AstroSat

Astrosat [ISRO]

AstroSat is an Indian astronomical observatory satellite.

After the successful performance of the satellite-borne Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE), launched aboard Indian IRS-P3 satellite on 21 March 1996, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has approved instrument development for a full fledged astronomy satellite, named ASTROSAT, for timing, spectral and imaging studies of celestial sources over a wide spectral band. A large number of leading astronomy research institutions in India and abroad are jointly building various instruments for the satellite.

The scientific objectives of ASTROSAT mission are:

• To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes
• Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
• Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy
• Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky
• Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region

AstroSat carries the following instruments.

• Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) for visible rays in the energy range 350-600 nm and UV rays in the energy range 130 – 300 nm.
• Large Area Xenon Proportional Counter (LAXPC) for Hard X-rays in the energy range of 3 – 100 keV.
• Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) for soft X-rays in the energy range 0.3 – 10 keV.
• Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride imager (CZTI) for Hard X-rays in the energy range of 10 – 100 keV.
• Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) for survey of sky in the energy range of 2 – 10 keV.
• Charge Particle Monitor (CPM) to detect high energy particles during the satellite orbital path and alert the instrumentation

ASTROSAT was launched into space by ISRO launcher PSLV-XL in September 2015.