Pratham (satellite)
Mission type |
Ionospheric Technology |
---|---|
Operator | IIT Bombay |
Website | Pratham, IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative |
Mission duration | 4 months |
Spacecraft properties | |
Launch mass | 10.004 kilograms (22.06 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | September 26, 2016 |
Rocket | PSLV |
Launch site | Satish Dhawan, Shriharikota, Andhra Pradesh |
Contractor | ISRO |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Pratham is an Indian ionospheric research satellite which will be operated by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay as part of the Student Satellite Initiative.[1] Its primary mission is to count electrons in the Earth's ionosphere.[2]
The Pratham spacecraft is a cube with 26-centimetre (10 in) sides, and a mass of around 10.15 kilograms (22.4 lb).[1] It was conceptualized by a team of students under the supervision of Professor K. Sudhakar.[3] The satellite is currently under construction, and pre-launch testing is expected to begin in July 2010.[4] will be launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a secondary payload aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) flying from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.Pratham was successfully launched on 26th September 2016 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre shriharikota,Andra Pradesh along with 7 other satellites on PSLV C-35.
Mission
'Pratham' has a Four-fold Mission[2] Statement:
- Enabling students and faculty to gain knowledge and experience in the field of Satellite and Space technology.
- Empowering the Satellite Team with the skills to develop the Satellite through various phases of Design, Analysis, Fabrication and Testing until the Flight Model is made.
- Launching the satellite into orbit and measuring Total Electron Count of the Ionosphere.
- Involving students from other universities in our Satellite mission by building ground stations in their universities.
See also
References
- 1 2 Kartha, Riya (20 August 2008). "At IIT-Bombay, a satellite built by students takes shape". Express India. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- 1 2 "Mission". Pratham. IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ↑ "Team". Pratham. IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ↑ "Timeline". Pratham. IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative. Retrieved 28 March 2010.