Berhampur: A number of youths from this city have started excelling in information and technology science.
A fresh example is Gurudutt Panda (28) who has made a miniature satellite ‘smallsat’ or ‘CubeStat’, earning appreciation from various quarters.
After clearing his M Tech from NIST, Gurudutt joined a private satellite manufacturing company in Hyderabad. He was involved in making of the satellite along with his friend Asar Farhan for the last few months.
The small satellite with a weight of just one kilogram is 10 cubic cm in its size.
On his innovation, Gurudutt said his in-depth study in electronics and telecommunication in the college has helped him design the satellite. He would hand over the satellite to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). Isro would send it to SpaceX, an American private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, as the former cannot launch the satellite to the space on its own.
Space-X would put in the satellite on the orbit along with its other satellites. The satellite made by Gurudutt would keep sending signals from the space. It would basically help in redirecting the signal, sent by other major satellites, towards the earth.
This apart, Gurudutt’s small satellite can be used when other satellites develop technical snags and stop functioning. This would also forecast information about the natural calamities beforehand.
This battery-operated satellite would remain in the space for at least two years, Gurudutt said.
The aspiring space scientist is the son of Dr Pranachand Panda, a resident of Ananta Nagar in Berhampur.
PNN