By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, June 28: Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is now developing the second nano-satellite after the success of its first mission.

Scientist Aabhas Maskey, the first nano-satellite developer, is developing the second satellite under the BIRDS project in Nepal, said Dr Rabindra Dhakal, Chief of Faculty of Technology at the NAST.

The life of the first nano-satellite is expiring and is to collapse at any time. As per the current report, it will fall sometime within August, he said. “The satellite is gradually falling down.”

He further said the second satellite would be similar to the first in its feature and capacity. “We are planning to launch this satellite from Thailand within this fiscal year sending it to space by cargo space-craft,” Dhakal added.

There is also good news for high school students. NAST has brought a programme of satellite education at the high school level. For this programme, scientist Maskey is preparing the men-tors for in-house small/nanosatellite development at NAST. The programme will be introduced for high school students after the opening of the education sector, he said.

He further said, “Under Maskey’s leadership, the second satellite is to be developed in our nation. The first satellite was developed by two scientists, Aabhas Maskey and Hari-ram Shrestha in Japan while they were studying at Japanese Kyushu Institute of Technology under the BIRDS project in collaboration with NAST.”

“The first nano-satellite was a mile-stone in the science and technology sector of Nepal which encouraged Nepali scientists to launch the second satellite. The launching of the first nano-satellite was a lesson for us,” he added.