The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) has created history
by launching 104 satellites in one go from the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday, February 15
morning. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the ISRO first launched
the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite of India, for earth observation,
followed by the INS-1A and INS-1B, after it reached the polar Sun Synchronous
Orbit. It then went on to inject 103 co-passenger satellites, together weighing
about 664 kg, in pairs. In this historic launch, the ISRO scientists have used
the XL Variant – the most powerful rocket – earlier used in the ambitious
Chandrayaan and during the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). This flight of C-37 of PSLV was a largely
commercial flight as all but three passenger satellites, small nanosats,
belonged to six other countries. The 29-minute launch went off precisely as
planned; it took just 11 minutes from the release of the primary Cartosat-2
series spacecraft to the last launch of a client satellite, ISRO said after the
mega-payload launch.
The PSLV, in the
category of launch vehicles that can lift relatively light loads to space, now
marks 38 successful missions in a row out of a total of 39 flights. It deserves
all the praise this time, it took to space a total of 1,378 kg, of which the
main satellite was 714 kg.
This latest Cartosat
launched on February 15 is the fifth in the series of six Cartosat-2
spacecraft, starting from Cartosat 2 in 2007 and followed by what were earlier
marked A, B, C, D and E. The last one is due to be launched. This feat of India has overhauled Russia’s record
of 37 launches created in 2014.
This is perhaps the
most widely acclaimed world record of Bharat in the field of space technology.
The country has reason to be proud for this global achievement. ISRO can take pride
in its frugal innovation which is most cost-effective demonstration of Bharat,
when it is emerging as a serious player in a crowded satellite launch market.
However, foe higher Payload of 2 tonne and above, we have to employ the
Geosynchronous Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Still, it is a hard-won achievement
for India to have achieved after a long history to reach current space
technology level with a relatively very small investment. India has launched a lunar probe in 2008 and
ranked first among Asian countries by having an unmanned rocket orbit Mars in
2013, at a unbelievably petty cost of Rs. 450 crores. India would spend merely
a little over $1 billion a year on its space programme compared with US’ budget
of about $19.3 billion for 2017. China had spent $6.1 billion in 2013. But our
achievements are no. mean, in comparison to the other 5 space-powers.
One
of the main beneficiaries of the Indian space agency’s launch of a record 104
satellites with a single
rocket was a US firm that operates the largest privately owned constellation of
Earth-imaging satellites. With such a meager budget, Bharat has proven its
proficiency in the kind of rocket that launched
a record number of satellites at one go on
Wednesday, now the country has to focus more upon future growth of the
indigenous Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) programme that needs
more perfection. Through the Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was used on February 15 to deliver 104
satellites into Earth’s orbit and which has been the most reliable work horse
of Indian space programme, notching up about 40 successful launches since 1994.
But, to carry communication satellites weighing above 2,000kg into space, we would
need Geo Synchronous Satellite Launching Vehicle (GSLV). To compete with
countries such as France or China for the $300 billion global space industry
too India needs to further improve upon its GSLV programme, as the country has and
also forces it to hire foreign space firms to launch its own heavy satellites.
Now, the country’s
GSLV programme too has to be activated and be made reliable and vibrant,
equally after having successfully launched twice a home-built cryogenic engine,
after successfully overcoming more than a decade of setbacks. The GSLV behaving
as the ‘naughty boy’ of ISRO also needs to be worked upon now. It is in offing
and our scientist would achieve it soon. The first time we launched a GSLV was in
January 2014, and this launch of the GSLV-D5 has put ISRO on the map of a
select club of nations that can launch heavy satellites. The agency again
successfully launched a GSLV-Mk II rocket in September 2016.
Country’s aim should now be to become proficient in GSLV launches capable to carry
payload category of 4500-5000 kg, The big fortunes of space business lies into
that.
So Indian space scientists, are now rightly working upon developing the
GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle which is expected to deliver payload weighing 4500
to 5000kg. Since the Russian and French rockets can carry four times more
payload and into higher orbits. So, India must also set an ambitious target for
it. Now when we are already on the way ahead in targeting GSLV Mk II and then
Mk III and a series of launch activities have already been planned to ensure
that. ISRO’s has a very long term ambitious plan
to undertake more than 50 missions and deploy 500 satellite communications
transponders by 2019. Bharat is poised to emerge as the most cost effective
player in space launch market of $ 300 b. So we would be a space super power to
be reckoned with. India is almost prepared to come with its own mini space
shuttle. Trail of the same on a pilot basis has already been conducted in May,
2016. Country is also planning for Mangalyan 2 in March, 2018.