50 Years Of ISRO: Half A Century Of India's Space Glory Remembered By An ISRO Veteran

Today, all eyes in India and even some from other advanced countries like US and China, are turned towards Chandrayaan-2 Mission to the Moon. The smooth and efficient launch of GSLV-MK-III rocket that lifted Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into the skies has once again put ISRO on the global space map.

If all goes well, the Chandrayaan-2 mission would reach the Moon in a few week and finally deposit its Vikram Lander on the Moon on Sept. 7, 2019. On the way, there are complex manoeuvres to raise Chandrayaan-2's orbit out of Earth's gravity to enter Moon's gravitational field, and finally the hair-raising soft touchdown of the Lander over the South Polar region of the Moon.

All very exciting to follow on a day to day and minute to minute basis. But there is confidence visible at all levels within ISRO, and there is no any doubt that things will go as smoothly as the launch of Chandrayaan-2 itself from Sriharikota.

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But how did it all start? Enter ISRO...

ISRO itself was created exactly 50 years ago on Aug. 15, 1969 with Dr Vikram Sarabhai consolidating a variety of space research activities started by him at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) at Ahmedabad since 1947. This year 2019 is also the birth centenary year of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. His vision of India＊s role in space research continues to guide ISRO till date.

Even before ISRO was formed in 1969, PRL was involved in space research, carrying our instruments above Earth's atmosphere and into space, a rocket launching facility was created at Trivandrum in the form of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). The place was chosen to exploit India＊s geographic and geomagnetic setting as well as other logistic considerations. The very first rocket was launched from TERLS on Nov. 23, 1963 itself -- a good five years before formation of ISRO. TERLS was dedicated to the United Nation by PM Indira Gandhi in 1968.

Scientists at PRL used to develop instruments to study important space phenomena and carry their instruments for launch from Thumba. The rockets were obtained under US Aid through what was called INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee On Space Research). The first rocket launched from Thumba was a Nike-Apache Rocket provided by US under NASA-INCOSPAR collaboration. At the time, I was involved in rocket based X-ray astronomy experiments for my Ph.D. work with Prof. U R Rao (who later became the Chairman, ISRO).

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Going from strength to strength

Rocket and rocket engine developments were undertaken with scientific collaboration from France. Prof. Sarabhai had a close friend in Prof. Blamont of France and there were many collaborative scientific programs. For my Ph. D. work there was another rocket flight using a more powerful French rocket -- Dragon on Dec. 7, 1969. Unfortunately, the Dragon did not perform to specifications after second stage, crashing my hopes of becoming an X-Ray astronomer. However, I did manage to become a Radio Astronomer while undertaking my research studies using the world famous Ooty Radio Telescope under TIFR.

Over the years and decades, many ISRO centres were set up to focus on different aspects of space research and technological developments. Inheriting Sarabhai＊s unusual managerial skills and working in Mission Mode, all the centres have turned into centres of excellence in their chosen area 每 be it development of rockets, satellites, launce services of conceptualizing and developing scientific applications of space.

ISRO has made a mark in providing operational level services in satellite communications, space based weather monitoring, space based remote sensing of the Earth as well as to innovatively study Earth's Oceans, Atmosphere, Cryosphere and Earth＊s resources. The SHAR Spaceport was developed in 1971. Since then, it has contributed globally in all these areas through international agreements.

While excelling itself in these application areas, ISRO has also kept an eye of developing space platforms for scientists interested in basic sciences e.g. astronomy and launched satellites to this effect. Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan-1 are examples of planetary mission successfully undertaken by ISRO. In between there was AstroSat-1 providing valuable results. And these ventures have performed with flying colors once gain highlighting the tremendous capability, confidence and dedication of ISRO scientists and Engineers and the efficient ISRO work culture.

ISRO - A proud feeling

Over the last many decades I have been involved in developments of new and innovative space applications at the Space Applications Centre at Ahmedabad. I had even successfully conceptualized and realize a high space-time imaging using 3- Geostationary satellite Earth portrayal during the Total Solar Eclipse of Oct. 24, 1995!!! Prior to that , as a Mission planning Scientists at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, I was directly involved in the process of taking the First 每ever Earth image from an ISRO satellite 每 Bhaskara-1 on May 16, 1980.

Even some of the X-ray observation technology instruments on Chandrayaan-1 and 2 trace their origin in our X-ray astronomy lab set up by Pro. U R Rao at PRL of the late 1960s.

It s indeed exciting to gloss over the wonderful 50 year long highly eventful and successful journey of ISRO 每 now proving itself as a major player in the Global space arena. It s indeed a wonderful feeling!!

Being associated with ISRO since its inception and having had the opportunity to meet and listen to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and others like Prof. U R Rao, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and most others, it always feels natural to feel involved in ISRO activities of whatever kind 每 officially or otherwise.

Just an example, after Chandrayaan-1 was launched and helped discover possible presence of frozen water in some of shadowed craters over the southern polar region of Moon, I could not sit quiet, and began thinking of ideas that could take this discovery further.

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While globally efforts were made to map and study Lunar terrain in a detailed manner by US and India too, and with the availability of details Lunar Topographic maps, I initiated the idea of looking at Lunar Craters topography to distinguish between craters with and without ice. While, Chandrayaan-2 instruments would study these type of craters more in detail using in-situ measurements using the Vikram Lander and Pragyaan Rover, I will attempt to look into what more can be learned using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data with my own insights. Hoping this would add to different studies going on in this field, for who in their right mind would sit idle when there are space mysteries to be resolved?

It is hoped that Chandrayaan-2 experiments on the Moon would be successful and the data collected would lead to new and important discoveries to add to our knowledge of Earth, Moon and beyond. And this is just Chandrayaan-2.

We have more exciting missions coming from ISRO 每 next year we would have Aditya-L1 to study the Sun in amazing detail, and then of course the manned satellite mission and Gaganyaan. What a time to be alive!

About the author: Born in 1947, Dr Satyendra Bhandari did his graduation and post graduation in physics from Jodhpur University, before being selected as a Ph.D. Scholar at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, in 1968. He worked at ISRO since its inception in various capacity, and as Mission Planning Specialist was instrumental in the successful activation of the TV-Camera onboard India's first remote sensing satellite Bhaskara-1 and obtaining the first-ever space based images of the Earth from it in 1980.