Sri Lanka will enter the satellite technology era by sending the nation's first nano technology satellite into space by 2020, according to Sri Lanka's state media and reported by Xinhua.

The Arthur C. Clarke Institute, Sri Lanka's state institute for Research and Development, specializing in several areas including information technology, space technologies, robotics and other related fields of modern technologies, signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia to strengthen Sri Lanka's satellite technology.

Director General of the institute, Sanath Panawennage, said following the signing of the MoU that the Samara Aeronautics University of Russia had agreed to provide nanosatellite technology to help Sri Lanka to station such satellites in space. Accordingly, Sri Lanka would start producing its first ever nano satellite in 2018. Thereafter, Sri Lanka will enter the satellite technology era by sending its first nano technology satellite into space in 2020.

Pushpakumara  said a nanosatellite is a tiny electronic system about one to 10 kg in weight that will orbit the Earth in an attitude of about 400 to 500 km and can be used for communication photography, obtaining climatic data, as well as data needed in agricultural cultivation, tsunami warnings and receiving data on ship and boat positions.

Article sourced from news.xinhuanet.com/.