Context:
India’s first multi-wavelength space telescope, AstroSat, has successfully detected its 600th Gamma-ray Burst (GRB), an event named GRB 231122B.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- AstroSat
- Scientific Objectives
AstroSat
- AstroSat stands as India’s inaugural dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, designed for the comprehensive study of celestial entities across X-ray, optical, and UV spectral bands simultaneously.
Key Launch Details:
- Launched on September 28, 2015, by the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), AstroSat boasts a lift-off mass of 1515 kg.
- Positioned in a 650 km orbit with a 6-degree inclination to the equator.
Mission Control:
- Ground Operations: The spacecraft is diligently managed by the spacecraft control center located at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.
- Mission Life: With a minimum anticipated mission life of around 5 years, AstroSat continues to contribute to scientific exploration.
Scientific Payloads:
- AstroSat is equipped with five scientific payloads, facilitating the imaging and analysis of galactic and extra-galactic cosmic sources across a broad spectrum of wavelengths on a unified platform.
Scientific Objectives:
- Probing High Energy Phenomena: Uncover the intricacies of high-energy processes within binary star systems housing neutron stars and black holes.
- Magnetic Fields Exploration: Estimate the magnetic fields associated with neutron stars.
- Stellar Birth Regions: Investigate star birth regions and the high-energy phenomena within star systems beyond our Milky Way.
- X-ray Sky Exploration: Detect new, transiently luminous X-ray sources in the celestial expanse.
- Ultraviolet Universe Survey: Conduct a limited yet profound deep-field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region.
-Source: The Hindu
