Key Facts about ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC)

About Space Applications Centre (SAC)

• It is a major research and development centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, SAC is spread across two campuses with multi-disciplinary activities.
• Genesis:
  • The genesis of the centre dates back to 1966, with the establishment of the Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station (ESCES) by the late Dr. Vikram Sarabhai in Ahmedabad.
  • Later in 1972, the different units of ISROin Ahmedabad pursuing research in applications of space technology were merged to form SAC.
• The core competence of the centre lies in the development of space borne and air borne instruments/payloads and their applications for national development and societal benefits.
  • These applications are in diverse areas and primarily meet the communication, navigation, and remote sensing needs of the country. 
• Besides these, the centre also contributes significantly to scientific and planetary missions of ISRO like Chandrayan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission, etc.
• The communication transponders developed at this Centre for Indian National Satellite (INSAT) and Geo Synchronous Satellite (GSAT) series of satellites are used by the government and private sector for VSAT, DTH, Internet, broadcasting, telephones, etc.
• This centre also designs and develops the optical and microwave sensors for the satellites, signal and image processing software, GIS software, and many applications for the Earth Observation (EO) programme of ISRO.
  • These applications are in diverse areas of Geosciences, Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change, Physical Oceanography, Biological Oceanography, Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Hydrosphere, etc.
• Facilities: The facilities at SAC include highly sophisticated payload integration laboratories, electronic and mechanical fabrication facilities, environmental test facilities, systems reliability / assurance group, image processing and analysis facilities, project management support group, and a well-stocked library.
• SAC is a host institution for the training programmes for students from the Asia Pacific region under the aegis of the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTE-AP) in satellite meteorology and communication.

Q1: What is the Indian National Satellite (INSAT)?

INSAT or the Indian National Satellite System is a series of multipurpose Geo-stationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue needs of India. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia Pacific Region. The satellites also incorporate transponder(s) for receiving distress alert signals for search and rescue missions in the South Asian and Indian Ocean Region, as ISRO is a member of the COSPAR-Sarsat programme.

Source: Moon may have more hidden water ice to exploit than previously known: ISRO