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Writer's pictureApurwa Masook

Even Sky is not the Limit

We have all heard that a Journey of a Thousand Miles starts with a single step. But we need to remember that a Journey to nowhere also starts with a single step. The Journey will always remain very significant and close to our hearts. But what actually matters is the step. It is the step that distinguishes the bold from feeble, that brings out the best within you. And that's how VSLV was born as an idea, when 2 years ago we dared to take a step.


The Idea to indigenously develop a Pico-Satellite & Sounding Launch Vehicle, that could scale up the Mighty Hirakud Dam and Reservoir. The Idea to be India's first Indigenous and Multipurpose Student Rocketry Mission. It was just the onset of an Idea, that lead to the dawn of this student driven Project.


The VSLV Project (VSSUT Satellite Launch Vehicle) is a student initiative under the aegis of Idea & Innovation Cell, VSSUT Burla, in which a team of budding engineers take on a herculean task of developing an Indigenous Sounding Rocket and PicoSAT, by venturing into Rocket Science, through a series of ten arduous missions. A one-of-its-kind, it is India’s First Indigenous Multipurpose Reusable Student Rocketry Project, that aims to build, launch, test and recover indigenously developed Launch Vehicles and Prototype Satellites in order to provide an educational experience to students in design, flight and data analysis of a space experiment. It is intended to prepare students for an exciting, technical challenge that may lead to launching space experiments into low earth orbits and beyond.


The Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, Odisha is a State Unitary University, formed by upgrading the first Engineering College of the state, and one of the 15 oldest engineering colleges of India, named University College of Engineering, Burla. It has produced over 30,000 alumni in over 60 batches who can be seen in all leading PSUs and bluechip private companies, upto the Board of Directors. It stands as a centre of excellence in imparting quality education to budding technocrats and encouraging them to pursue holistic endeavours. 


As an obligation of the technical university, towards the Mahanadi River Valley, through this project the aim is to provide most precise and highly accurate siltation and sedimentation data to the concerned authorities who can take necessary steps for prevention of any unforeseen calamity and better upkeep of the Hirakud dam, World’s longest Dam. The survey would be carried out using a Sounding Rocket launched to an apogee of 40km carrying a PicoSAT payload for monitoring the real time scenario of the Hirakud Reservoir.


The Team has successfully accomplished three missions by launching VSLV 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 upto height 4km. For this historical achievement, the project has received National and international accolades across the nation and the globe. The team has successfully registered the prestigious Limca Book of Record for being the first and only student body to achieve such exceptional feat. The Team has also been recognized by NASA, ISRO, DRDO, Indian Air Force, Ministry of Trade & Industry (Russian Federation), many reputed bodies and eminent personalities.


Higher than the sky is where we wished to fly,

Dreams towering high above the horizon close by;

Belief in the team is what made us aim for the sky par extent,

Unified, we raise a toast to our avowed intent;

Two years to the struggle so profound,

And a year to the VSLV getting off the ground;

Now a soaring sensation on the expanded radar,

Splintering the limitations of the sky afar;


We all need to come out of our comfort zones, to dream to make a difference, break down boundaries, to Ignite ideas to innovate incessantly. That's what makes us alive and human in true sense.

"When you want something with all your heart, entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

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