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Year in Review 2016 | India's foray into space catapulted by ISRO's multiple satellite launches

India Has Successfully Launched 10 Satellites Between August 2015 And August 2016, Adding, Four More Launches-INSAT-3DR And SCATSAT-1 On September This Year, GSAT-18 In October And ResourceSat-2A In November 2016.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Neha Singh | Updated on: 29 Dec 2016, 12:55:34 PM
Year in Review 2016 | India's foray into space catapulted by ISRO's multiple satellite launches

New Delhi:

India has successfully launched 10 satellites between August 2015 and August 2016, adding, four more launches-INSAT-3DR and SCATSAT-1 on September this year, GSAT-18 in October and ResourceSat-2A in November 2016. All these satellites will help ISRO in achieving its goal of 70 satellite launches in three years. ISRO plans to launch 70 satellites in 2017.

This list below compiles some of the important launch made by ISRO in 2016:

Resourcesat-2A 

The 36-hour countdown for the launch of PSLV-C36 carrying Resourcesat-2A began in December. After the launch ISRO said  that Mono Methyl Hydrazine (MMH) fuel and Mixed Oxidesof Nitrogen (MON-3) oxidiser filling operations of the fourth stage (PS4) of PSLV-C36 are completed.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched PSLV-C36 carrying Resourcesat-2A successfully at 10:25 hours from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. 

GSAT-18 

The launch of India's latest communication satellite with 48 transponders that receive and transmit communication signals has been launched on October 6 from Kourou in French Guiana. 

The Indian satellite GSAT-18 was launched at 2am on October 6, 24 hours after its initial launch time. The 3,404 kg Indian satellite GSAT-18 will be providing services in normal C-band, upper extended C-band and Ku-bands of the frequency spectrum. 

INSAT-3DR on-board GSLV-F05 

ISRO on September 8 successfully launched its advanced weather satellite INSAT-3DR on-board GSLV-F05 from the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota, about 110 km from Chennai. 

In April 2001, the first test flight of the GSLV with a cryogenic upper took place, however, it failed. After that, the rocket made eight flights over the past 14 years. Out of 14, five had a Russian cryogenic engine, while three others were powered by the indigenously developed ones. Three turned out to be successful, while four failed and one achieved partial success. The first successful test flight with a Russian engine took place in May 2003. First successful test flight using an indigenous engine happened in January 2014.

In 1986, ISRO made plans to develop a cryogenic engine to be used in rockets. ISRO received offers to develop engines from three different entities – US, Soviet Union and France. The space agency accepted an offer from a company named Glavkosmos in the erstwhile Soviet Union as the other two were not affordable.

PSLV C34/Cartosat-2 Series Satellite Mission

Indian Space Research Organisation launched record 20 satellites, including India's Cartosat-2 series, from Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh in July 2016. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-34 (PSLV) carried 17 foreign satellites from Canada, Indonesia,

Germany and the US.
The main passenger satellite comes from the home land with the name Cartosat, which can take images at sub-meter resolution. The other two Indian satellites are Sathyabhamasat and Swayam.

Scramjet engine 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the Scramjet engine at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh around 80 km from Chennai.

The scramjet engine works on supersonic wave technology and will be helpful in bringing down the overall launch cost of weather satellite INSAT-3DR

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First Published : 29 Dec 2016, 11:16:00 AM

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