<p>The satellite, designed and developed by a group of students of the institute, will be handed over to ISRO, which is expected to launch it by the end of the year.<br /><br />"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 Kanpur Director Prof S G Dhande said.<br /><br />The satellite, costing Rs 2.5 crore, has been developed by a team of students led by Santanu Agrawal, an M Phil student.<br /><br />The nanosatellite, which will be named 'Jugnu', will have a mass of less than 10 kg. It will piggyback on larger launches, avoiding the need for a dedicated launch.</p>.<p><br />"There will be no dedicated launch of this satellite. These kinds of satellites are launched from the belly of large satellites," Dhande said.<br /><br />These nanosatellites have hardly any relation with nanotechnology. The nanosats, as they are called, are appealing because their small size makes them affordable and opens up potential for a swarm of satellites.<br /><br />IIT Kanpur embarked on this innovative venture after the ISRO started accepting satellites developed by other countries and universities.<br /><br />"We took it as a challenge. We thought why should not we develop a satellite and give it to ISRO. Then 20 students got inspired by the idea and started its designing and fabrication," Dhande said.<br /><br />This satellite is not geosynchronous and will have low earth orbit. The data can be accessed when the satellite will be visible from the tracking station, Dhande said.<br /><br />This initiative is part of the institute's Golden Jubilee celebration starting this month. The celebration will continue till December next year.<br /><br />Dhande said nanosatellites 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.</p>.<p><br />As of now, there is limited research in the area of nanosats. The space companies and institutes mainly focus their research on larger ones.</p>
<p>The satellite, designed and developed by a group of students of the institute, will be handed over to ISRO, which is expected to launch it by the end of the year.<br /><br />"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 Kanpur Director Prof S G Dhande said.<br /><br />The satellite, costing Rs 2.5 crore, has been developed by a team of students led by Santanu Agrawal, an M Phil student.<br /><br />The nanosatellite, which will be named 'Jugnu', will have a mass of less than 10 kg. It will piggyback on larger launches, avoiding the need for a dedicated launch.</p>.<p><br />"There will be no dedicated launch of this satellite. These kinds of satellites are launched from the belly of large satellites," Dhande said.<br /><br />These nanosatellites have hardly any relation with nanotechnology. The nanosats, as they are called, are appealing because their small size makes them affordable and opens up potential for a swarm of satellites.<br /><br />IIT Kanpur embarked on this innovative venture after the ISRO started accepting satellites developed by other countries and universities.<br /><br />"We took it as a challenge. We thought why should not we develop a satellite and give it to ISRO. Then 20 students got inspired by the idea and started its designing and fabrication," Dhande said.<br /><br />This satellite is not geosynchronous and will have low earth orbit. The data can be accessed when the satellite will be visible from the tracking station, Dhande said.<br /><br />This initiative is part of the institute's Golden Jubilee celebration starting this month. The celebration will continue till December next year.<br /><br />Dhande said nanosatellites 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.</p>.<p><br />As of now, there is limited research in the area of nanosats. The space companies and institutes mainly focus their research on larger ones.</p>