REFÎF ÎSLÎM

Gaza- 25-year-old Bayan Abusalameh, a Palestinian Mechanical Engineer who carries out a campaign called “From Palestine to Space”, tries to promote her cube satellite named “Palestine-1” all around the world. Reaching space was a dream for her but her dream comes true now. She marked this significant scientific achievement while completing her master's in Advanced Mechanical Engineering at Queen Mary University with distinction, making it the ever Palestinian satellite to exist.  Bayan Abusalameh is from Jenin city in the northern West Bank. She lived in Saudi Arabia when she was a child and then returned to Palestine. She completed her secondary education at Beitunia Girls' School located in the city of Ramallah, in the central West Bank. In 2018, she graduated from Mechanical Engineering at Birzeit University.

“What I was told made me stronger”

Bayan Abusalameh wanted to study physics at Birzeit University, “But I didn’t have this opportunity. I tried to find scholarships for to study my master’s. I received the Chevening Scholarship from Queen Mary University to realize my dream. I didn’t listen to the people, who told me I couldn’t succeed. What I was told made me stronger because I believed in myself.”

She worked on cube satellite for months

Bayan Abusalameh worked six months to make the satellite. “Making Palestine be known in this field all around the world is my biggest dream. That’s why I launched the campaign called “From Palestine to Space”. A satellite costs 100,000 or 200,000 dollars. The cost of launching the satellite is between 70,000 and 140,000 dollars. I need at least 200,000 dollars for my project. I need moral and financial support for my project because I still work on the project.”

Call on young people in Palestine

Bayan Abusalameh began to work on her project during the Covid-19 pandemic. “After the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, we faced attacks on Gaza. These demoralized me to complete my project,” she said. Calling on the young people in Palestine, Bayan Abusalameh said, “Palestinian youth need to work hard to realize their dreams. Palestinians have a right to take part in the space industry. Reaching space has been my dream since my childhood and I will never give up my dream.”