Posted On: 2022-05-06 14:44:05
ISRO(Indian Space Research Organisation) is an Indian space organisation that was founded in 1969 with the goal of developing an independent Indian space programme and harnessing space technology in national development while pursuing planetary exploration and space science research.
ISRO succeeded INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research), which was founded in 1962 by India's first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, and physicist Vikram Sarabhai, two of the country's founding fathers. ISRO’s whole journey of space programme began in Bangalore.
It is also the organisation’s headquarters (Bengaluru). The chairman of ISRO is also the head of the Indian government's Space Commission and secretary of the Department of Space.
ISRO has earned a place among the world's best space organisations throughout the years by successfully showcasing innovative and cost-effective technology. The ISRO created the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched on April 19, 1975, with the support of the Soviet Union.
Rohini was the first satellite to be successfully launched into orbit by SLV-3, an Indian-built launch vehicle, in 1980. ISRO went on to create two additional rockets, the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) for launching satellites into polar orbits and the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) for launching satellites into geostationary orbits, as a result of their continued efforts.
Both rockets have successfully launched a number of Indian earth observation and telecom satellites.
The first INSAT satellite was launched in 1988, and the programme grew to include GSAT (geosynchronous satellites). The IRS programme generated additional specialised spacecraft, such as the Radar Imaging Satellite-1 (RISAT-1, launched in 2012) and the Satellite with Argos and Altika (SARAL, launched in 2013), a joint Indian-French mission that analyses ocean wave heights.
ISRO went on to develop three more rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for polar-orbiting satellites, the Geostationary Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for geostationary orbiting satellites, and a heavy-lift version of the GSLV called the GSLV Mark III or LVM for geostationary orbiting satellites.
These rockets carried communications and Earth-observation satellites, as well as lunar missions (Chandrayaan-1, 2008; Chandrayaan-2, 2019) and Mars (Mars Orbiter Mission, 2013). ISRO plans to put astronauts into orbit in 2021.
A former scientist at ISRO, Hyderabad Narayana Inamdar, who has previously worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Maryland, USA, believes that ISRO plays a critical role in national security.
According to Inamdar, India's space capabilities enabled its Armed Forces to obtain "actionable intelligence" that assisted in the destruction of terrorist launch pads after Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists attacked an Indian army camp in Uri in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir in September 2016.
As per Indiatimes, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third lunar research mission, in August 2022. Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, made the announcement.
Along with Chandrayaan-3, ISRO is working on numerous other projects at the same time, including Gaganyaan, NISAR, Aditya Ll, XpoSat, and IRNSS, among others. According to sources, ISRO plans to launch eight launch vehicles, seven spacecraft missions, and four technology demonstrator missions.
Let us have a look at the number of missions scheduled for the year 2022, as ISRO prepares for the various missions in the pipeline. This year, ISRO plans to launch many space programmes:
Earth Observation Satellite-4, Earth Observation Satellite-6, and Earth Observation Satellite-2 are among them.
Today was the first launch of 2022, with the launch of EOS-4 and two tiny satellites. EPS-2 is an onboard Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, whereas EOS-4 and 6 are Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles.
According to scrolldroll, here are some 10 interesting facts that you didn’t know
1. All of ISRO’s equipment has the three horizontal lines of ‘Vibhuti’ and ‘Kumkum’, similar to the one seen on Lord Shiva’s forehead.
2. Before every satellite launch, scientists visit Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala and offer prayers to Lord Manjunathaswamy. A miniature model of the satellite is also offered as a Puja offering.
3. ISRO’s Apple Satellite was carried on a bullock cart for an antenna-range test in 1981. It was done so because bullock carts are made of wood, and the alternative trucks are made of metals, which would interfere with the signals.
4. ISRO sent the Mars orbiter to the red planet in 2013, making India the first country to do so in its first attempt, that too in a budget less than the film Gravities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once famously remarked, “A one-km auto rickshaw ride in Ahmedabad takes Rs 10 and India while the satellite reached Mars at Rs 7 per km which is really amazing.”
5. Chandrayan – India’s first lunar mission launched in 2008, made India the 4th country to host its flag on the moon.
6. India’s Mars Orbiter mission of $74 million, was far cheaper than other comparable missions like NASA’s ‘Mars Mission Maven’ which cost $671 million.
7. ISRO’s commercial arm Antrix, which promotes ISRO’s products, services and technologies, achieved a turnover of Rs. 18 billion in 2014–15 and was awarded ‘Miniratna‘ status by the government in 2008.
8. ISRO was established eight years after Pakistan’s SUPARCO. SUPARCO is expected to have satellite launching capability only after 2040, while ISRO expects to reach Venus and revisit Mars by then.
9. ISRO developed an application called Bhuvan which allows users to explore a 2D/3D representation of the surface of the Earth.
10. ISRO Created a record in Feb 2017, launching 104 satellites in a single mission using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
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Author : Lubdha Dhanopia
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