SPACE TECHNOLOGY
IN NATION’S SERVICE
S
Krishnamurthy*
India recognised
the potential of space science and technology for the socio-economic
development of the society soon after the launch of Sputnik by
the erstwhile USSR in 1957. The Indian space efforts started with
the establishment of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station
(TERLS) near Thiruvananthapuram for the investigation of ionosphere
using sounding rockets. The first sounding rocket was launched
from TERLS in November 1963 heralding the modern space era in
India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was formed
in 1969 under the Department of Atomic Energy. The space programme
got a further fillip in 1972 when the Government of India set
up the Space Commission and the Department of Space (DOS) with
ISRO brought under it.
In the last four
decades, the Indian space programme has several accomplishments
to its credit. The programme is hailed the world over as one of
the most successful programmes because India has not only built
sophisticated satellites like INSAT and IRS and launch vehicles
like PSLV and GSLV but also in using these space systems for various
national tasks. In fact, space systems form an important element
of the national developmental infrastructure today.
For example, the
INSAT system which was joined by INSAT-3C in January 24, 2002
is now one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems
in South-East Asia. The INSAT system not only provides telecommunication,
television and corporate business communication but also provides
meteorological services. The launch of an exclusive satellite,
METSAT, on September 12, 2002 has further added to the capability
of meteorological imaging in this part of the globe.
Initiatives
Several new initiatives
have been taken to expand the application of INSAT to new areas.
An important initiative is in the field of telemedicine which
the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated for
Andaman & Nicobar Islands in July, 2002. This network connects
the G B Pant Hospital in Port Blair with the super specialty hospital,
Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute at Chennai.
Telemedicine facilitates expert medical consultations to reach
the rural and remote areas by connecting hospital and health centres
in those locations with super specialty hospitals in major towns
and cities. A few more telemedicine networks have also been established:
Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore linking the district hospital
at Chamarajanagar and Vivekananda Memorial Hospital at Saragur
in Mysore district; Apollo Hospital at Chennai linked to a rural
hospital in Aragonda as well as the ISRO’s hospital at Sriharikota.
Several more telemedicine networks are under implementation. The
use of INSAT for education is also on the increase and considering
the demand for more satellite capacity, it is now proposed to
launch an exclusive satellite, EDUSAT, which can cater to language-specific,
culture-specific and region-specific interactive education.
The INSAT system
will continue to receive further boost in its capacity and capability
with the launch of the forthcoming satellites like INSAT-3A, INSAT-3E
and INSAT-3D. Plans are already afoot for building INSAT-4 series
of satellites.
In the field of remote
sensing, India operates the largest constellation of remote sensing
satellites in the world. The data from the Indian satellites are
used for various applications. Some of them are: Forecasting Agricultural
output using Space, Agrometeorology and Land- based observations
(FASAL), Drought Assessment and Monitoring, Flood Mapping, Forest
Monitoring, Irrigation Command Areas, Snow-melt Run-off Prediction,
Integrated Land and Water Resources Development, Wasteland Mapping
and Coastal Studies. Today, the data from IRS are not only received
and used in India, but also in about a dozen countries all over
the world including the USA and Europe.
The Indian space
programme is committed to continue the remote sensing services
by launching satellites with better spatial resolutions and more
spectral bands. RESOURCESAT and CARTOSAT-1 are already planned
for launch in the coming two years. They will be followed by even
more advanced remote sensing satellites like RISAT for remote
sensing in the microwave bands that enables observation even under
cloudy conditions.
Self-Reliance
The Indian space
programme is largely self-reliant not only in building satellites
like INSAT and IRS but also in launching them. The Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is now used for launching all the remote
sensing satellites. It has also been used to launch a satellite,
METSAT, into Geo-stationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). Geo-synchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV, with a capability to launch 2000
kg communication satellites into GTO had its success in its maiden
test flight. After another two test flights of which the first
is scheduled in the first quarter of 2003, it will be commissioned
into service. A more powerful, GSLV (GSLV-Mark III) capable of
launching up to 4 ton satellite into GTO is also under development.
India has a vibrant
space science programme. It has launched scientific payloads on
board its satellites like SROSS and IRS to study celestial X-ray
and Gamma ray sources. Planetary missions are also under study.
A series of sounding rockets have been developed which can be
used to conduct experiments in atmospheric and related sciences.
Sophisticated ground-based facilities like Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere
radar for conducting atmospheric research and astronomical observatories
have been set up. India has actively participated in major international
science campaigns like international geosphere biosphere programme,
Indian Ocean Experiment, which involve participation of several
other Indian institutions. Academic and research institutions
also carry out research projects related to space programme and
ISRO provides grants for these projects under the scheme known
as Sponsored Research (RESPOND).
The Indian space
programme has also acted as an important catalyst in the technological
upgradation of Indian industries by enlisting their participation
in its programme. Industries have obtained several technologies
developed under the space programme for commercial applications.
The requirement for remote sensing data processing systems and
communication earth stations and terminal equipment has opened
up a significant market for the industry. Space systems like the
INSAT and IRS have also triggered a large number of service sector
entrepreneurs in communication and broadcasting systems and value
added services catering to remote sensing data users.
Commercial accruals
have started flowing in from the space programme. There are commercial
agreements for reception and marketing of data from Indian Remote
Sensing satellites. The INSAT satellite capacity has been leased
to international customers and the PSLV has launched four small
satellites of other countries on commercial terms.
Today India has a
pivotal role in the world space community. It has cooperative
agreements with 23 space-faring nations and space agencies. India
has set up the UN-sponsored Centre for Space Science and Technology
Education in Asia and the Pacific that conducts post-graduate
courses in Satellite Communication, Space-based Remote Sensing
and GIS and Space Sciences. Another important example of an on-going
cooperation is the agreement with the French space agency, CNES,
for a joint atmospheric research satellite mission, Megha-Tropiques.
The satellite will be developed by the CNES with Indian participation
for developing the scientific instruments and India shall carry
the responsibility of launching the satellite atop its PSLV.
The Indian space
programme convincingly demonstrates how an advanced technology
programme can be orchestrated to establish important developmental
infrastructure and, at the same time, provide the nation with
a significant technical capability as well as to play an important
role in the comity of nations in bringing the benefits of high
technology to the common people. (PIB Features)
* Director, Publications
& Public Relations Unit, ISRO, Bangalore
