An ISRO success story that the world did not know

By : Defence News

The INSAT-2E satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) functioned for over 10 years even as its two earth censors failed.

The INSAT-2E satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) functioned for over 10 years even as its two earth censors failed. Except a few key officials of the ISRO, no one knows about the major technological snag developed by the satellite one and a half years after its successful launch in April, 1999. It makes the world know about the technical advancement of the ISRO and the commitment of its workforce.The then scientist in ISRO and presently Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre M.Y.S. Prasad shared the close-guarded secret with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK) while delivering the third convocation lecture here on Thursday. “Any satellite requires two censors to function well. When the ISRO developed INSAT-2E and signed a contract with a foreign company to share its services, we have faced a strange situation one night,” Mr. Prasad began the narration. He said the technical snag was identified at 4 a.m. and the then Chairman K. Kasturi Rangan asked Mr. Prasad and a few other scientists to rectify the issue before 7 a.m., as the services of the satellite were required for the airing of national news in Doordarshan. “We were immersed in the job and finally able to solve the issue before 7 a.m. As the news aired as usual, no one knows about the technical issue. After that, the satellite worked for 10 years and earned revenue to the tune of Rs. 750 crore to the nation, ” he said in a smile.