South Point High School Kolkata is set to launch its nano-satellite and set up a space laboratory on the campus as part of a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the school and the Indian Technology Congress Association (ITCA) on August 2.
The satellite has been named PriyamvadaSat in memory of Priyamvada Birla, who served as the former trustee & president of South Point Education Society and chairman and promoter of the MP Birla group.
This marked the entry of the school into the 75 Students’ Satellite Mission 2022 where the Indian Space and Research Organisation (Isro) will launch 75 student satellites under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The nano-satellite by South Point High School will be positioned in the lower earth orbit. The space laboratory will be established to monitor and ensure effective data collection from the satellite.
Students and staff with L.V. Murulikrishna Reddy and Krishna Damani after signing of the MoU Courtesy: South Point High School
“We signed the MoU with ITCA last evening. We are the first educational institution in the eastern part of the country to have signed this MoU,’’ said Rupa Sanyal Bhattacharjee, principal, South Point High School. "We expect the satellite to be fabricated in about 6-9 months. What we understand is that all 75 satellites will be sent into orbit at the same time. The launch would be from Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh). Right now, we are very excited that our students would be part of the design and also, they would be giving their ideas. We will be primarily involving students from Classes XI and XII who have Computer Science and Physics and have a knack for it. They will be trained through online classes and courses by the ITCA.’’
This initiative would promote scientific acumen among students of the school coupled with practical or laboratory-based work. It will give the students first-hand insight into the world of science and associated subjects, giving them an upper hand in understanding the core areas of the field through close monitoring and experience-based learning.
On the space laboratory, the principal said, “We will be putting together a space lab on campus, also under the guidance of the ITCA. This will be a ground station from where the satellite can be controlled and the data can be harvested. It can be used for the benefit of the students and the society at large. Our faculty will be trained to do so.’’
“The satellite will be in orbit for the next three years. After that unless we go in for a second satellite, the space lab will continue to exist and there will be an engineering replica of the CubeSat which can be dismantled and reassembled by the senior students and members of the staff of the school,” she said.