Space academy to train Sri Lankan astronauts

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Sri Lanka will open a space academy to train astrounauts in Koggala next year.

Satellite facility in China

Managing Director SupremeSAT R.M. Manivannan. Picture by Shirajiv Sirimane

The programme will be launched as a joint venture between Supreme Satellite Pvt limited, Colombo and China’s biggest satellite manufacturing institution, Great Wall Corporation. (CGWIC)

A 30 acre land has been demarcated in Koggala and applications to select students would be called soon, SupremeSAT Managing Director R.M. Manivannan said.

The company will invest US $ 20 million for the project which comes under the BOI. US $ 10 million would be invested this year, he said.

“We will build a satellite ground station in Koggala to oversee our satellite operations”.

He said they have co-branded satellites with the Chinese company. The facility could be used by other countries in the region.

The programme will save money being paid by local companies to foreign satellite operaters and bring in foreign exchange to Sri Lanka, he said.

He said the support he received for the project from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, BOI and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission was encouraging and was a great motivation for him.

A supreme SAT

It has been decided to offer the satellite service free to the Disaster Management Ministry so that they could predict natural disasters in advance, he said. Manivannan said by next June, they would acquire their second satellite and by 2015, would own a specially made satellite. Established in 1980, CGWIC is the sole commercial organization authorized by the Chinese government to provide satellites, commercial launch services and to carry out international space cooperation. The company has signed nine contracts with international customers for the manufacture and in-orbit delivery of telecommunication satellites, out of which four have been launched into orbit, whilst the other two are set to be launched next year.

About 48.9 percent of all satellites are used for commercial purposes (satellite radio, satellite TV, satellite internet). While 25.1 percent are used for military purposes. The rest are for governmental/civilian functions.

“More than making profits I want to help my mother land,” Manivannan said.