INDIA IN SPACE – Essay Writing
Many countries have been trying to establish their superiority in the space. Some want at least their presence felt. The history of space programmes of the progressive countries has been a Chequered one. It has been rather a part of the cold war between two big powers – the erstwhile USSR and USA. The space becomes a store house of the nuclear arsenal of the west. With the disintegration of the former USSR the things have changed everywhere. India’s concern for peaceful ventures in the space has become relevant.
For the common man in this country space is associated with the name of Sq.Ldr.Rakesh Sharma, the only Indian so far to visit the space abroad Soyuz T-11 of Soviet Union on April 5, 1984.It was a short journey fulfilling the ambition of India to have an astronaut. It was actually no achievement for India – a mere lift given by a space traveler to an Indian too. India has not yet enjoyed the luxury of having a space ship of her own. We cannot afford the high cost. Moreover it has no utility for a country that has been in favor of programmes for peace.
Indian scientists and state man did not want to probe the space as much as they wanted to probe the earth from space. The programme had already been launched by different countries – specially the USA, former USSR and West European countries. The intentions were not fair. Besides probing into the natural wealth of the earth they probe into the secrets of army in other countries. The spaceships became the third eye of the KGB and CIA.
India has no intention to interfere in the affairs of other countries. On the contrary we have cooperated with the USA, the former USSR, France, the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Space Agency in making progress in the field of using spacecrafts for peaceful purposes. The space programmes of India began with setting up of rocket launching station at Thumba, a village near Thiruvanathapuram in 1963. The Thumba Equatorial Rocket launching Station became the centre for the growth of ISRO. It has, now, seven associate centres, two at Ahmadabad, three at Bangalore, one at Sriharikota and one at Thiruvanathapuram.
The Indian satellite launching programme was initiated in1982 with the unsuccessful lunching of INSAT-IA.INSAT-IC also met the same fate. But IB launched from Kennedy space centre, Florida in 1983 and ID from Cape Canaveral in1990 were great success. They provided telecommunication facilities and were of a great help in radio and television network and weather monitoring. Since these four satellites were made by a US Communication Corporation India can hardly take full credit for their achievement. we had to wait till 1991 for the indigenously developed spacecrafts.
The launching of Aryabhatta in1975, Bhaskara- I in 1979 and Bhaskara –II in 1981 was a landmark in the Indian satellite programme. The three satellites were launched by Soviet rocket carrier .They carried TV camera and microwave radiometer for studying and observing hydrology, snow melting, oceanography and forestry on the Earth.
After launching IRS-IA from the former USSR on March7, 1988 the Indian Space Programmes took a leap by launching IRS-IB again from Baikanur cosmodrome in the former USSR. Both the satellites are indigenously built. IRS-IB is equipped with LISS camera. The satellite became fully operational on 15th of September 1991. As now both the satellites have been working together they cover the country every 12 days. IRS-IA had been sent 3.5 lakh pictures by September 1, 1991. The data sent by these satellites will be useful in estimating yield of crops, estimation of ground water and forest wealth. As we have our own satellites we have not to depend upon other countries for space oriented telecommunications. India launched PSLV C2 in 1999.Test flight of GSLV is planned for the beginning of the new millennium. The satellites have given a boost to the space programmes for peaceful productive purposes making India an important member of the club of progressive countries.