Among those who inspired him most is Michael Collins, the often-overlooked astronaut who remained in lunar orbit during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing while his crew mates became the first humans to walk on the Moon.
To Irfan, Collins embodied the engineering spirit behind the historic mission.
“Most people don’t know his name because he never landed on the Moon.
“What many people don’t realise is that the Apollo astronauts were also engineers. They were flying machines that they had helped build. The Apollo programme was essentially one enormous engineering and science project,” he noted.
That same spirit underpins the advice he now shares with aspiring engineers.
“If you come across an opportunity that could define your career, take it. It may not seem obvious at first. It may not be something as exciting as building a satellite, but just go for the opportunity.
“Start building something — anything. Have projects to your name.
“I got where I am because I built projects that I could show people. Use your free time to work on something you’re genuinely passionate about,” he advised.
He also hopes more young Sarawakians will realise that space technology is far from the exclusive domain of aerospace engineers.
“When I first looked at satellites, I thought they were the most advanced things imaginable. But once you understand them, they’re actually much simpler than people think.
“That made me believe Sarawak can absolutely do this because many engineering disciplines are transferable into satellite and subsystem design,” he explained.
For Irfan, contributing to a satellite launch is not the destination but the beginning of a bigger mission to bring the knowledge and experience he has gained home and help Sarawak realise its own space ambitions. — DayakDaily
