Indian Space Program Discussion

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 26 Apr 2013 11:09

ISRO space suit for manned missions:

source: isro facebook page

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 27 Apr 2013 06:08

Thanks Bharats & KrishC.

Hope to see model of the manned capsule as well.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 27 Apr 2013 22:40

Indigenous GSLV to be moved to Sriharikota by May 15
From: The Hindu
Apr 27, 2013, Bangalore; S&T

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/indige ... 661053.ece

Ahead of its crucial and long-awaited launch in July or August, fully indigenous satellite launch vehicle GSLV-D5 is being readied to be shifted to the Sriharikota launch port by May 15, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan.

GSLV-D5, powered by indigenous cryogenic upper stage, is being given final touches at the Mahendragiri centre in Tamil Nadu. GSLV-F06, launched in December 2010 and powered by a Russian cryogenic stage engine, failed. Before that, the GSLV-D3, flown with a home-grown cryogenic stage engine, also failed in April 2010. Since then, ISRO has made many modifications and corrections in the engine. It has conducted 35 ground tests and a simulated high-altitude test till as recently as March, Dr. Radhakrishnan said in his lecture in memory of Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre on Saturday.

An Indian GSLV that can lift communication satellites weighing up to two tonnes into orbit is badly needed to keep up the satellite capacity for different users and the country’s self-reliance in launching its own communication satellites. Dr. Radhakrishnan said mid-June would see the launch of the first regional navigational satellite, R1A, [R one A] on PSLV-C22 rocket. After a review next week, the spacecraft would be moved to Sriharikota. This would be followed by launch of meteorology satellite INSAT-3D and advanced communication spacecraft GSAT-7 — from Kourou, French Guiana.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 27 Apr 2013 22:52

HAL to produce cryogenic engines for ISRO
From: The Hindu
Apr 27, 2013, Bangalore; S&T

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/hal-to ... 661042.ece

Rs.139-crore facility in Bangalore will be ready in three years: Radhakrishnan.
The Indian Space Research Organisation is setting up a Rs.139-crore facility at the Bangalore unit of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. to produce cryogenic engines and complex components for its GSLV and future rockets and it will be ready in three years. ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said this on the sidelines of a lecture programme here on Saturday.

At present, ISRO is developing cryogenic engines with a consortium of Godrej and Hyderabad’s MTAR. HAL is said to have been approved as a second source of assemblage by the Space Commission last month. The space programme includes the ongoing GSLV and the heavier-lift GSLV Mk-III launch vehicles besides a future rocket powered by a semi-cryogenic engine. “We have our own workstation [where] we produce structures, tankages and assemble rocket stages All these require capacities. With one more work centre, the capacity can be increased,” he said.

Currently, HAL is assembling stages of the GSLV Mk-III vehicle, which can put four-tonne satellites in orbit. The structure for a Mars orbiter spacecraft, due for launch in October, also comes from its aerospace facility. Dr. Radhakrishnan earlier delivered the seventh annual Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre memorial lecture — titled ‘Indian space programme: emerging frontiers’ — organised by the Aeronautical Society of India’s Bangalore chapter.

Industry model
ISRO apparently needs to augment its capacities through industry as it has around 50 missions lined up over the next four years, including 15 PSLVs, six GSLVs and two Mk-III vehicles to lift its spacecraft. The cryogenic centre would draw on HAL’s aerospace expertise, developed over 25 years. Recalling that former HAL Chairman and Air Force chief L.M. Katre as well as the former ISRO Chairman, Satish Dhawan, had pushed for an integrated aerospace division at HAL to cater to ISRO’s needs, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the latest facility was a tribute to the two visionaries.

ISRO was also pursuing a unique space enterprise model involving public and private industries, which would, within the next three-five years, start producing satellites and PSLVs. The model already has a base of 500 vendors.

‘Revisit proposal’
Earlier, HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi said a proposal for a cohesive national aeronautics commission, overseeing civil and defence stakeholders and their activities, should be revisited “if India wishes to be a global player in the sector.” The Rs.14,000-plus defence public enterprise was geared to make a civilian passenger plane besides mandated military planes — the medium multi-role combat aircraft, the light combat aircraft, advanced helicopters, the intermediate and basic jet trainers, he said.

prashanth · Post by **prashanth** » 28 Apr 2013 11:17

MTAR provides critical components for Nuclear reactors, aerospace, oil and gas etc. Glad to know that an Indian pvt company is actively involved in developing hi-tech components. They even manufacture turbo-pump for cryo engines!

http://www.mtar.in/businessSegments/isro.php

BTW, thanks for posting the news, bharats.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 28 Apr 2013 11:43

prashanth wrote:MTAR provides critical components for Nuclear reactors, aerospace, oil and gas etc. Glad to know that an Indian pvt company is actively involved in developing hi-tech components. They even manufacture turbo-pump for cryo engines!

http://www.mtar.in/businessSegments/isro.php

BTW, thanks for posting the news, bharats.

There is a picture of the turbo pump in the page.

IN the GSLV failure report here: http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/script ... Jul09_2010 , this pump I think was the one which failed after 0.9 seconds.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 01 May 2013 11:30

Nick_S wrote:Thanks Bharats & KrishC.

Hope to see model of the manned capsule as well.

Courtesy: Facebook.com

Courtesy: antariksh-space.blogspot.com

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 01 May 2013 11:50

wow!! Seems to be spacious enough for 3 people when compared in size with bus outside.

Lots of interesting info in the blog. The first milestone is the pad abort test, to take the crew module 2km away from rocket in case of malfunction.

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 02 May 2013 02:57

Martians! Here we come!

The Mars mission, India's first ever to a distant planet was announced by our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during India's 66th Independence Day celebrations. This was to be a considerable challenge to our burgeoning space program considering the fact that even countries with established space programs such as the Russia Federation have found it difficult to achieve much success when it comes to the red planet.

But ISRO on the other hand has things going right for them on the deep space exploration side of the things. Buoyed by the success of Chandrayaan 1 and the impeding launch of Chandrayaan 2 missions to our moon, the scientists at ISRO are confident of achieving yet another feat with Mars mission.

The mission itself has always been short of details except for the occasional new reports saying that the orbiter is on schedule for a 2014 launch. Every piece of information that can be found on this mission is indeed valuable. There are certain titbits from mission that we would like to share.

•The Mars orbiter will be placed in an elliptical orbit of around 500 X 80,000 km around the red planet. It is much more difficult to put an orbiter into a circular orbit. A circular orbit requirement would require a significant increase in the fuel carried by the orbiter and hence its weight. It would also make the procedure of achieving the required orbit much more complex. The orbiter would first be inserted into an elliptical orbit. Then through a series of burns the apoapsis would need to be reduced to achieve a circular orbit. An elliptical orbit on the other hand reduces the complexity but doesn't make it any more easier to achieve.

•The orbiter will be launch by the PSLV-XL, the same version which launched the Chandrayaan 1. ISRO understandably wants to go with the proven workhorse as opposed to the GSLV even if it means much stringent weight limitations of the orbiter. This might also be one of the reasons for choosing an elliptical orbit as a circular orbit means more fuel which in tuen means more weight. The PSLV should be capable of sending a ~200 kg orbiter to the Martian orbit.

•The orbiter would need around 300 days to reach Mars and is supposed be launched during Ocotober-November 2013. The launch window is very important since missions to Mars can be launched when Earth and Mars are relatively close to each other. This window occurs only once every 26 months. So, miss this window and the mission will have to wait for another 2 years.

•The orbiter is supposed to carry very few instruments, considering the weight limitations and all the instruments are planned to be Indian. The goal of the mission to establish the capability to send orbiters to Mars, so if this mission is successful much bigger missions may follow.

There are a lot of challenges in this mission. Some more intimidating than others but all of which have to be overcome for success. Some of the significant challenges as mentioned by ISRO are

•The spacecraft needs shielding from the radiation in the Van Allen belt and also the deep space radiation. The spacecraft will have a significant and prolonged exposure to radiation so it needs augmented radiation shielding.

•There is a communication delay of ~20 mins between Earth and Mars. This is due to enormous distance that varies between 55-385 million kms between the two bodies. Compare this with the 2 second communication delay between the Earth and the Moon which are separated by 384,000 kms.

•The propulsion system of the spacecraft needs to be robust and reliable. The spacecraft propulsion system will remain dormant for almost 300 days when the spacecraft is travelling from Earth to Mars. Then once it is close to Mars, the propulsion system has to work exactly as it should to insert the spacecraft into orbit around Mars.

•The most challenging phase is certainly inserting the spacecraft into orbit around Mars. The room for error in this phase is minimal and could result in the spacecraft being lost in the depths of space. This critical event will ensure whether the mission is a success.

ISRO has a daunting task ahead of it to ensure that this mission goes as planned given such a large number of variables involved. There are scientists who are working day and night to ensure just that. So, wishing success for ISRO with this challenging mission that is set to boost India's image in the world to new heights.

vic · Post by **vic** » 02 May 2013 09:56

I think India should cancel MARS and manned space flight project and divert the money to Semi cryogenic engine ULV project as commercial satellites are already hitting 6 tons GSO which means even GSLV Mark-3 will be inadequate.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 02 May 2013 11:20

ISRO to launch two student satellites
From: DNA
Bangalore, May 2, 2013, 11:23 IST

Link: http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/1829682 ... satellites

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which has collaborated with the student community to develop and launch satellites, is overseeing the development of two more student satellite.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which has collaborated with the student community to develop and launch satellites, is overseeing the development of two more student satellite. Among them will be STUDSAT-2 ,which will be built by a consortium of multiple engineering colleges affiliated to Visveswaraya Technological University (VTU). The STUDSAT-2, according to the STUDSAT team, is a twin satellite mission that aims to demonstrate inter-satellite communication and increasing temporal resolution for remote-sensing applications.

STUDSAT-2 is the second satellite to be launched by the consortium of engineering colleges after the STUDSAT-1, which was launched in 2010. The objective of the first satellite was to see to it that educational institutions develop miniature satellites and communication link between the satellite and ground station, capturing the image of earth with a resolution of 90 metres and transmitting the payload and telemetry data to the earth station. The STUDSAT-2’s objective will be to demonstrate inter-satellite communication with twin nano satellites. Another student satellite to be launched by Isro would be Pratham, which has been under development for some time by the IIT-Bombay. The student satellites will piggyback with other big satellites launched by the space agency.

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 02 May 2013 13:45

@vic

Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton. ISRO will be unable to launch 6-7 ton com sats until ULV rocket comes online sometime in the next decade. ULV is speculated to have a GTO capability of 10-16 tons and LEO capability of 25-40 tons.

vic · Post by **vic** » 02 May 2013 17:29

KrishC wrote:@vic

Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton. ISRO will be unable to launch 6-7 ton com sats until ULV rocket comes online sometime in the next decade. ULV is speculated to have a GTO capability of 10-16 tons and LEO capability of 25-40 tons.

There is no open source information to show that ISRO is considering 4 booster version of GSLV Mark-3 .

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 02 May 2013 22:04

KrishC wrote:Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton.

Are you seriously suggesting that two more S 200 booster we have 5 tonne GTO capability, implying 1000 tonne rocket for 5 tonne GTO payload

... not sure about the efficiency...

BTW any specific update on semi-cryo and ULV , desperate to here about them and see them flying

sohamn · Post by **sohamn** » 02 May 2013 23:01

KrishC wrote:@vic

Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton. ISRO will be unable to launch 6-7 ton com sats until ULV rocket comes online sometime in the next decade. ULV is speculated to have a GTO capability of 10-16 tons and LEO capability of 25-40 tons.

You have no clue to what you are saying. The power of the boosters are more than the first stage itself. At 5500 KN it is one of the most powerful boosters in the world. I don't know if it is technically possible to add 4 boosters, but if they do then it will not be a increase of 500 kg to GTO, but more like a 1.5 to 2 ton increase to GTO, provided the second stage is able to handle that extra weight ( the cryogenic engine might need an upgrade in such a scenario ).

I think I know where you got the idea from, A long long long time ago...there was a person known as Arun who was a webmaster in BR space page. He speculated this idea that you may be able to add 4 boosters to GSLV MK4 and make it a heavy launch vehicle. But that was mere speculation and there is no evidence that ISRO has thought or planned such a vehicle.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 03 May 2013 06:33

Actually ISRO can add 2 or 4 L110's to the current GSLVMK3 configuration to give us a heavy vehicle. Only problem is that the vehicle will be of high cost. The semi-cryo will solve the cost part

2*S200 + 5*L110 + C25 should give a GTO of 13 tonnes

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 03 May 2013 11:08

Family GSLV
By Destination Orbite

Link: http://lanceurs.destination-orbite.net/gslv_2.php

[Translated from French] To meet its future space ambitions, India starts new range of launchers, GSLV Mk3 and 4 developed from existing technologies. The main building will be equipped with two engines flanked by high pressure 2 boosters (version Mk3) or 4 (version Mk4) Vikas. The upper floor will resume CUS multiple engine ignition Mk2 versions. These launchers will double (version Mk3) or triple (version Mk4) orbital capacity of GSLV. The first flight is scheduled for 2008 at the earliest.
India's ambition does not stop there. The Department of Space wants to develop by 2020 a reusable launcher and consists of a fully automatic dual air in the manner of Sänger project in the 80s.

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 03 May 2013 14:57

vic wrote:
KrishC wrote:@vic

Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton. ISRO will be unable to launch 6-7 ton com sats until ULV rocket comes online sometime in the next decade. ULV is speculated to have a GTO capability of 10-16 tons and LEO capability of 25-40 tons.
There is no open source information to show that ISRO is considering 4 booster version of GSLV Mark-3 .

Yes you are right there isnt any official information about a 4 booster version of gslv-3. I said in my post that they "can" add two more boosters not that they "will", i was merely making a suggestion not stating a fact.

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 03 May 2013 15:31

sohamn wrote:
KrishC wrote:@vic

Two more strap ons can be attached to GSLV mk-3 to increase GTO payload from 4.5 ton to 5 ton. ISRO will be unable to launch 6-7 ton com sats until ULV rocket comes online sometime in the next decade. ULV is speculated to have a GTO capability of 10-16 tons and LEO capability of 25-40 tons.
You have no clue to what you are saying. The power of the boosters are more than the first stage itself. At 5500 KN it is one of the most powerful boosters in the world. I don't know if it is technically possible to add 4 boosters, but if they do then it will not be a increase of 500 kg to GTO, but more like a 1.5 to 2 ton increase to GTO, provided the second stage is able to handle that extra weight ( the cryogenic engine might need an upgrade in such a scenario ).

I think I know where you got the idea from, A long long long time ago...there was a person known as Arun who was a webmaster in BR space page. He speculated this idea that you may be able to add 4 boosters to GSLV MK4 and make it a heavy launch vehicle. But that was mere speculation and there is no evidence that ISRO has thought or planned such a vehicle.

Actually the power of the S-200 boosters is 5151kn not 5500kn source:http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/conten ... EST-01.pdf . And 5151 kn is the peak thrust during the first few seconds of flight, after this as with all solid fuelled boosters the power decreases substantiality. If thrust stayed at 5151kn for the whole flight then gslv-3 would be able to put at least 15 tons in LEO.However this is not the case as average thrust is between 2500kn and 3750 kn during flight. This is the reason why liquid fuels are preferred over solid ones, the L-110 core of gslv-3 produces 1600kn thrust and will not decrease with time because it is liquid fueled. As for lift capability i don't think a 2 ton GTO gain is possible because the upper stage only produces a very modest 200kn. And yes i did get my idea from Arun

.

Info about solid boosters: http://www.universetoday.com/82122/soli ... t-booster/

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 04 May 2013 14:55

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_fam/pslv.htm

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/gslv_mk2.htm

The indian GSLV (Geostationary Launch Vehicle) series are launch vehicles in the 2500 kg to GTO class, which feature a unusual combination of different kind of stages. The first stage consists of a large solid rocket, derived from the PSLV first stage. It is augmented by four liquid fueled strap-on boosters, which have a longer burn time than stage 1. Each booster is powered by a Vikas engine and remains connected with stage 1 during the flight. The second stage is a liquid fueled stage featuring storable propellants. It is the sam as used in the PSLV and is also powered with a Vikas engine. The cryogenic stage 3 for the Mk.1 version is powered by the russian KVD-1M engine, which was originally developed for a cryogenic version of the Proton launch vehicle. It will be replaced by the Mk.2 version, which features the indian built CS engine. The D2 flight introduced some changes developed for the GSLV Mk.2 version like the S-139 stage 1 and the high pressure Vikas engines on the strap-ons.
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/gslv_mk1_3.htm

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 05 May 2013 17:27

ULV rocket family possible variants by space blogger antriksh:

Antriksh's blog: http://antariksh-space.blogspot.com.au/

He also posts info about ISRO's programs on nasaspaceflight forums.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 05 May 2013 18:35

KrishC wrote:ULV rocket family possible variants by space blogger antriksh:

(2S 138 + SC160 + C25) = 560 Tonne
(2S 60 + SC160 + C25 ) = 540 Tonne

implying (2S 138 - 2S 60) = 20 Tonne since SC and and C remains the same
How ? or did i miss something

No mention of CE 60 and CE 100.

Ignoring the above

, when do we see the first flight

member_24808 · Post by **member_24808** » 06 May 2013 14:25

CE-60 and CE-100 will only be needed if ISRO decides to build a rocket that can launch 20+ tons to LEO, such a capability would only be needed if their going to build a space station or offer a large commercial launch vehicle for other countries to launch their satellites on. This is only a concept of ULV by a blogger on the web, what ISRO plans could be completely different. If ISRO gets the green light for ULV then we could see the first flight in the late 2020's-early 2030's.

dinesha · Post by **dinesha** » 06 May 2013 16:15

India to have five rocket launches, including Mars mission, in 2013
Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indi ... 69551.html

India's space agency is planning to have a total of five rocket launches in 2013 from its rocket launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai. This will include a mission to Mars later this year.

Four of the launches are expected to happen between June and December, including the launch of communication satellite G-Sat 14 using heavier rocket - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)- powered with a domestic cryogenic engine.

"Between June 10 and 15 we are planning to launch the first navigational satellite, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-R1A (IRNSS-R1A) and it will be followed by the launch of G-Sat 14 some time in July," a senior official at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told said, preferring anonymity.

According to officials, the assembling of two rockets is going on at a good pace at the rocket launch centre. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL) version that will carry the navigation satellite is being assembled at the first launch pad.

"The assembling of the first stage/engine and the strap on motors has been completed. The second stage is under preparation. The satellite is expected soon from the satellite centre in Bangalore," officials said.

The IRNSS-R1A satellite will be the first of seven satellites to be launched into earth orbit to provide real-time position, navigation and time services to multiple users. The space agency plans to launch the second navigation satellite three months after in-orbit tests of the first one and the remaining five satellites over a 14-month period by 2014-15.

These two launches will be followed by the mission to Mars later this year. The launch of one more remote sensing satellite is also being planned before the end of this year.

In February this year India launched the Indo-French Saral satellite and six other small foreign satellites using the PSLV rocket.
India started putting into space third-party satellites for a fee in 1999 on its PSLV-C2 rocket. Since then India has been successful in launching medium-weight satellites for overseas agencies. Initially ISRO started carrying third-party satellites atop PSLV rockets as co-passengers of its own remote sensing/earth observation satellites.

In 2007 ISRO for the first time launched an Italian satellite- Agile- as a standalone for a fee.

India has earned a revenue of $17.17 million and euro 32.28 million by launching 35 foreign satellites till date, Parliament was told recently by V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.

"Some customers paid in dollars and some in euros and hence we are giving it separately," an ISRO official said.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 11 May 2013 14:01

Aldrin bats for Indian habitat on red planet
BY:Srinivas Laxman
From: Times of India
May 10, 2013, 05.19AM IST

Link: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... an-landing

MUMBAI: As India prepares to launch an unmanned mission to Mars in October-November this year; comes a prediction that this country could perhaps be among the nations which could construct a modular habitat on Mars with US leadership in the years ahead. And this forecast which endorses India's space capability comes from none other than the second man who set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin. The veteran moonwalker made this point while addressing the 'Humans to Mars' conference in Washington DC on Wednesday organized by Explore Mars.

According to him, apart from India, the other countries which could construct a modular habitat on the surface of the red planet include China, Japan, Europe and Russia. The habitat will be used by astronauts to work and stay when they arrive on the red planet. Aldrin, who also launched his book published by National Geographic called: " Mission To Mars: My Vision For Space Exploration", has emphasized the need for launching a manned mission to the red planet by 2035 and maintaining US leadership in human spaceflight. The book has been co-authored by veteran space journalist, Leonard David.

In a post-launch interview to space.com and Universe Today, he said he wants to see an US presidential commitment towards a continuous manned mission to the red planet. He said that a human landing on Mars in 2035 is not without significance because it will be 66 years after the first moon landing - the same amount of time that passed between the flight of the Wright Brothers and the landing on moon by Armstrong and him. It may be recalled that Aldrin felt sidelined that the credit for the first man on moon has gone to Armstrong.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 11 May 2013 14:08

Comet unlikely to affect Mars Orbiter mission: ISRO
BY: Y.Mallikarjun
From: The Hindu

Link: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/c ... 703221.ece

The scheduled launch of Mars Orbiter mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in October-November this year is unlikely to be affected by a comet approaching the red planet.Delivering the National Technology Day lecture at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) on Friday, M. Annadurai, Director, IRS & SSS, ISRO Satellite Centre, said the implications would be studied as the comet approached Mars but there would not be any problem with the orbiter’s launch.

Ready for first mission
He said the spacecraft for ISRO’s first interplanetary mission was getting ready and it would be injected by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. It would reach Mars after a nine-month journey and keep going around it in an elliptical orbit.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 11 May 2013 14:15

Marketing arm of Isro loses plea in SC
From: The Telegraph

Link: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130511/j ... Y4IzICKjIU

New Delhi, May 10: The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition by the Isro’s marketing arm challenging arbitration proceedings initiated against it by private company Devas Multimedia in Singapore under international laws over the cancellation of a satellite deal. Antrix Corporation can appeal today’s judgment or face proceedings in Singapore under the rules of the International Chambers of Commerce.

The Centre had in 2011 cited national interest and cancelled the 2005 deal under which Antrix was to provide transponders aboard Isro satellites to Devas for multimedia and video services to mobile users on the ground. Antrix had planned to invest about Rs 800 crore on two satellites and provide 90 per cent of their capacity to Devas. But two government probes raised suspicions that former Isro officials engaged in “collusive behaviour” to load the deal in favour of Devas and exposed the Centre to financial risk.

When Devas sought to initiate proceedings in Singapore, Antrix had insisted they be held in India and moved the Supreme Court. In April last year, the bench of Justice (now Chief Justice) Altamas Kabir and Justice S.S. Nijjar had stayed Antrix’s participation in proceedings in Singapore. Today, however, the bench dismissed Antrix’s plea. Antrix is involved in marketing India’s space technology capabilities — hardware, software, satellites and launch services — to foreign customers. Several meetings between Antrix officials and Devas after the decision to cancel the deal remain unexplained elements of the row, space department insiders had said last March, more than a year after the contract was cancelled.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 12 May 2013 09:16

ISRO centre in state to give thrust to India’s maiden mission to Mars
From: The Indian Express
May 12 2013, 04:41 AM IST

Link: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/isro- ... s/1114734/

Scientists in Ahmedabad are giving finishing touches to four of the five experimental payloads, that will form the core of "Mangalyaan" — Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) first interplanetary mission to the planet Mars. These payloads have been made by the city-based Space Application Centre (SAC) and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), and are passing through the final testing procedures. After the examinations, the payloads will be sent to Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh for being assembled for the Mars Orbiter Mission. India will be the sixth nation including US, Russia, Europe, China and Japan which have launched similar missions.

The main objective of the mission, scheduled to be launched in November this year, is to study the form of terrain and the minerals found on the Mars. "Of the five payloads that would seek to determine the possibility of life on Mars, four have been developed in Ahmedabad. They are in the final stages," said H B Pandya, scientist at SAC, a major arm of ISRO that also specialises in development of payloads. SAC had developed two of the five payloads for the "Chandrayaan Mission". "A team of 60 engineers and scientists have been working at SAC under director A S Kiran Kumar," the scientist told The Indian Express on the sidelines of a day-long exhibition of Mars Mission organised at SAC, recently.

SAC has developed three devices that would go as payload with the "Mangalyaan". The Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and TIR Spectrometer (TIS) will click pictures of the Martian surface and will help scientists determine and analyse the morphology and topography of the Mars. The third device is the Methane Sensor For Mars (MSM) which aims to measure the levels of Methane on the planet. The fourth equipment is called Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP) which will measure the levels of hydrogen in the atmosphere and test the possibility of presence of water.

member_23651 · Post by **member_23651** » 12 May 2013 09:29

I do not know if it was posted before, but GSLV MK3 Solid booster ignition?? and flex nozzle in action seen here:

http://youtu.be/Nym7AOJvIiE

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 16 May 2013 08:42

Reverse Flow Multiple Nozzle Solid Rocket Motor Static Test
Courtesy: Facebook.com
http://www.facebook.com/isro.org

Crew Escape System (CES) of Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP) calls for the design and development of a different class of special purpose motor. Crew Escape System (CES) is a reverse flow motor with multiple nozzles mounted on the forward end so as to keep hot exhaust gases as far from the crew module as possible. Low altitude Escape Motor (LEM) has to produce enough thrust to pull the crew module away from the launch vehicle within milliseconds of initiation. Low altitude Escape Motor (LEM) is part of a critical system that allows the astronaut in crew module to safely separate from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency during launch pad operation or in the initial ascent phase of launch. The design of reverse flow solid rocket motor with multiple nozzles is a new and innovative task for ISRO.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 18 May 2013 16:48

India to launch first navigational satellite on June 12.

India to launch GSLV D5 in July.

dinesha · Post by **dinesha** » 19 May 2013 12:30

India to use geo-stationery satellites for missile defence
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 130007.cms?

KOCHI: India has launched an ambitious programme to use its array of geo-stationary satellites (G-sats) to monitor missile activities in an area of 6,000 km. With this, the country's constellation of G-sats will become the first line of defence in its anti-missile shield. This programme is independent of the observation grid installed by defence and intelligence agencies. The advantage of using geo-stationary satellites is their fixed position at a height of 36,000 km and synchronised with the earth's movement.

Allaying fears that this deployment could compromise India's space policy, sources clarified that it is not meant as an offensive posture and data won't be shared with any other country. "We're using these satellites to warn us of an impending danger even as they continue with their primary tasks of transmission and meteorological observations," sources said.

A top source told TOI that special lens and processing electronics are being developed to significantly improve the power of G-sat cameras and telescope. "The Centre has given ISRO the go-ahead. The programme is into a crucial development phase,'' he said.

The project is aimed at installing sensitive surveillance equipment along with other payload on the G-sats. "They will capture the signature of any missile launch activities happening in a radius of 6,000 km.This signature will be transmitted to a central control unit which would initiate necessary counter-mechanism," sources said.

The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing the interceptor missile which has entered trial phase. "Given their strategic position, we can even have exclusive facility to monitor a country or a particular region. Given the G-sat's capability to map anything to a resolution of one metre, we will be able to capture the slightest of movements or even heat signatures,'' sources said.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 21 May 2013 09:36

http://idrw.org/?p=22314

How different will the Mars mission be from Chandrayaan-I?

The biggest challenge is the distance—55 million km against 4 lakh km to the Moon. It was easy to get into the Moon’s orbit by firing a rocket within the satellite itself. In the case of Mars Orbiter Mission, we will enter Mars’s orbit 300 days after the launch, so complexity multiplies.

Another major challenge is deep-space communication. From the Moon, signals are beamed almost instantly. From Mars, it will take 40 minutes for two-way communication. So we have to build in a high level of autonomy into the rover.

vic · Post by **vic** » 21 May 2013 14:36

I thought that resolution of GISAT was 50m and in any case it is still 5 years away.

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 21 May 2013 19:18

Vic: I think the TOI report about 1 m resolution of GSAT is DDM'itis. The reporter might have meant a 1m positional accuracy of the to-be-launched geostationary IRNSS satellites - which has nothing to do with a 1m resolution from 36000 Km!!

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 26 May 2013 23:03

This is an old interview with K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO on September 14, 2011 and he talks to Praveen Bose, of Business-standard. K Radhakrishnan gave insights to ISRO future programmes then. I have highlighted in Red those areas of interest. Anybody has any current information on this; please bring it up, as it would be interesting to discuss where we are now.

The Link: http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 056_1.html

You have been increasing the frequency of launches. What are you doing to increase the launch capacity?
We are planning a third launch pad at SHAR (the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota island, off the Andhra coast). A launch blocks the pad for nearly 60 days. To increase the frequency, we need more launch pads. We are seeing what the requirements are. It is not just for the GSLV Mark-III (the new launch vehicle being planned) alone that we are in need of a launch pad. We are also planning a unified configuration launch vehicle. It is a semi-cryogenic and cryogenic stage-I. Unified configuration has the growth potential. The third launch pad will take care of this requirement. It may also be used in possible human flights. All the launch pads should be such that we should be able to use the common facilities. We are planning such an infrastructure at Sriharikota. Meanwhile, we are also considering a second launch site. We are now talking of a feasibility study of this.

What kind of technologies are you developing and how are you planning to expand the infrastructure?
We have developed a flex nozzle that’s used even in the PSLV, due to which the vehicle can be controlled remotely. But, it’s a small one. In GSLV Mark-III, the requirement is enormous. The development of the vehicle is on and infrastructure at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and at SHAR are being enhanced for this. Isro can today launch a four tonne-class geostationary satellite. If it is in the low-earth orbit, then we can go up to 10 tonnes. In the GSLV, 50 per cent of the velocity will be provided by the cryogenic stage. All studies, though, are to be done. Solid motors and boosters are not flexible. However, they’re now steerable because of the flexible technology. We have the actuator requirement and the ability to have materials that can withstand very high temperatures.

What is the transponder shortage for India? How do you intend to make up?
There is gap of about 200 transponders in the country. We have had to take transponders on lease. Isro is trying to find if a satellite can be moved to the Indian orbital slot. In addition to hiring transponders, we will repeat GSAT-8 and GSAT-10 types of satellites and increase capacity. But, this will happen during the second half of 2012. We have been working to get transponders from abroad. We have got good proposals. We have to finalise on the need. Commercial evaluation is on. It is in the right direction. Isro is exploring possibilities of taking on rent a foreign satellite for a couple of years and acquiring more foreign transponders on lease.

What is the progress on the attempt to augment transponder capacity?
We have 86.5 transponders on lease. We facilitate the process. In the next few months, we will get some more on lease. Earlier, we had 151 transponders. With the GSAT-8 and GSAT-12, we will have 36 more transponders with the launch of GSAT-10 in the second quarter of 2012. It will be launched on board Ariane-5 (the rockets made by the European Space Agency, used to launch payloads into low Earth orbit). We are getting ready to have a contract with Ariane. The GSAT-10 will have three types of transponders, in the Ku, C and extended-C bands. We will also repeat the GSAT-8 and GSAT-10. The satellites will be 3.3-3.4 tonne class of satellites. At the end of the 11th five-year Plan (March 2012), we will have 251 transponders; the target was 500. Several satellites failed. Insat-4B had a partial failure. Then, the capacity fell to 152. Then, we added Insat-4CR.

You are lately encouraging students and universities to build small satellites. How does it help Isro?
The student satellites are Isro’s programme for the academic community. Here, students and faculty learn about all systems — engineering and other aspects of a satellite. They get a feel of the whole process for building one. Plus, we get data, and we analyse it. It helps Isro. We are developing people who are interested. We are able to get projects like Anusat, which is a small satellite with good instruments. We want to promote such endeavours. We have a template for this. Some IITs want to develop basic instruments for satellites.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 27 May 2013 19:12

http://isro.org/scripts/webcast.aspx

What would this new navigation centre be for, the IRNSS-1, or the Mars mission? Being inaugurated tomorrow.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 May 2013 07:54

ISRO-CNES taking the next steps together - Madhumitha, The Hindu

On Monday, Jean-Yves Le Gall made a quick, quiet official trip to ISRO’s Bangalore headquarters just about a month after taking charge as president of France’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales / National Centre for Space Studies.) Created in 1961, CNES, which is the fount of French and European space activities, has also given what is today the world’s leading commercial launch service vehicle, Ariane, among other technologies. In this short interaction ahead of his meeting with his ISRO counterpart, Mr. Le Gall, who has a place in the Space Hall of Fame, stresses the importance of an enduring Indian space connection .

What is this visit about?

As you know, I moved from [European launch services company] Arianespace to CNES last month. India is the one of the most important countries of cooperation for France. It is also the right time because last February when President Hollande visited India a letter of intent was signed between CNES and ISRO to define what could be the cooperation after the successes of [their joint weather satellite missions] Megha-Tropiques and SARAL-AltiKa, which were [respectively] launched by the PSLV two years ago and in February.

We have plenty of things to do together and this is why I decided to pay one of my first official visits to ISRO and meet [its Chairman] Dr. Radhakrishnan.

‘Plenty of things’ would include more joint satellites missions such as Megha Tropiques and SARAL-AltiKa?

These are exactly what we have to decide. The strong scientific cooperation between CNES and ISRO led to many projects, [in particular] two most important ones during the last two years — Megha-Tropiques and SARAL-Altika. At the same time, we have been launching a lot of satellites for ISRO from French Guiana.

We have now extended the cooperation. The letter of intent signed in February puts a new basis for cooperation.

Today is the first meeting. The discussions with Dr. Radhakrishnan [later in the day] will define a new format for our cooperation. I can already say we are going to focus on research and technology, an important area. The next one will be probably in the end of October when we organise the annual meeting of CNES and ISRO. I will probably come back here.

How significant is the ISRO-CNES cooperation today and how do you visualise its future?

Megha-Tropiques and SARAL-AltiKa have been very interesting projects, [so much so] that NASA wanted to join us. The data gathered by Megha-Tropiques are creating a real threshold in this science.

Now we have to decide what would be the building blocks of the next steps of our cooperation and what we are going to do together.

In my opinion this cooperation is within the framework of the [larger] cooperation between France and India with its several different pillars such as defence, nuclear energy and space.

So successful in space [ties] are we that we have to now continue this strong link in inventing new areas of cooperation.

When Megha-Tropiques or SARAL-AltiKa completes its life do you foresee its getting replenished with their follow-on satellites? Would NASA have a role in it later?

For both, we will [have to] see. Megha-Tropiques provided a lot of data. Today what is at stake is whether to use the existing data or acquire new data. Our scientists took the decision to elaborate France’s data.

We [may have] created interest in it for NASA but we are very interested in keeping this unique link between France and India in this business.

There is also talk of ISRO launching France’s earth observation satellite SPOT-7, the way it did SPOT-6 last year.

This is another aspect of our cooperation. Yes, a few months ago SPOT-6 was launched by ISRO. In the coming months, is our project to launch SPOT-7.

We are launching some satellites for ISRO just as it is launching some for France. Two [Indian] satellites will be launched from the Guiana Space Centre in July and August — INSAT-3D and GSAT-7.

At CNES what innovations are you looking at in terms of low-cost access to space — which is a common concern of space agencies — and technologies related to spacecraft?

I think low-cost is the new frontier of space technology. Until now most of our projects were technology driven. There is clamour worldwide in favour of projects which are cost driven. This is why France started to think about the next generation of Ariane launch vehicles [to address this need].

We are now working on the next launch vehicle, the Ariane 6. The first flight is slated for 2020. This launcher will be defined as a low-cost approach whereas Ariane 5 is defined as technology driven.

Ariane 6 will be smaller than Ariane 5 and will launch six-tonne payloads to the GTO [geostationary transfer orbit] — which is about half of Ariane-5’s capability.

We hope the price tag will be less than half of Ariane 5. We plan to decrease launch price by 20 to 50 per cent compared to current launch prices.

On the satellite side, in Europe (European space agencies) and France we are investing a lot in electrical propulsion in order to have three communication satellites which will be smaller, less expensive to launch and with better performance. The programme is called NEOSAT. The huge R&D programme was decided at the gathering of European Ministers which took place in Naples last November.

Today countries are also concerned about anti-satellite technologies. What is being done at CNES to counter such threats?

This relates to defence and I am not familiar with it nor can I comment.

In India are you also looking at forging linkages that go beyond ISRO?

No. Our present and past in India is ISRO. We have excellent friendship with ISRO and will continue it. For CNES the partner is ISRO. I can tell you we are impressed by the achievements of Dr. Radhakrishnan as the head of ISRO.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 May 2013 07:17

Varoon Shekhar wrote: What would this new navigation centre be for, the IRNSS-1, or the Mars mission? Being inaugurated tomorrow.

Here is the answer. It is for IRNSS.
ISRO unveils hub for its navigation satellites fleet - The Hindu

The brand new ISRO Navigation Centre (INC) at the Indian Deep Space Network will be the nerve centre of the country’s forthcoming navigational satellite constellation, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said after the centre was opened on Tuesday.

Located at ISRO’s saucer-like Byalalu sprawl some 40 km from Bangalore, the centre was ceremonially launched by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy

“The centre will come alive in time to handle the country’s first regional navigational satellite, R1A, gets launched at midnight on June 12,” Dr. Radhakrishnan said. The satellite will be launched on the PSLV vehicle from Sriharikota.

6 more spacecraft

Six more navigational spacecraft (named R1B, R1C and so on) will follow in the next three years to form the IRNSS constellation, which is termed India’s own regional GPS. These satellites will give data on the position, navigation and time of persons or objects to a range of users.

INC houses a high stability atomic clock to keep precise time and reference, pool and synthesise navigational messages and coordinate 21 ground stations across the country. The navigation fleet in space will give positional accuracy of within 10 metres. Its users will be from aerospace, military, all transport systems, geo information of the Survey of India and to an extent for personal mobility.

Avinash Chander, DRDO’s Chief Controller R&D (missiles & strategic systems) and Vice-President of the event co-host, the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), said the country was proud of the regional navigation system, IRNSS, which had been put together in seven years.

While space-based navigation, along with communication, satellite imageries and information have become vital to the military, “we are looking for many more things to happen in the aerospace community [in] missiles, defence and others. We also have challenges ahead of us, [such as] widening the frequency bands, high-resolution sensors, intelligence gathering and protecting our space assets,” he said.

The Byalalu campus has large antennas of 32-metre and 18-m diameter to track planetary projects such as the Mars and the lunar missions.

The Mars orbiter mission will take off in October or early November so as to leave Earth’s atmosphere by November 27, Dr. Radhakrishnan said.

ASI awards

The Minister also presented annual awards of the 1,400-member ASI to 29 scientists. The ASI includes space, aviation and military scientists.

DRDO Director General V.K.Saraswat and space propulsion veteran A.E.Muthunayagam were conferred the Aryabhatta lifetime awards for 2011 and 2010.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 May 2013 07:21

India plans to send seismometer to study moonquakes - Y.Mallikarjun, The Hindu

How will man tackle quakes when he colonises moon in the not-so-distant future? India will be joining some nations in the quest for a better understanding of moonquakes as plans are afoot to send a seismometer on board the landing instrument of Chandrayaan-2 scheduled to be launched in 2014/15.

Sensors of the seismometer built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are now undergoing calibration at the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) here. [Hyderabad] The first phase of calibration is over and the second phase will start soon, according to seismologist D. Srinagesh, who will be studying the seismic aspects of moonquakes along with his team at NGRI. He told The Hindu that the largest moonquake ever recorded was 5.5 magnitude by the seismometers deployed on the moon’s surface during Apollo missions in late 1960s and 70s.

4 types of such quakes

Dr. Srinagesh said basically there were four types of moonquakes: deep moonquakes that occur up to 700 km below the surface of the moon and probably caused by tides, vibrations from the impact of meteorites, thermal quakes caused by expansion of the frigid crust of the moon and shallow quakes up to 20-30 km and as many as 28 were recorded between 1972 and 1977.

Dr. Srinagesh said earlier studies found that the first three types were generally harmless. Under the ISRO-NGRI collaborative project, it was intended to characterise moonquakes in terms of their magnitude and depth. One of the focus areas would be to study the causes of shallow quakes and the regions of their occurrence. This was needed because the seismometers deployed during Apollo missions were located in a small region, mostly the front side of the moon.

Pointing out that there was significant difference between moonquakes and earthquakes, he said the energy produced through the former would last longer due to the underlying structure of the moon.

The aim of the study was to help in designing structures with flexible materials to withstand moonquakes. For instance, anything above five magnitude earthquake could cause cracks in plaster and move furniture in a building.

Although one seismometer was being planned to be deployed, there was a possibility for a second instrument, he added.