Joining an elite group of nations, India today successfully launched its first space research observatory ASTROSAT that will help in a detailed understanding of the universe.
ISRO’s trusted workhorse PSLV, in its 31st flight, injected ASTROSAT and its six foreign satellites into orbit about 25 minutes after a perfect lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
When this PSLV-C30 blasted from the spacecraft in Sriharikota, it also catapulted India to a select club of nations a small group which have an observatory in the space.
ASTROSAT, ISRO’s maiden dedicated space observatory aimed at undertaking a detailed understanding of the universe, and six foreign satellites, including four from the US, were successfully placed in the orbit by PSLV-C30.
The feat, added yet another major destination in the illustrious indian space odyssey.
India now joins the elite club of USA, Europe, Russia and Japan to have a space observatory.
The launch has further cemented India’s stand in the fast improving, and highly competitive space launch market of the world.
Astrosat will observe the universe in optical, ultraviolet low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The observatory has a life of 5 years and is equipped with four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle monitor.
ASTROSAT mission will enhance the expertise of ISRo in the filed of deep space research and will help it understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy.
ISRO has crossed the half-century mark in commercial launches with this mission. Further it is getting ready with another dedicated commercial mission in PSLV C29 with six satellites from Singapore.