Have you ever wondered how the INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO) became the most efficient space agency in the whole World?
Moreover, when did ISRO went from carrying rocket parts on bicycles and bullock carts to sending a probe on Mars?
On 5th November 2013 Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) initiated a Mars probe popularly known as Mars orbiter mission(MOM) and also known as Mangalyaan, within a budget of 74 Million dollars. MOM was %100 successful.
On the other hand, just after 13 days National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated its MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere And Volatile Evolution Mission) mission with a budget of 9.1 times more than MOM, i.e., 672 million dollars.
Soon, the direct comparison between ISRO and NASA would not seem illogical with this kind of accomplishment.
TRIUMPHS OF INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO)
Though ISRO has a long list of milestones, ISRO made INDIA proud and gained more global respect than ever before with back to back World records to name a few,
- 24th September 2014, INDIA became the only Nation to reach the red planet “MARS” on its first attempt.
- 10th July 2015, INDIA launched the Heaviest Commercial Mission, carrying five British satellite weighing 1.44 tons.
- 14th February 2017, INDIA made history as ISRO successfully launched 104 satellites in one go.
With every project of ISRO, India is advancing in the technology sector and becoming more capable of doing things it only dreamt before. It is only because of the patriotic Indian scientists and ISRO that we have our navigation satellites.
India is among the five countries with their navigation satellites in the space after the USA, Russia, Japan, and China.
- In 2013 ISRO launched, The IRNSS-1 (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), India’s first navigation satellite (Navigation with Indian Constellation) “NAVIC.”
HOW WAS ISRO CREATED?
Many people think the triumphs of ISRO are no big deal, maybe because they don’t know how it all began? What ISRO has achieved is a remarkable successful journey.
When India was busy drawing its map, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics( USSR), already changed the history on 4th August 1957 by launching the first artificial satellite into space, the Sputnik-1.
Conditions were very harsh and unfavorable, but knowing space science’s potential in developing a sizeable geographical country like India.
- 1961, The first Indian Prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru put the space research under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) scope.
- In February 1962, the father of the Indian space program Dr. Vikram Sarabhai with the father of Indian nuclear program Homi J.Bhabha, created the “Indian national committee of space research” (INCOSPAR).
History was written once again after Sputnik-1, as Neil Armstrong already stepped on the Moon on 20th July 1969. With the first man on the Moon, NASA reframed the new standards for space agencies and space exploration.
- Meanwhile, Vikram Sarabhai just founded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 15th August 1969.
Failure before success
Every journey has ups and downs; similarly, ISRO is no exception. ISRO has faced many failures worth billions of rupees and in respect too.
- On 19th April 1975, ISRO designed its first satellite “Aryabhata,” and USSR launched the satellite into space within the five days of the launch. A power failure stopped all the signals from the aircraft—worth 50 million rupees.
- 1979 ISRO itself launched its satellite “Rohini,” 10 years of hard work of thousands of people crashed just in five minutes after the launch-worth 300-350 million rupees.
The SLV-3 project director and the former president of India, Mr. Abdul Kalam, had to face the criticism of putting the satellite in the Bay of Bengal instead of space and burning crores of rupees.
Mr. Satish Dhawan, The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, went with Abdul kalam to the press conference, received all the criticism and he said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have failed today, simultaneously assuring, we will succeed because our team is excellent.
- 1980 18th July, ISRO successfully launched the “Rohini” satellite in SLV-3 into the orbit.
This time Mr.Satish Dhawan sent Abdul Kalam to attend the press conference receiving all the praise.
He showed authentic leadership (when the failure occurred, the leader took it up, and when success comes, he gives to his team) and taught the World how to deal with failures.
A series of unfortunate failures
- 1987 10th August, ASLV -D1 (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle) Failed-worth 260 million rupees.
- 1988, ASLV-D2 (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle) Failed again-worth 260 million rupees.
- 1993, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) Failed -worth 1300-2000 million rupees.
- 2006 11th July, GSLV-FO2 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) Failed- worth 3670 million rupees.
- 2017 31st August, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) Failed -worth 1300-2000 million rupees.
Three more following the list.
Not only some failed missions, but scams are also part of the failure of ISRO, resulting in a stain on its name.
Remarkable success
In 51 years of journey, ISRO is active with a 90.3% success rate.
- ISRO successfully launched 108 space crafts out of 119.
- ISRO successfully launched 70 launchers out of 78.
Exploring the deep space
Knowledge has many definitions; for some, it provides a way of living; for others, it is power, For some, it is an obsession.
Space is infinite, and so as its unexplored knowledge.
For the unsatisfied people with the known theories and those who seek more, space is open.
ISRO sent its Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 to the deep space missions. Unfortunately, both failed, but moving on with the vision, Chandrayaan-3 is next for the task as stopping at failure is not the ISRO’s way.
