AHMEDABAD: A twin satellite system to study the Earth’s aeronomy , the uppermost layer of a planet’s atmosphere which interacts with space, is in an advanced stage. The project will be helmed by Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and Prof D Pallam Raju from PRL will be the lead, said Prof George Joseph, chair of the advisory committee on space science (ADCOS) of Isro.

Joseph, former director of Space Applications Centre (SAC), was speaking at the inaugural session of the 15th International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy (ISEA) at PRL on Monday.

The prestigious symposium has returned to the city after nearly half a century. Dr Vikram Sarabhai had helmed the third edition of the event in 1969, said PRL officials. PRL also released a memento to commemorate the approaching centenary, in 2019, of the Father of the Indian space programme. “India’s first experiments in aeronomy started with the establishment of the Thumba equatorial rocket launching station, which carried out experiments to understand the electrojets in the upper atmosphere. Over the years, India has made a pioneering contribution to aeronomy through multiple projects involving rockets, ground-based radar systems and later satellites. You will be happy to know that India is in the advanced stage of planning an aeronomy satellite system,” said Prof George in his speech.

The project is named DISHA, for Disturbed and quiet-type Ionosphere System at High Altitude, and will involve twin satellites orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 450 km, he added.

The inaugural session included a talk by former Isro director and chairman of the PRL council of management, A S Kiran Kumar, who explained India’s space journey through various missions and elaborated on India’s success in developing indigenous solutions and thinking out of the box, citing the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment right at the start of India’s space age.

The five-day event is being attended by 200 delegates, including 50 from other countries.

