SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF CARTOSAT-3 BY ISRO

 

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF CARTOSAT-3 BY ISRO

Nikunja Bihari Sahu

 

               After the crash landing of the Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan -2 mission while making a soft descent on Moon, ISRO has bounced back again to demonstrate its capability in space with the successful launch of Cartosat -3 on November, 27. Cartosat-3, India's most advanced earth imaging satellite built so far, has a panchromatic camera with a ground resolution of 0.25 metres, which allows it to conduct satellite imaging with the highest resolution than ever before. The Cartosat-3, will replace the existing IRS series of satellites and address the increased user demand for large-scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover.

        The implications of the launch are many : First, it has proved , beyond doubt, the capability of our launch vehicle PSLV C-47 rocket that placed the satellite successfully in orbit in its 49th venture into space. Secondly, it also launched 13 US nano satellites that opened up a new avenue for ISRO's ambitious commercial space programme. With this, ISRO has launched a total of 310 foreign satellites. Third, its spatial resolution is the highest in the world which is 25 cm, a marked improvement over its predecessor Cartosat-2 which is nearly 100 cm. This means, it can pick up an object of a minimum of 25 cm size on earth from a height of around 500 km. Fourth, this will give a boost to India's ambitious Gaganyaan programme in 2022 wherein 3 Indian astronauts including a woman would embark on a space journey aboard an Indian spacecraft. Fifth, after the dismal performance of the Vikram Lander, the success has come at the right time to give the much needed confidence to our scientists and engineers to go ahead with more advanced and challenging space programmes.

            ISRO has a number of important missions to accomplish in the coming days. The Aditya-L1 mission is ISRO's first planned probe to study the Sun's corona and its atmosphere. As a part of the mission, a 400 kg class space telescope will be inserted into an orbit 1.5 million km from the Earth to study the three layers of the sun, the Photosphere, the Chromospheres and the Corona. India's second mission to Mars, the Mars Orbiter-2, is another planned mission slated to be launched between 2022 and 2023. ISRO may also plan for Chandrayaan-3 mission which is expected to achieve the unfinished task left out by its predecessor.  Around 2025, India plans to send an observatory to space which will be a follow-up mission of Astrosat-1, India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope aimed at looking at the origin of the universe and discover new planets. By 2023, ISRO is planning a mission to the Earth’s twin sister Venus by flying a spacecraft around 400 km over its surface to understand its formation, its atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. India also aims to launch a space station by 2025 which will take the place of the existing International Space Station (ISS) once it is decommissioned in 2018.

                        It was Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the Father of India's space programme who first understood the role and importance of space technology in the nation's development. It was under his guidance that ISRO was formed in 1969 with a goal to explore the frontiers of space. Throughout the years, ISRO has upheld its mission of bringing space to the service of the common man and contributing to the cause of national progress and development. In the process, it has become one of the six largest space agencies of the world. ISRO maintains one of the largest fleet of communication satellites (INSAT) and remote sensing (IRS) satellites, that cater to the ever growing demand for fast and reliable communication and earth observation respectively. ISRO develops and delivers application specific satellite products and tools to the nation: broadcasts, communications, weather forecasts, disaster management tools, Geographic Information Systems, cartography, navigation, telemedicine, dedicated distance education satellites being some of them.

            it is expected that new technologies developed by ISRO during its various  missions would directly benefit common people or industries contributing to elevation of the quality of life and national prosperity.  To illustrate how space technologies benefit society, the design of a space shuttle fuel pump developed by NASA can be taken for example which was later used as the basis of the design for a tiny heart pump  for implantation in critically ill young patients. The successful launch of Cartosat-3 by ISRO   is a step forward to realize some of these cherished goals.

                                                                                  Education Officer

                                                                                 Regional Science Centre

                                                                                 Bhopal

                                                                                 Phone -8018708858

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To read the article published in The Central Chronicle dtd , 12.12.2019  please click the following link :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TyDwGaXHsbEmksXeyiqwyfePAPnxCJhx/view?usp=sharing