2018 is giving the very busy year for India’s space agency ISRO, that is a mission planned for each month. The Indian Space Research Organisation has already unveiled for the 3 important satellites between 1st January 1 and on the 12th April.
These include remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2 on board the PSLV-C40 rocket in the last January, communication satellite GSAT-6A on board GSLV-F08 rocket on this 29th March and the navigation satellite IRNSS-1I on board the PSLV-C41 rocket on April 12.
“In the next eight months, ISRO has nine more important missions planned,” ISRO Chairman K Sivan said to the reporters at the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on the last Friday.
This means ISRO can average one mission every month for the year 2018 – that can be going to have a remarkable achievement.
Here are the details of some of the important launches planned by ISRO for the rest of 2018:
CHANDRAYAAN-2 MISSION
This is expecting that this one is the massive mission of all this year; Chandrayaan-2 can be India’s second mission to the moon.
This is the totally indigenous mission that can be around 100 percent ‘made in India’ mission. Unlike Chandrayaan-1, which only had a lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-2 can have an orbiter, a lander, and a rover.
As per the ISRO’s plan, after reaching the 100 km lunar orbit, the ‘lander’ housing the ‘rover’ that can be isolated and individual ‘orbiter’.
This lander will soft land on the Moon’s surface which is very specific which deploy the rover. The rover, which can be six-wheeled, will move around the landing site in the semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands.
The instruments on the rover that can observe the lunar surface and send back data that can be useful for analysis of the Moon’s soil.
The orbiter of Chandrayaan-2 will weigh around 3,290 kg and will orbit around the moon that can perform the objectives of remote sensing the moon. The payloads can collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.
The Chandrayaan-2 mission can be launched on board the GSLV-F10 rocket and is planned for the second half of 2018 (Aimed for October). This is the GSLV or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II) is the largest launch vehicle that developed in our nation and now which is currently in operation.
The 4th generation launch vehicle is a 3 stage vehicle with four liquid strap-ons. The indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), that is flight proven, forms the third stage of GSLV Mk II.
THE GSAT-11 MISSION
As already this was explained by ISRO, the GSAT-11 is a multi-beam high throughput communication satellite operating in Ka and Ku-bands employing is very new in the sector.
This can provide 32 user beams in Ku-band and 8 gateway beams in Ka-band. The payload is consists of the Ka x Ku-band forward link transponders and Ku x Ka-band return link transponders.
The GSAT-11 satellite is all set to be unveiled by the Ariane from Kourou, French Guiana in the first half of 2018 (Aimed for June). India’s GSAT satellites are indigenously developed communication satellites that used for digital audio and video broadcasting.
The GSAT satellites are geosynchronous satellites – having a geosynchronous orbit, which indicates this can have an orbital period the same as the Earth’s rotation period.
This GSAT series of satellites have been developed by ISRO with an aim to make India 100 percent self-reliant in broadcasting services.
C-band, Extended C-band, and Ku-bands deliver services for telecommunications, television broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster warning which can be search and rescue operations.
ISRO chairman K Sivan long-established that the GSAT-11 that can be the “heaviest satellite” that can be ever made by ISRO. Although he did not specify the exact weight, he confirmed that this can be excess of 5.7 tonnes (more than 5,100 kg).
THE GSLV-Mk3-D2 / GSAT-29 MISSION
GSAT-29, which too is a GSAT series satellite as of now explained above, is considered around ISRO’s Enhanced I-3K Bus which can payload for the second developmental flight of GSLV-MkIII.
This can be carries Ka x Ku multi-beam and optical communication payloads for the first time. The mission targets for Village Resource Centres (VRC) in the rural areas which are the gap to the digital divide.
The GSLV-MkIII-D2/GSAT-29 Mission is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2018. The satellite will weigh around 3,500 kg. “The GSLV-Mk3-D2 will launch the GSAT-29.
This can also host of GSLV missions like DigiSat and high-resolution remote sensing satellites,” ISRO Chairman K Sivan confirmed.
GSAT-7A MISSION
As per the news agency PTI, ISRO Chairman K Sivan has confirmed the launch of the GSAT-7A mission on this 2017. “We have another GSLV mission, which is going to have GSAT-7A,” he said.
The GSAT-7A satellite is an advanced military communications satellite that is dedicated for the sole use of the Indian Air Force.
This one is very akin to the GSAT-7 which is currently being used exclusively by the Indian Navy. The Navy’s GSAT-7 is a multi-band communication spacecraft, is developed in the operational given that 2013 September.
The GSAT-7 satellite helps in order to enable the Indian Navy to extend its blue water capabilities which will be prevent relying on foreign satellites like Inmarsat that can be given communication services to its ships.
Very akin to this, the GSAT-7A satellite can help the Indian Air Force spread its wings further.
GSAT-7A will enable the Indian Air Force to that will connect the diverse ground radar stations, ground airbase, and Airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft. The GSAT-7A satellite can also enhance the Indian Air Force’s network-centric warfare capabilities which will be enhancing its global operations also.
GSAT-7A is expected to be launched in the second half of 2018 that will be unveiled on the board the Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. The GSAT-7A satellite will be put into a geosynchronous orbit.
THE RISAT-1A MISSION
RISAT or Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1A) can be sensor the remote sensing satellite which is very akin to the configuration to RISAT-1.
This will be the third satellite in the RISAT series. RISAT-1, which was the second in the series, uses C-band 5.35 GHz synthetic aperture radar for earth observation.
Because of 2008, Mumbai terror attacks the RISAT-2 satellite turn to be very crucial because of the RISAT-1 satellite. RISAT-2 carried Israeli-built X-band radar. This is how RISAT-2 turn to be the first in the series and RISAT-1 became the second.
The RISAT-1 satellite is having a purpose of monitoring natural resources management, primarily agriculture planning and forestry surveys, which is mainly to forecast and stop the flooding.
This one is the monitor paddy plantations that can support the kharif season and will assist in the food security planning too.
This can be regarded as the series – RISAT-1A – that can be mainly focused on the land-based mission and can be used for topography mapping.
This can be used for land analysis via the analysis of land which is the primary focus, it will also analyze the ocean and water surface also.
This is all set to monitor the moisture in the soil across in the whole nation and will deliver a largely benefit for agricultural purposes also.
The RISAT-1A satellite can be carrying’synthetic aperture radar’ that can be operated at 5.35 GHz in C-band. A copied aperture radar or SAR will be used for the earth observation irrespective of the light and weather conditions of the area which is actually speculated.
The RISAT-1A will be launch on board the PSLV or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that will be weighing around 1,850 kgs.
MISSIONS BETWEEN JANUARY AND APRIL 2018
India launched and unveiled 3 crucial missions between January and April 2018. These missions are consists of the remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2 on board the PSLV-C40 rocket in January, communication satellite GSAT-6A on board GSLV-F08 rocket on the 29th March, and course-plotting satellite IRNSS-1I on board the PSLV-C41 rocket on this 12th April.
In order to know all about the PSLV-C40 / Cartosat-2 Series Satellite mission, that ones are the ISRO’s 100th satellite launch just read this article totally.
Regarding it as amongst the busiest years for the ISRO, chairman K Sivan said scientists are excited and determined in order to win this targets.
Post 3 launches in the first four months the ISRO is said to be, “We have a lot more missions on the anvil. In the next eight months, we are going to have nine missions. We are going to have both GSLV and PSLV missions. Along with that (launches), we have technology demonstration for future missions as well,” he told.
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