Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 4 : Speaking about the MoU exchange between Northern UNI of Sri Lanka and Space Kidz India regarding the launch of a student-built satellite from ISRO at the end of next year, Srimathy Kesan, Founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, highlighted the borderless nature of space and the timely collaboration between India and Sri Lanka.
Kesan expressed her desire to involve students from both countries to promote the concept of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.'
"I believe we are at the right time in the right space because space is borderless, and this demonstrates India's strength. Space Kidz is a pioneer in student satellite initiatives and the only organisation to have conducted 27 space missions. With this experience, we don't intend to limit opportunities to just Indian students. We want to extend this knowledge to other students because we believe in 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'," she said.
Kesan added that after training the students, the project would be ready by the end of next year.
"Indy Pathmanathan came forward and expressed a desire to build a satellite for his students. This initiative is not just for university students but also for children from underprivileged backgrounds. We will be bringing students from both Sri Lanka and India to collaborate on this project. Space Kidz will provide technological support, and we will initiate the launch process through ISRO. We need a full year to educate the students, build the satellite, and prepare for the launch," she explained.
She also mentioned that the satellite would be a single-use satellite.
"The satellite will be called Northern UniSat, and it will be a single-use satellite. Initially, we will teach the basics, such as the importance of water in space, the sensors required for the satellite, and other essential knowledge. We want to assess whether the students can come up with cutting-edge, out-of-the-box ideas. After a period of online teaching, we will shift to offline learning. Five of our educators will travel to Sri Lanka to teach the students there. Then, those students will come to India, where we have the necessary facilities to build and test the satellite. The project will be financed by Northern UNI's CSR programme, making it a CSR project," she said.
Kesan expressed her excitement about this collaboration between India and Sri Lanka, particularly the Jaffna area, to build an educational satellite together. She also mentioned that the initiative is supported by the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka, which she described as a positive starting point. Prafulla Kumara, Director at In-Space, shared that India, ISRO, and In-Space are eager to support and encourage such collaborations.