Poem ... Vinit Vartak ©

 Poem ... Vinit Vartak ©

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched a new spacecraft. The English meaning of the poem is poetry. That is why many Indians may be perplexed to read that a national space agency has started writing poems in space. As soon as ISRO's rocket launched the satellites into space on June 30, 2022, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath uttered a sentence in his speech after the successful launch which was very important in many senses. His words were,

“Write some poems in orbit” ISRO Chairman S Somanath.

It was a well-known fact that the words of the ISRO chairman would not be heard by Indians who were squabbling over political issues, renting each other out of caste, religion and being very interested in each other's private lives. Of course, if it had fallen, it would have gone from one ear to the other and been forgotten. But that does not diminish the significance of those words. The United States used all means, prices, fines, discrimination to defeat this mission. Space agencies of the United States, China, and European Union countries trying to prevent Indian ISRO from doing so. India's ISRO has done the same in the June 30 test. That is why the words of the Chairman of ISRO are very important for India and for Indians. 

So what exactly is a poem? POEM stands for PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (‘POEM’). To explain the poem, we need to briefly explain how the rocket works in general. Any rocket flies in stages. Each of these stages involves different engines, fuels and other technologies. Which we call the stage. You may have often heard of a rocket approaching stages between Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3 and Stage 4. Similarly, India's PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) flies in 4 stages. This means that the rocket uses four stages to launch a satellite from the ground at an altitude of about 400 to 600 km.

Up till 30 june launch, after the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) took off, the first three stages were separated from the main rocket and crashed into the sea. The remaining fourth stage is the accumulation of debris in space and eventually enters the Earth's atmosphere and is destroyed. Indian scientists have started researching whether we can use this fourth stage. This is because these stages were often orbiting the Earth from low orbit to Earth and then disappearing. Then ISRO realized that if we could use this stage, which was launched into space free of cost as part of a rocket, we could have far-reaching consequences. PSLV is a rocket launching polar satellites, these are satellites that travel from the earth's south-north poles. In this orbit you are orbiting your remote sensing satellites, reconnaissance satellites, ground-based mapping satellites. So if India could use this platform, its economic and military consequences would be far-reaching.

In the PSLV C44 mission launched in 2019, Kalamsat V2 student satellite was launched for the first time using this fourth stage as a platform. This means that the satellite was placed by ISRO on the 4th stage platform, which was completed after the rocket completed its mission and orbited in space. Using a lithium iron battery, the students adjusted its orbit and the satellite began working in space. So ISRO got a platform to send a satellite as a scientist or a model for free. It should be noted that it is easy to build a satellite. But the cost of launching it is much higher than the cake. ISRO did not stop there. ISRO realized that if you install solar panels in it without just stopping at the battery, these batteries will keep recharging and you can use this platform for a longer period of time. 

In this way, the US was pressuring ISRO not to use its 4th stage. They knew the platform was a double-edged sword. As such it has more military benefits than economic and scientific benefits. India could launch a missile in space in this manner tomorrow and launch it in due course. This was not to America's liking. India had already told the world that it could destroy low-Earth orbit satellites by building an A-SAT missile. Such platforms would now provide India with the capability to launch missiles from space into space or from space to the ground. We must keep in mind that the seeds of war will be sown in space in the years to come. At such a time, the leap taken by ISRO to make India self-reliant was very important.

ISRO has successfully launched the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (‘POEM’) into space during the PSLV flight on 30 June 2022. In which solar panels were installed. When the satellite completed its work, the solar panels attached to the tanks of the 4th stage were opened. This platform was added by Navigation Guidance and Control (NGC). This means that we can stabilize this platform from Earth to the desired orbit. ISRO would be able to control its space, angle, height. It is also fitted with helium gas thrusters. By running it, we are able to take this platform wherever we want. This means that if we install a missile on it in the future, it can penetrate enemy satellites or other ground targets without anyone noticing if we need it as we wish. Another important achievement that India has achieved in the June 30 mission is that the two satellites on this platform were built by Indian private companies through the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe). Satellites of two private companies, Digantara and Dhruv Space, have been launched on this platform.With this, India has opened a new field for Indians. This is a big step forward in building a private space industry in India in the same way that a company like SpaceX emerged in the US.

PSLV's Poem has sown the seeds of a new revolution on June 30, 2022. The fruits of which we will see in the days to come. That is why ISRO chairman S. Somnath's sentence is important in many ways. Congratulations on ISRO's success. Thank you to all the engineers, scientists, staff and private companies who participated in this campaign. Good luck for the next trip.

Jai Hind !!!

Photo Search Courtesy: - Google, ISRO (PSLV C53 takes to the skies on June 30, 2022)

Note: - The wording in this post is copyright.