Nepal’s first ever satellite launched into space

NepaliSat-1 – Nepal’s first satellite – has been launched into space at 2:31 am on Wednesday by the Antares rocket, which carried the Cygnus cargo aircraft from the Virginia Air and Space Center of National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Launched from the Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in the US, NepaliSat-1 – a cube satellite that weighs 1.3 kg – is supposed to reach the International Space Station at 10:45 pm on Saturday. It will gather detailed geographical information Nepal.
Similar satellites from Japan and Sri Lanka were also launched alongside NepaliSat-1.
The nano satellite is expected soon to start rotating around the earth’s orbit to collect information about Nepal's topography and earth’s magnetic field. The satellite is also expected to help develop more advanced satellites in the future.
NepaliSat-1 was launched under the ‘BIRDS-3 satellite launch to International Space Station project’, according to Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). The BIRDS project has been designed in association with the United Nations with the aim of helping countries launch their first satellite.
Developed by two Nepali students Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology, NepalSat-1 bears the Nepali flag and the logo of NAST, which also claimed that the nano satellite is equipped with a five megapixel camera to capture Nepal’s topography and a magnetometer to collect data related to the earth’s magnetic field.
"The satellite will first reach the International Space Station," the NAST informed, adding that it will then start rotating around the earth after a month. "The images and data will be sent by the satellite to the ground station at NAST, which is currently under construction."
But the NAST hopes that the ground station will be ready before the nano satellite starts rotating. "We will also be able to receive information from other satellites which have been and will be launched under the Birds project," added the NAST. "The satellite will allow NAST to learn the process of sending and receiving data and information to and from space."
NepaliSat-1 is scheduled to be released from the cargo spacecraft into the lower orbit of International Space Station in the second week of June. Once released into its orbit, the satellite will revolve around the earth four times a day. The orbit lies approximately 400-km above the earth. It is expected to take pictures of Nepal for six to 10 minutes during each revolution. NepaliSat 1 is expected to revolve around the earth for at least six months. long with providing images and data, the launch of the satellite marks the beginning for Nepal to test its capacity in the space.
Today morning – hours after the launch of the nano satellite into space – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli tweeted: “Though a humble beginning, with the launching of NepaliSat-1 Nepal has entered the Space-Era. I wish to congratulate all those scientists and institutions that were involved right from the development to its launching thereby enhancing the prestige of our country."
The total cost from developing the satellite to launching it and constructing the ground station is said to be Rs 20 million, which was provided by the government through NAST.
A group of four engineering graduates are also working to launch another Nepali satellite ‘Nepal PQ-1’ in 2020.

Nepal to launch own satellite on April 17

Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has yesterday called a tender to set up a ground station to monitor and keep the records sent from the satellite as the country is planning to launch NepaliSat-1 – Nepal's own satellite – on April 17 from Virginia in USA.
Though the satellite will be launched by Orbital ATK – an American aerospace manufacturer and defence industry company – NAST has to set up a ground station to keep records and from the NepalSat-1.
According to NAST, it needs to purchase some satellite communication system equipment. "The institution has called a tender to purchase the equipment yesterday," it said, adding that interested firms or supplier companies can register for the tender.
NAST also claimed that it has already completed all the preparatory works. After installing the ground station NAST will have to hire skilled technical human resources.
Once the NepaliSat-1 begins sending information NAST will work on expanding the mission. From April 17 Nepali satellite with the Nepali flag and NAST logo printed on it will be in orbit. The NepaliSat-1 will be in orbit for a maximum of three years.
NAST initiated the launch of Nepal's own satellite under the BIRDS project of the Japanese Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT). The project has been designed in association with the United Nations (UN) aiming to help countries to launch their first satellite. The country will be launching the NepaliSat-1 in collaboration with Sri Lanka and Bhutan along with assistance from the Japanese Space Agency.
NAST has invested a total of Rs 15 million for the satellite that weighs 1.3 kg and the slot of NepaliSat-1 lies in the lower orbit. The satellite will contribute in data-sharing among the nations involved in the BIRDS mission. It will also help generate public awareness and contribute to greater exposure of astronomy, science and technology in the respective countries.

Nepal eligible for cooperation, partnership and fundng from the EU Research and Innovative Programme

The research institutes in Nepal are eligible to submit proposals for funding from the European Union's seventh Framework Programme (FP-7) to conduct research on different topics related to science and non-science streams.

This important opportunity was highlighted today at an information session organised by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Nepal amidst a gathering of prominent research institutes from Nepal including the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology.

Addressing the programme, head of the EU Delegation to Nepal Dr Alexander Spachis said that the EU and its member states have been organising a series of information seminars throughout SAARC countries to raise awareness among research stakeholders about the opportunities that the EU can offer for research and innovation cooperation.

He congratulated the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences based in Dharan for doing an outstanding job in research through the sixth  Framework Programme in the past and hoped that many more institutions in Nepal would succeed to get funding in the coming years.

Ambassador Spachis also made public the funding opportunities for research institutes at the Sixth National Conference on Science and Technology organised today by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in the presence of Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Ministers, secretaries and eminent scientists.

He said that the EU is a world leader in research and innovation and accounted for 24 per cent of world expenditure in research, 32 per cent of high impact publications and 32 per cent of patent publications, while representing only seven per cent of the population.

European research and innovation efforts are set to receive a significant increase in funding with the announcement of the largest set of calls for proposals ever under the EU's seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Worth a total of Euro8.1 billion, projects funded by these calls are open to organisations and businesses in all EU member states, FP7 partner states and specifically eligible countries.

The calls target both innovation and a range of societal challenges, building a bridge to Horizon 2020, the next funding programme for EU research from 2014-2020.