A 3 min.read !

Kudos to the dedicated team of scientists and engineers of ISRO for successfully launching the PSLV-C50 ! It is yet another feather in the cap of this prestigious organisation.CMS-01, the 42nd communication satellite weighing about 1400 kg with a mission life of over seven years was injected precisely into its pre determined orbit in about 20 minutes after the lift-off by the vehicle. It is expected to provide services that would cover the Indian mainland, the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands in the extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum. ( C Band of the frequency spectrum is considered a stepping stone to 5G ). It is said to function as a replacement for the communication satellite GAST-12 launched 11 years ago. 

With future untoward weather patterns such as severe cyclonic storms quite likely due to climate changes,the present satellite meant to cater to the specific needs of disaster management and communications is indeed a boon for the nation to save lives and  livelihoods too.Also with the government’s commendable initiative to open lakhs of public Wi-Fi hot spots (much like the earlier STD booths), through national Wi-Fi grid (WANI ) to provide access to Wi-Fi, the launch of this satellite may augur well for the intended wider and faster accesss to net connectivity.

The role played by ISRO satellites in tracking three important parametres such as the location, intensity and cloud cover besides estimation of wind speed and direction of cyclonic storm played a crucial role in saving many precious lives in the case of cyclone Fani that rocked Odisha.Transmission of data from the satellites for every 15 minutes to the ground control and processing the data in line with the new hurricane model evolved by the IMD, all deserve immense appreciation.Similarly the role played by ISRO in fixing the precise target coordinates for Balakot strike and the successful conduct of ASAT by the combined efforts of ISRO and DRDO in the LEO (low earth orbit) that received international acclamation are a few of recent laudable achievements, deep seated in our memory. It was unfortunate that the rover of Chandrayaan-2 did not make a landing on the lunar South Pole due to a last minute technical glitch but glad that the orbitor continues orbiting and functioning as was planned.

ISRO with its dedicated work over decades is able to generate huge revenue by marketing its products and services including launching of satellites for customers,mostly from other countries. It has so far launched more than 300 foreign satellites till date in a span of about 20 years. Apart from these, major chunk of revenue is said to be from satellite communication business

It is sure that under the dynamic leadership the nation is going to make greater inroads into space exploration with deeper foot prints and let us hope that the future missions Chandrayaan-3, flagship mission Aditya L-1 and Gaganyaan (India’s human space mission ) would all go well as per schedule.

Needless to say that progress depends upon our scientific and technological strength.

—signing off with greetings for a “Greener Earth” !