India’s first dedicated astronomy research satellite Astrosat has been successfully launched this morning. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C30 blasted off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 10 am and inserted it within 22 minutes, 52 seconds into the low earth, equatorial orbit of 650 kilometre height.
The 1531 kilogram satellite has a planned lifespan of five years. With the launch, India has joined a select league of nations having their observatories in space. ISRO says, Astrosat has the ability to observe various celestial objects in different wavelengths simultaneously, giving it an edge over its peers. The rocket PSLV-C30 in its extended version also positioned six small satellites of foreign customers from the US, Canada and Indonesia into their orbits. This marks the first commercial launch of US payloads from India.
“..Five, four, three, two, one…” India now reaches for the stars. ISRO has been launching mostly application oriented satellites for telecommunication, broadcasting and remote sensing purposes. However, missions like Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan marked significant advances in scientific studies. Today, it has laid another milestone by establishing India’s own observatory in space by successfully putting Astrosat into orbit.
ISRO Chairman AS Kirankumar congratulated the scientists for the resounding success of Astrosat Mission.
“Today is one of the very eventful days. PSLV, our workhorse, has put in our astronomy mission which is being looked at not only within the country but globally, I congratulate the entire ISRO team for the wonderful job they have done.”
Astrosat adds a new dimension to India’s space programmes, laying the foundation for a deeper understanding of the Universe and its various exciting phenomena, ISRO chairman said.