Space odyssey on cloud nine

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The textbook launch of PSLV-C21 rocket from the spaceport here on Sunday is important not just because it is the 100th space mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) but also since it reiterated the robustness of the Indian space industry. The mission success has brought a fresh flood of enquiries to the ISRO from various countries to launch their satellites using ISRO’s workhorse PSLV.

PSLV-C21, the 22nd flight in the PSLV series, soared into an overcast sky at 9.53 a.m. carrying the 720-kilo french satellite SPOT-6 and 15-kilo PROITERES developed by students and faculty of Osaka Institute of Technology. The French satellite will observe earth while the Japanese micro-satellite will study Kansai region of Japanese island of Honshu. It is significant that France’s earlier SPOT satellites were launched by Europe’s Araine rocket and much thought had gone into their decision to shift SPOT-6 to ISRO’s PSLV platform, showing the growing international faith in the indian space industry.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flew into Sriharikota Saturday and stayed overnight at the spaceport to watch the space spectacle. After complimenting the ISRO scientists for scoring a century of space launches, he expressed confidence that the future of the Indian space odyssey would continue to soar.

ISRO chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan was visibly thrilled announcing the mission’s success at the post-launch media briefing. Apart from explaining the Sunday launch, he also spoke at length about the ambitious Mars Mission and the Chandrayan-2.

The latter is a Indo-Russian joint venture on a GSLV launch vehicle, which would have an Indian rover and a Russian landing station. There could be some delay, though, since there was a ‘major’ review of the Russian space programme following a recent failed mission.

“The orbiter is in a very good shape (and the launch could be) possibly by 2014. When exactly the landing module is made available is to be seen but we are ready for 2014”, said the ISRO chief.

The American space agency NASA had tracked over 500,000 pieces of debris, or ‘space junk,’ orbiting earth causing a slight delay in the launch. This debris travels at speeds up to 17,500 mph, fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft.

This is a challenge for the ISRO launches and Radhakrishnan said future expansions at SHAR, the spaceport at Sriharikota, would include setting up of a multi-object tracking radar that would, among other tasks, keep track of space debris and alert scientists to avoid collisions.