ISRO to launch satellite made by IIT-Kanpur

A satellite developed by IIT Kanpur 'Jugnu' that will provide information on natural calamities will be handed over to scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on March six by President Pratibha Patil.

After testing it, ISRO will launch the satellite from Sriharikota, IIT-K Registrar Sanjeev Kasalkar told PTI.

The satellite will help in gathering prior information regarding flood, drought and disaster management.

Last year in August, both ISRO and IIT-K had inked an MoU to develop the micro satellite, Jugnu.

Jugnu, developed by using indigenous technology, weighs 3kg and is 34cm long. An estimated amount of Rs 2.5 crore has been spent to develop the satellite.

To mark the 50 glorious years of its history, IIT-Kanpur has built a 'time capsule' which will also be inaugurated by the President.

The three-foot-long time capsule is made of a special kind of copper."This is a special type of time capsule made of copper and it will preserve the data stored inside for thousands of years," he said.

The time capsule would store the details of all the research activities, academic tie-ups and other achievements of the premier institute. It will also record merits and contributions made by the institute's professors and directors.

The capsule would also contain information about the alumni of the engineering institute.