UNITYsat, a Space Mission by Indian Students to Place 75 Satellites Around the Earth
A Constellation of 75 Indian Satellites is expected to be launched this year to push the country forward in the Space Race.
The 75th Independence of India was celebrated with the convocation of the announcement about the mission named as UNITYsat.
Highlighted Facts
- The Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi said on the 15th August 2021, Mission of the launch of 75 Indian Satellites by Indian Students.
- The Satellites will be developed by the students of Chandigarh University including others.
- The objective of launching the Satellites is to promote the Internet of Things (IoT) in space.
Also Read: Sirisha Bandla, India-born woman flew on Virgin Galactic to space with 'Richard Branson'
The announcement of the mission was made on the 75th independence of India on 15th August 2021 by PM Narendra Modi. In which the Indian Students from different Schools and Colleges will participate in it.
While addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2021, PM Narendra Modi said about the Mission as he said that on the day of the celebration of India’s 75th Independence, India will send 75 satellites in Space in Low Earth Orbit(LEO) in the upcoming year.
The announcement of the mission that was led by the students came to be known in September but the planning has been well underway since 2020.
Objective
The mission objective is to promote the Internet of Things (IoT) in space. The Mission will also be supported by the Indian Technology Congress Association (ITCA) and Indian Space Research Association (ISRO) to send these satellites into the orbit of the earth. It will be the first long-range inter-satellite. The main objective of the Mission was to set up a base of a communication system to demonstrate IoT in Space.
Dr. B Priestly Shan, dean of academic affairs at Chandigarh University also leading the project told the news that 1000 students have shown their interest in joining the satellite project.
Recently, Rajnath Singh, being a Defence Minister of India inaugurated the Kalpana Chawala Center in Chandigarh University which shows the inclination of the University in the field of Space and science.
Project Head
Dr. B Priestly Shan said in a statement as follows-
“It’s an IoT-based Consetallation that will target towards the behavior of satellite interconnection in space and how the inter-satellite communication can be achieved in the better way in the ‘Low Earth Orbit. The satellites will be forming a constellation and passing information among them and broadcasting the data down to earth. Just like SpaceX’s Starlink, it’s a constellation and is being developed together in tandem with Institutions across the country.”
The satellites will be operational for a period of two to four years in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
A similar launch has been made in India by the students in which a total of 50 satellites were launched in a single mission and this mission is expected to be launched similarly. Still, the decision of what Rocket Launcher will be used is pending.
The launch date still has not been fixed and also it has been said that the meeting with the ISRO and ITCA with Universities will be held and will decide the date near about the last July or the starting of August.
Space Debris
Our Space is not a Garbage House where the world’s custodians are used to be it is. More recently the International Space Agency has released a warning about the Debris which is being collected in the form of a heap.
The innovations and technology learning is good but we should also innovate some technology so that we can clear the Space garbage.
