Space Programme In India, the space programme was formally launched in 1972 with the setting up of Space Commission and the Department of Space. The main objective of the programme is to provide space-based services in the spheres of communication, meteorology, resources survey and management, develop satellites, launch vehicles and associated ground systems. The past two decades witnessed the impressive progress made by the country's space programme. Space technology has not only enhanced India's communication capabilities, but has also contributed in meteorological forecasting, providing advanced disaster warning, search and rescue measures and distance education to remote areas. Similarly, space remote sensing provides vital inputs on agricultural, soil, forestry, land and water resources, environment, minerals, ocean development and management of drought and flood disasters, thus touching every facet of national development. An Integrated mission for sustainable development (IMSD), basically using IRS data, has been established at the recommendation of the Planning Commission for arriving at local specific prescriptions.
INSAT System
The Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) is a multipurpose operational satellite system for domestic telecommunications, meteorological observations and data relay nationwide direct satellite television broadcasting and radio, television programme distribution. The System is a joint venture of Department of Space (DOS), Department of Telecommunications (DOT), India Meteorological Department (IMD), All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan.The INSAT system, established in 1983 with the successful deployment of INSAT-1B and served at present by the last of the first generation INSAT-ID launched in 1991 and the two second generation satellites, INSAT-2A and INSAT-2B are providing important operational services to the nation. INSAT-2 series of satellites are more advanced and possess one and a half times the capacity of INSAT-1 satellites.
INSAT Utilization
There are 167 telecommunication terminals operating in the INSAT network providing around 4,172 two-way speech circuits over 168 routes. Innovative uses of INSAT system have already extended to the establishment of rural telegraphy in the north eastern part of the country and National Informatics Centres to provide nationwide data communication links between district and state capitals, library networking on a large scale has been initiated. A channel on the INSAT has recently been dedicated for interactive education.The meteorological data collected via VHRR instrument on board INSAT and its dissemination, along with its collection of remote area meteorological data from unattended platforms, has made a quantum difference in weather forecasting in the country. Satellite based local specific disaster warning systems, with over a hundred disaster warning receivers installed in the cyclone-prone eastern coast, has facilitated major saving of human lives and livestock during floods and cyclones.
The most outstanding impact of INSAT has been in the impressive expansion of television which with 650 TV transmitters and direct reception sets now provides access to over 80 per cent of the country's population. Rapid increase in the regional services, use of transportable earth stations and satellite news gathering vehicles, utilization of satellite media for university education and nationwide radio networking has enabled even remote areas to become part of the mainstream of the nation. The Press Trust of India (PTI) has employed a scheme to provide its news and information services at high speed and increased volume by using the broadcast facilities of INSAT satellite.
New Applications
Special inexpensive hardware has been developed to promote an effective interactive educational system through satellites. The system was successfully experimented in Gujarat during February 1991 where sarpanchs, preraks and voluntary teachers in Rupala, a remote village in Gandhinagar district, were able to interactively communicate with teachers at the Space Application Centre and Gujarat Vidyapith at Ahmadabad. The success of the ISRO-UGC experiment which enabled students in a number of universities to interact, in real time, with experts through specially developed talk-back facility has proved the efficiency of the system.The first use of INSAT-2A was to conduct an innovative interactive training programme for farmers of Bhiwani district of Haryana, in August 1992, carried out jointly with Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar. These experiments continued during 1994 with several interactive programmes for State Bank of India, continuing education in rural development with programmes on development of women and children in rural areas and watershed development. Programmes on Panchayat Raj for elected women members were conducted in February 1994 in cooperation with Karnataka Government.
GRAMSAT
The concept of dedicated GRAMSAT satellites has evolved, keeping in mind the urgent need to eradicate illiteracy in the rural belt, necessary for the all-round development of the nation. The GRAMSAT will also assist in providing continuing education for special groups to ensure that their technical skills are periodically updated to overcome technological obsolescence. The GRAMSAT may employ six to eight high power C-band transponders.Indian Remote Sensing Satellite - IRS
The first satellite in the IRS series, IRS-1A designed for a life of three years was launched in March 1988. The second operational Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1B, was launched on 29 August 1991. A series of satellites, known as IRS-P series, is planned for launch using India's own launch vehicle, PSLV, and they are to incorporate payloads such as those for ocean resources survey and high resolution mapping.Remote Sensing Applications
Remote sensing applications in India, under the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), for which Department of Space is the nodal agency, now cover diverse fields such as crop acreage and yield estimation, drought warning and assessment, flood control and damage assessment, land use/land cover information, agroclimatic planning, wasteland management, fisheries development, urban development, forest resources survey etc.Space Science
Space science research under the Indian space programme is conducted in the areas of astronomy astrophysics, planetary atmosphere and economy, earth sciences and solar system studies and theoretical physics. The research activities are carried out on a large scale by the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmadabad and to a lesser extent at Space Physics Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram, Space Applications Centre, Ahmadabad and ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore.A programme on geosphere-biosphere research comprising meticulously planned balloon, rocket and satellite-based experiments to study the effects of anthropogenic activities on the earth's environment has also been carried out successfully. A National Mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere Radar Facility (NMRF) has been set up at Gadanki near Tirupati, for studying atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric turbulence and diffusion measurement, study of atmospheric pollutant dispersion, cloud physics, and detection of wind shear etc. The gamma ray burst experiment and the retarding potential analyser on board the SCROSS-C satellite and SCROSS-C2 satellites have further assisted research in this area. Since its launch, SCROSS-C2 has been functioning quite well and has detected a few interesting Gamma-ray bursts.
Space Centres and Units
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, is the principal centre for launch vehicle development and the pioneer in rocket research, the planning and execution of launch vehicle development projects. ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore, is responsible for the design, fabrication, testing and management of satellite systems for scientific, technological and application missions. Space Applications Centre (SAC) Ahmadabad, is ISRO's research and development centre for conceiving, organising and building systems for practical applications of space technology. The principal areas of activity include satellite communication, remote sensing, meteorology and geodesy. SHAR Centre, Sriharikota is the main launch centre of ISRO, which undertakes large scale production of solid rocket propellant and ground testing of solid fuelled rocket stages of the Indian launch vehicles. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), with its facilities located at Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Mahendragiri (Tamil Nadu), is the key centre for development of liquid propulsion system. National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad, under the Department of Space is concerned with surveying, identifying, classifying and monitoring earth resources using aerial and satellite data. The National Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere Reader Facility (NMRF) at Gadanki, near Tirupati is used by scientists for conducting atmospheric research.International Cooperation
The establishment of Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, conduct of SITE and STEP, launches of Aryabhata, Bhaskara I and II, IRS-1A and 1B and Apple, manned space mission, development of Vikas engine and other such programmes have entailed cooperation with several countries like China, France, Germany and space agencies like the European Space Agency. India shares its own experience with other developing countries by training their personnel under a programme called SHARES - sharing of experience in space. India has also been actively involved in international campaigns related to atmospheric research and in the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and has set up two Local User Terminals (LUT) and Mission Control Centre (MCC) as part of the COSPAR-SARSAT network, under the International Satellite aided search and rescue programme.
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