Astrosat : India’s Own Space Observatory, Launched

India's PSLV-C30 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) took off on its 31^st successful launch, launching ASTROSAT, the country's first Multi-Wavelength Space Observatory, said ISRO.

Astrosat was launched from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center SHAR (SDSC SHAR), at Sriharikota, the spaceport of India.

The Astrosat weights about 1513 kg, and the launch vehicle, PSLV-C30 took off at 10:00 Hrs IST. Astrosat was successfully placed in orbit 650 km above the earth's surface and separated from the fourth stage of PSLV-C30 approximately twenty two minutes after lift-off.

"The mission is successful. It is a well-professed and synchronous efforts. It's a hard earned gift," said P. Kunhikrishnan, Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Center after the launch, reported Times of India.

With the launch, India joins the elite club of nations like Japan, Russia, space agencies of the European Union, and NASA who have launched similar satellites into the space.

Apart from the Astrosat, the PSLV-C30 also carried Canada's NLS-14 nanosatellite, Indonesia's LAPAN-A2 microsatellite and four identical LEMUR nano satellites for the United States.

"Today is one of the eventful days for us. Our PSLV has once again proved to be a workhorse," ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said from the Mission Control Room, reported The Hindu.

The President of India took to Twitter to convey his congratulations and good wishes.

The Astrosat was built at a cost of Rs. 178 crore over 10 years and is expected to have a lifespan of five years. According to ISRO, the Astrosat, which is much like a smaller version of the Hubble Telescope, will observe the universe in optical, ultraviolet low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, reported NDTV. It will also study star birth regions and black holes.

Live coverage of the Astrosat mission can be seen at Spaceflight Now.

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India, United States, Japan, European Union, Russia, Nasa