New Delhi (Sputnik) – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to start an eight-week-long training program intended to equip students from developing countries to build satellites. The costs of the training, scheduled at the space agency's U.R. Rao Space Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, will be borne entirely by ISRO.
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"India is proud to announce an excellent capacity-building program. It is mainly [designed] to give students from other countries the opportunity to come to India and get involved in learning about space technology as well as get hands-on experience in building satellites, " ISRO Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan announced at the ongoing UNISPACE Symposium.
The objective of the training program is to enable students from countries that have limited knowledge or exposure to small satellites to build them efficiently, according to URSC Chairman Mylswamy Annadurai.
A total of 30 students will be selected from 15 countries each year — a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer from each country. These students will be split into three teams. The selection process for the first batch will begin this September, and training will begin in November.
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Over a period of three years, URSC is expected to train one batch of students every year, with support from the Ministry of External Affairs and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).