India launches first astronomy-focused satellite
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029242
Nature : On 28 September, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the 1.5-ton Astrosat probe aboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The satellite entered low-Earth orbit and has a five-year mission to study star-birth regions and high-energy systems such as binary neutron stars and black holes. Onboard the satellite are UV, high- and low-energy x-ray, and visible-light telescopes as well as an instrument that will be passively scanning for high-energy x-ray and gamma-ray bursts. According to Mylswamy Annadurai, director of the ISRO Satellite Center, the scanner will begin operating in the next four days, and the other instruments will follow over the next two months.
