Four Bhutanese engineers have arrived to undergo instruction at the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru.
The instruction which has began from December 28, 2020, will go on up to February 25, 2021. It will be in two phases – the initially phase will involve a variety of theoretical and technical elements as nicely as visits to laboratories and test facilities.
The second phase will have the Bhutanese teamwork with ISRO in activities towards creating the smaller satellite for Bhutan, INS-2B.
India & Bhutan Space Cooperation
India and Bhutan had in August 2019, agreed to work with each other in creating a smaller satellite for Bhutan jointly. It is in line with the vision of the King of Bhutan to harness space technologies for the advantage of its individuals.
Towards this, a Joint Working Group (JWG) has been formed to help with the implementation of the project, which also contains creating a geo-portal method. This method applying remote sensing and geo-spatial information is going to assistance Bhutan for all-natural sources and disaster management.
Last month (November 20, 2020), Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr Lotay Tshering had a virtual meeting. During the meeting, it was announced that the smaller satellite for Bhutan will be launched in 2021.
It was also announced that India will extend the capacity developing to Bhutanese engineers for this goal.
Keeping in line with this proposal, a group of 4 Bhutanese space engineers from the Department of Information Technology and Telecom, below the Ministry of Information and Communications of Bhutan, are right here in India for their instruction.
India has been working closely with the government of Bhutan in the location of space cooperation, and final August each Prime Ministers had inaugurated the Ground Earth Station of South Asia Satellite (SAS) in Thimphu jointly. In 2017, the SAS was launched by India as a present to the nations in South Asia Region —including Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives and the Ground Earth Station has been constructed with the help of ISRO.
The SAS is anticipated to have a positive effect on the socio-financial improvement of Bhutan in regions which includes communication and disaster management. Therefore, as a unique present to the individuals of that nation, India has provided to improve bandwidth on an further transponder as per Bhutan’s needs.