Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 30

India’s largest astronomical telescope would be ready by 2020, giving the country a quantum boost in its capability to study distant space objects and monitor the movement of celestial bodies.

The telescope is being constructed by the Department of Space’s Physical Research Laboratory whose Director Dr Anil Bhardwaj who was in the city today. He said the location’s geographical characteristics and low humidity were highly advantageous for infrared spectrometry, making visibility better.

Known as the cradle of space sciences in India that was founded in 1947, PRL carries out fundamental research in space and atmospheric sciences, astronomy, astrophysics and solar physics as well as planetary and geo-sciences.

Dr Bhardwaj said the laboratory had also started work on instrumentation for India’s Mangalyan-II mission to Mars as well as the planned exploratory missions by the Indian Space Research Organisation to Venus. The study mission will involve injecting a satellite into an orbit 1.5 m km from Earth.