Assam Don Bosco University launched LACHIT- 1, the first satellite from Northeast India, into space on ISRO's PSLV, C62 rocket on Jan 12. This achievement opened the door to space engineering capabilities in an area that has long been less connected to India's space infrastructure.
The satellite initiative was one element of Hyderabad, based Dhruva Space's Polar Access, 1 project and saw the active participation of more than 50 students and faculty members from five northeastern statesAssam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur. The satellite was named after Lachit Borphukan, the Ahom general of the 17th century who is credited with leading the resistance against the Mughals in Assam. Hence, it became a sign of the dreams and pride of the entire region.
LACHIT- 1 had a store, and forward communication system that worked on amateur radio frequencies. The satellite had the ability to take in short messages from the ground stations, save them in its memory, and later send them back to the Earth during its next orbit passes. This feature of the satellite was very much in line with its intended use during disaster times when regular communication networks are usually down; e.g., during floods, landslides, and infrastructural damage, all of which are common problems in the mountainous Northeast.
Students and faculty at ADBU collaborated with Dhruva Space’s ASTRA (Accelerated Space Technology Readiness & Access) for Academia programme to complete the entire satellite development process. The team carried out integration workflows, functional testing, interface checks, and launch readiness reviews. They also established a ground station on campus and trained on Dhruva Space’s Integrated Space Operations Command Suite (ISOCS) software to manage the satellite once operational.
“LACHIT-1 was more than a satellite launch; it was a statement of intent from the Northeast,” said Jose Palely, Vice Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University. “By empowering our students to design, build, and operate a satellite in orbit, we were nurturing future-ready scientists, engineers, and leaders.”
Following the launch, LACHIT-1 became accessible to licensed amateur radio operators worldwide, enabling global participation in satellite communication experiments. Dhruva Space also planned workshops with the National Institute of Amateur Radio and ADBU, focusing on disaster communication and emergency response applications.
Avinash Maramraju, Director of Sales and Business Development at Dhruva Space, said the mission demonstrated that “advanced space capability was no longer geographically concentrated—it was emerging wherever institutions were prepared to build and operate real systems.”
The university had previously received an ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and became the first private university in Northeast India to obtain SIRO certification from DSIRO, recognising its research and development capabilities.
