Flashback 2018: A year of success for ISRO

New Delhi, Dec 31: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has always made India proud. This year too ISRO achieve the landmark feat by launching its 100th mission into space when it lifted off PSLV-C40. The rocket carried 31 satellites which were a first-of-its-kind.

Following a four-month pause, ISRO started 2018 with a successful launch of PSLV-C40 in January, placing a Cartosat-2 series satellite in orbit along with 30 other smaller satellites from a number of countries. In 2018, all but one has been successful.

The success of the mission marked an important milestone for the Indian space programme towards achieving self-reliance in launching heavier satellites. The success also signifies the completion of the experimental phase of GSLV Mark III.

The accomplishment led ISRO to join the elite club of nations such as US, China, Russia, Japan and France involved in launching rockets above 4 tonne class.
In addition to this, as part of preparation for the ensuing manned mission, Isro carried out a major technology demonstration on July 5, 2018, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape System, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight.

The Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a lanch abort.

Despite a successful launch on 23 March of GSAT-6A, ISRO lost communication with it by 1st April. The fault was traced to a failure in the electrical system, and although ISRO is still tracking GSAT-6A and attempting to contact it, in the absence of two-way communication, GSAT-6A will be formally designated as a lost mission by the end of 2018. A replacement GSAT-32 is scheduled for launch in October 2019.

Perhaps the most strategically significant event this year was the independence day announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India will launch its first mission with 2 or 3 crew to low Earth orbit of about 400 km for up to a week by 2022 or sooner.

The single most critical mission in 2018 was the successful launch of GSAT-29 on ISRO's heavy launch vehicle GSLV-MkIII. GSAT-29 will make a critical contribution to the Digital India programme providing digital communication capacity from space. This was the second successful orbital flight of the GSLV-MkIII, which allowed ISRO to move GSLV-MkIII from a "development" status to "operational".

Highlights of 2018:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces manned mission in 2022

Space crew escape module tested as part of manned space mission

Tested technologies for manned space mission

India's heaviest communication satellite, GSAT-11, orbited after being recalled from Kourou spaceport for checks

Increasing production of solid fuel boosters for rockets

Operationalised of heaviest rocket, GSLV Mk III

Decision to licence out lithium ion battery technology

Launched 100th satellite

Kerala sanctions Rs 50 lakh compensation to former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan for his sufferings and ignominy after his wrongful arrest in the ISRO spy case.