By: D.K Choudhary
Atomic clocks of Satellite IRNSS-1A Develops Technical Snag
i. The atomic clocks on the first satellite IRNSS-1A of the NAVIC, an indigenously built satellite system has developed technical complications.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, A.S. Kiran Kumar informed that one of the three crucial rubidium clock on IRNSS-1A spacecraft failed six months ago while the other two failed subsequently.
ii. NAVIC is a constellation of seven satellites in the geosynchronous orbit and two backup satellites on ground. Each satellite consists of three atomic clocks. Thus there are total of 27 atomic clock in NAVIC.
iii. ISRO Chairman also announced that the default satellite would be replaced by one of the back-up satellite 1H, in the second half of the year 2017.
INSAT-3DR Satellite to Enable Detecting Farm Fires
i .The Indian Weather Satellite, INSAT-3DR, launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in September 2016, has led to a remarkable achievement in Indian weather forecasting.
ii. The Next Generation INSAT-3DR, will enable detecting Farm Fires, which was till now ISRO’s GSLV-F05 rocket successfully puts INSAT-3DRonly conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) thus helping in formulating effective measures to deal with the issue.
iii. The seasonal Farm Fires that leads to increasing the air pollution level in India’s northern region especially Delhi, is believed to be caused by burning the agro-residues in Haryana and Punjab during the October-November months that emits smoke causing air pollution.
iv. The satellite provides data at an average rate of 142 GB per day. The team of Satellite Meteorology Division scientists from the India Meteorological Department (IMDs) at Mausam Bhawan, New Delhi collected huge amount of data with the help of the satellite.
v. INSAT-3DR also enables night time monitoring of atmospheric phenomenon like cloud cover, fog, haze and snow among others.
