Jammu, May 29: The Centre University of Jammu (CUJ) Wednesday launched its radio-sonde from its ISRO centre.
This launch is a part of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO and CU Jammu. “This milestone event marks a significant achievement in the university’s ongoing commitment to advancing space science research and technology,” a CUJ spokesperson said.
The radio-sonde, a crucial tool for atmospheric data collection, was meticulously prepared and launched by a dedicated team of scientists and researchers from the university.
“This launch aims to enhance our understanding of atmospheric conditions and climate change, contributing valuable data to both national and global meteorological research,” the spokesperson said.
Prof Sanjeev Jain, Vice-Chancellor, Centre University of Jammu was the chief guest of the event. “Today’s successful launch of the radio-sonde exemplifies our commitment to enhancing innovation and research in space sciences. This entire radio-sonde system is fully developed indigenously by ISRO under the Make in India vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he remarked on the achievement.
“This initiative not only strengthens our research capabilities but also positions our institution at the forefront of atmospheric studies. This is only the third testing facility of such kind established by ISRO at CUJ,” he said.
Prof Vinay Kumar, convenor of the centre, briefing media, said, “Today’s achievement is the first one in the series; this centre will launch balloons bimonthly from the ISRO Centre of CUJ.”
Prof Kumar highlighted, “The centre is launching this weather balloon in the afternoon and this will provide a unique set of data as the convection layer is fully developed by this time. Other centres and institutions are doing this practice only in the morning and evening hours. The balloon will ascend upward at a rate of 5 meters per second up to the maximum height of 40 km.”
The ISRO Centre in Centre University Jammu, a premier facility within the university, has been instrumental in providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and resources for such pioneering projects.
“The launch of the radio-sonde is expected to pave the way for future research endeavours and collaborations in the field of space and atmospheric sciences,” the spokesperson said.
This event was attended by faculty members, students and notable guests from the scientific community, all of whom witnessed the launch and celebrated this landmark achievement.
The data collected from the radio-sonde will be analyzed and utilized for various research projects, ultimately contributing to the broader field of space sciences.