"How ISRO Conquered Space: From Bullock Cart to Chandrayaan-3"
India's
space journey has been a remarkable one, marked by perseverance, innovation,
and ambition. From humble beginnings that saw rocket parts being transported on
bicycles and bullock carts, to becoming the fourth nation to successfully land
on the lunar surface, India has come a long way. In this blog post, we will
revisit some of the major milestones of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) that have led to the groundbreaking achievement of Chandrayaan-3.
ISRO's Story I From Bicycles & Bullocks to Chandrayaan 3 I Sarabhai I Kalam I Moon Mission
Satellites: The Backbone of India's Space Programme
The
launch of the Aryabhata satellite on April 19, 1975, marked India's entry into
the space era. Built to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and
solar physics, the 360 kg spacecraft was entirely designed and fabricated by
ISRO. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi named it after the legendary fifth-century
mathematician and astronomer, choosing Aryabhata ahead of 'Mitra', to signify
the friendship between the Soviet Union and India, and 'Jawahar'. The satellite
took off from the Kapustin Yar launch base in the Soviet Union on the country's
Kosmos-3M rocket. India didn't have its own launch vehicle at the time, and the
Soviets had in 1971 offered to assist in launching India's first satellite and
later agreed to do so free of cost. The satellite worked well for about five
days in space but then lost power, resulting in a loss of communication.
India’s space odyssey: Top missions accomplished by ISRO before Chadrayaan-3
"Aryabhata
became the forerunner of our space program" and provided us the confidence to
build state-of-the-art application satellites for communication, remote sensing
of natural resources and meteorological investigations," U R Rao, who led
the development of ISRO's satellite program, wrote in 'From Fishing Hamlet to
Red Planet: India's Space Journey', a book was written by former ISRO scientists.
Soon
after Aryabhata, two experimental remote-sensing satellites went into Space:
Bhaskar-1 in 1979 and Bhaskar-2 in 1981. These spacecraft laid the foundations
for the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellite system — a series of Earth
Observation spacecraft built by ISRO. It was kickstarted with the launch of the
IRS-1A into a polar sun-synchronous orbit (spacecraft here are synchronized to
always be in the same 'fixed' position relative to the Sun) from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan on March 17, 1988.
ISRO
also developed satellites for communication, navigation, broadcasting,
meteorology, and education. Some of the notable ones are:
● APPLE
(Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment), India's first experimental communication
satellite launched in 1981 by Ariane-1 vehicle from Kourou in French Guiana.
● INSAT
(Indian National Satellite System), a series of multipurpose geostationary
satellites launched since 1983 that provide services in telecommunications,
television broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster warning and search and
rescue operations.
● IRNSS
(Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), also known as NavIC (Navigation
with Indian Constellation), a constellation of seven satellites launched
between 2013 and 2018 that provide accurate real-time positioning and timing
services over India and its neighbourhood.
● GSAT
(Geosynchronous Satellite), a series of communication satellites launched since
2001 that provide various services such as telecommunication, television
broadcasting, VSAT networks, digital satellite news gathering, etc.
Launch Vehicles: The Propellers of India's Space Ambitions
While
ISRO relied on foreign rockets for launching its early satellites, it soon
realised the need for developing its own launch vehicles that could cater to
its specific requirements and reduce its dependence on other countries. Thus
began ISRO's quest for building indigenous rockets that could carry heavier
payloads into different orbits.
The
first step towards this goal was the SLV (Satellite Launch Vehicle) programme
initiated in 1972 under the leadership of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The SLV was a
four-stage solid propellant rocket that could place a 40 kg payload into low earth
orbit. After two unsuccessful attempts in 1979 and 1980, the SLV successfully
launched Rohini RS-1 satellite on July 18, 1980 from Sriharikota Range (SHAR).
This was followed by another successful launch of Rohini RS-D1 on May 31, 1981.
With these launches, India became the sixth country in the world to have the
capability to launch its own satellites.
The
SLV was succeeded by the ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle) programme,
which aimed to increase the payload capacity to 150 kg and demonstrate new
technologies such as strap-on boosters, inertial guidance, and payload fairing.
The ASLV was a five-stage solid propellant rocket that could place a payload
into low earth orbit. The first launch of ASLV took place on March 24, 1987,
but it failed to achieve the desired orbit. The second launch on July 13, 1988
also failed due to a guidance error. The third launch on May 20, 1992 was
partially successful, as it placed SROSS-C satellite into a lower than planned
orbit. The fourth and final launch of ASLV on May 4, 1994 was successful, as it
placed SROSS-C2 satellite into the intended orbit.
The
ASLV programme paved the way for the development of the PSLV (Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle) programme, which aimed to launch satellites into polar and
sun-synchronous orbits. The PSLV is a four-stage rocket with alternating solid
and liquid propellants. It can carry up to 1,750 kg of payload into
sun-synchronous orbit or up to 1,425 kg of payload into geosynchronous transfer
orbit. The first launch of PSLV took place on September 20, 1993, but it failed
to inject IRS-1E satellite into orbit due to a software error. The second
launch on October 15, 1994 was successful, as it placed IRS-P2 satellite into
orbit. Since then, the PSLV has been one of the most reliable and versatile
launch vehicles in the world, having launched over 50 Indian and foreign
satellites into various orbits. Some of the notable missions of PSLV are:
● Chandrayaan-1,
India's first lunar mission launched on October 22, 2008 that orbited the Moon
and discovered water molecules on its surface.
● Mars
Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, India's first interplanetary
mission launched on November 5, 2013 that reached Mars' orbit and conducted
scientific studies.
● Cartosat-2
series, a series of high-resolution earth observation satellites launched since
2007 that provide data for cartography, urban and rural applications, coastal
land use and regulation, etc.
● RISAT
(Radar Imaging Satellite), a series of synthetic aperture radar satellites
launched since 2009 that provide all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities.
● Astrosat,
India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory launched on
September 28, 2015 that studies celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV
spectral bands simultaneously.
The
PSLV was followed by the GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle)
programme, which aimed to launch heavier satellites into geostationary orbit.
The GSLV is a three-stage rocket with solid, liquid and cryogenic propellants.
It can carry up to 2,500 kg of payload into geostationary transfer orbit or up
to 5,000 kg of payload into low earth orbit. The first launch of GSLV took
place on April 18, 2001, but it failed to inject GSAT-1 satellite into orbit
due to a malfunction in the cryogenic stage. The second launch on May 8, 2003
was successful, as it placed GSAT-2 satellite into orbit. The third launch on
September 20, 2004 was partially successful, as it placed EDUSAT satellite into
a lower than planned orbit. The fourth launch on June 10, 2006 was
unsuccessful, as it failed to ignite the cryogenic stage. The fifth launch on
April 15, 2010 was also unsuccessful, as it deviated from its trajectory and
disintegrated due to a design flaw in the cryogenic stage.
The
GSLV programme faced many challenges in developing an indigenous cryogenic
engine, as India was denied access to such technology by other countries due to
geopolitical reasons. After several years of research and development, ISRO
successfully tested its own cryogenic engine in January 2014 and used it for
the first time in GSLV-D5 mission that launched GSAT-14 satellite on January 5,
2014. This was followed by another successful launch of GSLV-D6 that placed
GSAT-6 satellite on August 27, 2015. With these launches, India became the
sixth country in the world to have the capability to launch its own cryogenic
rockets.
The
GSLV programme also led to the development of the GSLV Mk III (Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III), also known as LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark
III), which is India's heaviest and
most powerful rocket to date. It is a three-stage
rocket with solid, liquid and cryogenic propellants. It can carry up to 10,000
kg of payload into low earth orbit or up to 4,000 kg of payload into
geostationary transfer orbit. The first launch of GSLV Mk III took place on
December 18, 2014, as an experimental suborbital flight that tested the
performance of the rocket and the re-entry of the crew module. The second
launch of GSLV Mk III took place on June 5, 2017, as a developmental flight
that placed GSAT-19 satellite into orbit. The third launch of GSLV Mk III took
place on November 14, 2018, as a developmental flight that placed GSAT-29
satellite into orbit. The fourth launch of GSLV Mk III took place on July 22,
2019, as a historic mission that launched Chandrayaan-2, India’s second lunar
mission that aimed to land on the south pole of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-2: India’s Moonshot
Chandrayaan-2 was one of the most ambitious and
complex missions ever undertaken by ISRO. It consisted of three components: an
orbiter, a lander named Vikram, and a rover named Pragyan. The mission
objectives were to study the lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance,
lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice.
The mission was originally planned to be launched
in collaboration with Russia, but after the failure of Russia’s Phobos-Grunt
mission in 2011, ISRO decided to go solo and develop its own lander and rover.
The mission faced several delays due to technical issues and design changes. It
was finally launched on July 22, 2019 by GSLV Mk III from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota.
The orbiter successfully entered the lunar orbit on
August 20, 2019 and performed several orbital maneuvers to lower its altitude.
The lander separated from the orbiter on September 2, 2019 and began its
descent towards the lunar surface on September 7, 2019. However, during the
final phase of the landing, the lander lost contact with the ground station and
crashed near the planned landing site. The rover, which was housed inside the
lander, could not be deployed and its fate remains unknown.
The orbiter, however, continued to function
normally and performed its scientific tasks. It has a planned mission life of
one year, but it has enough fuel to last for seven years. It carries eight
instruments that collect data on various aspects of the Moon. Some of the
notable findings of the orbiter are:
- The
detection of water ice in permanently shadowed regions near the lunar
poles.
- The
identification of more than 40 new impact craters on the lunar surface.
- The
mapping of lunar surface features such as craters, lava tubes, rilles,
etc…
- The
measurement of solar flares and their effects on the lunar environment.
Chandrayaan-3: India’s Second
Chance
Despite the setback of Chandrayaan-2’s lander
failure, ISRO did not give up on its dream of landing on the Moon. It announced
that it would launch Chandrayaan-3 in 2021 as a follow-up mission that would
attempt to achieve a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon.
Chandrayaan-3 will consist of only a lander and a rover, as the orbiter from
Chandrayaan-2 will continue to provide support and relay data. The lander and
rover will carry similar instruments as Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram and Pragyan, but
with some improvements and modifications based on the lessons learned from the
previous mission.
Chandrayaan-3 will be launched by GSLV Mk II from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch date has not been
finalised yet, but it is expected to take place in late 2021 or early 2022. The
mission will be another milestone for India’s space programme and a testament
to its resilience and determination.
LIVE Telecast Of Chandrayaan 3 Landing | Chandrayaan 3 Landing LIVE | Vikram Lander Update
What It Took For The ISRO To Reach The Moon | The Humble Journey Of ISRO | Chandrayaan-3 Mission
Conclusion
ISRO’s success story is an inspiring one that
showcases how a developing country can overcome challenges and achieve
excellence in space exploration. From launching its first satellite on a
borrowed rocket to sending its own spacecraft to Mars and Moon, ISRO has
demonstrated its capabilities and potential in various domains of space science
and technology. With Chandrayaan-3 and other future missions such as Gaganyaan
(India’s first manned space mission), Aditya-L1 (India’s first solar mission),
Shukrayaan-1 (India’s first Venus mission), and NISAR (a joint Earth
observation mission with NASA), ISRO is poised to make new discoveries and
contributions to the global space community.
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/history-of-isro-8906242/
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/history-of-isro-8906242/
Dr. Mayank Chandrakar is a writer also. My first book "Ayurveda Self Healing: How to Achieve Health and Happiness" is available on Kobo and Instamojo. You can buy and read.
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