The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has over many years been known to come up with cost-effective space missions. Its knack for frugal engineering and adaptive technology has made the ISRO stand out in the world.
With the Mars mission catching the global eye, we take a look at eight recent (2012 and 2013) successful missions and launches by the ISRO:
Mars Orbiter Mission
Mars Orbiter Mission is India's first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit. The Mission is primarily technological mission considering the critical mission operations and stringent requirements on propulsion and other bus systems of spacecraft.
India on November 5 embarked on its maiden Mars odyssey with its polar rocket carrying Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) successfully lifting off in its first-ever inter-planetary expedition in a bid to join a select band of nations. It is expected to reach the red planet's orbit by September 24, 2014 and go around in an elliptical orbit (periapsis of 366 km and apo-apsis of 80,000 km). The Mars Orbiter has five scientific instruments - Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP), Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA), Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS). The Mars mission is aimed at establishing the country's capability to reach the red planet and focus on looking for the presence of methane, an indicator of life in Mars
Mission Objectives
One of the main objectives of the first Indian mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.
Following are the major objectives of the mission:
A. Technological Objectives:
Design and realisation of a Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform Earth bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion / capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.
Deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management.
Incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.
B. Scientific Objectives:
Exploration of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.
ISRO succesfully launched 6 foreign satellites
In February 2013, India's Polar rocket PSLV successfully put into orbit seven satellites in the space of four minutes including a Indo-French oceanographic spacecraft that will study changes in the environment, completing the 22nd consecutive flawless launch.
India reaffirmed its commercial launch capabilities with launch of SARAL's co-passengers -- SAPPHIRE and NEOSSat (Canada), AAUSAT3 (Denmark), micro satellites BRITE and UniBRITE from Austria and STRaND from United Kingdom, with a combined weight of 259.5 kg.
The SARAL-Altika satellite, a joint project of the space agencies of India and France, complements the observations of the seas made by current satellites.
pslv-c19-brochure
GSAT-7: India's first military satellite
GSAT-7 is an advanced communication satellite built by ISRO to provide wide range of service spectrum from low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication. GSAT-7 Communication payload is designed to provide communication capabilities to users over a wide oceanic region including the Indian land-mass. The payload configuration is compatible with I-2.5K bus of ISRO. The GSAT-7 payload design includes Multiband communication.
India's first exclusive defence satellite GSAT-7 was successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on August 30, 2013, giving a major push to the country's maritime security. The Rs 185-crore GSAT-7, is the country's maiden dedicated spacecraft for Defence applications. The frequency bands of GSAT-7 will help space-based marine communications. It has coverage over India landmass as well as surrounding seas. According to ISRO, GSAT-7 is an advanced communication satellite to provide wide range of service spectrum from low bit rate voice to high bit rate data communication. Its payload is designed to provide communication capabilities to users over a wide oceanic region including the Indian land-mass.
India's first GPS satellite
In a landmark journey into a new era of space application, India on July 1, 2013 successfully launched its first dedicated navigation satellite using the Polar satellite Launch Vehicle which blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Named IRNSS for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, it is one of the few navigation systems in the world and will provide an alternative to systems like the GPS (global positioning system) owned by the US, for navigation in and around India. IRNSS consists of seven satellites, three in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit, and will mainly cover the area around India.
INSAT-3D
INSAT-3D is an advanced weather satellite of India configured with improved Imaging System and Atmospheric Sounder. INSAT-3D is designed for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces, generating vertical profile of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and humidity for weather forecasting and disaster warning.
It carries four payloads -
6 channel multi-spectral Imager
19 channel Sounder
Data Relay Transponder (DRT)
Search and Rescue Transponder
The payloads of INSAT-3D will provide continuity and further augment the capability to provide various meteorological as well as search and rescue services.
India's advanced meteorological satellite INSAT-3D was successfully launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana on July 26, 2013.
INSAT-3D carries a six-channel imager and 19-channel sounder, as well as a data relay transponder for satellite-aided search and rescue operations. According to ISRO, INSAT-3D adds a new dimension to weather monitoring through its atmospheric sounding system, which provides vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and integrated ozone from surface to top of the atmosphere.
insat-3d-brochure
GSAT-10
Launch Date
29.09.2012
GSAT-10, India’s advanced communication satellite, is a high power satellite being inducted into the INSAT system. Weighing 3400 kg at lift-off, GSAT-10 is configured to carry 30 communication transponders in normal C-band, lower extended C-band and Ku-band as well as a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands. GSAT-10 is the second satellite to carry GAGAN payload after GSAT-8, which is already providing navigation services from orbit. GSAT-10 also carries a Ku-band beacon to help in accurately pointing ground antennas towards the satellite.
The 30 communication transponders onboard GSAT-10 will further augment the capacity in the INSAT system. The GAGAN payload provides the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), through which the accuracy of the positioning information obtained from the GPS satellites is improved by a network of ground based receivers and made available to the users in the country through geo-stationary satellites.
PAYLOADS OF GSAT-10
COMMUNICATION PAYLOADS
12 Ku-band transponders each with 36 Mhz usable bandwidth employing 140 W Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) with footprint covering Indian mainland with an Edge of Coverage Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of 51.5 dBW and Andaman & Nicobar islands with an EIRP of 49.5 dBW
12 C-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth employing 32 W TWTA with footprint covering Indian mainland and West Asia with an Edge of Coverage EIRO of 40 dBW
6 Lower Extended C-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth employing 32 W TWTA with footprint covering Indian mainland and island territories with an Edge of Coverage EIRP of 38 dBW and 37 dBW respectively
NAVIGATION PAYLOAD
Two-channel GAGAN payload operating in L1 and L5 bands provides Satellite-based Navigation services with accuracy and integrity required for civil aviation applications over Indian Air Space.
On September 29, 2012, India's advanced communication satellite GSAT-10 that is meant to augment telecommunication, direct-to-home broadcasting and radio navigation services was successfully launched on board Ariane-5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana in South America.
Weighing 3400 kg at lift-off, GSAT-10 is configured to carry 30 communication transponders in normal C-band, lower extended C-band and Ku-band as well as a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.
GSAT-10 is the second satellite to carry GAGAN payload after GSAT-8, which is already providing navigation services from orbit. GSAT-10 also carries a Ku-band beacon to help in accurately pointing ground antennas towards the satellite.
PSLV-C21 launches foreign satellites
On September 9, 2012, ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C21 successfully launched SPOT 6 and PROITERES from Sriharikota. The rocket carried two foreign satellites - SPOT 6, a French satellite and a Japanese micro satellite called Proiteres, and is expected to deliver SPOT 6 and Proiteres into a 655 km polar orbit.
Interestingly SPOT 6 was the heaviest foreign satellite to be carried by a PSLV rocket since 1999 when ISRO started launching satellites owned by foreign agencies.
PSLV-C19 launches RISAT-1
Launch Date
26.04.2012
Radar Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) is a state of the art Microwave Remote Sensing Satellite carrying a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Payload operating in C-band (5.35 GHz), which enables imaging of the surface features during both day and night under all weather conditions.
Application
Active Microwave Remote Sensing provides cloud penetration and day-night imaging capability. These unique characteristics of C-band (5.35GHz) Synthetic Aperture Radar enable applications in agriculture, particularly paddy monitoring in kharif season and management of natural disasters like flood and cyclone.
On April 26, 2012, PSLV-C19 successfully launched India's radar imaging satellite. The approved cost of RISAT-1, including its development, was Rs 378 crore, while Rs 120 crore has been spent to build the rocket (PSLV-C19), making it a Rs 498-crore mission.
According to ISRO, Radar Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) is a state of the art Microwave Remote Sensing Satellite carrying a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Payload operating in C-band (5.35 GHz), which enables imaging of the surface features during both day and night under all weather conditions
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