ISRO

ISRO Creates History. Launches India’s First Space Observatory – ASTROSAT ….

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ISRO has successfully launched India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory – ASTROSAT, which is meant to observe distant celestial objects and to gain a more detailed understanding of our universe.

Right after celebrating the completion of Mangalyaan’s first year in the Martian orbit, the Indian Space Research Organization has set yet another milestone today. ISRO got its name etched in the scientific history of the India with the launch of the country’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory – ASTROSAT.

A 50-hour countdown for the launch of the scientific satellite began at 8 am on Saturday.

And the final launch took place at 10 am today from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. –

Source: Twitter

ASTROSAT is an astronomy observatory, a place from where India can study different cosmological phenomena. It is meant to observe distant celestial objects and to gain a more detailed understanding of our universe.

The speciality of ASTROSAT is that with just a single satellite, it enables simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of many astronomical elements.

The 1,513-kg satellite, estimated to have cost around Rs. 180 crore, was launched by PSLV-C30 into a 650 km orbit inclined at an angle of 6 degree to the equator. This is the 31st flight of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), and six small satellites of three foreign countries have also been launched along with ASTROSAT. It is for the first time that the PSLV launcher, which has lifted 45 small and mid-sized foreign satellites till date, is carrying four US Nano satellites. The other satellites are from Canada and Indonesia.

The spacecraft control centre at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore will manage the satellite during its mission life.

While most of ISRO’s spacecraft are for specific applications such as communication, Earth observation and navigation, this is one among the few scientific satellites launched by the country. According to the official release by ISRO, missions of ASTROSAT include the following:

  • To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes
  • Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
  • Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy
  • Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky
  • Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region

ASTROSAT has five payloads which rely on the visible, Ultraviolet and X-rays coming from distant celestial sources.

ASTROSAT in clean room before its integration with PSLV-C30 –

They will gather data for the better understanding of various astrophysical processes occurring in our universe, and will send it to the ground station at MOX. This data will then be processed and distributed by the Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC). While most scientific satellites can observe a narrow range of wavelength band, ASTROSAT will observe universe in the optical, ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. All major astronomy institutions and some universities in India will also participate in these observations.

The types and functions of the payloads as described by ISRO are as follows:

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT, capable of observing the sky in the Visible, Near Ultraviolet and Far Ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum

Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC, is designed for study the variations in the emission of X-rays from sources like X-ray binaries, Active Galactic Nuclei and other cosmic sources.

Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) is designed for studying how the X-ray spectrum of 0.3-8 keV range coming from distant celestial bodies varies with time.

Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI), functioning in the X-ray region, extends the capability of the satellite to sense X-rays of high energy in 10-100 keV range.

Scanning Sky Monitor(SSM),is intended to scan the sky for long term monitoring of bright X-ray sources in binary stars, and for the detection and location of sources that become bright in X-rays for a short duration of time.

CONGRATULATIONS @isro! PSLV-C30 successfully launches #ASTROSAT into the orbit. pic.twitter.com/3PlK5BLZWR

— Doordarshan National (@DDNational) September 28, 2015

Source……..Tanaya Singh…www.the better india .com

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Combining Two Giants: Indian Railways & ISRO Come Together to Make Our Train Journeys Safer …

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Indian Railways and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are coming together to utilise technology in a way that our train journeys can be made a lot safer and easier in terms of navigation.

With the vision of making our railway journeys safer and more efficient, Indian Railways will tie up with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to get satellite images of all the track routes, and to help in navigation.

With the use of geospatial technology, it will be possible to map the complete rail routes including buildings, land, workshops etc. on the way.

The technology involves GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing) features.

trin isro

Photo Credit: Feng Zhong/Flickr

This service will be provided by GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system of ISRO. GAGAN is an indigenous navigation system which was jointly developed by ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to assist aircrafts in accurate landing. It can now be used to assist trains as well, and Indian Railways will be able to receive online satellite images which will help in mapping the train routes in detail.

“We will sign an MoU with ISRO shortly to avail the online satellite images to create a GIS platform,” informed a senior Railway Ministry official to PTI.

This is how the GAGAN system can help Indian Railways:

  • It will be very helpful at the time of train accidents when it is difficult to find out the exact location of trains.
  • With the help of remote sensing facility, it will also help in devising solutions for safety at unmanned railway crossings.
  • Drivers on the road can be warned about an approaching train by activating hooters at the crossings.
  • With the use of GAGAN software system, trains would know the location of any unmanned level crossing and a warning signal can be given for their reference.
  • The images will also be used for geo-fencing, which will be utilised for the recently launched paperless ticketing system app. Geo-fencing is a feature which makes use of GPS and radio frequency identification (RFID) to define geographical boundaries.
  • It will also be easier to track trains with the technology on a real time basis. As of now, the train movements are tracked manually.

“There is specific information provided for aligning the railway tracks, particularly in mountainous regions, and also identifying tracks which are most stable when you are going through tunnels. In all these things, space technology is useful,” ISRO Chairman, A.S. Kiran Kumar was quoted saying earlier this year.

Source….. Tanaya Singh ….www.the betterindia.com

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Isro to put US satellite in space for the first time….

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Many may find it a crowning glory, but Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) scientists think it’s just an acknowledgement long due. The US, which imposed sanctions on India, will take India’s help to launch one of its satellites soon.

Isro has a track record of launching satellites for 19 countries including space-faring nations, but this is the first time the US would be using an Indian vehicle, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, to put one of its satellite in orbit.

“US will be the 20th country to sign up for a commercial launch by India,” said Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar, on the sidelines of the 5th convocation of AMET University. “It’s the cost-effective technology we have.”

India has so far launched 45 satellites for 19 nations. Kiran Kumar said another 28 foreign satellites will be launched in the next two years. “The need of the hour is to increase our capacity,” he said.

ISRO, at present, is gearing up for the launch of GSLV-Mark-II, probably around August 27. “The 2.1-tonne capacity GSLV-Mark-II will be carrying a communication satellite,” he said. “By March 2016, we will launch seven satellites.”

Isro, meanwhile, has put to long-duration test its indigenously developed cryogenic engine for GSLV-Mark-III, which can carry satellites weighing up to four tonnes. “We will launch it by December 2016,” Kumar said. India’s big missions including the proposed manned mission rests on the shoulders of GSLV-MIII.

Having successfully launched a Mars mission, India is planning a mission to Venus. Isro is also on the lookout for a launch pad outside Sriharikota, in Kulasekharapattinam in southern Tamil Nadu.

Source….www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Image of the day…. Image sent by MANGALYAAN on 7 Oct 2014 !!!

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India’s maiden spacecraft to Mars—Mangalyaan—has send another image of the Red Planet, captured by the camera on board.

“Another full disc image of Mars, taken by the Mars Color Camera, from an altitude of 66,543 km. Dark region towards south of the cloud formation is Elysium – the second largest volcanic province on Mars,” the facebook page of Isro Mars Orbiter said on Tuesday.

The spacecraft had beamed its first photos of Mars’ crater-marked surface a day after India successfully put the probe into the red planet’s orbit.

Just after that Isro had uploaded the regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of Mars – captured by Mars Color Camera.The image was taken from an altitude of 74500 km from the surface of Mars.

India joined an exclusive global club of deep space explorers on September 24 when the indigenously-made spacecraft successfully slipped into the orbit around Mars after a 10-month journey on a relatively shoe-string budget.

Source:::: http://www.hindustantimes.com

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