Kolkata private school to launch its own nano-satellite

KOLKATA : A private school in Kolkata will launch its own nano-satellite to train its students in space science. The South Point High School, a part of the MP Birla Group, has decided to name its satellite PriyamvadaSat in the memory of Priyamvada Birla, the former chairperson of the business group. An agreement has been signed between the Indian Technology Congress Association (ITCA) and the school for the launch. The project is a part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to commemorate the 75 years of India's Independence and it will be monitored by ISRO. Students of classes 11 and 12 will be associated with the project, which is expected to take off after nine months, said Krishna Damani, the vice-chairman of the school's managing committee.

South Point is among two schools in the country, and the only one in eastern India to take up such a project, he said. "It will ensure a greater emphasis on science-based education and experience-based learning to foster an innovation culture and give exposure to the future generation of students in the ever-expanding space arena and allied sectors," he told PTI.

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The agreement signed with ITCA includes design, development, integration, qualification, testing and launching of PriyamvadaSat to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The functional satellite will be sent to LEO as a part of the mission and a classroom model similar to it will be built on the campus. "Our children will be trained and be part of the designing and fabrication process of the satellite, which will be launched by ISRO from Sriharikota," Damani said. "A ground station-cum-space lab will be set up on the school campus for students to monitor PriyamvadaSat as well as to harvest the data sent by it," he said. A group of students and members of the faculty will receive intense training from ITCA so that they can be involved when the satellite is in the process of being conceptualised and designed, the official said. "This has great relevance as students will have first-hand exposure to space science as well as coding. Successful students will receive a joint course certification," he said.