Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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sivab
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by sivab »

All images above from this thread.

https://twitter.com/Parthu_Potluri/stat ... 0779767808
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Some interesting slides from a presentation last month by Dr. S. Somanath, Director of VSSC, regarding future of ISRO. Starting off with some slides of the Human Space-Flight mission Gaganyaan
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by hshukla »

sivab wrote:Image
Very informative .. thanks for posting. Any tentative timelines for these projects?
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Mollick.R »

Indian scientists develop sustainable process for making brick-like structures on the moon
PTI Last Updated: Aug 14, 2020, 07:03 PM IST

BENGALURU: A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a sustainable process for making brick-like structures on the moon, according to IISc. It exploits lunar soil, and uses bacteria and guar beans to consolidate the soil into possible load-bearing structures, Bengaluru-based IISc said in a statement.

The process developed by the IISc and ISRO team uses urea which can be sourced from human urine and lunar soil as raw materials for construction on the moon's surface, it said.

They first mixed the bacteria with a simulant of lunar soil.Then, they added the required urea and calcium sources along with gum extracted from locally-sourced guar beans.

The guar gum was added to increase the strength of the material by serving as a scaffold for carbonate precipitation.

The final product obtained after a few days of incubation was found to possess significant strength and machinability, the statement said.

"Our material could be fabricated into any freeform shape using a simple lathe.This is advantageous because this completely circumvents the need for specialised moulds a common problem when trying to make a variety of shapes by casting.



https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 547425.cms
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by chetak »

This is the way to go and two ex ISRO engineers have shown the way.


All About India’s First Private Aerospace Company To Successfully Test A Homegrown Rocket Engine




All About India’s First Private Aerospace Company To Successfully Test A Homegrown Rocket Engine


by Swarajya Staff
Aug 13, 2020

Image

All About India’s First Private Aerospace Company To Successfully Test A Homegrown Rocket Engine
Skyroot Aerospace's rocket engine.

Snapshot
Raman is the first entirely 3-D printed rocket engine in the country, and is meant for the upper-stage of the series of launch platforms the company is currently working on.


On 12 August, the 101st birth anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai, Hyderabad-based space-launch startup Skyroot Aerospace became the first Indian private company to successfully test-fire a homegrown rocket engine.

The engine, named Raman after Nobel laureate C V Raman, is meant for the upper-stage of the series of launch platforms the company is currently working on. The upper-stage of the rocket delivers thrust for the last part of the rocket’s journey before the payload is deployed in the designated orbit.

It is the first entirely 3-D printed rocket engine in the country, and Skyroot says it is capable of producing a thrust of around 3.4kN.

By using 3-D printing instead of traditional manufacturing, the company has not only managed to reduce the total number of components but also the overall mass and the lead time. While the overall mass of the engine has been reduced by nearly 50 per cent, the lead time has been cut down by 80 per cent.

The company plans to have its first rocket ready by the end of next year. It is on track to test two more rocket stages in another six months.

Image
‘Vikram‘ series of rockets
The company’s co-founder and chief operating officer Naga Bharath Daka has said that the startup is targeting launch in December 2021.

The first launch platform that the company is working on is a three-stage rocket with a liquid module, called the orbit adjustment model. The ‘Raman’ engine tested by the company will be part of this module, CEO and co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, Pawan Kumar Chandana, was quoted by the Business Insider as saying.

The company plans to target the small-satellite market, which is likely to grow rapidly over the next decade. According to a November 2018 study by Northern Sky Research, a US-based provider of space industry intelligence, 6,500 small satellites will be launched for applications such as communication and remote sensing by 2027.

From Internet to weather monitoring, small satellites are being used for all purposes. This trend, experts say, is only going to accelerate.

At least 600 small satellites were launched in 2018 alone.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), recognised for its low-cost launch solutions, is also working on a platform of its own for small satellites, called the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, to boost its commercial operations.

Experts say the government’s decision to open up the state-owned space architecture in India, including ISRO-run facilities, for private space players, will help them develop, test, and scale up technology much more easily.

The company is also focusing on lowering the cost of launch, a fey factor for success in the small satellite launch market. “We envision a future where spaceflight is as regular, reliable and affordable as airflight,” the company says on its website.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Vivek K »

Any news about GISAT- 1 launch using GSLV F-10?
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by darshan »

Why was this decision not taken long ago?

Govt's Decision To Ban Import Of Communication Satellites Opens Up Huge Opportunity For Private Players: ISRO Chief
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/govt ... isro-chief
The government’s decision to ban import of communication satellites throws up huge opportunity for private players, said K Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary, Department of Space.

Speaking at the webinar on ‘Unlocking India’s Potential in Space Sector’ on Thursday (20 August), Sivan said the decision throws up a huge opportunity for private players, ISRO and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by jaysimha »

Webinar on Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and PRL, Monday, 10 August, 10:00−12:00 Hrs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgREybF ... e=youtu.be

Welcome by Dr. Anil Bhardwaj Director, PRL
Opening Remarks by Guest of Honour Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar Chairman, PRL Council of Management
Address by Chief Guest Dr. K. Sivan Secretary, Dept. of Space, Govt. of India
Talk by Dr. K. Kasturirangan Honorary Distinguished Advisor, ISRO
Talk by Shri Kartikeya Sarabhai Director, Centre for Environment Education

https://youtu.be/LgREybFpDLk
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Hiten »

darshan wrote:Why was this decision not taken long ago?

Govt's Decision To Ban Import Of Communication Satellites Opens Up Huge Opportunity For Private Players: ISRO Chief
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/govt ... isro-chief
The government’s decision to ban import of communication satellites throws up huge opportunity for private players, said K Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary, Department of Space.

Speaking at the webinar on ‘Unlocking India’s Potential in Space Sector’ on Thursday (20 August), Sivan said the decision throws up a huge opportunity for private players, ISRO and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
how will this affect the Ka-Band Satellite plans?
ISRO has tried on multiple occasions to acquire HTS from overseas OEM.
2012
https://www.aame.in/2012/11/isro-ka-ban ... lites.html
2018
https://www.spansen.com/2018/04/Hughes- ... ement.html
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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75th Anniversary issue of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
https://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/f ... cation.pdf
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by disha »

Updates from Astrosat https://www.deccanherald.com/science-an ... 77338.html
Using India's very own space observatory Astrosat, a bunch of Indian researchers in collaboration with their partners from the USA, Europe and Japan on Monday reported spotting the signatures of one of the first galaxies that were born when the universe was only one-third of its age.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit ... 730040.cms

Skyroot is now working on putting its first launch vehicle Vikram-I into space by December 2021, said Daka, adding that rocket will have capability to insert multiple satellites into orbit and can be assembled and launched within 24 hours from any launch site. But before that other stages of the rocket will be tested over the next 6-12 months. “There are three more stages of manufacturing that we are working on. Most of them have been designed and are in final stages of manufacturing,” explained Chandana. Skyroot is building small rockets that can launch multiple small commercial satellites and is eyeing revenues from satellite launches

-----
I had seen many Indian startups after few years getting bought by some foreign companies. How to stop that kind of stuff here.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by csaurabh »

darshan wrote:Why was this decision not taken long ago?

Govt's Decision To Ban Import Of Communication Satellites Opens Up Huge Opportunity For Private Players: ISRO Chief
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/govt ... isro-chief
The government’s decision to ban import of communication satellites throws up huge opportunity for private players, said K Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary, Department of Space.

Speaking at the webinar on ‘Unlocking India’s Potential in Space Sector’ on Thursday (20 August), Sivan said the decision throws up a huge opportunity for private players, ISRO and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
India's space industry (ISRO) is a lot less indigenous than most people think. I would put it at 50% at max ( LCA is 70% ).
The reason is the lack of domestic aerospace industry and private sector ecosystem. That is only now just emerging.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by srin »

^^^ I'm not aware of that. Which components rely on foreign suppliers ?
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by schinnas »

ISRO should build couple of full size launch pads in Tamil Nadu (closer to equator) and rent out most of the capacity to private players. Very similar to how US is doing - renting out NASA facilities to Space X.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by nachiket »

csaurabh wrote: India's space industry (ISRO) is a lot less indigenous than most people think. I would put it at 50% at max ( LCA is 70% ).
The reason is the lack of domestic aerospace industry and private sector ecosystem. That is only now just emerging.
Statements like these require more detail and context. Other wise they are meaningless. What are you talking about? The launch vehicles? Subcomponents? Materials? The satellites themselves? And which of these aspects which the ISRO has failed to indigenize is the emerging private industry supposed to take care of?
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

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srin wrote:^^^ I'm not aware of that. Which components rely on foreign suppliers ?
Pretty much all types of components and facilities.
For example: Little micro-valves that supply tiny amounts of propellant to thrusters (think pencil battery size). These cost a cool Rs. 1 Lakh each and are imported from Lee Valves company in UK.
Tracking space antennas. Most motors and drives are by foreign suppliers like Allen Bradley
Nearly all the manufacturing machinery like 5 axis mills, EDM, waterjet, cutting, filament winding, etc. etc. are imported mostly from US,UK,Germany,Japan some even from Russia.
Ditto for all the testing and inspection equipment think CMMs, C-scan ultrasonic testing, etc. etc.
Solar cells that power all the satellites. All are imported still to my knowledge.
Atomic clocks that ensure the accuracy of IRNSS signals. Made by a company in Switzerland. Chinese (Beidou ) satellites use their own made clocks.
Materials: Composite materials are still being imported. We did not have the capability to manufacture Titanium alloys until a few years ago. Making of Beryllium Copper is mentioned in APJ Kalam's autobiography as to how they managed to indigenize it.
Actuators: Moog actuators were famously banned by the US after the 1998 Pokhran blasts and we were able to indigenize some of them. But after the sanctions were lifted we resumed our importing habits.
Cameras, lasers, microprocessors etc.: None of these are made in India.
Entire satellites: Yes, ISRO used to buy entire satellites from France or US. The arms embargo will now put an end to that.
And finally softwares. ISRO is a big importer of foreign softwares. Despite our so called successful IT industry, all we do is supply labor to the global IT/software industry. Very little progress in this area over the years.

ISRO is very secretive organization and I don't know if they have ever released a figure of how much indigenous they are. The 50% is my guess estimate based on years of interacting with them. It could even be as low as 30% indigenous.
nachiket wrote: Statements like these require more detail and context. Other wise they are meaningless. What are you talking about? The launch vehicles? Subcomponents? Materials? The satellites themselves? And which of these aspects which the ISRO has failed to indigenize is the emerging private industry supposed to take care of?
I hope I've answered your question. But I would not characterize it as ISRO's 'failure to indigenize'. Rather it is a simple acknowledgement of the fact that we live in a technologically backward 3rd world country. Remember that NASA/ESA/etc. are built on the richest and most technologically advanced countries of the world.

Things are moving in the right direction. For example, until a decade ago, all the silicone wire ( high quality wire that is used for all the wiring inside the launch vehicles ) used to be imported. Now it is being supplied by an Indian company. So the indigenization is increasing. As an entrepreneur in this sector, I hope to have a small bit to contribute here :) Remember that we are talking about a gigantic industry consisting of lakhs and lakhs (literally ) of all types of components, facilities and subsystems. So it will take time.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Ashokk »

ISRO Annual Report 2019-20
page 76
Indigenisation
Launch vehicles and satellites use various critical materials and components which are space
qualified. Even though Indian industries are supplying a majority of the materials, few critical
materials and electronics components & packages are still being imported, as the volumes are
very less for industry to produce and owing to non-availability of certain critical technologies. The
import component is around 10% for launch vehicle and around 50 – 55% for satellites.
A majority
of materials are indigenised and inducted into the programmes. Development of materials is a
continuous activity to reduce the structural weight of the hardware. In case of electronic items, a
manifest is being prepared to cataloguing the items and prioritising the components and packages
for indigenisation. Efforts are initiated with the Indian industry encouraging them to form consortium
to invest and produce the components and packages. ISRO is also taking initiation to set-up facilities
which run on GOCO basis, where the activities are not viable through industry.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Ashokk »

Building satellites to save Hirakud Dam: the story of Team VSLV
Head of Avionics Anas Ahmad Khan explains that the team has developed an indigenous, highly modular, portable, and reusable rocket VSLV which uses LiDAR technology to perform real-time bathymetric (the study of water bodies, beds, or floors) depth analysis, monitor agricultural lands, and sediment situation analysis. “We have conducted over 100 trial launches to test different subsystems, as well as different compositions of rocket fuel. To date, we have had five successful launches namely VSLV 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2, up to a height of 800m,1.7km, 3.89km, 3.91km, and 1km, respectively,” Anas adds.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Amber G. »

nachiket wrote:
India's space industry (ISRO) is a lot less indigenous than most people think. I would put it at 50% at max ( LCA is 70% ).
The reason is the lack of domestic aerospace industry and private sector ecosystem. That is only now just emerging.
Statements like these require more detail and context. Other wise they are meaningless. What are you talking about? The launch vehicles? Subcomponents? Materials? The satellites themselves? And which of these aspects which the ISRO has failed to indigenize is the emerging private industry supposed to take care of?
In my humble opinion, you are being generous. Statements like these, and numbers like "50% max" thrown with no basis or context are nothing more than trash. And when this kind of spam takes over the whole thread it keeps the good discussion and other knowledgable posters away.

It is also clear, at least to to those who know a little science, that these posts (and many other such posts) show that, in spite of big sounding words, person, in some cases, has no clue about, even the most basic fundamentals and understanding of science.

There are plenty of scientifically challenged ddm's in the world. Brf does not need more of the same. Some of us old timers, who follow brf, like to see (and some time share) real news and insights find this kind of spam not really that helpful.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

https://youtu.be/sfvoVMyptYI

Dr S. Somnath on the ongoing projects of ISRO
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Amber G. »

^^^ Thanks. One good thing came out of Pandemic is *many* more meetings, presentations and webinars have gone virtual. I am amazed at DST, many Indian scientific institutes, and other orgs in India using this to such an extent. This also make these meetings much more accessible to ordinary folks. I know many are very glad for this new normal.

This enabled me to refresh many of my old contacts, attend lectures and webinars (and actually interact) with people I would not have.

Thanks for sharing this and other such notices. . Social media (and official sites), IMO does a good job publishing these events but please keep it up posting in this thread.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by csaurabh »

Ashokk wrote:ISRO Annual Report 2019-20
page 76
Indigenisation
Launch vehicles and satellites use various critical materials and components which are space
qualified. Even though Indian industries are supplying a majority of the materials, few critical
materials and electronics components & packages are still being imported, as the volumes are
very less for industry to produce and owing to non-availability of certain critical technologies. The
import component is around 10% for launch vehicle and around 50 – 55% for satellites.
A majority
of materials are indigenised and inducted into the programmes. Development of materials is a
continuous activity to reduce the structural weight of the hardware. In case of electronic items, a
manifest is being prepared to cataloguing the items and prioritising the components and packages
for indigenisation. Efforts are initiated with the Indian industry encouraging them to form consortium
to invest and produce the components and packages. ISRO is also taking initiation to set-up facilities
which run on GOCO basis, where the activities are not viable through industry.
Read my post again.
This doesn't take into account installations and facilities.
If a part is designed using imported software, built using imported materials and imported machinery and imported manufacturing software, then how indigenous is it really? It is a step up from simply importing the part, but a long long way from true indigenization.

Another hint as to the low levels of indigenization at ISRO and other R&D agencies.
Staff strength at ISRO: 15,000. Silicon valley giants such as Oracle and Microsoft have 100,000+. Lockheed Martin has 300,000+. IBM is over 450,000 (Ironically many are Indians ). Then there is Boeing, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Orbital Dynamics, etc. etc. etc.
Total no. of people associated with Aerospace Industry in US is probably several millions. Rolls Royce alone has 2500+ metallurgical engineers. That is what a true indigenous industry looks like.

With such small numbers, how indigenous do you expect ISRO to be? These people who work there are not superman. Most are pretty ordinary people doing a 'government job'. I see people in denial about how technologically backward we really are as a nation. Don't go by press conferences and news articles, you must have an understanding of the ground reality.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by schinnas »

Apple does all the design of its components but everything is made on China. It struggles hard to make its own chips.

Indegenisation of space program does not need to mean all components are locally made. What ISRO has done is commendable and it is indegenous. The knowhow to make a rocket or satellite using commercially available components (made in India or otherwise) and send them to orbit is not child's play.

That said, the overall manufacturing eco system for specialised materials and electronics is not yet developed in India. One should remeber that not a single company in India manufactures bluetooth mobile headsets!

We have to build the hi tech manufacturing base which will take years. India is just getting started in this area.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Raman »

csaurabh wrote:If a part is designed using imported software, built using imported materials and imported machinery and imported manufacturing software, then how indigenous is it really? It is a step up from simply importing the part, but a long long way from true indigenization.
In my opinion, we are getting stuck up on the semantics of the word "indigenous". Rather, as ISRO is doing, we should focus on where the critical value is being added and securing our interests.

If the components are available in the open market with alternative suppliers, why does it matter that it is being purchased from abroad rather than locally? If I write a book on an Apple laptop does it mean that the book is not "fully created" by me? Even if you claim that the analogy doesn't hold for manufacturing physical components, if the size of the domestic market for an exotic component doesn't support the business case for creating it in India what purpose does "full indigenization" serve?

Indigenization should focus on critical components that are high-value and restricted - and I believe that is the strategy being pursued.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by csaurabh »

Raman wrote:
csaurabh wrote:If a part is designed using imported software, built using imported materials and imported machinery and imported manufacturing software, then how indigenous is it really? It is a step up from simply importing the part, but a long long way from true indigenization.
In my opinion, we are getting stuck up on the semantics of the word "indigenous". Rather, as ISRO is doing, we should focus on where the critical value is being added and securing our interests.

If the components are available in the open market with alternative suppliers, why does it matter that it is being purchased from abroad rather than locally? If I write a book on an Apple laptop does it mean that the book is not "fully created" by me? Even if you claim that the analogy doesn't hold for manufacturing physical components, if the size of the domestic market for an exotic component doesn't support the business case for creating it in India what purpose does "full indigenization" serve?

Indigenization should focus on critical components that are high-value and restricted - and I believe that is the strategy being pursued.
Begging your pardon but this is quite a naive and moronic way of thinking. The semantics do matter. We have plenty of assembly technology companies parading around as indigenous products. This is hurting true indigenization. In the field, I see this every day.
Your last two lines show a contradiction. The size of the domestic market being low for an 'exotic' component are the same 'critical' components that are high value and restricted. If there is no business case for the 'exotic' and 'high value' components then they cannot be indigenized period, by ISRO or anyone else. Also by the way if we are failing at the basic components of indigenization, why do you think we should 'focus' on the 'critical value' areas which are far more technologically difficult? Those 'critical value components that secure our interests' are the exact things that are being imported!

Let me add an additional comment. One of the great values of having a space program is the big boost it gives to the manufacturing and technology R&D ecosystem of a country, in all the areas - machinery technology, software, electronics, chemicals, materials, etc.. This has been seen in the American, Russian, European and Chinese space programmes. Barring a few examples, this has not happened in India. ISRO still continues to be largely an importer rather than a developer of technologies. Now you can say that it is not ISROs job to develop these technologies and their only job is to launch things into orbit. Well that is the exact arguments used for 'justifiying' our defence imports all these years.

BRF has been a great resource for me to learn about these kind of things (which are usually not in public discussions) ever since I was a kid studying my B.Tech in IIT. But ever since I took the plunge and embarked on this field as a career I have grown to be a lot more skeptical of the claims around 'indigenous' technology in the country. I believe many BRFites (especially those living in foreign countries) are often in denial of the shoddy and often primitive nature of the Indian manufacturing ecosystem. Indian science and research establishments are often a colossal waste of money - we have spent 10,000 cr on laser research in the last 30 years with nothing to show for it. This is a result of lack of transparency and accountability.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Ashokk »

Chandrayaan-3 launch may take place in early 2021, mission will not have orbiter: Union minister
NEW DELHI: Chandrayaan-3, India's mission to Moon, is likely to be launched in early 2021, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
However, unlike Chandrayaan-2, it will not have an orbiter, but will include a lander and a rover, he added.
After the hard landing of Chandrayaan-2 in September last year, space agency Isro had planned another mission to the Moon later this year.
However, the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown have hit several of Isro's projects and delayed missions like Chandrayaan-3.
"As for Chandrayaan-3, the launch may now take place somewhere in early 2021. Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will include a Lander and Rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter," a statement quoting Singh said.
Planned to land on the South Pole of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22 last year. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed on September 7, crashing India's dream to become the first nation to successfully touch down on the lunar surface in its maiden attempt.
The orbiter of the mission is working fine and has been sending data.
Singh, who is the Minister of State for the Department of Space, said Chandrayaan-1, Isro's maiden mission to the Moon launched in 2008, has sent images which show that Earth's satellite may be rusting along the poles.
"The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron-rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust," he said.

Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) say that this could be because the Earth's own atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth's atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well, the statement said.
"Thus, the Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the Moon's poles are home to water, this is what the scientists are trying to decipher," the statement added.
Meanwhile, preparations are going on for India's first-ever Human Space mission Gaganyaan, he added. The training processes and other procedures are also in place.
"Constraints due to the Covid pandemic led to some disruptions in the plan for Gaganyaan but efforts are going on to stick to the timeline of around 2022," the minister said.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Vips »

Gaganyaan: Space suits for India’s first manned space mission astronauts under production in Russia.

Russian research and development enterprise ‘Zvezda’ has started manufacturing of space suits for the Indian astronauts, who are likely to be part of India’s first manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’, a Russian organisation said on Monday.

Research, Development and Production Enterprise Zvezda, a subsidiary of Russian space organisation Roscosmos, has started manufacturing personal flight equipment for the Indian cosmonauts undergoing training in Russia, Glavkosmos said on Monday.

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Glavkosmos is a subsidiary of Roscosmos with which the Human Spaceflight Center (HSC) of the city-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a contract to train the Indian astronauts.

“On September 3, Indian cosmonauts who have been training for a spaceflight in Russia under the contract of Glavkosmos, visited Zvezda, where their anthropometric parameters were measured for the subsequent production of spacesuits,” Glavkosmos CEO Dmitry Loskutov said.

The contract also provides for the production of individual seats and custom-made couch liners, he added. The contract for the production and delivery of individual equipment kits for Indian astronauts was signed by Glavkosmos and the HSC on March 11.

Four Indian Air Force fighter pilots are currently under training in Russia since February 10, and likely to be the potential candidates for Gaganyaan project. Gaganyaan, India’s first manned mission to space, was planned around 2022. However, the ISRO has indicated that it may be delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown induced by it.
jaysimha
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by jaysimha »

International Space Conference on Ushering the New Era for Indian Space Sector
September 15-17, 2020
over digital platform

exhibition for over 25days till 10 oct 2020

Image
https://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/f ... hedule.pdf


http://www.india-space.in
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Vips »

Gaganyaan mission: Astronauts to undergo Isro module next year.

Four astronauts selected for the country’s first human spaceflight will return from Russia in March and undergo training modules designed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) for the mission slated for December 2021.

While in Russia, their training is helping them get accustomed to conditions in space — the US, Russia and China are the only three countries to have conducted human spaceflights — the four astronauts will undergo mission-specific training back home.

“The four astronauts, who had been selected from a pool of Indian Air Force pilots, are currently undergoing basic training in GCTC (Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre) in Russia. They will be back by March next year. They will then receive specific training in India, for which the simulators have been defined. These are the areas where the industry will be contributing in a rich way to realise the simulators,” Dr Unnikrishnan Nair, director, Human Spaceflight Centre of Isro, said.

There will be three main parts to the training in India: a module on the overall project, a module for crew members, and a module on the flight hardware and software.

“Each one is more and more complex (than the previous one),” he said at the International Space Conference and Exhibition organised by Confederation of Indian Industry in association with Isro and its other arms.

India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, has been designed to carry three Indian astronauts to the low earth orbit — an orbit of 2,000km or less — for a period of five to seven days. But Isro chairperson Dr K Sivan told HT earlier this year that two unmanned flights prior to the final mission will determine whether just one or two crew members will be taken to space and whether the crew will be there for the entire duration, or for just one day, or just over two hours.

Isro has planned the first unmanned flight in December 2020, the second in July 2021, and the first human spaceflight mission in December 2021 — much ahead of the August 15, 2022, deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the timeline could be affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to officials.

Before the first unmanned flight, Isro needs to complete at least three major tests — an air drop test for the parachute system that will demonstrate the ability to successfully recover an orbiting space capsule; a flight of the test vehicle; and an abort test to demonstrate the escape of the crew in case of an emergency at the launch pad.

Isro has also shortlisted six experiments that will be carried out in space aboard the first unmanned flight under the Gaganyaan mission. This includes four biological experiments – a study on changes in kidney stone formation in drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly), the study of SIRT1 gene in it, microbial contamination, and co-crystallisation under microgravity conditions.

Nair said Gaganyaan will be the first of Isro’s human spaceflight mission, which will be expanded to the exploration of other planets and also the moon in the future. For this, Isro will partner with the industry and academia to develop technologies such as construction in space, tele-robotics and artificial intelligence.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Barath »

csaurabh wrote:
Raman wrote:
around indigenization
Worth pointing out that there are multiple trade-offs between cost efficacy, time, risk, value addition and core competency for a project, or institution and secondary benefits to industry.

There are multiple other ramifications - we've had stories here of isro project delay because cycle time of obtaining components, testing, modification in overall design goes high when suppliers are remote and parts hard to get. On the flip side, of cost going high in defence because of insistence on make. Different standards when it comes to %age indigenization - by volume, value, IP, ToT etc.

It might be worth having a discussion on indigenization and IP, but only if emotion and ego is taken out of the discussion and some degree of fact and statistics or specific examples brought . Until then it may be better not discussing here
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Raman »

csaurabh wrote:Begging your pardon but this is quite a naive and moronic way of thinking.
I have not insulted your person so I'd appreciate if you stay away from the ad hominem attacks.
The size of the domestic market being low for an 'exotic' component are the same 'critical' components that are high value and restricted.
I disagree - there is an obvious and clear distinction. Low demand does not imply supply restricted. If I need 50 titanium screws and nobody else in India needs it, it doesn't make any sense to create a factory to make it in India if those screws are readily available in the open market. If those screws (for whatever reason) are critical to the mission and only made by one or two manufacturers globally and are prone to import restrictions etc then it becomes a priority to ensure that we can make them locally.
Also by the way if we are failing at the basic components of indigenization, why do you think we should 'focus' on the 'critical value' areas which are far more technologically difficult? Those 'critical value components that secure our interests' are the exact things that are being imported!
For the simple fact that it can lead to a never-ending quest for ISRO to do everything under the sun. They are operating in a relatively technologically backward country. If there is not sufficient domestic demand for technologies that ISRO needs, it makes no sense to do these domestically if the products are available in the open market. Otherwise ISRO will need to do everything from building CNC machines to electron microscopes.
Barring a few examples, this has not happened in India. ISRO still continues to be largely an importer rather than a developer of technologies. Now you can say that it is not ISROs job to develop these technologies and their only job is to launch things into orbit. Well that is the exact arguments used for 'justifiying' our defence imports all these years.
I don't fundamentally disagree except that I don't think you can put the blame at ISROs feet. Between building CNC machines and launching Mangalyaan, I prefer they focussed on the latter.
I believe many BRFites (especially those living in foreign countries) are often in denial of the shoddy and often primitive nature of the Indian manufacturing ecosystem.
And don't you see the problem in your stance? If this a country-wide problem, how in the world is this ISRO's responsibility to fix? Given limited budget, what should they focus on?
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Prem Kumar »

csaurabh wrote: Pretty much all types of components and facilities.
For example: Little micro-valves that supply tiny amounts of propellant to thrusters (think pencil battery size). These cost a cool Rs. 1 Lakh each and are imported from Lee Valves company in UK.
Tracking space antennas. Most motors and drives are by foreign suppliers like Allen Bradley
Nearly all the manufacturing machinery like 5 axis mills, EDM, waterjet, cutting, filament winding, etc. etc. are imported mostly from US,UK,Germany,Japan some even from Russia. ......
Great posts csaurabh!

He is bringing out some very sobering realities of us as a nation, especially from someone living in those trenches. I also agree with him that some in BRF (especially those living abroad) have a somewhat rosy picture of India's level of tech expertise. The reality is quite different. So, lets not shoot the messenger.

This is a nationwide problem and given the "does not make business sense, but still we got to master it" nature of many of these technologies, the funding/focus should really come from the Government.

No one is questioning the track record of ISRO. But they, like other Govt orgs like DRDO, CSIRs etc + the IITs etc must be given the explicit mandate to master a certain set of key technologies in a particular timeframe. This list must be periodically updated.

Atma-Nirbhar in high tech is a gift that will keep on giving.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by chola »

csaurabh wrote: Let me add an additional comment. One of the great values of having a space program is the big boost it gives to the manufacturing and technology R&D ecosystem of a country, in all the areas - machinery technology, software, electronics, chemicals, materials, etc.. This has been seen in the American, Russian, European and Chinese space programmes. Barring a few examples, this has not happened in India. ISRO still continues to be largely an importer rather than a developer of technologies. Now you can say that it is not ISROs job to develop these technologies and their only job is to launch things into orbit. Well that is the exact arguments used for 'justifiying' our defence imports all these years.
This is the difference between having an industry and a perpetual science experiment. Those countries have space industries each back by a wide and deep eco-system.

They still launch during the pandemic because an industry can't be shut down because of the economic pressures just as the Indian auto industry can't be shut down. For space faring nations we onlee have not launch at all this year because unlike them we are more akin to a lab project.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by Prem Kumar »

Disagree on this point. Unlike Americans, India put lives over economy. The lockdowns were more severe. This shows up in the death tolls.

Given that Corona is a one-off 10X type event, I wouldn't blame any organization for slipping deadlines
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by dinesha »

ISRO's GISAT-1, Microsat-2A, GSAT-12R and RISAT-2BR2 satellites are ready for launch
https://www.businessinsider.in/science/ ... 167056.cms
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion - Sept 2016

Post by csaurabh »

Raman wrote: For the simple fact that it can lead to a never-ending quest for ISRO to do everything under the sun. They are operating in a relatively technologically backward country. If there is not sufficient domestic demand for technologies that ISRO needs, it makes no sense to do these domestically if the products are available in the open market. Otherwise ISRO will need to do everything from building CNC machines to electron microscopes.
I agree that it isn't ISRO's job to do everything under the sun. But it is (or should have been) the job of various other govt. organizations like HMT, HEC, CSIR, etc. Where are they now and what have they been doing all these years. Someone should start asking these tough questions.
The reality is that the people in these organizations ( and even ISRO to some extent ) spent their time primarily in fighting petty office political feuds. Instead of thinking about indigenization, nation, etc. With govt job, security is guaranteed so no need to worry about consequences.
Prem Kumar wrote:
Great posts csaurabh!

He is bringing out some very sobering realities of us as a nation, especially from someone living in those trenches. I also agree with him that some in BRF (especially those living abroad) have a somewhat rosy picture of India's level of tech expertise. The reality is quite different. So, lets not shoot the messenger.

This is a nationwide problem and given the "does not make business sense, but still we got to master it" nature of many of these technologies, the funding/focus should really come from the Government.

No one is questioning the track record of ISRO. But they, like other Govt orgs like DRDO, CSIRs etc + the IITs etc must be given the explicit mandate to master a certain set of key technologies in a particular timeframe. This list must be periodically updated.

Atma-Nirbhar in high tech is a gift that will keep on giving.
Thanks :wink:

We need to be clear about where we stand. And BRF has an overly optimistic view of many things.
The majority of the industries in this country are assembly technology, sales and services and build to print companies. The private sector is run by banias who have little understanding or regard for science, as a result they can't indigenize anything. The public sector is run by lackadaisical work ethics govt. babus and employees.

Genuine R&D companies are often in conflict with these, especially assembly technology companies, because they can just hire low skill technicians instead of scientists and engineers ( + low cost of components due to global economies of scale ). A lot of the private sector space companies proposed recently are assembly technology companies for satellite manufacturing, not R&D companies. This has led to genuine concern on the behalf of ISRO that we may soon lose indigenous satellite making skills and these concerns have really not been addressed.

Both the west and China are engaged in an economic war against us, through the means of brain drain, multi-national companies, assembly technology and sales/services companies. The west uses the former two mostly through the pretext of giving us good jobs and being our 'geo-political friends'. The latter two are more insidious because they are Indian companies that can occasionally pass off as being 'indigenous' or even 'innovative' companies (! yes, it has happened, many times ) . A good example would be Indian drone companies which started our promisingly but now increasingly resemble assembly technology fronts for Chinese drone companies.

We should not be in denial of these things despite stunning accomplishments of ISRO like Mangalyaan etc.
Locked