Pratham (satellite)

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. Its primary mission is to count electrons in the Earth's ionosphere.[1]

Pratham
Pratham Final Flight Model
Mission typeIonospheric
Technology
OperatorIIT Bombay
COSPAR ID2016-059A
SATCAT no.41783
WebsitePratham, IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative
Mission duration4 months
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerStudent Satellite Lab, IIT Bombay
Launch mass10.15 kilograms (22.4 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateSeptember 26, 2016
RocketPSLV
Launch siteSatish Dhawan, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
ContractorISRO
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
 

The Pratham spacecraft is a cube with 30-centimetre (12 in) sides and a mass of around 10.15 kilograms (22.4 lb).[2] It was conceptualized by a team of students under the supervision of Professor K. Sudhakar.[3] Pratham was successfully launched on 26 September 2016 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh along with 7 other satellites on PSLV C-35.

Mission

'Pratham' has a Four-fold Mission[1] Statement:

  1. Enabling students and faculty to gain knowledge and experience in the field of Satellite and Space Technology.
  2. 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.
  3. Launching the satellite into orbit and measuring Total Electron Count of the Ionosphere.
  4. Involving students from other universities in our Satellite mission by building ground stations in their universities.

See also

References
  1. "Mission". Pratham. IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. Kartha, Riya (20 August 2008). "At IIT-Bombay, a satellite built by students takes shape". Express India. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  3. "Team". Pratham. IIT Bombay Student Satellite Initiative. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
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