IIA Marks 10 Years of UVIT Operations on AstroSat
ECONOMY & POLICY

IIA Marks 10 Years of UVIT Operations on AstroSat

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has recently celebrated 10 years of operation of the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), the primary payload aboard AstroSat, India’s first dedicated space observatory. Launched on 28 September 2015, AstroSat hosts five instruments capable of observing from ultraviolet to soft and hard X-ray wavelengths.

Designed, assembled and tested at IIA’s Hosakote campus, UVIT began science operations on 30 November 2015. To commemorate the milestone and discuss future ultraviolet missions, IIA organised a one-day academic workshop on 4 December 2025. IIA Director Annapurni Subramaniam noted that UVIT is the only operational far-ultraviolet telescope apart from the Hubble Space Telescope, enabling observations otherwise impossible from the ground.

UVIT comprises two telescopes observing in near-ultraviolet, visual and far-ultraviolet bands, offering a large field of view and spatial resolution better than 1.5 arcseconds—surpassing NASA’s GALEX mission. Its development involved a national consortium led by IIA, with contributions from IUCAA, TIFR, several ISRO centres and support from the Canadian Space Agency.

Speakers highlighted UVIT’s scientific contributions, including discoveries of compact companions to Be stars, extended UV disks in dwarf galaxies, novae in Andromeda, young star formation patterns, and emission from distant galaxies at redshift 1.42. Over the decade, UVIT has observed 1,451 targets, contributing to around 300 research papers and 19 PhD theses.

IIA also outlined plans for the next-generation ultraviolet mission INSIST (Indian Spectroscopic and Imaging Space Telescope), building on decades of expertise gained through UVIT.

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has recently celebrated 10 years of operation of the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), the primary payload aboard AstroSat, India’s first dedicated space observatory. Launched on 28 September 2015, AstroSat hosts five instruments capable of observing from ultraviolet to soft and hard X-ray wavelengths. Designed, assembled and tested at IIA’s Hosakote campus, UVIT began science operations on 30 November 2015. To commemorate the milestone and discuss future ultraviolet missions, IIA organised a one-day academic workshop on 4 December 2025. IIA Director Annapurni Subramaniam noted that UVIT is the only operational far-ultraviolet telescope apart from the Hubble Space Telescope, enabling observations otherwise impossible from the ground. UVIT comprises two telescopes observing in near-ultraviolet, visual and far-ultraviolet bands, offering a large field of view and spatial resolution better than 1.5 arcseconds—surpassing NASA’s GALEX mission. Its development involved a national consortium led by IIA, with contributions from IUCAA, TIFR, several ISRO centres and support from the Canadian Space Agency. Speakers highlighted UVIT’s scientific contributions, including discoveries of compact companions to Be stars, extended UV disks in dwarf galaxies, novae in Andromeda, young star formation patterns, and emission from distant galaxies at redshift 1.42. Over the decade, UVIT has observed 1,451 targets, contributing to around 300 research papers and 19 PhD theses. IIA also outlined plans for the next-generation ultraviolet mission INSIST (Indian Spectroscopic and Imaging Space Telescope), building on decades of expertise gained through UVIT.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Asian Energy Services Q1 FY27 PAT Rises 129 Per Cent

Asian Energy Services Limited reported a 129 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit to Rs 128 million for Q1 FY27, compared with the corresponding quarter last year.Revenue increased 135 per cent year-on-year to Rs 2.71 billion, supported by continued momentum across its services business, disciplined execution and contributions from domestic and international operations. EBITDA grew 81 per cent year-on-year during the quarter.As of June 30, 2026, the company’s standalone order book stood at Rs 17.54 billion, with around 60 per cent coming from oil and gas services and 40 per cent from min..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

BioBTX to Build First Commercial-Scale Circular Chemicals Plant

Dutch circular chemistry technology developer BioBTX is building what it says will be the world’s first commercial-scale plant to convert mixed plastic waste into high-quality aromatic chemicals using its proprietary Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process (ICCP) technology.The facility will be built at Chemical Park Delfzijl on the northern coast of the Netherlands and is expected to create 35 jobs. Covestro, which has been a shareholder and strategic partner of BioBTX since 2024, holds a mid-single-digit million-euro investment in the company.BioBTX’s ICCP technology uses catalytic pyrolys..

Next Story
Real Estate

Awfis Q1 FY27 PAT Jumps 140% as Revenue Rises 27%

Awfis Space Solutions reported a 140 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) to Rs 240 million for Q1 FY27, compared with Rs 100 million in the corresponding quarter last year.Revenue from operations increased 27 per cent to Rs 4.25 billion from Rs 3.35 billion, while EBITDA rose 28 per cent to Rs 1.62 billion. EBITDA margin improved to 38.2 per cent from 37.8 per cent. Profit before tax increased 135 per cent to Rs 240 million.The company's co-working business recorded 27 per cent year-on-year growth, supported by demand from enterprises, Global Capability Centres (G..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement