IIT-Kanpur to put its own satellite (Jugnu) in orbit

The exemplary project of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) to put its own satellite named Jugnu in orbit this year should be taken as a role model by other engineering institutes in the country too, apart from the IITs. The satellite, to be  launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), will transmit images of weather, water bodies, crops and soils to the IIT-K base, contribute towards studying weather and agriculture trends, and help take precautionary measures against natural calamities. The project, involving a team of 12 professors and 45 students headed by the IIT-K’s Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof Nalinaksh S Vyas, is a result of a memorandum of understanding signed between the ISRO and the institute in January 2008, with the cost, Rs 2 crore, being jointly funded by them. Taking 14-15 revolutions of the earth every day, Jugnu will photograph different areas and transmit the images to the base station for nearly 20 minutes three times a day. If the IIT-K can chart out such a unique course, there is no reason why other engineering institutes with adequate infrastructure cannot emulate the Kanpur centre of excellence and undertake such projects, not necessarily relating to satellites but encompassing a wide gamut of other collaborative ventures. This can well be applied to the larger university system. Where is the harm in making a beginning? THE SENTINEL