Kathmandu – An agreement has been signed between Nepal and the neighboring country India for the launch of ‘Munal’ satellites manufactured by Nepal. India’s Ministry of External Affairs and New Space India Limited (NSIL) on Saturday signed an agreement for grant support to launch the Munal satellite.
The spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, informed about the agreement and informed that it is an important milestone in the space cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the ministry by Anurag Srivastava, the senior official to look after Nepal affairs of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Arunachalam A, the director of NSIL.
Dr. Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Secretary of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Dr. Surendra Thapa, Acting Officer of Nepal Embassy and Dr. Abhas Maske, founder of Space Academy Nepal (APN) were also present in the event.
According to the agreement, the satellite developed in Nepal under the project of NAST will be launched free of charge on NSIL’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
In the meeting of the joint commission between Nepal and India on January 19, it was agreed to launch the satellite made by Nepal with the help of the Indian government. The agreement was reached between Nepal and India in the presence of Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
An agreement was also signed between the Nepal Institute of Science and Technology (NAST) and the Indian Space Research Organization and the Department of Space on behalf of New Space India (NSIL) on the polar satellite launch vehicle Munal satellite launch service.
