BHUBANESWAR: A nanosatellite or Cubesat, planned exclusively for Odisha through industry-academia collaboration, may soon support the state government in effective cyclone preparedness and coastline management.
The mini-satellite, currently being developed jointly by Bengaluru-based Kristellar Aerospace Pvt Ltd and Silicon Institute of Technology (SIT), Bhubaneswar for monitoring of Odisha coastline is expected to help the government in tracking cyclone phenomenon, studying mangrove ecosystem, monitoring vessel movement and ensuring marine security.
The Silicon Institute and Kristellar Aerospace have signed an MoU to collaborate on the project and set up an aerospace lab on the premises of the former. The two agencies have set a December 2023 deadline for launching the satellite.
“Being a coastal state, the frequency of cyclones is more here. The satellite is expected to help track cyclone phenomenon to assist farmers and will also be useful in supporting the government in tracking forest reserves as well as the mangrove ecosystem,” said co-founder and chief executive of Kristellar Aerospace Pvt Ltd Uday Bhanu Das.
He said the company is also working on using the ISR system in the satellite which could track the movement of non-scheduled and non-Indian ships. “This could act as a very good support to coastal security,” he said.
Sources at Silicon Institute said the satellite with a 10cm x 10 cm x 10 cm standard size will weigh around one-and-a-half kg. The mini solar-powered satellite will be equipped with a high-end camera as well as AI sensors and communication equipment and draw its power from solar radiation. A team of 15 to 20 people, including four students and two faculty members of Silicon Institute are working on the satellite project, developed at an investment of around Rs 3 crore.
While students of SIT and faculty members are working on AI and communication sensors, Kristellar Aerospace is dealing with aspects of mission control and mission planning. The body is also being developed by the Bengaluru-based firm. The satellite is expected to operate from space for at least a period of 10 to 15 years. After the project is ready, it will be sent to ISRO for validation and launch, officials from Silicon Institute of Technology said.
Apart from working on the satellite project, Kristellar Aerospace will also help Silicon in setting up an aerospace lab ‘ORION’ to conduct advanced space investigation in areas of biological sciences, near earth objects, climate change, snow/ice coverage, orbital debris, planetary science, space-based astronomy, and heliophysics. Industry-Academia collaboration will be instrumental in fostering research and academic activities in both areas of Cyber Security and Aerospace, said principal of SIT Prof Jaideep Talukdar.
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