Bangladesh and India sign MoU on joint student satellite

Bangladesh and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday (25 January) to design, make, and launch a satellite administered by students from both the countries.

Signed on the eve of India's 72nd Republic Day, the project has been taken up to celebrate 50 years of Indo-Bangladesh friendship, and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Times of India reported.

The Bangladesh side was represented by a global youth organization Global Law Thinkers Society, while the Indian side was represented by the Chennai-based Space Kidz India (SKI), a private organization which focuses on encouraging students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, especially space science.

Speaking to ToI, Srimathy Kesan, CEO of SKI said five students from Bangladesh will be trained by her organization in satellite systems and technology.

"We plan to start the training programme in April or May. They will collaborate with us in making the satellite which will be 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and will consist of basic payloads intended for training purposes,'' she said.

Kesan said the current plan envisages launching the Indo-Bangladesh student satellite in the third or fourth quarter of this year by Isro's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).