Long Essay on Indian Space Program: India is a developing country. It is therefore necessary for us to walk along with the advanced countries of the world. In the present scientific Era when the scientists of other countries are busy in discovering new thing, the scientist of India Should not left behind. They must also pay their contribution in the field of science and technology. That is why India also decided to probe into the secrets of the universe by launching its Space Program.
Long Essay on Indian Space Program
The modern era is of scientific advancement. With the vast inventions and discoveries the man is well on the way to have full mastery over nature. The scientists are making endeavors to have more and more knowledge about space and its contents which have fascinated the mankind since time immemorial. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Adrian’s landing on the moon in 1969 heightened the world interest in space research. The cold war between USA and USSR gave a big boost to space research. With Sputnik series of Rockets had a march over USA first animal and first man Yuri Gagarin in space by Russia. Svetlana was the first Russian woman to walk in space. USA also scored many successes. Viking 1 and Viking 2 the two US spacecrafts reached Mars in 1976. The pioneer and voyage spacecrafts have traveled to other planets.
India is a developing country. It is therefore necessary for us to walk along with the advanced countries of the world. In the present scientific Era when the scientists of other countries are busy in discovering new thing, the scientist of India Should not left behind. They must also pay their contribution in the field of science and technology. That is why India also decided to probe into the secrets of the universe by launching its Space Program.
The space program of India began in 1963 with the setting up of rocket launching facility at Thumba near Trivandrum. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which has a number of space satellite centers and Laboratories was set up in 1969. The department of space control was established in 1972 at Bangalore. At present there are three establishments which are under the control of ISRO and the department of space control (1) The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at which has an advanced laboratory at Bangalore for constructing and developing satellite, (2) The Space Application Centre at Ahmadabad and the Sriharikota Space Research Centre at Andhra Pradesh which is utilized for launching satellites. During the last three decades India has made tremendous progress in space research.
India's first satellite Aryabhatta was launched in with the help of Russian rocket from a soviet commodore on 19th April 1975 night at 10’o clock. It went round the earth in 96 minutes at the speed of 8 km per second. Quite important information was received from it. With the launching of Aryabhatta India became eleventh country to join the space club. India’s second satellite Bhaskara was launched on the 7th June 1979 from a soviet commodore. On 18th July 1980 India's third satellite Rohini was put into Orbit. Rohini was launched from Sriharikota Space Research Centre. This was an Indian satellite designed by the Indian scientist. 31st May 1981 India's fourth satellite Rohini 2 was put into space by the launch vehicle SLV3 from Sriharikota. It was the first indigenously developed rocket of India. Bhaskar 2 was the fifth Indian satellite which was put into space on the 20th November 1981 form a Soviet commodore at Volgograd.
APPLE was India's first geosynchronous satellite. It was indigenously fabricated 670 kg golden color satellite with blue extended solar panels. It was put into space from a launch pad at Kouru on the Atlantic coast in French Guyana on 19th June 1981. After half an hour Sriharikota and Ahmadabad centers recorded the signals from the Apple about the altitude, temperature and functioning of the various electronic devices. It was positioned at 102 degree east on 16th July 1981. APPLE became operational on 22nd July 1981 with television transmission.
With the successful launching of Indian National satellite system on 10th April 1982 from Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, Florida India joined the group of other technically advanced countries in space science. It was a multipurpose weather cum telecommunication satellite. Unfortunately this multipurpose satellite became dead on 6th September 1982. India's 9th satellite INSAT 1B was launched on 31st August 1983 through US space shuttle Challenger. It became fully operational from 15th October 1983. This satellite provide multiple services in the field of Telecommunication Mass Communication And metrological studies. INSAT 2A India's first indigenous multipurpose satellite was shot up on 10th July 1992 from French Guyana. This satellite provider services for telecommunication meteorological observation and distress warning. In July 1993 INSAT 2B was launched which enhance the capabilities of Indian satellite in regard to broadcasting telecommunication, Meteorological observation and disaster warning. INSAT 2C put into Orbit in December 1995 has provided for mobile satellite services and business communication. Its high power transponder has enabled the television broadcast of our country to reach avoid area from South East Asia to Middle East. INSAT 2D was shot up on 4th June 1997. INSAT 3A was also put into space later on. INSAT 3D was launched on March 22, 2000 from French Guiana. This ISRO built satellite will provide communication service for next 10 years. That satellite is intended for business development and mobile communication, banking services and stock exchange. Our Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee has dedicated the INSAT 3B to the nation at a function organized at Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar Orissa on 24th may 2000.
IRS 1A indigenously manufactured 980 kg Remote Sensing satellite was launched on 17th March 1988 from Baiknur. With the launching of the satellite India became fifth nation in the world to have accomplished Remote Sensing of resources of Earth from space. USA, Russia, France and Japan are the other four nations who have developed Remote Sensing researchers with the help of satellite in space. In the Remote Sensing satellite series IRS 1B and IRS 1C were put into space in August 1990 and December 1995 respectively. IRS-P2 and IRS-P3 which was launched by India’s own launched vehicle PSLV in October 1994 and March 1996 respectively are working quite successfully with additional payloads. India has entered into the commercial Market by signing an agreement with an American company for receiving, processing and marketing of data from IRS satellite.
India launched PSLV C1 rocket on 29th September 1997. This rocked placed Remote Sensing satellite into space at a height of 817 km above the earth. Our country is also endeavoring for the GSLV geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle which would be able to launch 2000-2500 communication satellite at an altitude of 36000 km.
The space program of India which was started in 1963 is moving speedily on the part of self Reliance not only in the field of developing the satellites and their operation in space but we have acquired the technology of putting the satellite into orbit by our own launch vehicle.
India has suffered some setbacks in her space programs on account of paucity of funds from the government and USA efforts to force Russia to go back on cryogenic engine type deal for CSLV. But our scientists and technologists deserve full credit for placing India as a space power by developing our indigenous Technology. It is fortunate that they are getting Full support from the Indian leaders, public and industry.
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