Engineering students of Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology in Peermade will launch an indigenous technology demonstrator rocket from the college campus in Idukki district on Wednesday morning.

The rocket, named Basilian-01, has been designed, fabricated and tested by undergraduate students of the institution under the guidance of Dr Oommen Tharakan, a former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist and the college’s dean of research and development.

Students from electrical, electronics and communication, mechanical, computer science, artificial intelligence and civil engineering departments participated in the project. The development covered propulsion, guidance and control, structural and avionics systems, and payload deployment.

College authorities said the launch would support studies on aerosols related to spice cultivation and analysis of atmospheric temperature in the Kuttikkanam region. A ground station developed by students will handle mission control and data collection.

Officials said this is the first time in Kerala that a higher education institution has undertaken rocket development as part of its academic programme with full student involvement.

Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology is managed by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

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