Kathmandu, Jan. 13:
Nepal will have its own satellite within four months
from now.
The satellite, with high resolution camera and remote
sensing technology, will be launched by a company in the United States of America,
for Nepal, into the space in the second week of April this year.
But the first satellite of Nepal will be controlled
from a ground station at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in
Lalitpur, said Chief of Faculty of Technology at the NASTDr.Rabindra Prasad
Dhakal.
He said that the apex science and technology body in
the country has paid about Rs. 18 million to the US-based Orbital ATK for the
equipment, launching of the satellite and charges for the International Space
Station (ISS).
The tiny 1.3 kg satellite will send high-resolution
images of Nepal to the ground station at the NAST. The satellite images can be
used in urban planning, climate change and information and management ofdisasters
like floods, forest fire and others.
According to Dr.Dhakal, the images can be accessed
about 10 minutes every day while the satelliteswill be in the range of the
communication with the ground station.
The ground station will be able to establish
communication with the satellite and access images after a month of its
launching. "It will take a month to set the equipment at the orbit. It
will be deployed in the orbit by the end of May 2019 and communication with the
ground station will be established within a couple of days," said
Dr.Dhakal.
The satellite is developed at the Q-Tech by the
students from seven various nations, including Nepal. AbhasMaskey and Hari Ram
Shrestha, students of PhD and Masters Degree, are working on the satellite.
The NAST had sent a team of scientists and engineers
to Japan to train them about installing the ground station, operating it and
establishing communication with the satellite our in the orbit.
It has got assistance from the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA) – Japanese national aerospace and space agency - in
environmental and vibration testing.
The NAST is hopeful that the first launching of
country's own satellite, named as NepalSat-1, will instil confidence in Nepali
scientists and open new avenues of exploration and development in space
research and activities.
"There will be series of activities, including
launching of more satellites and other space activities. Although it is a small
initiative for the country, it will be a moment of pride for us. Stepping on
this un-trodden territory has opened up new avenues for us," said
Dr.Dhakal who is also a senior scientist at the NAST.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 14 January 2019.
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