India’s space program has come a long way since it was established in 1962 as the Indian National Committee on Space Research (INCOSPAR). Its successor, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was set up in 1969, and six years later their first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched. Since then ISRO has matured into one of the “Big Three” Asian space agencies, alongside China’s CNSA and Japan’s JAXA. It is a significant partner in many international space projects.
The first ISRO Moon probe, Chandrayaan 1, was an important step away from ISRO’s previous focus on practical space technology applications, such as remote sensing, communications, distance learning, telemedicine, and security. These efforts were all aimed at supporting India’s national development goals. For many years the feeling was that everything they did had to have a direct payoff for the people and particularly for the impoverished masses. The mission was the first pure space science mission the Indian agency had even done.
The Insat series of communications satellites and the unique weather sensors that they carry are a good example of ISRO’s traditional approach. These satellites were at first launched mostly by Europe’s Ariane and are now being put into orbit by India’s own Geosynchronous Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The technology for the spacecraft themselves was almost entirely homegrown. ISRO’s policy was to use as little foreign input as possible, both in order to develop their own industrial base and—so they claimed—to hold down costs.
Chandrayaan 1 represented a major break from that tradition. It incorporated instrument packages from Britain, Germany, Russia, Sweden, and the US, as well as from India itself. This represented a major step forward in India-US cooperation. Overcoming the bureaucratic and political obstacles that have long stood in the way of such bilateral programs was a major achievement for all involved. On the US side breaking through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) restrictions was only accomplished with a lot of hard work on the part of both NASA and the State Department. It would never have been possible without a commitment from the highest levels of government: former President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee deserve a lot of credit in this regard. In their joint November 2001 communiqué they announced that they had “…agreed to initiate discussions on Civil Space cooperation.”
Source : www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23361&Itemid=88
The first ISRO Moon probe, Chandrayaan 1, was an important step away from ISRO’s previous focus on practical space technology applications, such as remote sensing, communications, distance learning, telemedicine, and security. These efforts were all aimed at supporting India’s national development goals. For many years the feeling was that everything they did had to have a direct payoff for the people and particularly for the impoverished masses. The mission was the first pure space science mission the Indian agency had even done.
The Insat series of communications satellites and the unique weather sensors that they carry are a good example of ISRO’s traditional approach. These satellites were at first launched mostly by Europe’s Ariane and are now being put into orbit by India’s own Geosynchronous Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The technology for the spacecraft themselves was almost entirely homegrown. ISRO’s policy was to use as little foreign input as possible, both in order to develop their own industrial base and—so they claimed—to hold down costs.
Chandrayaan 1 represented a major break from that tradition. It incorporated instrument packages from Britain, Germany, Russia, Sweden, and the US, as well as from India itself. This represented a major step forward in India-US cooperation. Overcoming the bureaucratic and political obstacles that have long stood in the way of such bilateral programs was a major achievement for all involved. On the US side breaking through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) restrictions was only accomplished with a lot of hard work on the part of both NASA and the State Department. It would never have been possible without a commitment from the highest levels of government: former President George W. Bush and former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee deserve a lot of credit in this regard. In their joint November 2001 communiqué they announced that they had “…agreed to initiate discussions on Civil Space cooperation.”
Source : www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23361&Itemid=88
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