Satnews Daily
November 23rd, 2016

PISAT-2 Smallsat Coming To Fruition


A month or so ago, 250 students from India's PES University (PESU) launched a nano-satellite named PISAT under the mentorship of university staff—now, another group of students have started work on developing another satellite at the university—the PISAT-2.

The earlier, stabilized imaging satellite entered orbit on September 26th after journeying with the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). PISAT-2 will pack an ultraviolet imager that will stare at a single point in space for the lifetime of the mission. Students will work with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) on the project, which will be supported financially by the university. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has also expressed interest in funding the mission, sources said. With an outlay of Rs. 2.3 crore, 18 to 24 months have been set for the launch.

Chancellor of PES University, M.R. Doreswamy, said that the institute was committed to extending support for the design and development phase of the satellite. PISAT-1, in the meantime, is functioning on orbit as per parameters and is healthy. The team will continue to use the satellite for Earth Observation (EO) in the coming months, a team member said.

According to a statement from PESU, the goal of PISAT-2 is to search for variable sources, those that change in brightness. These may include explosive events like supernovae, exotic events such as planets falling into their parent stars or events in the Earth's neighborhood such as nearby asteroids or comets. PISAT-1 was developed for EO, while PISAT-2 will help us head towards deep space exploration. PISAT-2 will be more advanced in terms of technology, such as the control systems onboard as well as the composition of the satellite which will have space grade components on board.

pes.edu/