Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved yet another feat in the area of space exploration and proved its mettle once again. Today morning, ISRO launched the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying 104 satellites on a single rocket. The organisation has broken a world record with the achievement, previously held by Russia which launched 34 satellites on a single rocket in 2014.
Then there is NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a space organisation that leads the industry of space exploration on many fronts. NASA has achieved remarkable feats throughout history and has paved the way for other organisations around the globe in doing the same.
Since its establishment
- NASA has discovered the Van Allen radiation belt (Explorer 1)
- discovered more than 1,000 exoplanets (Kepler)
- launched Hubble Space Telescope
- sent a rover on Mars
- launched Chandra space telescope
- carried out multiple manned missions to space
- put an International space station into space
In comparison, ISRO has achieved an equally remarkable feat since its formation in 1969 i.e. a decade after NASA. From putting its first satellite into space in 1975 (Aryabhatta) to successfully launching a Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014, ISRO has been a face of development in the space exploration sector.
In its nearly 5 decades of existence, ISRO has successfully
- carried out a lunar probe (Chandrayaan-1)
- tested a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)
- launched its own satellite navigation system (NavIC system)
- developed its own expendable launch system (PSLV)
- made scientific discoveries in space flights (microbes found in the stratosphere of Earth)
- sent an Orbiter to Mars (Mangalyaan/ Mars Orbiter Mission)
- and today has carried 104 satellites into space using a single rocket.
The Mars Orbiter Mission of ISRO is in itself a historic achievement. ISRO was the first organisation in the world to reach the surface of Mars in the first go and that too on a shoestring budget as compared to that of other organisations’.Where ISRO lacks?
While ISRO has been at par with other organisations, it falls behind in certain aspects. For instance, ISRO has not carried out a manned mission into space till date. Also, NASA’s International Space Station in the low earth orbit is a humongous achievement which might take decades to be matched by ISRO.
Though one can assume the current capabilities of the organisations through their accomplishments, the fact of the matter is none of the space organisations are competing with each other.Working Together
Space exploration works more like a network wherein each player puts in their contribution towards the betterment of society. As a proof, NASA and ISRO have worked together in the past on a synthetic aperture radar satellite (NISAR) which was used for studying hazards and global environmental change. NASA also provided ISRO with Moon Minerology Mapper during its ‘Chandrayaan’ mission.
The organisations have future plans to work together for missions like Mars Exploration. The plans were confirmed in a meeting on September 30, 2014, with an official agreement. The plans came as an expansion to NASA’s provision of communications and navigation support during ISRO’s 'Mars Orbiter Mission'.Also read: ISRO Creates Big World Record, PSLV Takes Off With 104 Satellites
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