The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday launched into space its first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory ASTROSAT, along with six satellites for Canada, Indonesia and the United States (US). With the successful launch of ASTROSAT, India gained entry into the select club of nations having their own space observatories, like the US, Japan, Russia and Europe. This is also the first time that ISRO has launched satellites for the US.
The ASTROSAT is similar to the NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, but much smaller than the American observatory.
The ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSlV) launched ASTROSAT into orbit inclined at an angle of 6 degrees to the Equator from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre space port at Sriharikota.
According to the ISRO, the 320 tonne, 45 metre tall PSlV-C30, carrying seven satellites including the 1,513 kg ASTROSAT, lifted off at 10 am. About 22 minutes after the lift-off, the ASTROSAT was successfully placed in an orbit and separated from the fourth stage of the PSlV-C30.
The separation of all the six co-passenger satellites was completed in the subsequent three minutes. The seven satellites together weighed about 1,631 kg at lift-off.
This scientific satellite mission is aimed at better understanding of the universe. The ASTROSAT is designed to observe the universe in the Visible, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously with the help of its five payloads.
The ASTROSAT was built by ISRO with the participation of all major astronomy institutions including Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP) and Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, as well as some of the Universities in India and two institutions from Canada and UK.
In the coming days, the ASTROSAT will be brought to the final operational configuration and all its five scientific payloads will be thoroughly tested before the commencement of regular operations.
The successful flight of PSlV underscores the reliability and versatility of PSlV as well as the robustness of its design.
Through 30 successful flights during 1994-2015 period, the PSlV has launched a total of 84 satellites including the seven satellites successfully launched on Monday. The vehicle has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by successfully launching satellites into a variety of orbits including polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer and low Earth orbits of small inclination thereby emerging as the workhorse launch vehicle of India.
So far, the PSlV has launched 51 satellites for foreign customers. Monday’s launch of six co-passenger satellites by the PSlV-C30 was facilitated by Antrix Corporation limited, the commercial arm of the ISRO, a Government of India Company under the Department of Space.
Soon after its separation from the PSlV-C30, the two solar arrays of the ASTROSAT were automatically deployed and the Spacecraft Control Centre at the Mission Operations Complex of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network at Bangalore took control of the ASTROSAT.