THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Another student-engineered satellite from the state capital is gearing up for launch. An all-women-engineered satellite of the LBS Institute of Technology for Women in Thiruvananthapuram was successfully launched by ISRO in January.
Named Bartosat, the nanosatellite is currently being developed by a 40-member student team at Government Engineering College, Barton Hill. Using LoRa (Long Range) wireless technology, the satellite can be used in environmental and crop monitoring, disaster management, and asset tracking.
The main payload of Bartosat, which falls in the cubesat sub-category (10 x 10 x 10cms), is the LoRa communication module. The LoRa module not only enhances communication between the satellite and the launcher’s fourth-stage orbiter but also acts as a sky-based repeater node for communication with ground stations.
“The LoRa module would support the development of a global Internet of Things (IoT) network despite its low power and limited bit rate,” said Dr Anish K John, assistant professor and faculty advisor to the project. Faculty members Shenil P S and Anu Mohammed are also advisors to the project. LoRa communication technology is gaining popularity in India due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency for IoT applications. Meanwhile, the students are also trying to use the satellite to capture images in the low earth orbit and transmit them back to the ground station.
“The challenge of LoRa communication is the low data transfer rate. We are working on incorporating a high resolution camera and an image compression technology in the LoRa module that will be a first-of-its-kind attempt,” said Govind U, a student, who along with Rahul Das and Rahul S Kumar are leading the project. Azeem Shah from ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and Aswin R C from Qualcomm are mentoring the students in the project. The team is in close discussion with the VSSC and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) on the final design aspects of Bartosat.
The project had received an initial Rs 4 lakh funding from the Union Ministry of Education. To support upcoming projects and initiatives, the college is hoping to get a funding of around Rs 10 lakh from government agencies and corporates.