Indian Space Program Discussion

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 26 Aug 2013 21:21

a facility close to karwar base should not hurt., with an added security to the setup. but it could also include in terms of minimum distance for operational safety etc. anywhere between ankola to honavar is ideal spot.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Aug 2013 08:26

ISRO case scuttled cryogenic engine development, says former scientist

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan on Monday reiterated before the Kerala High Court that India could have developed a cryogenic engine by 2000 if indiscriminate arrests had not been made by Siby Mathews, former ADGP and head of the SIT of the Kerala Police which initially investigated the ISRO espionage case.

Mr. Narayanan and all others arraigned as accused in the case had been discharged on basis of a CBI report that the allegations were found to be false.

In a reply affidavit to an affidavit filed by Mr. Mathews in the High Court, Mr.Narayanan said it was true that India had not been able to successfully launch a cryogenic engine till today, though recently ISRO had attempted it. It could be seen from the case diary of the Kerala Police, as explained by the CBI in its refer report, that all those working on cryogenic engine development in ISRO and Russian scientists who supported India and the Russian private airline (Ural Aviation) had been made accused. Ural Aviation was the airline which brought Russian cryogenic engines and other relevant items to India for the ISRO, he said.

Mr. Narayanan reiterated that Mr. Mathews had a definite plan that all persons working for development of cryogenic engine technology should be arrested to demoralise them. That was the reason why he was arrested in November 1994 without conducting any search of his office or residence and also without seizure of any incriminating evidence from him.

He said he did not earlier raise the allegation that his arrest was part of an agenda of the U.S. accomplished by the CIA conniving with Intelligence Bureau officials, Mr. Mathews and other Kerala police officials because he realised the agenda and criminal conspiracy only later when he himself investigated the entire episode once again.

Then he realised the fact that one Rattan Sehgal, who was the counter intelligence chief of the IB and was associated with the ISRO case investigation, was caught red-handed by the then IB chief Arun Bhagath.

He was accused of having worked for the CIA, which led to his unceremonious exit from the IB in November 1996.

The ISRO espionage case was investigated by a team of seven senior IPS officers of the CBI. These officers individually and collectively conducted the investigation /interrogation and filed the final report of the CBI, against the Kerala police officials and Intelligence Bureau officers who investigated the case.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Koc ... epage=true

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Aug 2013 09:30

It was very unfortunate that a scientist of the calibre of Nambi Narayanan was so callously treated by the State. One hopes that Dr. Nambi Narayanan's allegation is taken seriously and proper investigation is done. But, in the changed circumstances now, such an investigation could be wishy-washy.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 27 Aug 2013 09:42

Thinking of CT, ISRO have not been so successful after tie up with NASA and its chief's Visit to India few years ago..

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 27 Aug 2013 09:56

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indo ... 75579.html

One step backward
Indo-US relations take a step backward following Ratan Sehgal episode
CHARU LATA JOSHI MARCH 15, 1997 | UPDATED 17:50 IST

When the US asked two junior-level officers from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) posted in the Indian Embassy's consular section in San Francisco and Chicago to leave the country no diplomatic feathers were ruffled in New Delhi's South Block. In fact, the tit for tat was quite on the cards after the Indian Government asked two CIA officials in the US Embassy to be withdrawn following clandestine meetings with a senior IB official, Ratan Sehgal.

Even as India and the US tried to douse this diplomatic fire breathing, it was evident that the Indo-US relations had taken a step backward. The episode also has had, as a US official terms it, a "chilling effect" on Indo-US intelligence cooperation. "The ability to work together in areas like counter-terrorism through intelligence sharing between the two countries is going to be impaired,'' says a senior diplomat.

The damage will take some undoing even though the US Embassy sounded optimistic in an official statement which said: "We will put this behind us. We have to work out mutually acceptable areas of cooperation.''

The US tough line on the Indian Government's stand was made clear by Ambassador Frank Wisner on January 4 when he was asked by Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramaniam and Foreign Secretary Salman Haider that the station chief of the CIA, Timothy Long, and his deputy Susan Brown be "removed''.

The charge: "unauthorised'' meetings with Sehgal. It is reliably learnt that Wisner adopted a hard line at the meeting, saying that his officials "were not engaged in any activity outside their intelligence liaison responsibility" and that the US "would retaliate".

On the face of it, the charges against Sehgal seem serious enough. He had "nine unauthorised and clandestine'' meetings with Long and Brown between September 19 and October 31, 1996, in Sehgal's Bharati Nagar residence and in the parking lot of Ambassador Hotel in Delhi. On September 18 last year, he received a large packet from Ms August, the former deputy station chief of the CIA, outside Ambassador Hotel.

It is unlikely that the Government risked a spat with the US without ample evidence on Sehgal's activities.
But it was always known that the IB has been carrying on unofficial intelligence sharing with most Commonwealth countries - without the knowledge of the RAW - since 1980, when the then director T.V. Rajeswar first started the procedure for exchange of operational information.

But since this was an unofficial agreement between intelligence agencies, no records of this are maintained either in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) or the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Countries routinely declare their intelligence operatives who are posted for assisting liaison in counter-terrorist operations. "But the rules regarding contact may differ from each organisation," says an MEA official.

On November 14 last year Sehgal explained to a special IB team that he had met the CIA liaison officials in connection with matters concerning the back-channel liaison that the IB had with the US.

When Arun Bhagat, director, IB, presented the Sehgal case in a meeting with Home Secretary Padmanabhaiah, Principal Secretary Satish Chandra and Subramaniam on November 16 last year, Chandra dismissed it, saying that the evidence was insufficient for either "detention under the National Security Act (NSA) or to invoke Article 311 (B) of the Constitution".

Three days later, in a meeting with the home secretary, Bhagat too stated that "an analysis of the evidence shows that Sehgal was not working for the CIA but was probably being cultivated by the Americans".

While the precise motive behind Sehgal's removal remains in the realm of speculation, it is unlikely that the Government would have risked a diplomatic spat with the US without sufficient hard evidence against Sehgal and the CIA operatives That he was a victim of "turf fighting'' within the IB is a simplistic explanation. Both Subramaniam and Padmanabhaiah refused to comment.

Curious also in the circumstances is the IB's move to forward a letter to the MHA on November 18, 1996, in which the agency clearly stated that "the officer was not facing any vigilance/departmental enquiry and therefore his request for voluntary retirement be accepted".

Sehgal has no dearth of backers. "He has been wronged because of the inexperience, vanity and foolishness of those at the helm," says former foreign secretary S.K. Singh. Another former foreign secretary, J.N. Dixit, is equally supportive of Singh. "I don't believe that Sehgal would ever jeopardise the interests of the nation." But whatever the real motives behind Sehgal's forced retirement from the IB, recent developments show that the issue is not likely to die down.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 27 Aug 2013 10:01

Nambi narayanan was supposed to be compensated with Rs 10 lakh by Kerala govt as ordered by the court. They have not complied with the order.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambi_Narayanan

In 2001, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered the Kerala State Government to pay him a compensation of INR 1 crore (10 million).[7] He retired in 2001. The Kerala High Court ordered a compensation amount of Rs 10 lakhs to be paid to Nambi Narayanan based on a appeal from NHRC India in September 2012.

On October 3, 2012, The Hindu Reported that Kerala Government has dropped charges against police officials who were alleged to have falsely implicated Nambi Narayanan in the espionage case on the grounds that over 15 years had passed since the case was initiated. The top officer involved in the case, Siby Mathews is currently the Chief Information Commissioner in Kerala.

On November 8th ,2012 it is reported that Kerala Government still not complied Kerala High Court order to pay compensation Rs 10 lakhs.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Aug 2013 14:16

Jhujar wrote:Thinking of CT, ISRO have not been so successful after tie up with NASA and its chief's Visit to India few years ago..

There have been two specific agreements between GoI & the US on space cooperation. One was signed in c. 1997 when we got a not so current Cray system for IMD with a lot of conditions attached to it. Then, it was the much touted NSSP in c. 2004 which led to some payloads on the Chandrayaan-I. There might have been some minor things here and there but not anything significant for us.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 27 Aug 2013 17:09

SSridhar wrote:It was very unfortunate that a scientist of the calibre of Nambi Narayanan was so callously treated by the State. One hopes that Dr. Nambi Narayanan's allegation is taken seriously and proper investigation is done. But, in the changed circumstances now, such an investigation could be wishy-washy.

Another police officer who was involved in the frame-up was one R.B. Sreekumar, who these days has become a mascot of the hate-Modi industry.

ISRO scientist seeks damages to end 'loose talk'

The people he has named in his petition include Sibi Mathew, Crime Branch IG in Trivandrum, Mathew John and R B Sreekumar, both IB joint directors at Delhi.

http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/feb/24nambi.htm

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 27 Aug 2013 20:15

For those who are upset with the GSLV delay..here's what happened in Japan today:

Japan suspends Satellite launch in last minute due tech snag indefinitely

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 27 Aug 2013 20:24

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
but they already have H 2B available with them and this rocket is much smaller and
is being developed with artificial intelligence and requiring just 2 laptop to
launch and other fancy tech.
JAXA will not be desperate to have a quick launch for it while ISRO
should be for GSLV.
So this comparison does not seem comforting

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 27 Aug 2013 20:39

^^^
Any updates on the date of the next GSLV launch? Hoping that the "at least 2 months" is wrong, or just one individual's pessimism! BTW, if it is 2-3 months, then the GSLV will be launched very close to the time of the Mars mission.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 27 Aug 2013 22:00

What stopped India's rocket launch? 750 kg of leaking fuel

When India's Rs. 205-crore space mission was aborted earlier this month, scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) blamed a fuel leak in the rocket that was meant to place a communications satellite in space.

NDTV has now learnt that scientists discovered that 750 kilograms of highly inflammable and explosive fuel had leaked from the engine.

The countdown clock was stopped barely 74 minutes before the scheduled lift-off for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) fitted with a cryogenic engine made in India.

Video showed the rocket being splashed with water. Weighing as much as 80 well-fed adult elephants, the vehicle was dismantled at Sriharikota, 80 kilometres from Chennai.

Chairman of ISRO, K Radhakrishnan, said "timely detection and quick action" averted what could have been a massive fire that could have engulfed not just the rocket but the second launch pad facility at Sriharikota. This is the first time ISRO has had to dismantle a rocket that had been almost fully fuelled.

"There is no generic problem with the rocket," Mr Radhakrishnan told NDTV. The launch will be attempted again in December.

India has been trying to push further into the global market for launching commercial satellites.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 27 Aug 2013 22:13

So it's 3 and a half months at least, possibly a full 4 months.Actually, when ISRO says "December", what they mean is January. "Leaked from the engine" should really be "leaked from the propellant tank", right, or "leaked from the second stage of the vehicle".

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 27 Aug 2013 22:36

^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Should we be happy that we managed to save the vehicle and 2nd launch pad or go mad at the fact that with
so much checks and re-checks, reviews , flight readiness checks etc we managed to end up in 750 kg of leaking fuel , dismantling of
complete rocket , delay of another 4 months.
What about stand by engine and why such a major issue in such a crucial launch attempt. First 15 years back the boss of cryogenic engine
is arrested probably to delay the vehicle , then all kinds of issues with the GSLV launches and not all of them related to cryo stage and now the 2nd stage Vikas engine which works flawlessly in PSLV starts leaking .

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 27 Aug 2013 23:14

ISRO to assemble another engine for aborted GSLV
From: Zee News
Aug 27, 2013, 20.11 IST

Link: http://zeenews.india.com/news/space/isr ... 72172.html

Chennai: The Indian space agency will assemble another engine to fly its heavy rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV), while packing off the leaking one to its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) for detailed study, an official said Tuesday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had called off the launch of its GSLV rocket carrying the communication satellite GSAT-14 Aug 19 after the liquid fuel started leaking like a tap from the rocket's second stage. ISRO's spaceport is located at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from here. The LPSC is situated at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The GSLV is a three-stage launch vehicle with four strap-on motors hugging the first stage. The first stage is powered by solid fuel while the four strap-on motors and the second stage are powered by liquid fuel. The third is the cryogenic engine powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

"At the rocket assembly building, the satellite, cryogenic engine and the second stage have been destacked. It has been decided to shift the second stage to Mahendragiri for detailed inspection and study," the ISRO official said. He said ISRO has also decided to start assembling another engine so that the GSLV could fly at the earliest. Queried about the time-frame for the GSLV's flight, he said: "It is not possible to give a time-frame for the GSLV's flight now."

In 2010, ISRO had to put off a PSLV launch as it found "a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks". At that time, the faulty part was inaccessible as the rocket stages had been fully assembled. ISRO had to dismantle the second stage to correct the fault.

In June this year, ISRO put off the launch of its PSLV rocket carrying India's first navigational satellite after it found a problem in one of the electro-hydraulic control actuators in the second stage. Here again, the fully-assembled rocket had to be dismantled to replace the actuator, an assembly of several components. The launch occurred successfully July 1. However, ISRO officials said that a pattern could be drawn only if the problem crops up consistently in a component/system.
IANS

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 27 Aug 2013 23:27

India could have developed cryogenic engine by 2000: Scientist Nambi Narayanan.

India could have developed a cryogenic engine by the year 2000 if "indiscriminate" arrests had not been made in the ISRO espionage case by those who investigated it initially, former space scientist Nambi Narayanan told the Kerala High Court.

Narayanan, who was arrested and later released in the espionage case, informed the court yesterday that the special police team led by former ADGP Sibi Mathews, which had initially probed the case, had planned to arrest all those working for the development of cryogenic engine to 'demoralise' them and stall development in the specialised area.

Narayanan, who had approached the court seeking action against Mathews, presently Chief Information Commissioner, and two other officers, was responding to the reply affidavit of the former police officer.

While admitting that India has not been able to successfully launch a cryogenic engine till date, he said recently ISRO had attempted it but had to postpone it just an hour and 48 minutes before its official launch.

Narayanan's counsel submitted that all those working in the line of cryogenic development in ISRO and Russian scientists, who supported India and the Russian Private Airline (Ural Aviation), were made the accused. The Ural Aviation was the airline which brought Russian Cryogenic engines and other relevant materials for ISRO, it was stated.

Pointing that Mathews had a 'definite plan', Narayanan claimed he was arrested in November 1994 without conducting any search at his office or home and no incriminating documentary evidence was seized from him.

He also stated that he had not raised the allegation that his arrest was part of a US agenda accomplished by CIA as he realised the agenda only later.

Sibi Mathews, in his affidavit, had earlier stated that Narayanan's plea seeking action against the three police officers, including him, was only to tarnish his image. Mathews had stated though Nambi Narayanan was reinstated in service and continued to work in ISRO till his retirement in 2001, he was never given an important assignment connected to cryogenic engine possibly because the central government knew the allegation of espionage against the petitioner.

Narayanan had approached the High Court challenging the government order of June 29, 2011 dropping action against investigating officers of Kerala police -- Sibi Mathews and two former SPs K K Joshua and Vijayan. He had also sought initiation of criminal and disciplinary action against the three officers.

Charges of espionage at ISRO had surfaced with the arrest of a Maldivian national Mariam Rasheeda in Thiruvananthapuram in October 1994. Another Maldivian woman Fausia Hassan, a former ISRO scientist and two Bangalore based businessman were the other accused besides Narayanan in the case.

The case had been handed over to CBI which had filed final report on April 30, 1996 as 'not proved and false'. The closure report was accepted by the CJM Ernakulam, and all the accused were discharged on May 2, 1996.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 28 Aug 2013 00:03

Here is the ISRO press release for that postponed PSLV mission, 3 years ago. Originally scheduled for May 9, 2010, it was launched on July 10/2010, a delay of just two months.

"Launch of PSLV-C15 Rescheduled

The launch of ISRO`s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) fixed for May 9, 2010 has been rescheduled. A marginal drop in the pressure in second stage of the vehicle was noticed during the mandatory checks carried out on the PSLV-C15 vehicle. The new date for the launch of PSLV-C15 mission will be decided after preliminary results of the analysis are obtained.

PSLV-C15 is planned to launch India`s Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite ALSAT-2A, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and STUDSAT, a satellite built by students from academic institutions in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh."

disha · Post by **disha** » 28 Aug 2013 05:52

dhiraj wrote:^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Should we be happy that we managed to save the vehicle and 2nd launch pad or go mad at the fact that with
so much checks and re-checks, reviews , flight readiness checks etc we managed to end up in 750 kg of leaking fuel , dismantling of
complete rocket , delay of another 4 months.
What about stand by engine and why such a major issue in such a crucial launch attempt. First 15 years back the boss of cryogenic engine
is arrested probably to delay the vehicle , then all kinds of issues with the GSLV launches and not all of them related to cryo stage and now the 2nd stage Vikas engine which works flawlessly in PSLV starts leaking .

I think we can do Rudaali like rhona-dhona. That will help. It has been psychologically attested to.

Keeping CT theories aside, such events do occur. And glad that the leak was detected and the complete rocket saved.

Loosing few months on the ground is far better instead of grounding of all PSLV/GSLV launches.

disha · Post by **disha** » 28 Aug 2013 05:59

KrishC wrote:Exactly! ISRO needs to get it's act together, if it says its going to do something it should do it or people will start seeing it as a joke! I Remember back in early 2011 they said that GSLV D-5 would fly in June of that year...didn't happen, then they said it would fly in early 2012..that didn't happen either, then they said it would fly in september-october of 2012..you guessed it it never happened, then they said it would be launched by April 2013...didn't happen either, then june, july..didn't happen, then finally in august it was on the launch pad ready for liftoff when suddenly the launch has to be aborted because of a manufacturing defect. I mean seriously? You had three years to prepare for this ISRO, everything should have been spot on and if there was a problem it should have been with the cyro stage not a proven stage like the GS2 which is already in use on the PSLV. Sorry for the rambling tone but this is how i currently feel about ISRO and their bogus timelines.

ISRO has become as cautious as a rat trying to find food in a new area. The previous head of ISRO was flamboyant and ready to throw challenges. The new head is more of a methodical cautious execution type guy. Each have strengths (and weaknesses) and it shows through the system.

On top of it, GOI is ready to cut ISRO's budget to pay for free rice. Here GOI should come with support and say that failure is the stepping stone and write a blank check to ISRO* (and if they fail, heads will roll)., imagine the change in ISRO's attitude.

*every Rs. ISRO spends, India earns back 2x that. ISRO has to maintain the same returns and GOI can fund their past times later.

srin · Post by **srin** » 28 Aug 2013 09:41

For key launches, there is always a pressure (never direct and always implied) to cut corners and go ahead with the mission in the hope nothing goes wrong. Checking and cross-checking thousands of components made by different parties over a period of months is boring, and there won't be anything to show.

I find the new conservatism and focus on quality admirable. I expect it should be possible to quickly re-assemble the engine in a month or little more, ISRO taking this long a time means they would be looking at fundamental processes.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 28 Aug 2013 09:58

disha wrote:ISRO has become as cautious as a rat trying to find food in a new area. The previous head of ISRO was flamboyant and ready to throw challenges. The new head is more of a methodical cautious execution type guy. Each have strengths (and weaknesses) and it shows through the system.

Completely agree.
However here cautiousness has gone to the limits and even then situation has only worsened. For example the two 2nd stage issue in PSLV has been in 2010 and 2013 under the current leadership and so has been the current GSLV leakage issue. In fact the last launch by ISRO also had 2nd stage issue, so extra cautiousness does not seem to be helping in the quality front.
What is needed desperately is flamboyance and aggressiveness.

srin wrote:For key launches, there is always a pressure (never direct and always implied) to cut corners and go ahead with the mission in the hope nothing goes wrong.

It took nearly 3 years , how much more time is needed and then we find issue in 2nd stage and not in cryo.

srin wrote:Checking and cross-checking thousands of components made by different parties over a period of months is boring, and there won't be anything to show.

What if it was a manned launch, people getting bored ? Can this be acceptable.

srin wrote:I find the new conservatism and focus on quality admirable

So we should have seen improvement in the quality of 2nd stage Vikas engine in 2013 compared to the past years right ?

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 28 Aug 2013 17:37

GSLV flight with indigenous cryogenic engine only in Dec: ISRO
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc ... 068115.ece

The Hindu article states
1.

ISRO has drawn flak from some quarters for using an “old tank” for the second stage as the materials used for building it were “prone for delayed cracks”. It was said have been delivered to ISRO four-years ago

.
Now this is the focus on quality for such a critical launch

2.

ISRO would be busy with the Mars Orbiter mission in the next two months. “We can expect the GSLV flight in December”, the official said.

What is our priority

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 28 Aug 2013 18:53

Rants aside, the Mars Orbiter mission has a short window because of the relative positions of Earth and Mars in their respective orbits. Missing this window would mean waiting a couple of years for the next opportunity. So yes, the priority is exactly right in this instance.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Aug 2013 19:07

From what dhiraj has posted above,

A senior space scientist called it a “gross error of judgement” on the part of ISRO which obviously seemed to focus more on the third (cryogenic) stage, as the first two were a “given” as it’s similar to the proven PSLV, the workhorse launcher.

dhiraj, in the unusual circumstance, GSLV launch has to be pushed back, IMHO too.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 28 Aug 2013 20:01

Chairman of ISRO, K Radhakrishnan, said "timely detection and quick action" averted what could have been a massive fire that could have engulfed not just the rocket but the second launch pad facility at Sriharikota. This is the first time ISRO has had to dismantle a rocket that had been almost fully fuelled.

"There is no generic problem with the rocket," Mr Radhakrishnan told NDTV. The launch will be attempted again in December.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what- ... uel-411152

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 28 Aug 2013 23:29

An important development and that too announced very publicly . Yet it seems to have escaped notice here.

India's first military satellite will help keep tabs on Indian Ocean region

Thanks to Navy.

NEW DELHI: India's first dedicated military satellite GSAT-7 or "Rukmini", which will be launched by Arianespace from French Guiana on Friday, will provide the Navy with an almost 2,000-nautical-mile-footprint over the critical Indian Ocean region (IOR).

Essentially a geo-stationary communication satellite to enable real-time networking of all Indian warships, submarines and aircraft with operational centres ashore, the 2,625kg Rukmini will also help the Navy keep a hawk-eye over both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. "From Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait, it will help cover almost 70% of the IOR," said a source.

The "over-the-sea use" Rukmini, with UHF, S, Ku and C-band transponders, is to be followed by GSAT-7A with the IAF and Army sharing its "over-the-land use" bandwidth. The Navy has been clamouring for such a satellite for close to a decade now to shorten its "sensor-to-shooter loop" - the ability to swiftly detect and tackle a threat — but the delay in the indigenous GSLV rocket to carry satellites and other factors have been the stumbling blocks.

India, of course, has been a late — and somewhat reluctant — entrant into the military space arena despite having a robust civilian programme for decades. Without dedicated satellites of their own, the armed forces were relegated to using "dual use" Cartosat satellites or the Technology Experimental Satellite launched in 2001, apart from leasing foreign satellite transponders for surveillance, navigation and communication purposes.

China, in sharp contrast, has taken huge strides in the military space arena, testing even ASAT (anti-satellite) weapons against "low-earth orbit" satellites since January 2007. "With counter-space being a top priority, China has been testing its 'direct-ascent kinetic kill' capabilities. It also has active programmes for kinetic and directed-energy laser weapons as well as nano-satellites. By 2020, it hopes to have a space station with military applications," said a source.

Incidentally, around 300 dedicated or dual-use military satellites are orbiting around the earth, with the US owning 50% of them, followed by Russia and China. But India has lagged far behind in utilization of the final frontier of space for military purposes, refusing to even approve the long-standing demand of the armed forces for a full-fledged Aerospace Command, as earlier reported by TOI.

Though officially against " any offensive space capabilities or weaponization of space", the defence ministry in 2010 had come out with a 15-year "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap" that dwelt on the need to develop ASAT weapons "for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000km altitude above earth's surface) and GEO-synchronous orbits". These portions were quietly deleted in the roadmap released earlier this year.

DRDO contends it can develop ASAT weapons if required by marrying the propulsion system of the over 5,000-km Agni-V missile with the "kill vehicle" of its two-tier BMD (ballistic missile system) system.

Apart from working on "directed energy weapons" at its Laser Science &Technology Centre, DRDO also has futuristic programmes for launching "mini-satellites on demand" for use in the battlefield as well as "EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hardening" of satellites and sensors to protect them against ASAT weapons.

But all that is in the future. Dedicated military satellites like Rukmini will help India keep real-time tabs over the rapidly-militarizing IOR, where China is increasingly expanding its strategic footprint, as well as on troop movements, missile silos, military installations and airbases across land borders.

kit · Post by **kit** » 29 Aug 2013 00:18

Wasnt there a report of an ELINT satellite program.. by DRDO ? very hush hush and very scanty media reports .The system was designed to soak up all matter of electronic signals in the ether !

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 29 Aug 2013 00:23

How many times now have we deployed 'first time military satellites' for defense purposes?

member_20067 · Post by **member_20067** » 29 Aug 2013 00:51

harbans wrote:How many times now have we deployed 'first time military satellites' for defense purposes?

Exactly.. however there is a difference between spy satellite and dedicate military communication satellite... and also god knows what bugs (if possible) will be installed by the French to sniff out communication

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 29 Aug 2013 00:56

harbans wrote:How many times now have we deployed 'first time military satellites' for defense purposes?

How many are there in orbit before this one gets deployed? I don't recall any public ack of Military specific satellite. Military could be using one of the many satellites available for general purpose. This one seems specially developed at the request of Navy with very precise purposes in mind. And Publicly announced so.

Not counting any Spy satellite that India might have launched.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 29 Aug 2013 02:07

Moon water discovery hints at mystery source deep underground

The find — made by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 probe — marks the first detection of such "magmatic water" from lunar orbit and confirms analyses performed recently on moon rocks brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts four decades ago, researchers said.

<snip>

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first robotic moon probe. The spacecraft launched in October 2008 and sent an impactor into the lunar surface a month later, making India the fourth nation to plant its flag on the moon. Chandrayaan-1 continued making science observations from lunar orbit until August 2009, when it abruptly stopped communicating with Earth.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 30 Aug 2013 04:23

India's first defence satellite GSAT-7 launched successfully

....
A senior space scientist in the know said: "So far, Navy had limitation from line of sight and ionospheric effects etc. It was thought essential to have an integrated platform for their exclusive use. Earlier, satellite communication in ships was through Inmarsat (a major provider of global mobile satellite communications services). Now, India will have its own set up"

ISRO shies away from calling it an exclusive satellite for the Navy on record, but privately admits exactly that.

The Rs 185 crore state-of-the-art satellite carries payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands.....

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Aug 2013 08:11

Indo-US Space Ties Ready for [Yet Another] Takeoff: NASA Chief

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 30 Aug 2013 08:42

Is there any specific reason for us to announce a satellite to be a military one?

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 30 Aug 2013 08:53

Good, that GSAT-7 or "Rukmini" launched on her Husband's Birthday, yesterday.

Principal wife of Lord Krishna

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 30 Aug 2013 15:52

pankajs wrote:Moon water discovery hints at mystery source deep underground
The find — made by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 probe — marks the first detection of such "magmatic water" from lunar orbit and confirms analyses performed recently on moon rocks brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts four decades ago, researchers said.

<snip>

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first robotic moon probe. The spacecraft launched in October 2008 and sent an impactor into the lunar surface a month later, making India the fourth nation to plant its flag on the moon. Chandrayaan-1 continued making science observations from lunar orbit until August 2009, when it abruptly stopped communicating with Earth.

A pic of the flag - before take off - would be great probably.

bharats · Post by **bharats** » 30 Aug 2013 18:02

India launches first defense satellite GSAT-7
From: BBC News
Aug 30, 2013, 07.33 GMT

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23894646

India has launched its first satellite dedicated solely to military use, the country's space organisation has said. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched the advanced multi-band communication satellite GSAT-7 from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana early on Friday morning. Isro said it will be placed in a geostationary orbit by next week and its transponders will be switched on. The satellite is expected to boost the Indian navy's surveillance abilities.

An Isro official said that the satellite was "important from security and surveillance points of view", news agency Press Trust of India reported.The launch was broadcast live on India's state broadcaster, Doordarshan. India has emerged as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market with dozens of communication and weather satellites in orbit.

It has also announced plans for an unmanned voyage to Mars.

The satellite is expected to boost Indian navy's surveillance abilities

sombhat · Post by **sombhat** » 30 Aug 2013 18:29

India launches first defense satellite GSAT-7
From: BBC News
Aug 30, 2013, 07.33 GMT

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23894646

What?

no one-liner on how 70% of people in India are below proverty line, and how they earn less than a dollar a day. BBC is loosing its touch

member_23832 · Post by **member_23832** » 30 Aug 2013 19:32

ISRO Human Space Flight Program Update: Crew module drop test

ISRO has conducted drop test of full scale crew module in a water reservoir. The module was dropped from various heights and a number of parameters like touch-down velocity etc., were recorded during these tests. With successful culmination of these tests, ISRO is now planning the next step of conducting the drop test from a helicopter.

Drop Test of Crew Module (Credits ISRO)

ISRO OV (Credits ISRO)

http://antariksh-space.blogspot.in/sear ... results=21

member_23832 · Post by **member_23832** » 30 Aug 2013 19:36

India's Advanced Communication Satellite GSAT-7 Launched Successfully

India's advanced multi-band communication satellite, GSAT-7, was successfully launched at 0200 hrs IST today (August 30, 2013) by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle of Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane-5 precisely placed GSAT-7 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after a flight of 34 minutes 25 seconds duration.

As planned, ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka started acquiring the signals five minutes prior to the separation of GSAT-7 from Ariane-5 launch vehicle. The solar panels of the satellite have been deployed and they are generating power. Initial checks have indicated normal health of the satellite.

The present orbit of the satellite will be raised to Geostationary Orbit of about 36,000 km altitude through three orbit raising manoeuvres by firing of GSAT-7's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM). Preparations are underway for the first firing, planned in the early hours of August 31, 2013. The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by Sep 04, 2013.

http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/script ... Aug30_2013