| Mission type | Space telescope |
|---|---|
| Operator | ISRO |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBD |
| Contractor | ISRO |
AstroSat-2 is India's second dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope, proposed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as the successor of the current AstroSat observatory, which had a five-year operational time yet still is functioning. [1]
ISRO launched an 'Announcement of Opportunity' in February 2018 requesting proposals from Indian scientists for ideas and the development of instruments for astronomy and astrophysics. [1]
A space telescope is a telescope in outer space used to observe astronomical objects. Suggested by Lyman Spitzer in 1946, the first operational telescopes were the American Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, OAO-2 launched in 1968, and the Soviet Orion 1 ultraviolet telescope aboard space station Salyut 1 in 1971. Space telescopes avoid several problems caused by the atmosphere, including the absorption or scattering of certain wavelengths of light, obstruction by clouds, and distortions due to atmospheric refraction such as twinkling. Space telescopes can also observe dim objects during the daytime, and they avoid light pollution which ground-based observatories encounter. They are divided into two types: Satellites which map the entire sky, and satellites which focus on selected astronomical objects or parts of the sky and beyond. Space telescopes are distinct from Earth imaging satellites, which point toward Earth for satellite imaging, applied for weather analysis, espionage, and other types of information gathering.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV in 1993, only commercially available from Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), previously known as the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), is a Flagship-class space telescope launched aboard the Space ShuttleColumbia during STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. Chandra was sensitive to X-ray sources 100 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope, enabled by the high angular resolution of its mirrors. Since the Earth's atmosphere absorbs the vast majority of X-rays, they are not detectable from Earth-based telescopes; therefore space-based telescopes are required to make these observations. Chandra is an Earth satellite in a 64-hour orbit, and its mission is ongoing as of 2024.
Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems. It has sent three missions to the Moon and one mission to the Mars.
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), with its headquarters in Bengaluru, is an autonomous research institute wholly funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. IIA conducts research primarily in the areas of astronomy, astrophysics and related fields.
Indian astronomy refers to astronomy practiced in the Indian subcontinent. It has a long history stretching from pre-historic to modern times. Some of the earliest roots of Indian astronomy can be dated to the period of Indus Valley civilisation or earlier. Astronomy later developed as a discipline of Vedanga, or one of the "auxiliary disciplines" associated with the study of the Vedas dating 1500 BCE or older. The oldest known text is the Vedanga Jyotisha, dated to 1400–1200 BCE.
The Tel Aviv University Ultraviolet Explorer, or TAUVEX, is a space telescope array conceived by Noah Brosch of Tel Aviv University and designed and constructed in Israel for Tel Aviv University by El-Op, Electro-Optical Industries, Ltd. acting as Prime Contractor, for the exploration of the ultraviolet (UV) sky. TAUVEX was selected in 1988 by the Israel Space Agency (ISA) as its first priority scientific payload. Although originally slated to fly on a national Israeli satellite of the Ofeq series, TAUVEX was shifted in 1991 to fly as part of a Spektr-RG international observatory, a collaboration of many countries with the Soviet Union leading.
AstroSat is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope. It was launched on a PSLV-XL on 28 September 2015. With the success of this satellite, ISRO has proposed launching AstroSat-2 as a successor for AstroSat.
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a government-aided institute and deemed university for the study and research of space science, located in Near Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram, India. IIST was set up in 2007 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the Department of Space, Government of India.
Aditya-L1 is a coronagraphy spacecraft for studying the solar atmosphere, designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and various other Indian Space Research Institutes. It is orbiting at about 1.5 million km from Earth in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) between the Earth and the Sun, where it will study the solar atmosphere, solar magnetic storms, and their impact on the environment around the Earth.
The Mount Abu InfraRed Observatory (MIRO) is located near the town Mount Abu in the state of Rajasthan, India. The observatory is at an altitude of 1680 metres and is adjacent to Guru Shikhar, highest peak of the Aravalli Range. The 1.2 m infrared telescope at It is the first major facility in India specifically designed for ground-based, infrared observations of celestial objects. Further the low amount of precipitable water vapour at Guru Shikhar makes it a good site for the infrared telescope observations. The site has been found to be good for astronomical observations.
The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) is a Gregorian multi-purpose open telescope proposed in 2010 to be built in Merak village in Ladakh in India and aims to study the sun's microscopic structure.
M. Annamalai, from the South Indian state of Karnataka, is a space scientist. He is a former director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota and holds the position of the Senior Advisor at ISRO.
The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) manufactured space observatory to study polarisation of cosmic X-rays. It was launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV rocket, and it has an expected operational lifespan of at least five years.
Sankarasubramanian. K is an Indian solar scientist who works at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's national space agency. He is the principal scientist of Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, which was launched successfully on 2 September 2023. He is also heading the Space Astronomy Group of URSC
Parameshwaran Sreekumar is an Indian astrophysicist and the former Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. He has also worked in NASA and ISRO and is currently the Director of Manipal Center for Natural Sciences, under Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal.
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