Astrostat marks a new era in India’s space study
The launch of India's first astronomy satellite, Astrosat, marks a new phase in space study for the country, and adds yet another feather in the cap of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Only last year, ISRO launched its first inter-planetary mission to Mars, Mangalyaan, and now it has scripted another big win with Astrosat. What sets Astrosat apart, even in a league of extraordinarily unique missions, is that it marks a rare foray into uncharted territory for India. Simply put, if most of the previous space missions could be described, in layman's terms, as applied science projects, Astrosat is a pure science project.
In the past three decades, the majority of Isro’s space missions have been focused on ‘applications' such as remote sensing and weather mapping. Mangalyaan, and before it Chandrayaan, India's glorious mission to the Moon, have been comparatively more exploratory in nature but it is Astrosat that is expected to really push the frontiers of space study for India. It is also a mission that delves into the core of every space agency's mandate: Studying celestial objects, from stars and planets to asteroids and comets. Astrosat is India's first effort to set up an observatory in space. Currently, only the US, Russia and Japan have similar space observatories. Another special feature of the Astrosat is that it is a multi-wavelength mission that will be able to observe the cosmos in X-ray mode, visible light and ultra-violet light.
Astrosat's prized multiple wavelength feature has expectedly led to comparisons with the famed Hubble space telescope, jointly operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency. Now, while Astrosat should be able to contribute to the study of time-variable sources of radiation, the fact is that the Hubble is much bigger and more powerful. Also, while Astrosat has a five-year lifespan, the Hubble, launched in 1990, is still in space — most recently, it took photographs and videos of the debris from a massive star explosion that happened 8,000 years ago — and expected to be in operation till 2030 or even in 2040. Also, the Hubble's successor is already in the works and will probably be launched in 2018.
Notably, India's Astrosat was initially scheduled for a 2005 launch but was delayed by a decade as the precision instruments needed for such an operation took longer than expected. But before we judge too harshly, let's keep in mind that the Indian space programme has had to fight a long and lonely battle because of the debilitating sanctions, imposed in the aftermath of the 1970s nuclear tests, which restricted any trade or transfer of advanced technology. In this context, the fact that the rocket which launched the Astrosat was also carrying American satellites for the first time gains much importance.
Notably, Isro developed the Astrosat’s payload in association with Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore, and the Raman Research Institute, also in Bangalore. Isro also collaborated with the Canadian Space Agency and the University of leicester in the UK. This is a good model of cooperation, especially for Indian institutes, that allows for dissemination of advanced scientific research across the country.