- It is a space observatory launched by ISRO in 2015.
- It was launched with a lift-off mass of about 1500 kg by PSLV-C30.
- It is India‘s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory.
- Most other scientific satellites can observe only a narrow range of wavelength band.
- But AstroSat enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite.
- It observes universe in the optical, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic
- spectrum.
The scientific objectives of ASTROSAT mission are:
1. To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes
2. Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
3. Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy
4. Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky
5. Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region
The minimum useful life of the AstroSat mission is expected to be 5 years.
