Indian Space Programme Discussion

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 24 Apr 2016 06:13

Reusable space launcher model to be tested soon - The Hindu

Two futuristic space technologies that will impact cost and human space travel are due to be tested shortly, according to A.S.Kiran Kumar, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation.

A small, plane-like prototype of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) is planned be flown first in May or June. A crew escape or pad abort system will follow it later, he said delivering the Air Force's ninth annual L.M.Katre memorial lecture on Saturday.

“On Friday, we completed the acoustic test of a technology demonstrator of a reusable launch vehicle at the NAL's facility. This is our first winged body vehicle and will provide us with the capability to put objects into Space at significantly lower cost,” Mr. Kiran Kumar said.

The technology demonstrator is about a sixth of the size of an eventual RLV. It will travel up to 70-80 km in space and return.

“The spacecraft is on its way to Sriharikota and we are getting ready for its launch” sometime in May or June, Mr. Kiran Kumar said.

ISRO is also developing crew modules which have environments controlled for supporting two or three astronauts for a few months.

rgosain · Post by **rgosain** » 24 Apr 2016 14:21

Bhaskar_T wrote:"Evil Yindoos (ISRO), subsidised by GOI, launching US satellites throwing us out of the market" - US private players.

If I recall correctly, India will launch 25 foreign satellites in 2016-17 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). While 12 of these belong to the US, the remaining 13 belong to six countries - Germany, Canada, Algeria, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 921599.cms

Amid the US' push to expand cooperation with India in the space sector, the country's nascent private space industry has expressed its opposition to the large scale use of low cost ISRO launch vehicles for putting American satellites into orbits.
Such a move, corporate leaders and officials of the fast- emerging American private space industry told lawmakers this week, would be detrimental to the future health of the private sector US space companies. They feel it would be tough for them to compete against low-cost Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch vehicles, which they alleged are subsidised by the Indian government.

"I think the concern about using Indian boosters is not so much the transfer of sensitive technology to a nation that is a fellow democracy, but rather whether the Indian launches are subsidised by the government to a degree that other market actors would be priced out of the market," Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, CEO of Space Foundation, said.

Testifying before a Congressional committee, Pulham said there has been some discussion about allowing US built satellites to fly on boosters such as the Indian PSLV.

Eric Stallmer, president Commercial Spaceflight Federation, opposed efforts to facilitate a government-subsidised foreign launch company.

"In this case, India, to compete with US companies. Such policy runs counter to many national priorities and undermines the work and investment that has been made by the government and industry to ensure the health of the US commercial space launch industrial base," Stallmer said. He said the challenge right now is that the satellite manufacturers are making satellites at a quicker rate right now than the US has the launch capability.

So a satellite is not making money while it's sitting on the ground, he said.
"Currently, the Indian launch vehicle PSLV has a sweet spot and has the capability of launching some of these satellites right now in a timely manner. We don't want to see US launches going overseas by any means, whether it's to India, Russia or whomever else. But right now, from the satellite, you know, producers and manufacturers, they need to get their assets up in the sky as quick as possible," Stallmer said.

Noting that the current policy with the waivers and the review is a sound policy, he said the US should stringently look at every launch that is taking place in every vehicle or every payload that the US are putting up on an Indian vehicle.
"I think it really needs to be evaluated. We hope to phase this out as a new generation of launched vehicles come online," Stallmer said.

If there is an example of bad karma then this is it. Exactly 25 years, the USG at the behest of the chinese, various non-proliferationistasa and the launcher industry imposed sanction on ISRO for developing and trying to procure cryogenic engines.
The sanctions themselves were intensified against indian satellite and launcher development well before 1998. Thanks to these sanctions Isro has been compelled to develop technologies that are cost effective and highly innovative. India should remind these groups who complain about free trade and subsidies, that as long as there are sanctions and technology denial regimes against India, then Isro's launchers will be priced at highly competitive rates.
The Bard who died 400 years ago today, would have referred to these complaints as being hoisted by your own petard

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 25 Apr 2016 20:13

Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) have cleared the 51 and half hr countdown starting at 09:20hr IST on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 and the launch of PSLV-C33/IRNSS-1G Mission for Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 12:50hr IST

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 26 Apr 2016 06:35

The 51.5 hr countdown to the launch of PSLV-C33/IRNSS-1G Mission starting at 09:20 hr IST on Tuesday, April 26, 2016

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 26 Apr 2016 14:12

Apr 26, 2016 : MMH propellant filling operation has been completed. Preparations for Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen (MON-3) oxidiser filling operation of PS4 are under progress.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Apr 2016 14:33

Of India and ICBMs: two current concerns for American small-satellite launch - Cody Knipfer, The Space Review
Excerpts

The PSLV

The debate over the PSLV revolves around a US Trade Representative review of a current ban on US satellite use of the PSLV. The ban dates to a Commercial Space Launch Agreement (CSLA) in 2005. CSLAs are the US government’s method for protecting the domestic launch industry from competing government-controlled foreign launchers such as the PSLV, which is operated by Antrix Corporation Ltd., the commercial arm of the Indian space program. These agreements set American commercial launch prices as the minimum for government-owned, non-US launch providers. India has, to date, refused to sign the CSLA, leading the US government to issue its ban.

The impetus for this CSLA, once known as the “SpaceX Agreement,” was SpaceX’s introduction of the Falcon 1 rocket which, designed for small-satellite launches, provided the capacity and capabilities desired by the US small-satellite market. Yet SpaceX discarded the Falcon 1 when it moved to the larger Falcon 9 in 2009, leaving a hole in US small-satellite launch capability. While the United States government can and does issue waivers to satellite companies, allowing them a ride on the PSLV, the U.S. small-satellite industry would like greater access. This, along with the relatively low price of a PSLV launch, has prompted a US Trade Representative review of whether India’s refusal to sign the CSLA continues to warrant the ban.

In response, the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), which advises the FAA and whose membership is comprised predominately of launch providers, issued a recommendation that US satellites continue to be barred from the PSLV, concluding that “[Allowing] India’s state-owned and controlled launch providers to compete with U.S. companies runs counter to many national policies and undermines the work that has been done by government and industry to ensure the health of the U.S. space launch industrial bases.” On February 26, the FAA announced its agreement with COMSTAC’s recommendation, signaling that this opinion would be taken into consideration during the review. At this time, the review continues.
In essence, the argument of US launch companies is that protectionism is necessary in order to preserve the market for their eventual entrance.

A primary argument of the launch companies is that lifting the ban on the PSLV will enable – vehicles subsidized by foreign governments to compete against American industry. The Antrix Corporation is mainly an administrative agent of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India’s national space agency. ISRO provides the technical operations supporting Antrix’s commercial launches. The PSLV was developed as an ISRO program, and the profits made off commercial launch feeds back into India’s space budget. This does constitute government subsidy of the Indian launch market; in contrast, the American companies developing small launch vehicles have done so largely through private investment, with NASA purchasing their services through fixed-price contracts.

Of course, those issuing counter-arguments to the preservation of the ban note that the United States does not hold such bans against the use of equivalent and similarly-subsidized Russian, European, or Japanese launch vehicles, such as the Dnepr, Vega, and Epsilon. According to the FAA Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation, the Dnepr is a medium-class vehicle used for multimanifested launches of small satellites at prices of around $29 million. The Epsilon is specifically suited for small payloads at launch prices starting at $39 million. The Vega is a small-class vehicle launching at prices also of $39 million.

Yet the PSLV is a substantially cheaper platform with greater capabilities than most of its competition. It is capable of launching up to 3,250 kilograms to LEO, enabling substantial bundling of small satellites for constellation deployment, and is capable of small-satellite launch to geostationary and Sun-synchronous orbits as well. The price for a launch aboard the PSLV runs around $33 million.

The concern of American small-satellite launch companies is that, with these foreign assets available for use today, American satellite companies would use them in order to deploy their constellations in short enough time to sustain their business case, thereby risking the substantial investment that has gone into the development of indigenous American small-satellite launch capabilities. In essence, their argument is that protectionism is necessary in order to preserve the market for their eventual entrance. Even if other existing foreign government-subsidized launch vehicles don’t have bans on their use, their launch costs are evidently high enough to dissuade frequent American satellite launch. On the other hand, the PSLV, in the eyes of small launch companies, is marketable enough to present serious undercutting competition that could wreck US small-satellite launch competitiveness.

Resolution of the issue has been deferred for now as the US Trade Representative completes its review of the ban. Yet, even assuming the ban stays, American small launch providers are still not clear of potentially undercutting competition. A recent proposal making its way through Congress has called for excess US Air Force Minuteman and Peacekeeper ICBMs to enter the commercial launch market, upending established US space policy precedent that prohibits competition on the commercial market using spare government launch assets.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 26 Apr 2016 19:13

Apr 26, 2016 : Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen (MON-3) oxidiser filling operation of PS4 is completed.Countdown is progressing normally

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 26 Apr 2016 22:41

Each PSLV launch costs 33 mil USD? Seems rather expensive, more than half of a spacex falcon 9 launch.

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 26 Apr 2016 22:59

That may be what we charge american satellite operators ? But it is too high, it should be 15-20 mil ball park. Wiki gives 15 mil per CA launch. Even XL should only be 20 mil max.

Not sure how reliable..
https://www.quora.com/Are-the-Indian-PS ... -9-rockets

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 27 Apr 2016 02:20

ISRO’s rocket technology to power human hearts.

Rocket science may not be able to fix broken hearts, but very soon technology mastered at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) may be able to help patients who are in need for a heart transplant.

Materials and mechanisms used on Indian rockets have been tweaked by ISRO to make a device which some describe as a step towards the making of an ‘artificial heart’.

The heart assist device has been tested on animals and found to be successful.

Better known for orbiting satellites and flying giant rockets, the multi-talented team at ISRO made this heart pump as a spinoff technology development in the spare time. Cardiologists are very excited with this development as it offers a lease of life to terminally-ill patients since heart transplant still remains out of reach for most.

Using materials and knowhow perfected to make lightweight rockets and satellites, scientists at ISRO have perfected a device that assists the human heart to pump blood especially in cases where the left ventricle, the most powerful part of a human heart, starts to fail.

Called the ‘left ventricular assist device’ this small electrical device can pump 3-5 litres of blood every minute. Kiran Kumar, the chairman of ISRO said this rocket technology offered an alternate system to pump blood in very ill patients and can definitely save human lives.

The special pump made by the Indian space agency can also be powered using an indigenously made highly energy dense battery, the Lithium Ion cell, that has also for the first time been made in India again by another team of rocket scientists.
The pump, which weighs about 100 grams can be fitted inside the body or placed externally and it needs a hook up to a battery to power it.
Made from a special alloy of titanium the device is ‘bio-compatible’ says K Sivan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), in Thiruvananthapuram where the special heart pump has been mastered.

Rocket scientists at VSSC use titanium alloys for making rocket engines and satellite components as a consequence they have total mastery on the metallurgy and manufacturing of the material. The same material that is flown on rocket engines has been remodeled to make the compact but high tech pump.

Sivan says “we have seen that the device is meeting all the bio-mechanical requirements, and the pumping requirement. This particular device was tested on six animals. It was tested for 6 hours, and after that, the other organs of the animal were checked. They were intact. This is a very great achievement. It’s a successful device. Definitely it is a major step towards the ultimate development of an artificial heart by ISRO.”

The device pumps blood using a common technology called a centrifugal pump. The electronics and the magnets used in the tiny pump have been fabricated by the same engineers who make lightweight systems used on Indian satellites. The pump had to designed in such a fashion that even with continuous operation it should not heat up and should obviously be fail proof.
The device which is akin to an artificial heart has been tested on half a dozen pigs. Cardiologists at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTMST) in Thiruvananthapuram surgically operated healthy pigs and replaced the functioning of the left ventricle of the pig with this special pump developed by ISRO.

The pig survived a full 6 hours, which was the full design of the experiment. No damage was reported to the blood as it was pumped by the device after it had bypassed the biological heart, even the other organs of the pig suffered no damage for the full duration of the experiment.

Scientists at SCTMST say “this remains a work in progress” and further experimentation will be done on animals before the device can be tried on humans. Wealthy Indian patients needing a heart transplant but unable to get the matching donors already import these devices and some of these left ventricular assist devices have already been installed on patients at some private hospitals and even at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Importing a heart pump device and then implanting it costs over a crore of rupees says cardiologists familiar with the technology, in contrast, scientists at VSSC say the device developed by them cost just Rs 1.25 lakh.

The rocket scientists say the cost differential is so large simply because the expertise and the materials already existed at VSSC and all they had to do was to assemble the right team of specialists that included metallurgists, electronics engineers, specialists on flow mechanics and designers who worked alongside cardiologists to come up with a suitable design.
It took a team of about two dozen specialists about six years and after many permutation and combination, they came up with the right design.

“It is a complicated device to make and this is an exciting development,” says Balram Bhargava, Professor of Cardiology, and Executive Director, Stanford India Biodesign Centre, School of International Biodesign, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi who confirms that no one in India has till date to the best of his knowledge designed indigenously a left ventricular assist device, adding that it is an important bridge for patients awaiting a heart transplant.Bhargava cautions that the device is to be used only in very specific medical circumstances.

Interestingly VSSC has also very recently developed high value Lithium Ion battery which could now be used to power the heart pump.

India has all along been importing these Lithium ion cells but recently Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari mandated ISRO to master this technology so that it can be used to power zero pollution electric vehicles.

Sivan says VSSC will try to miniaturise these Lithium Ion cells which can hopefully power the left ventricular assist device.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 27 Apr 2016 03:46

Six hours with a reverse engineered LV assist device. Sigh.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 27 Apr 2016 04:04

Is that good or bad?

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 27 Apr 2016 04:23

six hours makes it a prototype/proof of concept. It will probably need years of animal testing for reliability, efficacy, toxicity etc before being deemed fit for human trials. A move in the right direction though, esp if they want to license it to a medical device manufacturer to take it through the hoops of getting it certified and making a usable product out of it.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 27 Apr 2016 07:21

Indian LVAD, Yay!

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 27 Apr 2016 08:14

Hitesh wrote:Is that good or bad?

Possibly a good omen - the experiment itself was designed to last 6 hours

The pig survived a full 6 hours, which was the full design of the experiment.

I think the significance is this: If they had, for example left the device in the pig for 24 hours and it had dies sometime after that - the post mortem on the pig would have revealed the damage that eventually led to death, but it would not give information on how early the damage started occurring due to the device. Did problems start in 7 hours or 9 hours or 14 hours? If there is no damage at 6 hours the next step would be to try it for 12 or 24 hours.

I hate saying this because it will get animal rights activists in a frenzy - if the pig survived for 6 hours how did they assess the damage? The answer is simple. The pig was halaled and a post mortem done. Some things must be done in the name of science.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 27 Apr 2016 16:36

I am a cardiac surgeon. This is the standard practice during implant evaluation. First acute, subacute and chronic implant animal trials and then and only then human trials. Even before all of this the device undergoes accelerated wear resting in the lab prior to even the first animal implant. There are very strict rules by the drug control authority of India regarding all device trials ( I myself have ben a PI in device trials) . So before people "sigh " this is indeed the procedure followed and each explanted device is serially studied for eg clot formation on the textured surface. Acute device wear and tear etc prior to the next stage of testing. Its not fill it shit it and forget it.Also the animal trials essentially have preapproval from ethics committeeswith animal rights activists in the panel. They do allow limited tests prior to human trials. The next stage is implantation in large animals for longer time at higher flow rates. Typically for months on end. Then human trials single center and then multicentric phase 1 and 2 are done. Then phase 3 trials with follow up and post marketing surveillance. In fact all of this was done for the Chaitra valve before it got approval.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 27 Apr 2016 16:38

Apr 27, 2016 : Countdown operations are progressing normally. Preparations for Mobile Service Tower (MST) withdrawal and Propellant filling operation of second stage (PS2) are in progress.

AbhiJ · Post by **AbhiJ** » 27 Apr 2016 19:19

LINK:

One of the satellite technologies that Europe wants to develop on its own is large deployable antennas, which unfurl umbrella-style in orbit and have been used for multiple mobile communications satellites.

LINK:

One of the advanced features of GSAT-6 satellite is its S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of 6 m diameter. This is the largest satellite antenna realised by ISRO.

Europe doesn't make its own unfurlable antennas?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 Apr 2016 01:58

Origami based designs are used for these unfurling antennas.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 28 Apr 2016 02:17

Perhaps the more pertinent point is the media circus and self promotion over a six hour animal trial of a reverse engineered design. Not exactly thinking big.

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 28 Apr 2016 02:27

Funny no private sector tried to do the same and address a important medical segment. Having worked in US biomedical companies and seen the crap that passes for clinical trials and animal trials not a bad performance at all.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 28 Apr 2016 07:34

frankly Sanjaykumar how many VAD's have been developed in India and most other countries ? If you give a pressstatement it becomes self promotion. If they don't they have bad PR Hmmmmmm

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 28 Apr 2016 11:20

live broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RF4rlzFSCs

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 28 Apr 2016 11:47

Textbook launch..Perfect Satellite Launch Vehicle.

PM viewing the launch from his office(?)

member_28579 · Post by **member_28579** » 28 Apr 2016 12:04

Mission Successfull !!!! Congrats ISRO and all...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Apr 2016 12:06

With the operationalisation of six satellites, India has demonstrated the system's targeted position accuracy which is much better than 20 metres over 24 hours of the day.

With the launch and operationalisation of IRNSS-1G, the seventh in the constellation, the completion of IRNSS constellation will be achieved, ISRO said.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Apr 2016 12:08

now comes the hard part - how do we get all locational data users to use this signal?

imo India should mandate that beyond end of 2016, all smartphones sold in India must support IRNSS signal also for location and permit a software switch to choose between the 3 options.

if we can mandate a panic button, we can madate this. we are the 2nd largest smartphone market and getting bigger.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 28 Apr 2016 12:16

So the system will be called 'NAAVIK'. A nice ring to it.

member_28579 · Post by **member_28579** » 28 Apr 2016 12:17

as per @PMOIndia it is called as NAVIC...

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 28 Apr 2016 12:18

Kashi wrote:Textbook launch..Perfect Satellite Launch Vehicle.

PM viewing the launch from his office(?)

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 28 Apr 2016 12:25

Civilian usage is the least of the concerns though it will be used for that. Its major importanceis for the military

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 28 Apr 2016 12:52

Congratulations ISRO!

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Apr 2016 14:41

Nice , Finally we are there with our GPS , Congratulation ISRO for a boring textbook precise launch

Singha , We can just mandate the phone makers to get IRNSS Signal as standard for any mobile launched after 2017 or 2018 they will have to comply period !

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 28 Apr 2016 16:36

Unless I made an horrendous oversight, there were no post-launch comments made by ISRO scientists this time. Usually, they talk about the significance of the present mission, and then refer to upcoming missions. I was looking forward to mention of the launch of 21 satellites in May-June, as well as a reference to GSLV Mark2 with Insat 3DR.

Also, considering this was the final IRNSS of the first set, one would expect some comments marking the event. And details about its impact.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Apr 2016 20:30

hi res: http://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/fi ... dsseen.jpg

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. IRNSS provides two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS) - provided to all users and Restricted Services (RS) - provided to authorised users

A number of ground facilities responsible for satellite ranging and monitoring, generation and transmission of navigation parameters, etc., have been established in eighteen locations across the country. Today’s successful launch of IRNSS-1G, the seventh and final member of IRNSS constellation, signifies the completion of the IRNSS constellation

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Apr 2016 20:34

I think the root of IRNSS came when despite being willing to invest in Galileo in exchange for restricted signal access, we were heckled by the white boys club, insulted and thrown out of the premises and told to 'know our place' ... same scene as tata going to UK to buy steel plant machinery for jamshedpur. one monkey declared he would eat all the steel that tatas could produce iirc.

well now today the circle is complete and we should demo it with a A5 cansister launch to antarctica using this signal as one of the guides. for good measure lets make it MIRV and launch at dusk to have the re-entry flaming trails clearly visible to all scientific stations on the seaboard there to photograph in high res.

we do know our prophesied place and its right at the head of the high table.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 28 Apr 2016 20:38

x-post

arshyam wrote:Some more details:

India Completes Navigation System With Launch of 7th Satellite - PTI, TNIE

IRNSS-1G being loaded into Large Space Simulation Chamber (LSSC) for thermal vacuum test. | EPS

SRIKARIKOTA: India today completed its landmark mission for a regional navigational system on par with US-based GPS with the successful launch of IRNSS-1G, the seventh and last in the constellation of satellites that make up the system.

When the IRNSS-1G becomes operational in about a month's time, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) would offer services like terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, navigation aide for hikers and travellers, visual and voice navigation for drivers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the scientists and congratulated the people of the country on the achievement saying, "with this successful launch, we will determine our own paths powered by our technology".

"The world will know it as Navic.... The new technology will benefit our people, our fishermen. This is a great gift to people from scientists," Modi said.

ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C33) lifted off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in this spaceport, about 110 kms from Chennai, at 12.50 PM and soared into clear skies.

The four-stage rocket injected IRNSS-1G into the intended orbit about 20 minutes after the lift-off as the PSLV marked yet another textbook launch and its 34th consecutive successful mission, reaffirming its dependability.

While IRNSS was already operational with four satellites, the remaining three were required to make it "more accurate and efficient", Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The IRNSS comprising the seven satellites will offer services with much 'better accuracy' and targeted position in navigation on par with the Global Positioning System of the United States.

ISRO had launched and operationalised other six satellites - IRNSS-1F on March 10, 2016, IRNSS-1E (January 20, 2016), IRNSS-1D (March 28, 2015), IRNSS-1C (October 16, 2014), IRNSS-1B (April 4, 2014) and IRNSS-1A on July 1, 2013.

According to ISRO officials, the total cost of all the seven satellites was Rs 1,420 crore.

For today's mission, ISRO used the PSLV-XL variant which has six solid strap-on motors to augment the thrust provided by the first stage, making the rocket powerful.

The XL variant was used during the launch of Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-1, ASTROSAT besides the six earlier IRNSS satellites.

IRNSS-1G which has a 12-year mission life would become operational in about a month's time, marking the full-fledged functioning of the IRNSS.

With the operations of six satellites, so far, India demonstrated a targeted position of accuracy much better than 20 metres above earth and round-the-clock.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 28 Apr 2016 20:57

congrats IRNSS!

we also need to double up the operational life of satellites in the coming years.

i hope naarmal people can get close to 20' feet accuracy, and mil walas about 2-5'

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 28 Apr 2016 21:03

Congratulations to all people and institutions that made this happen. Kudos to the planners and visionaries.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 28 Apr 2016 21:07

And some eye candy for jingos - yeh jingo khush hua! Sorry for the large size, but this moment is worth celebrating some hi-res images!

More images + launch video here: http://www.isro.gov.in/irnss-programme/ ... 1461860537