AstroSat 10 Years of Space Astronomy

Mission Overview
The first Indian multi-wavelength space observatory, AstroSat, has been in operation since its launch on September 28, 2015, and has completed a decade of operation. The satellite was put into orbit with the help of the PSLV-C30 (XL) vehicle of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. AstroSat has been an extremely successful mission, significantly surpassing its intended minimum operational life of five years, and still delivering useful scientific data.

Scientific Capabilities and Payloads.
The unique aspect of AstroSat is that it can observe celestial objects in different wavelengths of light- Visible, Ultraviolet, and different X-ray energies (low and high) at the same time. This is facilitated by its set of five complementary scientific instruments:

• Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT): To image in high-resolution in the ultraviolet and visible light.
• Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC): To time and spectral study X-ray sources.
• Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT): To focus on soft X-ray band.
• Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride Imager (CZTI): To image hard X-rays and to study polarization.
• Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM): To scan the sky to detect transient X-ray sources.

Primary Objectives
The mission was to answer major questions in high-energy astrophysics, such as:

• Studying the workings of binary star systems that include compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes.
• Determining magnetic fields of neutron stars.
• Researching on star systems outside our galaxy, the Milky Way.
• Identification of new, short-lived bright X-ray sources (transients).
• A thorough field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet.

Mission Management
The spacecraft is operated at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru. The ten years of service of AstroSat has played a significant role in the world of astronomical studies, proving the strength of the Indian space technology and scientific capabilities.