Mumbai: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has added another feature in its cap on the research and development field.  Pratham, a microsatellite developed by students of IIT Bombay will be launched by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in September 2016.

After a wait of nine years, now the satellite is ready to be launched with ISRO’s main satellite ScatSat and few other satellites on board a four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The brain child of two IIT Bombay students, Pratham weighs 10 kg and it will be placed at an altitude of 720 km. In a statement IIT Bombay said that with mission duration of four months, the main function of the satellite will be to measure the electron count of the ionosphere, which can be used for tsunami alerts and also to increase the accuracy of Global Positioning System in India. Many communication errors can be corrected with the help of counting electrons.

The total cost of the project is about Rs. 1.5 crore. The IIT Bombay student satellite programme was initiated in 2007, after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the institute and ISRO. Previously, the satellite had missed the launch in 2012 due to multiple reasons such manpower shortage, technical snags, administrative delays, etc.

Currently, Pratham is in the clean room of ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru while the exact launch date is yet to be finalised.