Gorakhpur Varsity MMMUT To Send Satellite To Space with ISRO's Help To Study Rivers

Madan Mohan Malavi University of Technology of Gorakhpur (MMMUT Gorakhpur) is now going to launch a new initiative, under which the University is preparing to send satellites into space with the aim of giving further new height to research, said a report by Navbharat Times.

For an uninitiated, Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT) has its roots with Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College (MMMEC), established in 1962. The present MMMUT was established in year 2013 by the Govt of Uttar Pradesh after reconstituting the old MMEC. It was established due to lack of technical education in Uttar Pradesh when Roorkee University went to Uttrakhand, a newly created state in year 2000.

The Navbharat Times report further said that the University management aims to complete the project by January 2024. The project will be prepared in collaboration with Indian Space agency, ISRO.

The satellite weighing 5 kg has been named "Guru Gorakshnath" and the university aims to place it into the space by January 2024. Besides MMMUT, it was in 2016, when any students satellite was launched, and it was COEP Technological University (formerly College of Engineering Pune) that made a Pico satellite named SWAYAM that was launched by ISRO. With a total weight of 1 KG, SWAYAM was launched with Cartosat 2C on 22nd June, 2016.

The report further Added that MMMUT is going to launch a new and larger initiative aimed at providing students with better and greater resources for research under which there is a preparation to send satellites into space. ISRO will be launching the satellite and to ensure the launch-slot the university management is in constant contact with ISRO.

The university administration has been involved in preparations for the purpose of wearing this project. A team of 21 members has also been formed for this. The team consists of 11 meritorious students from various departments of the university. Five senior teachers have also been placed in the expert team as part of their cooperation and guidance.

MMUT Vice Chancellor Professor JP Pandey said that the university is serious and preparations have also started to build its educational satellite by teaming up with ISRO. It will be a complete effort to install Guru Gorakshnath satellite into space by the second fortnight of January 2024 which will be a matter of pride for the university as well as the region and the country. The funds have been arranged by the university administration for its construction.

An agreement has been made with a private agency to provide funds, and if needed, the university will also use its own savings for this satellite project to accomplish, said the Vice Chancellor.

Professor JP Pandey said that the primary objective of the satellite is to study rivers such as pollution in rivers, encroachments around rivers, the damage from it, and the balance of chemical substances in rivers can also be studied with the help of satellite in Space. 

Its worth to mention that space technology activities in Uttar Pradesh is gradually rising, as astronomers of IIT-BHU are involved in 'Aditya L1' satellite mission project. Aditya L1 is India's first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun.

IIT BHU scientists have earlier designed several satellite devices. In December 2020, ISRO announced that it will set up its Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S) at IIT-BHU in Uttar Pradesh.