As part of yet another initiative in upgrading space technology, the scientific community at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to set up a ‘Multi Object Tracking Radar System’ (MOTRS) at the Satish Dhavan Space Centre (SDSC) on Sriharikota High Altitude Range(SHAR) very soon.
According to sources, the union finance ministry has accepted the proposal for installation of the Rs 245 cr MOTRS project with the issue already brought to the attention of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to SHAR on the occasion of the launch of PSLV-C21 rocket recently.
The project would be completed within a span of 3 years.
It may be recalled that ISRO scientists are forced to use technology from other countries like Singapore to assess the functioning and status of rockets sent into orbit by India due to lack of MOTRS.
However with initiatives by ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan the project is in the process of getting materialised, with ISRO deploying SHAR deputy director A Seshagiri Rao as director for this high-value mission.
“The MOTRS technology would be very useful to ISRO, as we will be in a position to inspect the accuracy of the rocket’s movement directly after it has been launched in to orbit. With the proposed MOTRS we will not only secure information regarding the accuracy of the launch vehicle, but can also easily identify the different stages of the rocket’s journey”, an official revealed.
“The MOTRS system which is being used by France, Russia, America and others, can help ISRO to prevent damages to new rockets and satellites”, he said.
It is learnt that nearly 100 top-notch scientists will collaborate to complete this mammoth task.
MOTRS which functions based on the ‘Beam Steering’ formula which has an antenna attached at an angle of 360 degrees to the Radar, indicates the movement of the rocket without changing the direction of the radar.