Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian Space scientists on their successful achievement in placing two British observation satellites in the orbit, demonstrating India’s prowess in the competitive space business. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched PSLV-C-42 into orbit carrying Nova SAR and SL-4 from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Nova SAR is an S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite intended for forest mapping, land use and monitoring of the ice cover, flood and disaster. SL-4 is a high resolution optical Earth Observation Satellite used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, disaster monitoring and urban management. The satellites weighing around 889 kgs. were launched into a 583-km Sun-synchronous Orbit. This was the PSLV’s 44th flight. PSLV is the country’s third generation launch vehicle and the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages. After its first successful launch in October 1994, PSLV has emerged as a reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India with 39 consecutively successful missions till June 2017.
Interestingly, during 1994-2017, the vehicle launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for foreign customers. PSLV also launched Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 which orbited the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. It also launched Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 that later successfully made its way to the Moon and the Mars. Following successful PSLV launches, ISRO Chairman K Sivan was happy man to declare that the much-awaited second Indian mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2 is likely to be launched on January 3, 2019 making it the first mission in the world going near the South Pole. In Chandrayaan-2, the scientists will make the ‘lander’ soft land on the moon and deploy the rover to study its surface.
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s Independence Day address that India’s first Indian human mission will be launched by 2022, Mr. Sivan said ISRO has the capabilities to accomplish the task by the given timeframe. He said the program will make India the fourth nation in the world to launch a Human Spaceflight Mission after the USA, Russia and China. With the continuing success of PSLV missions, ISRO has plans to launch 18 missions in the next six months, virtually one in every two weeks. He said ISRO has developed some critical technologies like re-entry mission capability, crew escape system, crew module configuration, thermal protection system, deceleration and floatation system, sub-systems of life support system etc required for the program. He said these technologies will enable ISRO in accomplishing the program objectives in a short span of four years. Dr. Sivan said GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, which has the necessary payload capability for the mission will be used to launch ‘Gaganyaan’.
Two unmanned Gaganyaan missions will be undertaken prior to sending humans. The total program is expected to be completed before 2022 with first unmanned flight within 30 months. Stating that the mission is aimed at sending a three-member crew to space for a period of five to seven days, he said the spacecraft will be placed in a low-earth orbit of 300 to 400 km. ISRO has proposed 57 missions- 26 Launch Vehicle Missions and 31 Satellite Missions-during 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2018, 4 missions (one Launch Vehicle mission and 3 Satellite missions) have been completed. As on date, ISRO has launched 239 foreign satellites of 28 countries. ISRO has offered to conduct capacity building program on ‘nano’ satellite development for participants from other countries who are interested in developing their space program. The announcement was made at Vienna this June by ISRO Chairman during a Symposium to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the First United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE+50).
Script: V. Mohan Rao, Journalist