A premier engineering institute in the United Arab Emirates, and the only international campus of BITS Pilani, the BITS Pilani Dubai Campus (BPDC) has successfully launched its ground station. Tailored to track amateur and educational satellites, the installation is a significant milestone in space research and satellite communication.

The state-of-the-art facility is a landmark move towards offering students hands-on experience in space technology and innovation. It is remarkable that the ground station facilitates real-time communication with satellites traversing the BPDC campus horizon. On its launch, the station received an inaugural image from NOAA 19, a weather satellite. An omnidirectional antenna is tuned to receive weather data from satellites like NOAA. The station’s ability to also autonomously track satellite passes using digitally controlled rotors is just another of its many standout features.

The Director of BPDC, Dr. Srinivasan Madapusi, said that the operational readiness of the ground station represented a significant leap forward in their pursuit of excellence in space technology.

In March 2023, BPDC signed a memorandum of understanding with UAE-based Edutech4Space for its engineering students to build and launch into orbit a working satellite named MAHASAT. The ground station launched now plays a crucial role in the MAHASAT project, overseen by Padma Shri-awardee Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Former Director of Indian Space Research Organisation’s Satellite Centre and the scientist behind India’s successful Moon and Mars Missions. The ‘Moon Man of India’, as he is popularly called, commented that the ground station facility at BPDC also offered interdisciplinary learning opportunities in areas such as meteorology and satellite communication. “It underscores BPDC’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of space scientists and engineers,” said Annadurai.

Shrisudha Viswanathan, Founder and CEO of EduTech4Space, said the establishment of the ground station marked a pivotal moment for the student community of the UAE by not only providing practical training in satellite communication but also opening doors to a multitude of research opportunities in space technology. – editor@nrifocus.com