Guwahati: India and Bhutan jointly constructed the India-Bhutan SAT, which was launched into orbit on Saturday by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The PSLV-C54 carried the India-Bhutan SAT, along with India’s Earth Observation Satellite-06 and other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release.
“Congratulations to team @isro and @dittbhutan on the successful launch of India-Bhutan Sat today,” tweeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“Today we have achieved a historic milestone in India’s bilateral cooperation with Bhutan as two special friends and neighbours. In a span of two years, the collaborative efforts of the dedicated team of space, engineers and scientists from ISRO and Bhutanese sides have culminated today in the launch of this satellite for Bhutan,” said Jaishankar at the launch of the satellite.
A high-level team from Bhutan headed by Lyonpo Karma Donnen Wangdi, the Minister of Information and Communications of Bhutan, made a special trip to Sriharikota in order to witness the debut of the India-Bhutan SAT.
An 18-member media delegation from Bhutan who is on a week-long familiarisation visit to India was also at Sriharikota to witness the launch of the India-Bhutan SAT, read the release.
“The India-Bhutan SAT, jointly developed by India and Bhutan was launched into space today by @isro’s PSLV. The PSLV-C54 carried the India-Bhutan SAT, along with EOS-06 and other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota,” tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
India has helped to enhance the capability of Bhutanese engineers through hands-on training at the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru on satellite manufacturing and testing, as well as on processing and analysing satellite data. According to the announcement, this culminated in the cooperative development of the specifically designed satellite for Bhutan that was launched today.
Recall that the South Asia Satellite’s ground station in Thimphu, which was built with help from ISRO, was officially opened by the two parties during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bhutan in August 2019.
Bhutan will receive high-resolution photos from the India-Bhutan SAT to help manage its natural resources.
“Recognizing the positive impact of South Asia satellite on the socio-economic development of Bhutan in areas such as communication and disaster management. PM Modi had offered an increased plan with additional transponders as per Bhutan’s requirements as a gift to the people of Bhutan,” said Jaishankar.
“PSLV-C54/EOS-06 Mission is accomplished. The remaining satellites have all been injected into their intended orbits,” tweeted ISRO.