ISRO launched India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory satellite ASTROSAT for astronomical research from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota along with six foreign satellites by ISRO’s trusted Launch Vehicle PSLV – 30 in its 31st flight.
FOREIGN SATELLITES
6 kg LAPAN-A2 of Indonesia
14 kg NLS-14 (Ev9) of Canada
4 identical LEMUR satellites of USA together weighing about 28 kg
PERIOD OF MISSION – 5 years
ASTROSAT OBJECTIVE
- To help scientists develop an understanding of highly energetic physical processes at work in binary systems consisting of a star and either a neutron star or a black hole
- To determine the properties of magnetic fields produced by neutron stars
- To study regions of stellar birth in other galaxies
- To detect new short-lived interstellar x-ray sources
- To conduct a partial ultraviolet deep-field sky survey
ABOUT ASTROSAT
KEY FEATURES
| Mass | 1513 Kg |
| Type of orbit | Near-equatorial |
| Orbit height | 650 km (400 mi) |
| Orbit period | 5 years |
| Wavelength | Multi-wavelength |
INSTRUMENTS/PAYLOADS
| UVIT (Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) Observe sky in the visible, near or far ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and has an imaging resolution of 1.5 to 1.8 arc seconds. | Developed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics(IUCAA) in collaboration with Canadian Space Agency and ISRO |
| SXT (Soft X-ray telescope) Study how coming from distant celestial bodies varies with time | Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) in collaboration with the University of Leicester, UK and ISRO. |
| LAXPC (Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter) Study the variations in the emission of X-rays from different sources | TIFR Mumbai and Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru |
| CZTI (Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager) Extends the capability of the satellite | TIFR and IUCAA in collaboration with ISRO. |
| SSM (Scanning Sky Monitor) Monitoring, detection and location of sources that become bright in X-rays for a short duration of time. | ISRO Satellite Centre at Bengaluru and IUCAA |
GROUND COMMAND AND CONTROL CENTRE
ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bangalore, India.
ABOUT PSLV – C30
- The 320 tonne, 45 m tall PSLV-C30 carried seven satellites together with total payload weight of 1631 kg.
PSLV-C30 is the tenth flight of PSLV in its ‘XL’ Configuration. The earlier 9 of PSLV – XL were
| 1 | PSLV-C11/Chandrayaan-1 |
| 2 | PSLV-C17/GSAT-12 |
| 3 | PSLV-C19/RISAT-1 |
| 4 | PSLV-C22/IRNSS-1A |
| 5 | PSLV-C25/Mars Orbiter Spacecraft |
| 6 | PSLV-C24/IRNSS-1B |
| 7 | PSLV-C26/IRNSS-1C |
| 8 | PSLV-C27/IRNSS-1D |
| 9 | PSLV-C28/DMC3 |
- Through 30 successful flights during 1994-2015 periods, PSLV has launched a total of 84 satellites.
- With this, a total of 51 satellites belonging to global customers from 20 countries including Germany, France, Japan, Canada, U.K, have been launched successfully by ISRO so far.
