NEW DELHI : The students of the Indian Institute of Technology,
Kanpur have developed a nano satellite which is expected to provide
real-time data on drought, flood, vegetation and forestation. It
will be handed over to ISRO, which is expected to launch it end of
the year, says a PTI report.
“This satellite will have specific function of sending imagery on
ground conditions. We will set up a tracking station in our
institute where we will get the real-time data on drought, flood,
vegetation and forestation,” IIT-K Director Prof G Dhande said on
August 2.
The satellite, costing Rs 2.5 crore, has been developed by a team of
students led by Agrawal, an M.Phil student.
The nano satellite, which will be named ‘Jugnu’, has a
mass of less than 10 kg. It will piggyback on larger
launches, avoiding the need for a dedicated launch.
“There will be no dedicated launch of this satellite.
These kinds of satellites are launched from the belly of
large satellites,” Dhande said.
These nano satellites have hardly any relation with nano
technology. The nanosats, as they are called, are
appealing because their small size makes them affordable
and opens up potential for a swarm of satellites.
IIT Kanpur embarked on this innovative venture after the
ISRO started accepting satellites developed by countries
and universities.
“We took it as a challenge. We thought why should not we
develop a satellite and give it to the ISRO. Then 20
students got inspired idea and started its designing and
fabrication,” Dhande said. This satellite is not
geosynchronous and will have low earth orbit. The data
can be accessed when the satellite is visible from the
tracking station, Dhande added.
This initiative is part of the institute’s Golden
Jubilee celebration starting this month. The celebration
will continue till December next year.
Dhande said nanosats are the new-age satellites prepared
for specific purposes. While larger satellites weigh
about one tonne, these smaller varieties weigh less than
10 kg and have smaller electronic components.
As of now, there is limited research in the area of
nanosats. The space companies and institutes mainly
focus their research on the larger ones.
