Sambalpur, Jan. 1: Students of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, who have designed a reusable satellite and rocket to estimate silt deposit in the Hiraklud reservoir, are now looking for sponsors to launch it.

"It is a collaborative effort of around 40 students and also the faculty members of the university," said team member Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya.

"The survey to estimate the silt may be carried out using the sounding rocket. The rocket is capable of carrying a Can Satellite (CanSat) payload of 350gm. Upon launching, the rocket will reach a height of more than 13,000ft in the sky and deploy the CanSat there. The CanSat can then monitor the real-time scenario of Hirakud dam," said another member of the team, adding that they were looking for sponsors and government support to launch the rocket. Around Rs 5 lakh will be required to launch the rocket, said Sanghapriya.