'Pratham' was the first satellite under IIT Bombay Student Satellite Program. The plan was to build a fully functional microsatellite which would then be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This was entirely a student initiative with mentorship provided by ISRO scientists and IIT Bombay Faculty. The satellite was able to fit in a 30.5cm X 33.5cm X 46.6cm cube and weighed 10.15kg. excluding FE Ring.
For the relevance of the satellite to the student community, the satellite data was transmitted when the satellite passed over India. Hence, any interested university with a small ground station was not only able to detect the beacon signal from our satellite, but was also able to measure TEC above their ground station. This was proposed to spread awareness among the student community about this exciting field. The Pratham project presented a wonderful learning experience of working on a real life multidisciplinary complex system to the students.
Pratham had a four-fold mission statement:
The Pratham Project presented a wonderful learning experience of working on a real life multidisciplinary complex system to the students. Learning enhancement through CDIO (Conceiving – Designing – Implementing – Operating) was one of the major objectives of this project. Since learning was a vital part of the project, it was duly visible in the success criterion for the Mission.
DESCRIPTION
| MISSION SUCCESS
|
|---|---|
| Flight Model ready | 85% |
| Beacon Signal Recieved | 90% |
| TEC Measurements at IITB | 95% |
| Satellite Functional for 4 months | 100% |
| BEACON | TELEMETRY | |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 145.98 MHz | 437.455 MHz |
| Modulation | CW Morse code | FSK, AX.25 |
| Data rate | 35 wpm | 1200 bps |
| EIRP | 23 dbm | 18 dbm |
| Region transmitted over | Whole World | India and France |
| Mission Objective | To estimate Total Electron Count(TEC) over India and Paris with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid |
| Payload Instrument | Two monopole antennas transmitting at 145.98 MHz and 437.45 MHz |
| Structure | Dimensions: 30.5cm X 33.5cm X 46.6cm Mass: 10.15 kg Side panels: Aluminum alloy (Al 6061) Monopoles: 3 |
| Sensors and Actuators | GPS, Magnetometer, Sun-sensors, Magnetorquers |
| RF Communication | Transmission in the Amateur Band Antennas: 3 Monopoles- Uplink (UHF), Downlink (UHF) and Beacon (VHF) |
| Altitude | 670 Km |
| Downlink Frequency | 437.455MHz and 145.98MHz |
| Uplink Frequency | 437.455 MHz |
| Power source | Li-ion battery and 4 solar panels |
| Orbit | Polar sun-synchronous, 670 km |
| Mission Life | 4 months |