AstroSat India's first multi-wavelength space observatory mission was launched on 28th September, 2015 from Sriharikota. The satellite is operated as a proposal based observatory covering a wide band from UV to high energy X-rays. The unique simultaneous observation capability of AstroSat in this wide band makes it one of the major space science observatories of the world.

AstroSat has achieved many scientific milestones during its time in space.

Though there have been scientific missions in the past by ISRO - Aryabhata, SROSS, YouthSat, IRS-P3, GSAT-2, Chandrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission, this was  the first time ISRO launched a space observatory into space. Though ASTROSAT functionally may be similar to the NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the former is about 10 times smaller and cannot be compared to the Hubble, which is versatile.

Besides NASA, space agencies of the European Union, Japan and Russia have launched similar space observatories into space.

The scientific objectives of ASTROSAT mission are:

To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes
Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy
Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky
Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region

ASTROSAT aims at understanding the high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars, to study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond the Milky way galaxy. The mission also intends to detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky, to perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the ultraviolet region.

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