Bangalore:
These engineering students have been living the satellite dream for the last few years, even as they get through the grind of exams, course work and other mundane things. The satellite developed by them was launched by ISRO on Monday.
Imagine being still an undergraduate student of Bachelor of Engineering, and getting to develop your own satellite. Not a mere dummy, but a bonafide pico-satellite called STUDSAT. Weighing all of one kg, STUDSAT will go into orbit on-board the 260-crore PSLV that was launched into space by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday.
No wonder these engineering students at Bangalore's Nitte Meenakshi Institute are having pre-launch jitters. They are among the 40 students from four colleges in Bangalore and three in Hyderabad, who have been living the great satellite dream for the past two years.
"Initially, we found it funny, how can we develop a satellite? We are only electronic students of second year and third year, but something started ticking in our head, and we got in touch with ISRO," said the team leader of the STUDSAT project, Chetan Angadi.
Their guide Professor Jharna Majumdar, a former scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), can barely conceal her pride.
"Some attempt has started in the country with nanosatellite, microsatellite, but picosatellite is the smallest satellite weighting one kg. The students wanted to do something which is not there, which they will be the first person to do," said Majumdar.
STUDSAT is the lightest ever satellite to be flown by ISRO. Therefore, accuracy had to be 100 per cent.
"We had to match the satellite with existing system. We spent endless nights in developing satellite, three to four models so that we could choose the right model, maintain weight considerations as we had to build a system under a particular weight," said the structure co-leader of the STUDSAT, Kiran.
Now, that the big moment is near, the STUDSAT team has only one prayer.
"We pray to god that the satellite goes to orbit, gives the data which inspires other younger students," said Professor Jharna Majumdar.
Imagine being still an undergraduate student of Bachelor of Engineering, and getting to develop your own satellite. Not a mere dummy, but a bonafide pico-satellite called STUDSAT. Weighing all of one kg, STUDSAT will go into orbit on-board the 260-crore PSLV that was launched into space by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday.
No wonder these engineering students at Bangalore's Nitte Meenakshi Institute are having pre-launch jitters. They are among the 40 students from four colleges in Bangalore and three in Hyderabad, who have been living the great satellite dream for the past two years.
"Initially, we found it funny, how can we develop a satellite? We are only electronic students of second year and third year, but something started ticking in our head, and we got in touch with ISRO," said the team leader of the STUDSAT project, Chetan Angadi.
Their guide Professor Jharna Majumdar, a former scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), can barely conceal her pride.
"Some attempt has started in the country with nanosatellite, microsatellite, but picosatellite is the smallest satellite weighting one kg. The students wanted to do something which is not there, which they will be the first person to do," said Majumdar.
STUDSAT is the lightest ever satellite to be flown by ISRO. Therefore, accuracy had to be 100 per cent.
"We had to match the satellite with existing system. We spent endless nights in developing satellite, three to four models so that we could choose the right model, maintain weight considerations as we had to build a system under a particular weight," said the structure co-leader of the STUDSAT, Kiran.
Now, that the big moment is near, the STUDSAT team has only one prayer.
"We pray to god that the satellite goes to orbit, gives the data which inspires other younger students," said Professor Jharna Majumdar.
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