The sight of Indian spacecraft in the vast 15, 000 acres land commenced our journey at Sriharikota High Altitude Range(SHAR). SHAR, otherwise known as Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDSC) owns popularity across the world for its technologies and vehicle(rocket in this instance) development.
Mission Control Centre(MCC)
As my feet touched the historical floor of bulging brains and truly remarkable successes, I felt a shiver of inspiration crawl down my spine. The dome shaped Mission Control Centre was splendid for my eyes. The machines captivated me to my interests; the rocket graphs and vehicle information was fascinating enough to startle me of my presence in the remote site. Even as we vacated the dome, the image was fixed in my mind. There was a view from the Mission Control Centre of the boundless roadway to the rocket launch pads, which was our next destination.
From my analysis, I’ve collected a crucial piece of information; there is surplus security packed in every building of the remote site.
Launch Pads
FLP
We were headed to the First Launch Pad(FLP) which has a lot of information held by its name. We dismounted the car to see the astronomical assembly enveloped in a heatproof aluminium alloy. We crossed the tracks and entered the building. Before I proceed, you may be wondering how tracks have a connection. I had the same doubt. I found out that the building lies on this track as a dependency to move away from the rocket after the rocket formation, for the launch.
FLP was built in the early 1990’s for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle(GSLV). The FLP was under modification and preparation for a launch therefore our visit inside was left unattended. The basic idea was that the vehicle would be built inside the building with people working separately on different levels; once the vehicle assembly was completed, the building would move away from the rocket on the tracks for the launch.
SLP
We located ourselves in the relatively prodigious Second Launch Pad(SLP) which fortunately retained an opportunity for us viewing the interiors. The building had the same enclosure however, it was and still is being maintained more reverentially than FLP. SLP is a state-of-the-art launch complex which is universally recognised for its configuration and ability to to accommodate any ISRO launch vehicle, and some future vehicles too!
The launch technique differs between the two launch pads because in SLP, the rocket moves away from the building instead as it consumes less time for the operation…
SLV – LP
For launching SLV-3’s, the SLV Launch Pad was built and used very efficiently. It was built ptimarily to launch the Satellite Launch Vehicle(SLV); it was later developed to launch Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle(ASLV).
Launch History
From the oldest sounding rockets, RH-125 to the latest PSLV C-38, the development of Sriharikota is immense with many successes and failures. We are all dependant on these satellites so it’s important we acknowledge their launch history.
SLV Launches
The range became operational when three Rohini 125 sounding rockers were launched on 9th and 10th October 1971.
India’s third successful satellite launch was accomplished by the SLV-3 which provided satisfaction in both the preparation and the launch. It was 18 July 1980 that marked this successful launch.
As a fact, out of four SLV launches from SHAR, two were successful resulting in two failures.
ASLV Launches
The first ASLV launch from SHAR took place in 1987 and ensued in a failure. Eventually out of four ASLV launches, only one was successful.
PSLV Launches
The first launch of the PSLV took place on 20th September 1993 in the FLP launch complex which had advantages that were remarkable for the time. This included the providence of the SP-3 payload clean room and the addition of propellant motors.
Space Museum
We were greeted with a wonderful welcome into the museum that symbolized SHAR. For an initial impression, it seemed august enough to deserve way more tourism than it had.
We were taken into the lounge which seated us for a brief 10 minutes documentary covering from the birth of SHAR to the latest rocket launch on the 23rd June 2017 – PSLV C-38. Our facial expression marked the impression that we witnessed in that spacial room. We walked with small but influenced footsteps into the museum which was neighbouring the lounge.
Space, rockets, satellites, scientific buildout you name it, the museum had bewildering information that exceeded your conjecture and answered your hesitancy. It was given a classic space theme which alluded my thoughts towards Star Wars. There are sublime activities and splendid models of rockets and other comprehending technologies. Taking a tour around this museum is as adventurous as travelling around the universe freely.
If you’re fortunate and you get an oppurtunity to visit SHAR, I can bet that any person, disconcerning their interests, of any age, will enjoy their attendance at SHAR – SDSC.
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