The SITARE Lab has been set up as a facility with two goals:
Supporting cutting-edge research in Astrophysics and Space Technology
Training students in space technology
The lab takes up development of space-based payloads, ranging from small instruments for space exploration to flagship missions like Daksha. It will be housed in a 1350 sq ft facility at IIT Bombay, and is supported by a donation from IITB Alumnus Deepak Satwalekar. The lab resources will be available to all IIT Bombay space-related initiatives.
At the intersection of curiosity and opportunity lies the SITARON Mein Safar Lecture Series at IIT Bombay - a unique platform bridging the knowledge gap between academic enthusiasm about space technology and India's rapidly expanding space industry. This series brings pioneers from Government space agencies and India's burgeoning space startups directly to students, offering firsthand insights into the technical realities, career pathways, and innovative frontiers of space technology in India.
Each session features experts sharing their professional journeys, technical expertise, and visions for India's space future, followed by interactive discussions where students can explore their questions directly with industry leaders. SITARON Mein Safar serves as the essential connection point between classroom learning and practical application, preparing the next generation of innovators to contribute meaningfully to India's ambitious space ecosystem.
Deep space navigation is essential for coordinating space satellites and future missions, including sending probes beyond the solar system. Methods like radar ranging can give accurate measurements of the radial coordinate of a spacecraft, but are uncertain on other axes. This method also becomes problematic for spacecraft that are far from earth. One solution to this limitation which has often been discussed in literature is to use pulsars as reference clocks to calculate the inertial position of the satellite on-board, removing any dependence on an Earth-origin signal. X-ray pulsars are ideal for this as high energy detectors can be more compact than radio antennas.
To test and demonstrate this principle, we propose a small payload utilizing X-ray detectors to observe a pulsars for navigation in deep space. The payload will have a small form factor (2U) and will be equipped with two Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors, covering an energy range of 20 – 250 keV. Data will be procured using a Xilinx FPGA, which will also undertake basic processing. In addition, we will also incorporate a Coded Aperture Mask (CAM) to measure the attitude of the payload. By tracking pulse time delays relative to the Solar System Barycentre (SSB) by analysing phase shifts, we can estimate the position of CubeSat with respect to SSB.
We have proposed a pulsar-based timing payload as a technology demonstration for use in future deep-space missions, in response to a call for Expression of Interests from INSPACe.