The Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO has been successful in sending many satellites to space. With its mission of carrying out space research to make the lives of people on the Earth easier, ISRO has sent satellites in various areas. These satellites are, perhaps, amongst the biggest achievements of ISRO.
Let’s check out the ISRO satellites that have been launched so far!
Communication Satellites
Communication satellites are one of the most important satellites that contribute to making our lives much easier. The data from these satellites are used in our daily life starting from television broadcasting, telecommunication, satellite news gathering, weather forecasts, helps in rescue and search operations, warning about possible natural calamities or disasters and much more. In short, without even realizing we use the data sent by these satellites almost every single day.
As a part of communication satellites, the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) is known to be amongst the largest systems for the domestic communication system of satellites in the entire region of Asia Pacific. It has as many as nine communication satellites that are operational and are placed in the Geostationary Orbit.
The communication satellites were established for the first time in the year 1983 with INSAT 1B commissioned perfectly to space. With these satellites, India saw one of the biggest revolutions in the communication sector. Overall, these satellites work day and night to give us reliable information about communication, weather, natural disasters and much more. Some of these satellites are GSAT-7A, GSAT-29, GSAT-17, GSAT-19 and many more.
Earth Observation Satellites
The Earth Observation satellites began its journey with ISRO in the year 1988 with the launch of IRS-1A. Since then, there has been no going back, and ISRO has successfully launched many Remote Sensing satellites that are currently in operation. This has made India a country with one of the largest numbers of constellations with remote sensing satellites.
Some of the important ones that were launched recently are HysIS, SCATSAT-1, Cartosat-2 Series Satellite and many more. Many instruments are sent with these satellites so that relevant Earth-related data can be gathered. It helps in attaining data in a more diversified temporal, spatial, and spectral that can cater to different types of users across the globe as well as within the country. Some of the many uses of the data gathered from these satellites are for water resources, rural development, agriculture, environment, forest, ocean resources, and others.
Scientific Spacecraft For Space Exploration
The Indian Space Research programs are designed to research varied areas including astrophysics, astronomy, atmospheric sciences, planetary & earth sciences, theoretical physics and much more. Hence there are some sounding rockets available to carry out atmospheric experiments. Satellites like AstroSat, Mars Orbiter Mission and Chandrayaan 1 are some of the satellites that fall under this category. They help in making Space exploration a reality and have also achieved several breakthroughs in the past. Chandrayaan 2 will also be launched very soon which is a much-advanced version of the already existing ones.
Navigation Satellites
The navigation satellites have become very popular in recent times and are known to have commercial as well as strategic applications. ISRO aims to improve its navigation satellites to cater to the demands of the aviation sector. Currently, ISRO is working on a joint project with Airport Authority of India (AAI) to develop GAGAN or GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation. Some of the Navigation satellites of India are IRNSS, GAGAN, NavIC, and others. The aim is to make navigation much easier with the help of these satellites.
Experimental Satellites
ISRO has dedicated some of its satellites for experimental purposes and launched their satellites keeping this in mind. The experiments include Payload Development, recovery technology, remote sensing, atmospheric studies and a lot more. Some of the satellites that were launched for this purpose are INS-1C, INS-1B, INS-1A, APPLE, YOUTHSAT, Rohini Technology Payload (RTP), Rohini Satellite RS-1 and Aryabhata. These satellites are also very important to take the arena of space studies ahead. They have played a vital role in carrying out experiments ever since they were launched.
Small Satellites
The small satellites are designed to offer a platform that can be stand-alone payloads for the imaging of earth and other scientific missions that require a quick turn around. Two buses have been developed to give an adaptable platform for varied kinds of payloads. These are the Indian Mini Satellite – 1 (IMS – 1) and the Indian Mini Satellite – 2 (IMS – 2) bus. They have a good capacity to offer a platform for these small satellites. The satellites sent within this category are YOUTHSAT and Microsat. These small satellites are quick and efficient in gathering simple information or photos from the space.
Student Satellites
ISRO has a great influence on academic institutions and universities, thanks to its communication satellites, astronomy, and remote sensing. When Chandrayaan 1 was launched, the universities and educational institutions became more interested in launching such experimental satellites for students. Therefore, the universities that are interested and capable can enter into a venture with ISRO to develop such satellites. This collaboration is carried out in two ways that include the development of payload by educational institutions or satellite design as well as a fabrication by the university institution. The purpose is to have greater involvement of educational institutions and the young minds in them. ISRO assists in all these programs, so it works in the advantage of both. ISRO gets to work with young talent, and students who want to pursue their career in this field get the right exposure.
Final Words
To sum up, the ISRO has a diverse set of satellites that cover a wide range of activities in space. They have achieved a lot in all of the given categories and are working positively to achieve more. ISRO is a place where many brilliant minds of India reside. Hence, there is no doubt that ISRO will succeed in sending out many more satellites and will make our lives, even more, easier in the coming future.
References
https://www.isro.gov.in/spacecraft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_satellites