**Executive Summary**
This document reports the Indian Institute of Astrophysics' (IIA) celebration of the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope's (UVIT) 10 years of operation on board AstroSat, India's first dedicated space observatory, launched on September 28, 2015. It details the achievements and discusses future space UV telescopes. IIA hosted a one-day academic workshop on December 4, 2025, to mark the 10-year anniversary of UVIT’s launch on November 30, 2015.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **UVIT and AstroSat:**
* UVIT is the primary payload on AstroSat, launched by ISRO on September 28, 2015.
* AstroSat carries five payloads capable of simultaneous observations from the ultraviolet to hard X-rays.
* UVIT was designed, assembled, tested, and delivered by IIA.
* **Capabilities and Discoveries:**
* UVIT is India's first UV space telescope and is unique for combining a large field of view with superior spatial resolution.
* It observes in the near-ultraviolet (200-300 nm) and visual bands (320-550 nm), as well as the far-ultraviolet (130-180 nm).
* Its spatial resolution is better than 1.5 arcseconds.
* Key discoveries include hot compact companion stars, feedback effects in active galactic nuclei, and distant galaxies.
* **Data and Collaboration:**
* The UVIT Payload Operation Centre (POC) is at IIA, responsible for science-ready data production, monitoring, and upgrading software.
* UVIT data has led to approximately 300 research articles and 19 Ph.D. theses.
* Improved science-ready images are being uploaded to the PRADAN archive of ISRO's ISSDC.
* **Future Plans:**
* IIA is planning for a larger next-generation space facility, INSIST (Indian Spectroscopic and Imaging Space Telescope).
**Impact Analysis**
**IIA (Indian Institute of Astrophysics)**
* **Impact:** IIA designed, assembled, and delivered UVIT. They also manage the UVIT Payload Operation Centre (POC) and play a crucial role in future space telescope development.
* **Action Required:** Continue managing the UVIT POC, produce science-ready data, and contribute to the planning and development of INSIST.
**Astronomers in India and Abroad**
* **Impact:** Astronomers are impacted by the availability of UVIT data, leading to numerous discoveries and research publications. They also benefit from the archiving and dissemination of data by the UVIT POC to the PRADAN archive of ISRO’s ISSDC.
* **Action Required:** Utilize UVIT data for research, analyze uploaded images from the PRADAN archive, and contribute to future research.
**ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)**
* **Impact:** ISRO is the launching organization for AstroSat and benefits from the scientific discoveries made by UVIT, enhancing India's space research capabilities. The findings are archived in the ISRO’s ISSDC.
* **Action Required:** Continue supporting and archiving data from UVIT through ISSDC and collaborate with IIA on future space missions, including INSIST.
**Students (Indian & International)**
* **Impact:** International collaboration with Canada enhanced the utility of the UV astronomy. The availability of UVIT data leads to publication of research articles and PhDs.
* **Action Required:** Utilize UVIT data for research and thesis work.
Key Entities Referenced
AstroSat: India's first dedicated space observatory, carrying the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) as its primary payload.
UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT): The primary payload on board AstroSat, it is India's first UV space telescope capable of observing in the far-UV.
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA): An autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), responsible for designing, assembling, testing, and delivering UVIT, as well as managing the UVIT Payload Operation Centre (POC).
ISRO: Indian Space Research Organisation, launched AstroSat, and has several centers contributing to the design and fabrication of the UVIT.
UVIT Payload Operation Centre (POC): Set up at IIA, it is responsible for the production of science-ready data for astronomers, regular monitoring of UVIT, technical evaluation of proposals, and upgrading software on the telescope.
Ministry of Science & Technology
IIA Celebrates 10 Years of Operation of the
UltraViolet Imaging Telescope on board AstroSat
प्रव तथ: 04 DEC 2025 3:37PM by PIB Delhi
In a landmark moment, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics celebrated 10 years of operation of the highly
successful UltraViolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board AstroSat.
UIVT is the primary payload on board AstroSat, India’s first dedicated space observatory, launched on
September, 28, 2015 by ISRO. AstroSat carries five payloads capable of observing simultaneously from
the ultraviolet to soft X-rays and hard X-rays.
UIVT was designed, assembled, tested, and delivered by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an
autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), from its campus in Hosakote.
To commemorate this achievement and to plan for future space UV telescopes, IIA organised a one-day
academic workshop on 4 December 2025, to mark 10 years since the opening of the doors of UVIT on 30
November 2015.
“Since UV rays are absorbed by our atmosphere, it can only be observed using space telescopes. The
UVIT is India’s first UV space telescope, and is the only operational telescope capable of observing in the
far-UV apart from the Hubble Space Telescope”, Explained Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of IIA and
Calibration Scientist of UVIT.
UVIT has led to a number of important discoveries, and is being used by astronomers in India and abroad
to this day. It is unique in the world in combining a large field of view and a superior spatial resolution of
the sky.
Recalling the contribution of Prof. K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman ISRO Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar,
former Chairman, ISRO said “Our ability to understand the Universe improves whenever we discover new
ways of observing and measuring the cosmos, and I complement IIA in bring us all together today to tell
the story of how AstroSat and UVIT was designed, fabricated, and successfully flown in space”.
“The UVIT is a twin telescope system. One of them observes the Universe in the near-ultraviolet (NUV;
200-300 nanometres) and visual bands (vis: 320–550 nanometres), and the other observes in the far-
ultraviolet (FUV; 130-180 nanometres)”, explains C.S. Stalin, the in-charge of UVIT Payloads Operation
Centre.
Its combination of a large field of view and high spatial resolution better than 1.5 arcseconds (better than
GALEX/NASA) makes it a unique instrument for astronomy related discoveries.
UVIT’s design and fabrication involved several institutions, and the entire project was led by the IIA, with
a national consortium including support from IUCAA in Pune, TIFR in Mumbai, many centres of ISRO
playing crucial roles, including ISAC/URSC, LEOS, IISU, and SAC and the Canadian Space Agency.“We had to set up a special laboratory with ‘Clean Rooms’ for handling sensitive components to prevent
any contamination that will degrade them. This MGK Menon Laboratory was installed at our CREST
campus in Hosakote, which has since been used for other space missions as well”, Subramaniam pointed
out. An international collaboration was set up with Canada to utilise their experience with UV astronomy
as well, she added. Following the launch, the UVIT Payload Operation Centre (POC) was set up at IIA,
which is responsible for the production of science-ready data for astronomers, regular monitoring of
UVIT, technical evaluation of proposals, and upgrading software on the telescope.
The workshop also highlighted some of the key discoveries and science highlights from the UVIT
observations, which include discovery of hot compact companion stars of Be stars and Blue Straggler
Stars in clusters, feedback effects in active galactic nuclei traced by star formation, novae in the
Andromeda galaxy, discovery of extended UV disks in dwarf galaxies and planetary nebulae, detection of
emission from distant galaxies at redshift of 1.42, correlations between UV and X-ray emission from
active galactic nuclei, and characteristics of young star formation in galaxies.
It was also highlighted that UVIT has observed a total of 1451 targets in the sky and in the last 10 years of
operation, it has led to about 300 research articles and 19 Ph.D. thesis. Many more students both in India
and outside the country are using data from UVIT for their thesis work as well.
The improved version of the final science ready images is being uploaded by the UVIT POC to the
PRADAN archive of ISRO’s ISSDC for archiving and dissemination, for the use of all astronomers in the
years to come for their research.
Finally, the assembled astronomers also discussed how, by building on more than two decades of
experience in UVIT, a larger next generation space facility, viz., INSIST (Indian Spectroscopic and
Imaging Space Telescope), can be made possible.*****
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