Indian Space Programme Discussion

[member_28108]

The Kerala High Court on Monday nullified the Congress government decision not to take action against three police officials who, according to the CBI, had allegedly cooked up the infamous ISRO spy case of 1994.
The court directive came in the wake of former ISRO scientist Namby Narayanan, who had been framed up the in the case, moving the high court against the decision of Oommen Chandy government in 2012.
In its closure report, the CBI had asked the state government to take appropriate action against three officials Siby Mathew IPS, K K Joshwan and S Vijayan.
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The court said the government should review the decision, which, according to the court, was a challenge to the judicial system. The state government was told to inform its decision on the court directive within three months.
In 1996, the CBI submitted its closure report in the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Kochi, concluding that the allegations of espionage were unproved and false. The court agreed and all six accused were discharged.
The CBI pointed out lapses by Kerala police officers Siby Mathew, K K Joshwa and S Vijayan, who probed the case. In a report to the Kerala government, it called for “necessary action as deemed fit”.
In June, 2012, the Kerala home secretary issued an order saying it was not proper or legal to take action against the officials after 15 years. The government decided no action need be taken.
The CBI had also submitted a report to the Union Home Ministry about the role of some Intelligence Bureau officials, including R Sreekumar.
Of the three Kerala police officers, Mathew was serving as DGP (fire forces and rescue) when he opted for VRS in 2011, with a year left in service.
The LDF government then made him state chief information commissioner. Joshwa retired as an SP early 2013. S Vijayan retired in 2012, also as an SP. He was with the National Investigating Agency for a brief period.
The CBI report said Mathew had indiscriminately ordered the arrest of the scientists and others without conducting a thorough interrogation or adequately verifying their disclosures.
It said Mathew and his team had not recovered any evidence from the ISRO or the money allegedly paid to the accused by their foreign contacts. “It is unfortunate that he allowed the doubts and suspicions in the mass media and the public mind to linger on without conducting proper verification,” the report said.

[member_28108]

deleted

[pankajs]

/OT perhaps

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141007/j ... 901374.jsp
Patriot Nasa boy turns hero

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 6: A young Nasa researcher from Kerala whose patriotic stand had prompted the US space agency to relax a citizenship rule was surprised to find himself the toast of New Delhi during a visit last month.

Arun P.V. even received an invite to the Prime Minister’s home after Narendra Modi learnt how the 26-year-old from Kottayam had declined to give up his Indian citizenship when Nasa offered him a job in January last year.

Arun’s Nasa assignment required him to accept American citizenship at a later date. Since that would have meant losing his Indian nationality, Arun declined.

True to its professionalism, Nasa realised his worth, acknowledged his concerns and took him on board without pressing the citizenship clause. It could not be confirmed whether Nasa had made a similar concession for anyone else before.

A Kerala daily had at the time reported the matter without the news creating much excitement. But things got moving when Arun arrived in Delhi last month as part of a US team of scientists to discuss cooperation in the use of space technology for the benefit of ordinary citizens.

A senior colleague in the delegation — which included scientists from Nasa, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the United Nations Development Programme — mentioned the story to home minister Rajnath Singh during a meeting. When Modi heard it from Rajnath, he invited Arun to a private meeting.

Officials said the meeting, held in the first week of September, lasted nearly 30 minutes, the discussions ranging from recent developments in science and technology to India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.

Modi is learnt to have told Arun that the doors of the country’s space research establishments would always be open for him.

Sources in Arun’s family told The Telegraph that the young man had been thrilled at the Prime Minister meeting him personally.

Although a Nasa employee, Arun is now doing a research project on artificial intelligence at MIT.

[member_28108]

http://governmentjobs.corbee.asia/2014/ ... -isro.html

Job opening in LPSC

[member_28820]

Any news on the capsule recovery program ?

[member_28108]

Which capsule recovery program ?

[member_28108]

Dr. Radhakrishnan said today in a short speech that there would be a big meeting on 5th-7th Nov with the PM and all the ministers present.

Methinks a big restructuring is on the cards..

Probably will be mentioning his successor.He is to retire shortly.

[merlin]

Deleted

[member_28820]

Which capsule recovery program ?

Hi Prasanna,

I was referring to this experiment
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 818505.cms

[rahulm]

ISRO used to have a decade plan which IIRC went until 2000. I haven't seen one recently.

[member_28108]

This was already done previously


"A parachute ejection test with Mortar was carried out at Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh wherein sequential deployment of pilot parachute and drogue parachute was demonstrated. As part of deceleration system qualification, main and drogue parachutes, in modified and improved pack cover configuration, was drop tested at ADRDE, Agra. Parachute Reefing Line Cutter of main parachute was realised and development tests were also carried out," the report added.
I do not know if the helicopter drop test was done.

[member_28108]

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Busy months lie ahead for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), often dubbed the ‘workhorse’ of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

With ISRO determined to complete the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) by 2015 end, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba here has begun work on the four PSLV rockets that will be used to place the remaining IRNSS satellites in orbit. VSSC is the ‘nodal agency’ of ISRO for the development of launch vehicles.

The ‘XL’ versions of the PSLV that will be used for the missions are in various stages of development, PSLV project director P Kunhikrishnan said. “Normally, work on the launch vehicle gets hectic in the final three months before a mission. But the actual work on it begins five to six months before that,” he said.

ISRO had successfully launched the IRNSS 1-C, the third in the satellite network, on October 16 using a PSLV-XL (PSLV C-26), the same PSLV type that was used for the ‘Chandrayan-1’ and ‘Mangalyan’ missions. PSLVs were used to launch IRNSS 1-A and IRNSS 1-B in July 2013 and April 2014 respectively.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has at least four - possibly five - missions lined up in 2015. The four confirmed missions will be used to put the remaining four IRNSS satellites in orbit around earth, thus completing the seven-satellite network and providing India with its own space-based navigation system.

The PSLV is a four-stage rocket, two using liquid propellants and the other two, solid fuel. PSLV has flown 28 missions, with 27 consecutive successes. Its first flight on September 20, 1993, was unsuccessful, but the next, on October 15, 1994, was a success. So the latest PSLV launch, on October 16, 2014, in a manner celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first successful flight.

The PSLV-XL version is a more powerful version which uses additional ‘strap-on’ boosters.

Research is on into improving the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, but there is little possibility of actual changes being made in the immediate future, Kunhikrishnan said. This is because the present versions have proven to be highly reliable and ISRO has quite a few missions queued up.

[bharats]

ISRO Logs Milestone with Cryo Engine
By Tiki Rajwi

Link:http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/ ... 488866.ece

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Taking a big step forward in the development of bigger and more powerful locally-built rocket engines, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) on Monday successfully conducted the first ‘cold flow test’ on the CE-20 cryogenic engine, which will power the upper stage of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk III (GSLV-Mk III).

“It’s a milestone,” LPSC director Dr K Sivan told ‘Express’ here on Tuesday, confirming that the test had gone as planned at the LPSC facility in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The first ‘hot test’ - where the engine will be fired for a few seconds- will be performed in three weeks’ time, Sivan said. In a cold test, the propellants are not ignited. Cryogenic engines were back in the news with the Kerala High Court making a reference to it on Monday while passing a directive on the infamous ISRO spy case of 1994. The spy case had delayed its development and the ISRO could conduct the first successful flight test aboard the GSLV-Mk II type launch vehicle (GSLV-D5) only on January 5, 2014.

CE-20 is a mightier version of the CE-7.5 engine used in the GSLV-D5 mission. Cryogenic technology is highly complex as the propellants must be stored at extremely low temperatures. The work is progressing on another CE-7.5 engine, which will power the upper stage of the GSLV-D6, a ditto version of the GSLV-D5, expected to be flown in March-April 2015. This flight is very crucial for ISRO to prove that the cryo stage is reliable.

“The work on the engine is in an advanced stage,” said N R Vishnu Kartha, LPSC associate director and GSLV Cryogenic Upper Stage Project director.

The CE-20 will make isro self-reliant. The success of the CE-20 engine is crucial for the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle project. This Mk-III rocket will make ISRO self-reliant in the launch of heavier communication satellites in the 4000-plus kg class. The rocket will give ISRO an edge in the international satellite launch market.

[member_28108]

I think after crossing the cryogenic stumbling block we hopefully progress faster .Another thing is since we now have the high altitude test chamber we will not be making assumptions of function in vacuum.

For those in the know how - how do they factor for a gravityless/low gravity environment when testing on earth.Basically ullage motors etc are required as propellant will not "flow" in a gravityless/low gravity situation. How do they factor that ? Of course the final proof of the pudding will be an experimental launch but before that ?

[bharats]

US-based Iridium wants a piece of the Indian satellite services play
Raises concerns over Inmarsat deal with BSNL
By Thomas K Thomas

Link: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/fea ... 524087.ece

India’s satellite space is finally getting interest from some big names. US-based satellite services company Iridium has written to the Telecom Ministry seeking an opportunity to be part of a project being undertaken by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd to set up a satellite gateway in the country.

Iridium has said that it should be given a chance to bid for the BSNL project. This follows the Government’s move to initiate a partnership between UK-based Inmarsat and BSNL to provide satellite broadband services. Inmarsat is a global satellite services provider and was earlier offering services in India through Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. But this service was practically shut down after the Government divested its majority stake in VSNL to the Tatas. Since then the London-based firm has been scouting for partners in India.

A number of local firms, including BPL Mobile (which offers mobile services in Mumbai) and the JK Jain-promoted Jain Studios, had earlier explored a partnership with Inmarsat. The UK firm had also applied on its own for Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite licence in India.

Key issue
But the key issue coming in the way of Inmarsat’s India strategy is the requirement to set up an earth station in India. Security agencies have made it mandatory for satellite companies to have a local earth station if they want to offer services here. To meet this condition, TRAI had proposed that BSNL could be given funds to build the satellite gateway and then offer services through a partnership with Inmarsat.

However, Iridium, in a letter to IT and Communication Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, has said that selecting a partner without a transparent and fair process could result in higher costs and inferior services. “If simply awarded to Inmarsat, India will deny itself the advantage of superior services offered by better satellite technologies,” Iridium said in its letter.

Consortium of FIs
Iridium had earlier formed a consortium of financial institutions such as the Industrial Development Bank of India, State Bank of India and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services. They had together invested $70 million for a 5 per cent stake in Iridium LLC and a further ₹126.09 crore in the Iridium gateway in Pune. But this venture did not take off, after which Iridum was forced to seek bankruptcy protection in 2013.

BK Syngal, former Chairman of VSNL, said the Government should not entertain any proposal or requests that delays satellite phones in India. “Such requests only delay the decision making. If the Indian government has decided to do this project with Inmarsat, it should go ahead with it. In case, Iridium wants to re-enter India then it can present its case separately.

[vasu raya]

Iridium Next-generation_constellation

Iridium is currently developing, and is expected to launch beginning in 2015, Iridium NEXT, a second-generation worldwide network of telecommunications satellites, consisting of 66 satellites, with six in-orbit and nine on-ground spares. These satellites will incorporate features such as data transmission which were not emphasized in the original design.[8] The original plan was to begin launching new satellites in 2014.[9] Satellites will incorporate additional payload for Aireon, Inc.[10] and perhaps cameras and sensors in collaboration with some customers and partners. Iridium can also be used to provide a data link to other satellites in space, enabling command and control of other space assets regardless of the position of ground stations and gateways.[8] The constellation will provide L-band data speeds of up to 1.5 Mbit/s and high-speed Ka-Band service of up to 8 Mbit/s.[11][12]

The existing constellation of satellites is expected to remain operational until Iridium NEXT is fully operational, with many satellites expected to remain in service until the 2020s. Iridium is planning for the next-generation of satellites to have improved bandwidth. This system will be backward compatible with the current system. In August 2008, Iridium selected two companies—Lockheed Martin and Thales Alenia Space—to participate in the final phase of the procurement of the next generation satellite constellation. On June 2, 2010 the winner of the contract was announced as Thales Alenia Space, in a $2.1 billion deal underwritten by Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur.[13] Iridium additionally stated that it expected to spend about $800 million to launch the satellites and upgrade some ground facilities.[14]

In June 2010, Iridium signed the largest commercial rocket launch deal ever, a US$492 million contract with SpaceX to launch tens of Iridium NEXT satellites on multiple Falcon 9 launchers in 2015–2017 from Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 3.[15] The 66 operational satellites in the constellation, plus six on-orbit spares, 70 satellites will be put in orbit by seven launches of 10 satellites each on the Falcon 9, plus two of the 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) Iridium NEXT satellites on a single launch[16] of the an ISC Kosmotras Dnepr rocket, beginning in 2015 and completing the refresh of the entire constellation by 2017, as of August 2012.[11]

[member_28108]

Problem is Iridium has continuously having issues with viability compared to Inmarsat

[JTull]

Inmarsat had not been entirely transparent in the aftermath of MH370 and was well protected by British and US govts. We need to be careful with these kind.

[sivab]

For those in the know how - how do they factor for a gravityless/low gravity environment when testing on earth.Basically ullage motors etc are required as propellant will not "flow" in a gravityless/low gravity situation. How do they factor that ? Of course the final proof of the pudding will be an experimental launch but before that ?

See this old paper

http://enu.kz/repository/2009/AIAA-2009-798.pdf

[vasu raya]

The Iridium issue can play out in different ways,

with its next gen the downlink to ground stations can instead be routed through other sats, so desh insisting on a ground station say in Pune may not fetch much

they seem to have cost savings with 10 sats per launch, if they had concerns about viability we have a big banner 'Make in India' put out, they can have some of the sats manufactured and launched from desh, anyways this is all looking back, if desh were to put Iridium type sats co-located with Iridium sats to monitor or jam Thuraya type communications and also enable desi sat phone network in the immediate neighborhood, it dents their viability and boosts the goal that required desh to say need-a-local-gateway

The way IRNSS sats are being cookie cutted is impressive by desh standards and raises hope.

[chaanakya]

/OT perhaps

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141007/j ... 901374.jsp
Patriot Nasa boy turns hero

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 6: A young Nasa researcher from Kerala whose patriotic stand had prompted the US space agency to relax a citizenship rule was surprised to find himself the toast of New Delhi during a visit last month.

Arun P.V. even received an invite to the Prime Minister’s home after Narendra Modi learnt how the 26-year-old from Kottayam had declined to give up his Indian citizenship when Nasa offered him a job in January last year.

Arun’s Nasa assignment required him to accept American citizenship at a later date. Since that would have meant losing his Indian nationality, Arun declined.

True to its professionalism, Nasa realised his worth, acknowledged his concerns and took him on board without pressing the citizenship clause. It could not be confirmed whether Nasa had made a similar concession for anyone else before.

A Kerala daily had at the time reported the matter without the news creating much excitement. But things got moving when Arun arrived in Delhi last month as part of a US team of scientists to discuss cooperation in the use of space technology for the benefit of ordinary citizens.

A senior colleague in the delegation — which included scientists from Nasa, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the United Nations Development Programme — mentioned the story to home minister Rajnath Singh during a meeting. When Modi heard it from Rajnath, he invited Arun to a private meeting.

Officials said the meeting, held in the first week of September, lasted nearly 30 minutes, the discussions ranging from recent developments in science and technology to India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.

Modi is learnt to have told Arun that the doors of the country’s space research establishments would always be open for him.

Sources in Arun’s family told The Telegraph that the young man had been thrilled at the Prime Minister meeting him personally.

Although a Nasa employee, Arun is now doing a research project on artificial intelligence at MIT.

Not OT , it also shows how top brains of this country is lured/attracted /motivated to work for USA while India takes all the pain for developing but not providing sufficient incentives to stay back. This is part of Brain drain process that should be addressed.

He graduated in mechanical engineering in Kottayam before doing his MTech at the National Institute of Technology in Bhopal.

His work on artificial intelligence at the Bhopal institute drew attention and eventually earned him his Nasa job.

and Not a TFTA college like IITs

[Bade]

^^^ This is OT news. ISRO lets go voluntarily many of its trained PhDs too as they cannot absorb all of them. This should not have been even a news item, there are thousands of research associates (aka Post-Docs) working in the US from India, China etc. His achievement so far is nothing all that extra-ordinary, this is not to show him in poor light. The Indian media of recent has been putting up articles like this which have zero value. It is definitely an individual achievement for him and wish him well. I am surprised the PM's team fell for it.

I really doubt NASA offers permanent positions to non-US citizens nor does it offer jobs on conditional citizenship.

[chaanakya]

Could be Mallu lobby at work??

or may be IITians are jealous??

[member_28108]

For those in the know how - how do they factor for a gravityless/low gravity environment when testing on earth.Basically ullage motors etc are required as propellant will not "flow" in a gravityless/low gravity situation. How do they factor that ? Of course the final proof of the pudding will be an experimental launch but before that ?

See this old paper

http://enu.kz/repository/2009/AIAA-2009-798.pdf

Thanks for the article.From what I could get it refers to how the vacuum seal in a high altitude test facility is maintained with an initial use of a an ejector diffuser system with say nitroen till the engine thrust is such that it maintains the vacuum seal by shock wave generation but how is the zero gravity effects (ie how is the "non settling" of the fuel/oxidiser prevented to allow checking of the ullage rocket effect ?

[Shreeman]

/OT perhaps

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141007/j ... 901374.jsp
Patriot Nasa boy turns hero

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 6: A young Nasa researcher from Kerala whose patriotic stand had prompted the US space agency to relax a citizenship rule was surprised to find himself the toast of New Delhi during a visit last month.

Arun P.V. even received an invite to the Prime Minister’s home after Narendra Modi learnt how the 26-year-old from Kottayam had declined to give up his Indian citizenship when Nasa offered him a job in January last year.

Arun’s Nasa assignment required him to accept American citizenship at a later date. Since that would have meant losing his Indian nationality, Arun declined.

True to its professionalism, Nasa realised his worth, acknowledged his concerns and took him on board without pressing the citizenship clause. It could not be confirmed whether Nasa had made a similar concession for anyone else before.

A Kerala daily had at the time reported the matter without the news creating much excitement. But things got moving when Arun arrived in Delhi last month as part of a US team of scientists to discuss cooperation in the use of space technology for the benefit of ordinary citizens.

A senior colleague in the delegation — which included scientists from Nasa, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the United Nations Development Programme — mentioned the story to home minister Rajnath Singh during a meeting. When Modi heard it from Rajnath, he invited Arun to a private meeting.

Officials said the meeting, held in the first week of September, lasted nearly 30 minutes, the discussions ranging from recent developments in science and technology to India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.

Modi is learnt to have told Arun that the doors of the country’s space research establishments would always be open for him.

Sources in Arun’s family told The Telegraph that the young man had been thrilled at the Prime Minister meeting him personally.

Although a Nasa employee, Arun is now doing a research project on artificial intelligence at MIT.

Really poor reporting. Which is a shame because if reported accurately there could have been something to celebrate.

[Raja Bose]

I really doubt NASA offers permanent positions to non-US citizens nor does it offer jobs on conditional citizenship.

Last I remember NASA was all contractor-giri for newcomers out of which some got converted to permanent positions, no? That stuff about not waiving US citizenship requirement is most likely BS - those things don't get waived on somebody's say so becoz that somebody's mush will be on the line, unless of course one is SUARCO where a lot of things get waived and waved.

[sivab]

how is the zero gravity effects (ie how is the "non settling" of the fuel/oxidiser prevented to allow checking of the ullage rocket effect ?

My understanding is that there are independent small ullage motors that impart tiny acceleration to vehicle when needed to eliminate ullage effect in propellant/oxidizer tanks before main cryo engine is fired. The ullage motors are tested separately for reqd thrust and HAT facility just tests main cryo engine. The ullage effect itself is not reproduced and tested on earth.

See page 38 in this link on ground testing of ullage motors for PSLV for example

http://www.shar.gov.in/sites/default/fi ... t_2012.pdf

See this link for position of ullage motor in PSLV

http://www.isro.org/scripts/pslv-flash.aspx

Also note that depending on acceleration reqd ullage motor can be as simple as releasing some x grams of pressurized oxidizer/propellant before ignition.

[Bade]

RB-Saar I know of many non-TFTA college graduates from India who are at NASA for dog years doing research and have not been offered any permanent positions. It is almost all contractor-giri in all jobs over there and many similar institutions. The guvermand jobs are almost always managerial. When even well qualified native born americans are still floundering along as contractors, it would be a surprise if some guy is offered a permanent position based on some MTech thesis work. Sorry, but that is a bloated news item. He needs to come clean on it, else it will hurt him badly later.

It is fashionable for family and friends to publicize someone's achievement and take it to the local press in India, largely due to ignorance on their part if not for any malafide reasons. I know of someone from Kottayam who went to IIT, came over to US for a PhD got a NRC fellowship and went back to join ISRO. Now is a Diro in India after leaving ISRO. Such people do not make the news.

[member_28108]

My understanding is that there are independent small ullage motors that impart tiny acceleration to vehicle when needed to eliminate ullage effect in propellant/oxidizer tanks before main cryo engine is fired. The ullage motors are tested separately for reqd thrust and HAT facility just tests main cryo engine. The ullage effect itself is not reproduced and tested on earth.

Thanks - so they do not test for the ullage "effect" but just the motors and the cryogenic stage seperately.
Of course the ullage motors are very smallas they need to fire just to "push" the cryogenic propellant to the area where this will be used bythe cryogenic pumps to the combustion chamber without the ullage space vapor contents getting sucked in.
In space would the cryogenic fuel if unlimited form a sphere/sphere contained in a cylinder in the cylindrical container (which would necessitate the ullage motor in the first place) - Is that correct.

[member_28108]

Someone was saying on this list that ISRO doesnt have a "Plan"
Here is the summary of the vision plan till 2025
http://www.isro.org/vision.aspx


Satellite based communication and navigation systems for rural connectivity, security needs and mobile services

Enhanced imaging capability for natural resource management, weather and climate change studies

Space science missions for better understanding of solar system and universe

Planetary exploration

Development of Heavy lift launcher

Reusable Launch Vehicles - Technology demonstrator missions leading to Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO)

Human Space Flight

[bharats]

^^^
These are vision statements. Not a plan, would love to see at least a high level plan with year (by when). I remember seeing them long back in ISRO website (might be on the earlier website)

[member_28108]

^^^
These are vision statements. Not a plan, would love to see at least a high level plan with year (by when). I remember seeing them long back in ISRO website (might be on the earlier website)

yes there was an old one which showed even list of scheduled launches etc. Can't seem to find that list though there is a quote in one of the books.

[vasu raya]

GSAT-16 in French Guiana ahead of December launch

It is also working on the GSLV Mark-III that can lift four-tonne payloads. The first experimental flight of MkIII is slated for November or December.

[bharats]

India, Mexico sign MoU on space cooperation
Link: http://brahmand.com/news/India-Mexico-s ... /1/21.html

NEW DELHI (PTI): India and Mexico on Wednesday signed an MoU on space cooperation under which both sides will work together in remote sensing, satellite communication and areas relating to the peaceful use of outer space, besides taking the overall ties to a higher trajectory.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Mexican counterpart Jose Antonio Meade Kuribrena, presiding over the Sixth Session of the Joint Commission Meeting between India and Mexico, also decided to explore cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.

Mexico has initiated reforms in the energy sector and both private and public sector Indian companies are looking for opportunities in the sector. India imports crude oil from Mexico and it is the largest buyer of Mexican crude oil in Asia and overall the third largest globally. Official sources said both Swaraj and Kuribrena underlined the need to expand the ties, particularly in the trade sector.

The bilateral trade volume has increased appreciably. In 2010, the trade volume was USD 2.81 billion while it has reached around USD 7 billion currently. India's exports mainly comprise organic chemicals, vehicles and auto parts, electrical machinery and equipment, mineral fuels and oil, pharmaceuticals, textiles and garments, gems and jewellery. The two Ministers discussed the reforms which are underway in both countries. Mexico is taking steps to pass and implement new labour laws and fiscal laws in the telecom sector and in the field of energy.

The External Affairs Minister informed her Mexican counterpart that there are similar challenges in India and several reforms have already been initiated to put the economy on a high-growth path. Official sources said the MoU on space provides for cooperation in areas like remote sensing, satellite communication, capacity development and other mutually beneficial areas relating to peaceful use of outer space.

They said that Mexico will be setting up an 'India Room' in the National Museum of Cultures in Mexico City and India has gifted 108 pieces for this purpose. The Mexican Foreign Minister handed over to Swaraj an invitation from the President of Mexico to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the country at his earliest convenience. The two sides are expected to further consult on this through diplomatic channels, the sources said.

India will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations with Mexico next year and proposes to launch a 'Days of India in Mexico'. Both countries have also agreed to institutionalise a bilateral mechanism on consular issues.

[omdhar]

^^^
These are vision statements. Not a plan, would love to see at least a high level plan with year (by when). I remember seeing them long back in ISRO website (might be on the earlier website)

12th Plan Period (2012-2017) Planned Launches

[member_28108]

For those who think India should rush into private space exploration -
One must remember it is an exacting and costly and high risk endeavor.

Supply rocket headed to space station explodes
AP

An unmanned commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded moments after liftoff Tuesday evening, with debris falling in flames over the launch site in Virginia. No injuries were reported following the first catastrophic launch in NASA’s commercial spaceflight effort.

The accident at Orbital Sciences Corp.’s launch complex at Wallops Island was sure to draw criticism over the space agency’s growing reliance on private U.S. companies in this post-shuttle effort.

NASA is paying billions of dollars to Orbital Sciences and the SpaceX company to make station deliveries, and it’s counting on SpaceX and Boeing to start flying U.S. astronauts to the orbiting lab as early as 2017. NASA spokesman Rob Navias said there was nothing on the lost flight that was urgently needed by the six people living on the space station.

Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket blew up over the launch complex, just six seconds after the liftoff. The company said everyone at the site had been accounted for, and the damage appeared to be limited to the facilities.

Flames could be seen shooting into the sky as the sun set. There was no hint of any trouble until the rocket exploded. This was the second launch attempt for the mission. Monday evening’s try was thwarted by a stray sailboat in the rocket’s danger zone. The restrictions are in case of just such an accident that occurred Tuesday.

“We will understand what happened hopefully soon and we’ll get things back on track,” Orbital Sciences’ executive vice president Frank Culbertson told his team an hour after the failure. “We’ve all seen this happen in our business before, and we’ve all seen the teams recover from this, and we will do the same.”

The roomful of engineers and technicians were ordered to maintain all computer data for the ensuing investigation. Culbertson advised his staff not to talk to news reporters and to refrain from speculating among themselves.

“Definitely do not talk outside of our family,” said Culbertson, a former astronaut who once served on the space station.

It was the fourth Cygnus bound for the orbiting lab; the first flew just over a year ago. SpaceX is scheduled to launch another Dragon supply ship from Cape Canaveral in December.

The Cygnus cargo ship Tuesday had held 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of experiments and equipment. By coincidence, the Russian Space Agency was proceeding with its own supply run on Wednesday, planned well before the U.S. mishap.

All the scientists and students behind the science experiments aboard the Cygnus were surely devastated. About one—third of the capsule’s contents involved research. Among the instruments that were lost- a meteor tracker and 32 mini research satellites, along with numerous experiments compiled by schoolchildren.

The two Americans, three Russians and one German on the orbiting lab were informed promptly of the accident.

Until Tuesday, all of the supply missions by the Virginia—based Orbital Sciences and California—based SpaceX had been near—flawless.

President Barack Obama has long championed this commercial effort, urging that NASA focus its human spaceflight effort less on nearby orbit and more on destinations like asteroids and Mars. He was in Wisconsin for a campaign rally Tuesday evening and was kept abreast of the accident and its developments.

SpaceX’s billionaire founder and chief officer Elon Musk whose company is the face, in many ways, of the commercial effort said he was sorry to learn about the failure. “Hope they recover soon,” he said in a tweet.

Support poured in from elsewhere in the space community late Tuesday night.

“We are with you OrbitalSciences and NASA,” former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin said via Twitter.

“Very sorry to see the Antares rocket launch failure,” said Chris Hadfield, a former Canadian astronaut who served as space station commander last year. “Spaceflight is hard. Very glad that no one was hurt. Now time to sort out why & effects.”

John Logdson, former space policy director at George Washington University, said it was unlikely to be a major setback to NASA’s commercial space plans. But he noted it could derail Orbital Sciences for a while given the company has just one launch pad and the accident occurred right above it.

“It shows the wisdom of having more than one source” for launches, Logsdon said. Nevertheless, he added, “This is going to put the logistics chain for the station under some stress for a period of time.”

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat who flew on a space shuttle right before the 1986 Challenger disaster, said in a statement, “Space flight is inherently risky. As we push the frontiers of space there will be setbacks. But our commercial space ventures will ultimately be successful.”

The explosion also hit Orbital Science’s stock, which fell more than 15 percent in after—hours trading.

[NRao]

For those who think India should rush into private space exploration -
One must remember it is an exacting and costly and high risk endeavor.

It is high risk and really not meant for everyone. However, the risks are more in terms of time than cost. An event like this is covered by insurance. It is the delivery - time and material - that are lost. However, they should have contingency plans even for such events.

[Neshant]

For those who think India should rush into private space exploration -
One must remember it is an exacting and costly and high risk endeavor.

Manned missions are expensive due to the man component.

The key then is to leave out the man and continue using robots on a shoe string budget.

The whole purpose is not to explore space but to build up a generation of engineering & scientific brains by undertaking these projects.

This was supposed to happen via the military-industrial complex. But since every nut & bolt is being imported with DRDO hardly producing anything, there's no hope there.

Space is perhaps the only high tech area in which India is holding its own compared to western countries.

[John]

It is tragedy but ISRO will actually benefit from it knocks out another launch platform which is driving down costs by cutting margins dangerously not only using soviet era rockets and the components that are installed are sub standard. I don't think Orbital Science Corp as a company can survive this disaster even if it does i doubt anyone other NASA will use it.

[anmol]

Guess who is responsible for the failure???? Hint: