MEA, NSIL sign agreement to support launch of Nepal’s Munal satellite
The satellite aims to build a database of vegetation density on the Earth’s surface, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the statement | Representative Image: Shutterstock
The Ministry of External Affairs and ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) on Saturday signed an agreement to provide assistance for the launch of the Nepal-built Munal satellite, an official statement said.
Munal is an indigenous satellite developed in Nepal under the aegis of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the MEA said.
Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN), a Nepalese space startup, has helped Nepalese students in the design and fabrication of this satellite. The satellite is intended to build a database of vegetation density of the Earth’s surface, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the statement.
The MoU was signed by Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary (North), MEA and Arunachalam A, Managing Director, NSIL.
Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Secretary of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Surendra Thapa, Charge d’Affaires of Nepal Embassy and Abhas Maskey, Founder of Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN) were also present on the occasion.
During External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Nepal to chair the 7th Joint Commission Meeting, he witnessed the exchange of this agreement for the launch of Munal Satellite between NSIL and NAST on January 4, the company said.
“This satellite is expected to be launched soon using NSIL’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,” the statement said.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication: Aug 10, 2024 | 9:24 PM IST