NepaliSat-1
First Nepalese satellite, deployed from the ISS.
NepaliSat-1, also known as Bird NPL, was a Nepalese low orbit research satellite and the first satellite of Nepal. It was launched as part of Cygnus NG-11 by the United States on 17 April 2019 and reached the International Space Station on 19 April 2019 for later deployment. The satellite was estimated to revolve the Earth for six months.
Quick Facts
- Mission type
- Space engineering
- Operator
- KIT; NAST
- Launch mass
- 1.3 kg / 2.87 lb
- Launched
- 17 April 2019
- Launch rocket
- Antares 230
- Launch site
- Wallops Pad 0A
- Launch contractor
- Northrop Grumman
- Deployment from
- International Space Station
Facts from the source article.
Background
NepaliSat-1, a 1.3-kilogram nanosatellite, was built by Nepali researchers Aabhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha while they were students at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology. Maskey, a PhD candidate in space engineering, managed the Birds-3 project and took part in this satellite’s creation. The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology provided funding, and construction happened under the Birds-3 program, which helps nations launch their first satellite. Development expenses came to nearly twenty million Nepalese rupees. The satellite displayed Nepal’s flag, the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology logo, and the names of its developers.
Satellite launch
The satellite launched on 18 April 2019 at 02:31 am Nepal Standard Time from Virginia. It orbited at an altitude of about 400 kilometres and took pictures of Nepal to provide geographical information. Suresh Kumar Dhungel told The Kathmandu Post that the satellite would remain in Earth's orbit for a year, during which it would be closely studied, and that the learning phase would help in developing more advanced satellites. Prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli congratulated the scientists via Twitter, stating that with the launching of NepaliSat-1, Nepal had entered the Space-Era. Dhungel, spokesman for NAST, said the investment aimed to open new paths for space engineering in the country.
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