ISRO146;s four-in-one first

The launch on Wednesday demonstrates the space organisation8217;s seriousness about its moon mission

India8217;s space programme is on the threshold of a new hi-tech era. Around January 10, 2007, India8217;s most reliable workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV, will set course from Sriharikota, carrying four satellites, including a recoverable spacecraft.

This is for the first time India would be launching four satellites together by using a PSLV platform. This group of four constitutes of Cartosat-II, a 680-kg mapping satellite, a 56-kg Indonesian satellite called Lapan-Tubsat, a six kilogram Argentinean 8216;bird8217; called Pehuensat and India8217;s own Space Capsule Recovery Experiment SRE, 550 kg.

Cartosat-I, which was successfully launched during May 2005, is playing a crucial role in several applications and has boosted India8217;s remote sensing services with its high resolution images. Cartosat-I has a resolution of 2.5 metres. Now Cartosat-II will have a resolution of one metre. This mapping satellite would carry a single panchromatic camera capable of providing scene-specific spot imagery for cartographic applications. At present, Ikonos of the US provides a one-metre resolution. However, the best resolution in the world is provided by the Quickbird, which offers an unbelievably low 60-cm resolution. In reality, ISRO has already proved its capability in October 2001 of achieving a one-metre resolution with the launch of Technology Experiment Satellite. Now, with Cartosat-II, ISRO is expecting to reduce costs considerably. These imageries would be providing digital elevation maps for development, land and water resources management, disaster and environmental impact assessment. Also, it is expected to give valuable data to the defence forces. It is also for the first time that India will assess the reusable launch vehicle technology. This SRE mission is of great significance, since the capsule will be placed in orbit at an altitude of 625 km and recovered later.

The last phase of this mission is critical, because it will test the re-entry technology when the capsule enters from outer space to the earth8217;s atmosphere, experiencing searing temperatures. The Columbia disaster took place during this re-entry phase. During its stay in the outer space, this capsule is expected to carry out micro-gravity experiments and may remain in space for 90 days. On its return flight, it is expected to re-enter at a velocity of 1.5 km per second and splash down either in the Bay of Bengal or the Pulicat Lake.

This launch definitely proves that ISRO is serious about its resolve of first putting man into the space and then on the moon 8212; these are essentially the necessary stages in that process. The commercial angle of the mission lies with the making of launch facility available for foreign satellites . India is establishing itself as a major player in this business.