Preface - ISRO
Every nation has its own space organizations aiming for the development and providing services to the nation itself. In India, ISRO is the national space agency which comes into play with providing informational, research oriented services to the nation. Conquering the 5th position, the organization is one of the top space organizations in the world.
Headquartered in Bengaluru in Karnataka, it operates under the Department of space (DOS).
An organization which completes space mission with a cost minimal than a Hollywood film, so there is a lot to know about this organization.
Formation
It was in the year 1962, scientist Vikram Sarabhai, urged the Indian Government to setup a space research organization. Subsequently, the Indian National Committee for space Research (INCOSPAR) got established. It got established under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). Thus, scientist Vikram Sarabhai became the father of Indian space program.
In the year 1972, space commission was setup and led to the establishment of DOS (Department Of Space) and the ISRO came under the DOS.
ISRO – Missions
ISRO built India’s first satellite and named it Aryabhata, named after the famous Indian mathematician. At that time the Soviet Union launched this satellite on 19 April 1975.
Aryabhata Satellite
In the year 1980, ISRO launched Rohini series satellites (R1) which consisted of 4 satellites. For this accomplishment, SLV 3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle) was built by India itself.
In the 80s, ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle) succeeded the SLV. It had the capacity to launch 150 kg of satellites.
In October 2008, ISRO initiated Chandrayaan 1 mission, a lunar mission which included a lunar orbiter and an impactor. The lunar probe landed and studied the topography of moon. Later, it resulted in the discovery of water in the ice form. It came to be a turning point resulting the ISRO to come in limelight of the world.
The most important turning point came on September 24, 2014. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) also called Mangalyaan got initiated by the ISRO. The country’s first interplanetary mission made ISRO the fourth organization to achieve this. The organization nailed it in the first attempt which no other country had achieved.
Mangalyaan spacecraft
MOM mission explores the morphology, mineralogy and the martian planetary surface.
On September 2015, India launched the first multi wavelength satellite called Astrosat. It can study the wavelength of far ultraviolet to hard X – ray.
Astrosat Concept image
On 22nd July 2019, Chandrayaan 2 got initiated. Consisted of a lunar orbiter and a lander called Vikram. India itself developed the rover called Pragyan lunar rover. A complex mission which got crashed after the completion of 95 % of mission. The lander with the rover crashed and the communication got lost.
Chandrayaan 2
On 27th November 2019, Cartosat 3 got launched, an advanced 3rd generation Earth observation satellite, with high resolution imaging. It covered several application like infrastructure planning and development and in remote sensing.
India’s own GPS - NavIC
Also called as The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with overall launch of 8 satellites in orbit, the Indian GPS or NavIC became a reality. It will provide assistance to the nation as well as the other nations in the continent. Most importantly, with two bands, it provides more accuracy than the GPS.
104 Satellites in a single launch!
On February 15, 2017, India launched 104 satellites in a single launch. ISRO became a game changer as the other organization started relying ISRO for safer launch. In this mission 96 satellites were USA based and others from different countries.
Upcoming missions of ISRO
Chandrayaan 3 – The repetition of the Chandrayaan 2 mission. Expected to be launched in 2022.
Gaganyaan – The program by ISRO to send crew members to the space. The spacecraft ‘’Gaganyaan’’ will carry the three crew members to the space. This mission can be expected in the year 2022.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)
A concept mission by the JAXA and ISRO organization. A joint operation to explore the south pole of the moon. Expected by 2024.
Aditya – L1 – A solar coronagraph mission, which aims in studying the corona layer of the Sun. It is planned to be launched in the year 2022.
Aditya L-1 Spacecraft Concept
Shukrayaan 1 – An orbiter aimed for studying the atmosphere of the planet Venus. This mission is planned for the year 2023.
Mangalyaan 2 – The second installment of the MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission). It will contain an orbiter, lander and a rover. This mission is proposed for the year 2024.
Launch stations of ISRO – Locations
ISRO operates two launch stations today.
1) TERLS (Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station) – It is located at Trivandrum in Kerala.
2) Satish Dhawan Space center (SDSC) – Located at Sriharikota in the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh.
A new launch station is on the way to be opened up in Kulasekarapattanam in Tamil Nadu.
Every space organization in this world aims for the betterment of their nation. Also, it has to be noted that they are eager to help the humans worldwide. Now these space organizations are jointly starting to develop the space hub.
Maybe, the coming times are going to be an era of space science. Human colonialism and exploration, settlement can be expected in coming days.
Guys! What do you expect?
Just comment down.
Let me know your views.
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