The twinkling world of stars has since always fascinated us. We had great astronomers like Aryabhatt, Bhaskara who unveiled many of the mysteries of the unknown world without any sophisticated instruments or tools at their disposal. The establishment of the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) in 1962, thus, was but natural and crowning moment of our illustrious history of the space science. The skeptics criticized the vision and blamed for wasting the precious national resources when the nascent country was fighting to manage even two square meals a day. And today, the same ISRO is not only leading the nation to reach new heights but also helping other countries to launch their satellites.
CHANDRAYAAN-1
In 2008, Indian exploration mission conquered the moon. Launched for mapping the lunar surface and study the chemical and mineralogical composition, the mission was declared successful in meeting most of its objectives. It detected the presence of Hydroxyl (OH), a molecule consisting of oxygen and hydrogen atoms and water molecules on the lunar surface, which has set new directions of lunar explorations in the global community. Boosted by the success, the Chandrayaan-2 is ready to be launched.
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
India's first interplanetary mission, the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft made history by reaching the red planet in its maiden attempt. India is now among the only four nations with their space mission there. While NASA's Mars MSL project costed about US$2.5 billion, India's MOM involved meager US$73 million of expenditure! A sterling example of our technological capability, MOM is exploring the Martian surface features, morphology, mineralogy and its atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.
PSLV - A Workhorse Launch Vehicle
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), with a proven track record of 24 successful flights, has provided the country the crucial autonomy in 'access to space'. During the last decade, PSLV had 15 successively successful flights and has placed 23 Indian satellites and 31 foreign satellites into orbit. The versatile vehicle has been successfully used for launching lighter communication and navigation satellites, remote sensing satellites. PSLV, to its credit, has the successful launch of India's Mission to Mars and our Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-1.
Indian Cryogenic Engine
"You slam the door in our face and we will create a huge portal for us to pass."An amazing example of the Indian indomitable spirit- Indian Cryogenic Engine. The ISRO mastered the complex technology that the world denied to us. The cryogenic engine will power the next generation monster rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, capable of carrying the 8 ton class of satellites to space. India is one among six countries in the world to demonstrate such launch capability to GTO with the use of complex cryogenic technology.
Remote Sensing and National Natural Resource Management System
The Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) System, with currently 11 satellites in orbit, is one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation in the world today. It provides inputs for management of natural resources and various developmental projects across the country using space based imagery like disaster management, agricultural applications, cartographic applications, climatic studies to name a few.
INSAT System
INSAT system has grown as one of the largest domestic communications satellite constellations in the Asian region. INSAT system was instrumental in taking the benefits of space technology to the doorsteps of the common man through the initiatives of Tele-medicine and Village Resource Centres in the country. The EDUSAT also came as a boon for the students.
Satellite Navigation
In pursuit of developing our own navigation system, ISRO is developing Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) potent enough to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary. In addition, ISRO and Airports Authority of India have jointly taken up GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) programme, as a forerunner for the operational Satellite based Augmentation System (SBAS) over the Indian Airspace.
Space Capsule Recovery
A leap-frog in Indian Launch Vehicle Technology was achieved in 2007 through the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment Mission SRE-1 which established India's technological capability to recover an orbiting satellite with precise re-entry trajectories.
The ambitious future projects of ISRO are intriguing and awe-inspiring. The organization is already working on the Sun Exploration Programme, Aditya, and planning to send an extraterrestrial manned mission real soon.
Yes, PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN!