CANADA: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced that it is now ready to launch its first astronomy satellite ASTROSAT.
The agency said that the satellite will blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, SHAR at 10 AM on Monday, Sept. 28, onboard PSLV-C30, which will carry the satellite into a 650 km.(404 miles) orbit.
Deviprasad Karnik, ISRO’s Public Relations director said that all preparations for the historic launch is in progress with the Mission Readiness Review Committee scheduled to meet up on Sept. 24 to decide for the countdown process of the vehicle.
Astrosat is being dubbed as India’s Hubble being the country’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observation satellite.
A collaboration of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the Hubble Space telescope has so far been making crucial contributions in the field of astronomy as it discovers new galaxies. Compared with Hubble’s optimal mirror which measures 2.4 m in diameter, Astrosat’s is about 30 cm or 11.8 inches.
With Astrosat, India will be included in the ranks of countries with such a satellite in space. Japan has Suzaku and Russia has Spektr R.
Astrosat is capable of conducting observations in Ultraviolet (UV), optical, low and high energy X-ray wavebands all at the same time.
Astrosat will study distant stars, pulsars and white dwarfs. The 1.5 ton satellite will measure the magnetic fields of neuron stars and understand high energy processes that occur in binary and extragalactic systems.
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