India to support launch of Nepal’s Munal satellite

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 11: India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and New Space India Limited (NSIL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday to provide grant assistance for the launch of Munal satellite of Nepal. 

The MoU was signed by Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary (North) from the MEA and Arunachalam A, Director from NSIL, the MEA informed in a statement. 

Secretary of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Dr. Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Chargé d'affaires of Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, Dr. Surendra Thapa and Founder of Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN), Dr. Abhas Maskey were also present at the occasion.

During the visit of the External Affairs Minister (EAM) to Nepal to co-chair the 7th Joint Consultative Mechanism meeting in January this year, NSIL and NAST exchanged the Launch Service Agreement for the launch of Munal Satellite.

Munal Satellite is an indigenous satellite developed in Nepal, under the aegis of NAST. APN, a Nepali space startup, has assisted Nepali students in the design and fabrication of this satellite. The satellite aims to build a vegetation density database of the Earth’s surface.

This satellite is expected to be launched soon on NSIL’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.