Diplomatist Magazine Oman 2018 - Special Report

T he achievements of India’s Space Mission, since the establishment of ISRO in 1969, have been nothing short of stellar. From sending sounding rockets in the 1960s to executing the unmanned Moon Mission in 2008 and the successful Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013 at record low costs, India has made quantum leaps in building launch rockets- pillars of a successful space programme - and satellites. India scripted a new chapter in the history of space exploration on 15 February 2017 with the successful launch of a record 104 satellitesin a single payload using ISRO’sPolar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). ISRO marked another important milestone on 12 January 2018 when it launched its 100th satellite, alongwith 30 other satellites, ina single payload of its PSLV. Over the last 48 years, ISRO has grown from strength to strength, breaking barriers and defying expectations at every step of the way. Over the Moon and Mars The Indian space programme entered an exciting phase in 2008, when an unmanned mission to the moon was launched. When ‘Chandrayaan-I’ lifted, it created history by becoming the ﬁ rst lunar mission to discover the existence of water on the moon, helping to settle a decades-long debate. The success of ‘Chandrayaan-l’ encouraged space scientists to push deeper into space, sending the ﬁ rst Indian mission to Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), India’s ﬁ rst interplanetary mission, was launched on 5thNovember 2013. ISRO became the fourth space agency to reach Mars, (after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European Space Agency). When ISRO’s space probe entered the orbit of Mars on 24 September 2014, India became the ﬁ rst Asian nation to reach the Mars orbit, and the ﬁ rst nation in the world to do so in its ﬁ rst attempt. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, ISRO is managed by the Department of Space, Government of India. ISRO operates through its 42 centres spread across the country. It has engaged in the relentless pursuit of indigenous development of satellites and launch vehicles and planetary explorations. In May 2016, ISRO successfully fl ight tested its ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator’ (RLV-TD). The long-term goal of thisprogram is to develop a fully- reusable launch vehicle. ISRO’s vision is to “harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration.”It has mastered modern space technology and its various applications for the beneﬁ t of society. Space technology is being utilised for telecommunications, television broadcasts, weather forecast, reconnaissance and resource management, including for providing information relating to agriculture, forests, water resources and minerals, to mention a few. ISRO, however, is not resting on its laurels. Talented Indian scientists are already working on follow-up missions to the Moon and Mars. ‘Chandrayaan-2’ is being readied for a possible October 2018 launch. The Mission is likely to include a rover designed to move on the lunar surface, pick up samples and perform on-site chemical analysis. ‘Mangalyaan-2’, planned to be launched after ‘Chandrayaan-2’, will likely consist of a lander and a Mars rover. In May 2016, ISRO successfully ﬂ ight tested its ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator’ (RLV-TD). The long-term goal of thisprogram is to develop a fully-reusable launch vehicle. ISRO is now developing the launch vehicles of the future. These include the LVM3, which can go a long way in making India self-reliant in launching rockets. The launcher will include an indigenously built cryogenic stage, and a higher capacity Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. India’s Eye in the Sky GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation), which ISRO has established in association with the Airports Authority of India, provides satellite-based navigation services for civil aviation applications. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), a constellation of seven satellites which has been named NavIC (Navigation Constellation Satellite), is a regional satellite navigation system aimed at providing reliable position, navigation, and timing services over India and its neighbourhood. Indigenous systems have also been developed for ground-based observations of weather parameters. These include Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Agro Metrological (AGROMET) towers, a Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), and a ﬂ ux tower. The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) 2018 • INDIA-OMAN • 37

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