Atharva Satellite Ground Station

Our Journey

Atharva Satellite Ground Station was established in 2008 as a part of IIT Bombay's first student Satellite "PRATHAM" under the visionary leadership of Shri. Sunil Rane, Executive President, Atharva Group of Institutes who believes in Research, Technology and Innovation.

Atharva's Ground Station innovative students team achieved the milestone in establishing a functional receiving Ground Station for IIT Bombay's PRATHAM satellite at Atharva College . The student satellite, Pratham, was launched by ISRO's four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at the Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre successfully on 26 September 2016 at 9.00 a.m. the Pratham satellites were lifted off.

The dream project of IIT-B MISSION "PRATHAM" in association with Atharva College's Ground station team is finally accomplished. Atharva Ground station is one of the receiving stations to receive and process data sent by Pratham.

The passion of the complete team for space technology and satellite communication has led to undertake such research activities pertaining to track of satellites and knowledge sharing ranging from antenna designing to decoding the signals.

The satellite is designed to fit within a cube of 30 cm sides, and weighs nearly 10 kg. Pratham will be useful for scientific studies, help in tsunami warnings and correcting errors in GPS communication.

Shri. Sunil Rane, Executive President, Atharva Group of Institutes felicitated and encouraged ground station team to excel in space technology and satellite communication to contribute positively in the future at Atharva Ground Station activities.

Atharva always takes proactive initiatives to explore in research, technology and innovation along with the all round development of the students to make them competent engineers of tomorrow's to serve the society.

PRATHAM Satellite

Launched on September 26, 2016, the Pratham satellite is a significant milestone in student satellite projects in India. Designed within a 30 cm cube and weighing approximately 10 kg, it serves scientific studies, tsunami warnings, and helps correct errors in GPS communication.

HAM Radio

The team appeared for the amateur HAM radio exam conducted by Ministry of communications, Government of India and acquired their HAM licenses. 7 of the previous team members are licensed HAM Radio operators.

At the symposium, Atharva satellite Ground-Station had its first satellite contact with VUSat – OSCAR 52; communication was established with Delhi via the satellite by the licensed team.

The current team is also planning to get their licenses and a station license for the ground station in the near future.

APSARHA Balloon Satellite

APSARHA–1 (Atharva Payload System – A Radio Linked High Altitude Air Balloon) is the indegenious satellite balloon project of Atharva Ground-Station with a payload of Weather Monitoring and ozone measurement.

The team plans to calculate the level of pollution in the environment with the ozone readings. An ozonesonde is planned to be used for ozone measurement. The balloon is expected to reach an altitude from which ozone values could be correctly obtained (approximately 25 – 30km).

Indoor short range test for measuring the temperature and pressure values along with the GPS co-ordinates
Outdoor short range test
15 meters medium range test

Accurate data was received in all of the above mentioned tests.

Technical Events

Atharva Satellite Ground Station regularly conducts technical events, workshops, and seminars to promote space technology education and awareness. These events provide hands-on experience to students and foster innovation in satellite communication technologies.

Seminars Conducted

"Satellites and Satellite Tracking System" held on 23rd September, 2013 at Atharva College
"Satellite Tracking and Data Acquisition" held on 22nd September, 2014 at Atharva College
"Antenna Designing and Simulation" held on 22nd March, 2015 at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai

Our technical events aim to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, inspiring the next generation of space scientists and engineers.

Annual Workshops

Every year, we conduct intensive workshops on satellite communication, signal processing, and antenna design. These workshops are open to engineering students from all colleges and provide practical training on industry-standard tools and equipment.

Participants get hands-on experience with satellite tracking software, SDR (Software Defined Radio) tools, and advanced communication protocols.

Space Technology Symposium

Our annual Space Technology Symposium brings together experts from ISRO, academia, and the space industry to discuss the latest trends and technologies in satellite communication.

The symposium features technical paper presentations, panel discussions, and exhibitions of student projects related to space technology and satellite communications.

Hackathons

We organize hackathons focused on developing innovative solutions for satellite data processing, visualization, and application development. These events encourage students to apply their programming skills to solve real-world problems in space technology.

Previous hackathons have resulted in the development of mobile apps for satellite tracking, data visualization tools, and automated signal processing systems.

Our Projects Gallery

Explore our gallery showcasing various projects, events, and achievements of the Atharva Satellite Ground Station team.

PRATHAM Satellite Model

Scale model of the PRATHAM satellite developed by IIT Bombay students

Ground Station Equipment

Advanced communication equipment used at Atharva Satellite Ground Station

APSARHA Balloon Testing

Testing phase of the APSARHA high-altitude balloon project

HAM Radio Operations

Students operating the HAM radio equipment for satellite communication

Technical Workshop

Students participating in a hands-on technical workshop

Antenna Design Lab

Custom antenna design and testing facilities at Atharva

Research & Development

Our ground station is actively involved in various R&D projects related to satellite communication, signal processing, and space technology applications. Current research areas include:

Development of low-cost ground station equipment for educational institutions
Advanced signal processing algorithms for improved satellite data reception
Machine learning applications for satellite imagery analysis
IoT integration with satellite communication systems
Environmental monitoring using satellite data

Future Initiatives

Atharva Satellite Ground Station is continuously evolving with ambitious plans for the future. Our upcoming initiatives include:

Advanced Ground Station Upgrades: Implementation of state-of-the-art equipment to enhance our satellite tracking and data acquisition capabilities.
APSARHA-2 Project: Development of an improved version of our high-altitude balloon satellite with enhanced payload capacity and communication systems.
Collaborative Research: Strengthening partnerships with ISRO, IIT Bombay, and other research institutions for joint satellite projects.
Educational Outreach: Expanding our workshops and training programs to reach more students across India, fostering interest in space technology from an early age.
CubeSat Development: Initiating a student-led CubeSat project to design, build, and launch a small satellite for educational and research purposes.

Our vision is to establish Atharva Satellite Ground Station as a center of excellence in satellite communication technology and space education, inspiring innovation and research in the aerospace domain.

Through these initiatives, we aim to contribute significantly to India's growing space ecosystem and prepare students for careers in this exciting field.