Table Of ContentMohan Sundara Rajan
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INDIA
IN
THE SPACE AGE
MOHAN SUNDARA RAJAN
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Government of India
First Published : 2008 (Saka 1929)
B
Reprint : 2010 (Saka 1932)
© Author g| ISBN: 978-81-230-1490-6
JJ S&T-ENG-RP-32-2010-11
Price : Rs. 235.00
Published by the Additional Director General (Incharge), Publications Division
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
Soochna Bhavan, C.GO. Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003.
http://www.publicationsdivision.nic.in
Editor : Naveen Joshi/Maneesh Singhal
Cover design : R.K. Tandon
Front Cover:The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle(GSLV) at Sriharikota just
before lift off.
Back Cover: An artist's impression of India's forthcoming first Moon Mission -
Chandray aan-1.
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FOREWORD
Space exploration has been a fascinating story and continues to excite every
one. The benefits of these explorations have been realised in terms of services
like communication, television broadcasting, meteorology, disaster warning, resources
survey and management. India was one of the earliest to realise the potential
of space for national development. Starting with modest sounding rockets launched
from near Thiruvananthapuram, India has come a long way in developing indig¬
enous satellite systems like INSAT and IRS, besides launching these satellites
using its own launch vehicles like Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchro¬
nous Satellite Launch Vehicle. What is more striking has been the application in
which space systems in the country have been used. In recent years, besides
routine use of the space systems for tele-communication, television broadcasting,
meteorology, disaster warning, resources survey and management, they are being
used for innovative applications like telemedicine and Village Resource Centres.
While efforts in designing, developing and establishing the space systems and
utilising them are important, it is equally essential to make the common man
understand some of the nuances of the exciting space systems and the benefits
that he is deriving from them. Shri Mohan Sundara Raj an has been making efforts
precisely in this area as a good communicator. He has been pursuing the devel¬
opments in space programme very closely and he can make a general reader
appreciate and understand the basic technologies involved in various elements of
the space system and, at the same time, convey how the Indian space proguamme
has been benefiting the common man.
In this book, Shri Mohan Sundara Raj an has brought out the achievements
in the Indian space programme. I am sure that the readers will find this book
informative.
Bangalore
G Madhavan Nair
Chairman
Indian Space Research Organisation
■
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The countdown for the launch of my books on Space was propelled by
my TV interviews with Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon and his
astronaut colleagues, Charles Conrad and Walter Schirra as well as Russian
cosmonauts B.N. Voynov, Y.V. Khrunov and Boris Yegorov, the first doctor-
cosmonaut.
I had the privilege of receiving a commendation from the legendary science
writer, Arthur C. Clarke, for my book, Wonders of Space.
I have also had the privilege of interviews with the late Dr Vikram Sarabhai.
Later, Prof Satish Dhawan encouraged me to write my first book on the Indian
space effort by arranging for my travel and interviews with a wide range of
scientists and engineers across the various centres of ISRO. His foreword to my
book India in Space, brought out by the Publications Division, was appreciated
by the late President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, when he released it and called for
its translation into various languages.
The late Prime Minister, Smt Indira Gandhi released the Urdu version.
I thank Prof U.R. Rao and Dr K. Kasturirangan, eminent scientists and
former Chairmen of ISRO and their illustrious successor, Mr G. Madhavan Nair
for their consistent encouragement. I benefited from my discussions with their
colleagues: Dr B.N. Suresh, former Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
(VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram; Dr K.N. Shankara, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre
(ISAC); Mr Sundararamaiah, Scientific Secretary, ISRO; Dr M.Y.S. Prasad, Deputy
Director Satellite Applications Centre, Ahmedabad; Dr K. Radhakrishnan, Director,
VSSC; Dr G. Viswanathan, Director, ISRO Radar Development Unit; Dr V.
Jayaraman, Director, Earth Observation Systems; Mr S.V. Kibe, Director INSAT
Programmes: Mr P. Soma, Group Director, ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command
Network, Bangalore; Mr V. R. Katti, Programme Director, Geosat, ISAC; Dr C.G
Patil, Director, Master Control Facility, Hassan; Mr R.K. Rajangam, Project Director
INSAT 4B; Mr D. Narayana Moorthy, Visiting Scientist; Mr N. Narayana Moorthy,
Project Director (PSLV); Dr George Joseph, Director, Centre for Space Science
and Education, Asia Pacific, Dehra Dun; Mr A. Bhaskaranarayana, Director,
Satcom, 1SRO; and the late Mr S. Krishnamurthy, former Director, Public Relations,
ISRO.
I recall with thanks the briefings given to me by Prof B.L. Deekshatulu
former Director of NRSA; Mr R.M. Vasagam; Dr A.E. Muthunayagam; and Mr
N. Vedachalam, who have retired after distinguished service with ISRO.
I also thank Dr Balachandra Rao, Honorary Director, Gandhi Centre of
Science and Human Values, Bharathiya Vidya Bhawan, Bangalore and Dr P.
Iyamperumal, Executive Director Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre.
I thank Space Technology and Remote Sensing experts of NASA, ESA,
and ESCAP as well as the Director General of the European Space Agency and
his colleagues, especially Dr Volker Liebig and Mr Josef Aschbacher as well as
officials of SCOT Conseil, Toulouse and the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales
(CNES), Paris, especially Dr Denis Borel; members of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in Beijing, Dr Boris Petrov and Mr Novikov of the Intercosmos Council,
and members of Indonesia's BPP TEKNOLOGI, Jakarta.
Special thanks are due to the following organisations for permission to use
their illustrations: ISRO; NASA; ESA (ESA Bulletin, Journal and Earth Observations
Quarterly—various issues); CNES; SPOT; Canadian Space Agency; INTELSAT;
INMARSAT and British High Commission, New Delhi.
I thank the Additional Director General (Incharge) Smt Veena Jain,
Publications Division for showing keenness to publish this book and Shri Naveen
Joshi, Editor for the hard work put in by him to bring out this book
I also thank Mr A. Srinivasan, Mr G. Venkatraman and Mr L.P. Kumar
for their assistance in handling the computer print-outs.
References to private firms and organisations in the text do not constitute
any endorsement of their products or services.
Mohan Sundara Raj an
PREFACE
This book tells an up-to-date story of India’s emergence as a space power,
as the world celebrated the golden jubilee of the Space Age in 2007. Recalling
the role of Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, the story traces the humble
beginnings of the space effort on the shores of Thumba and goes on to narrate
the ventures of the pioneers in climbing the learning curve, braving the inevitable
setbacks only to achieve perfection in the rockets that launch satellites into
sunsynchronous and geosynchronous orbits. A brief introduction explains the nuances
of these orbits and how India’s young scientists and engineers have mastered the
technology of stabilising the rockets and satellites. The story then describes the
ongoing efforts to perfect the cryogenic engine and stage for a totally indigenous
geosynchronous launch vehicle to orbit future INSATs.
The next Part takes the reader through the transition from the times when
the first series of INSATs was made abroad to the days when the ISRO started
to make the more complex satellites at home. The indigenous satellites included
those for remote sensing natural resources from the polar sunsynchronous orbits.
A separate chapter explains the amazing application of sensors that capture the
real status of the resources from space resulting in world class imageries that are
in demand at home and abroad. This is followed by an introduction to the various
resource satellites including the latest Cartosats that constitute the world’s largest
array of such satellites.
The subsequent chapters describe the services provided by the INSATs like
direct-to-home television, telecom and data links as well as weather monitoring
and forecasts, indicating the contours of the revolution on the ground in the
collection and distribution of information, in multimedia entertainment, business
and services and in air navigation. The next few chapters present examples of
using the remote sensing satellite data in addressing a variety of problems in
irrigation, farming, flood control and development planning. In fact, the satellites
have rediscovered India, revealing the true state of its natural resources.
The story then explains India’s first moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, and the
country’s first astronomy mission, Astrosat, followed by the role of Indians who
had been explorers in space.
With the rapid advances in space technology and applications, a story that
captures their role also gains in depth. Accordingly, several new technological
challenges have been explained in non-technical terms for the benefit of the lay
reader.
Mohan Sundara Raj an
