NepaliSat-1 to travel around Earth from June 17

Kathmandu / June 10: The NepaliSat-1, Nepal’s first satellite launched into space by Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology on April 17 is to go through the Earth’s orbit from June 17.

The nano-satellite weighing 1.3 kilos was launched from the Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in the United States. It has been in the International Space Station since one and half month and will be released into the Earth’s orbit on June 17. A ground station for it has been set up at the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

NAST is planning to capture the live movements of the release of NepaliSat-1 into the Earth’s orbit and telecast it from its auditorium room the same day. The program will commence from 12:00 noon, said NAST Technology Faculty Chief Rabindra Prasad Dhakal. According to him, two experts from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are preparing to arrive in Nepal to witness the live telecast.

Two other satellites-Rawana-1, Sri Lanka’s first satellite and the Uguisu of Japan, developed under the BIRDS 3 project along with the NepaliSat-1 are to be released into the Earth’s orbit the same day. Similarly, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and NAST have scheduled a joint two-day ‘Science Street Fair-2019’ program.

The first-ever event at home is commencing from coming Tuesday. It aims to inform the public of new research and changes related to society and to explore discussions between scientists and the public on the issues of science and technology, the latest innovations and changes in the related sector. It will be organized in Jawalakhel. People of all age group are requested to visit the expo. Maximum efforts will be made to collect people’s voices. Food stalls are also a part of the fair. RSS