Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

The Technology & Economic Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to Technological and Economic developments in India. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

India’s heaviest rocket to make maiden global foray this month, launch to have several firsts.

Making its maiden foray into the global satellite launch market, Isro’s heaviest rocket GSLVMK III will launch 36 satellites of London-headquartered global communication company OneWeb in the second half of this month that will help the Bharti Airtel-backed company move towards completion of its constellation of satellites for providing high-speed satellite-based internet across the world.

With this ‘LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 Mission’, the first LVM3 dedicated commercial launch on demand through (Isro’s commercial arm) New
Space India Ltd (NSIL), LVM3 enters the global commercial launch service market, the Indian space agency said on Thursday. The global satcom
company recently snapped its ties with the Russian space company for satellite launches due to the Ukraine war and decided to use the services
of Isro for launching its broadband satellites. The company had in March suspended all launches from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in protest against the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

As per some reports, the GSLVMkIII launch is expected in the intervening night of October 21 and 22 but Isro is yet to confirm the launch date.

The proposed mission has several firsts for India. It is the first commercial launch of Isro’s heaviest rocket GSLV MkIII, first time an Indian rocket will be ferrying a payload of about six tonnes, first time OneWeb is using an Indian rocket to put its satellites into orbit and also for the first time GSLV MkIII or its variants is being used for launching satellites in the low earth orbit (LEO).

OneWeb, which had already launched 428 of the total 648 low Earth orbit satellites for the constellation till February 2022, will connect towns, villages, and local and regional municipalities in the hardest-to-reach areas, thus playing a critical role in bridging the digital divide across India. The company’s services are already available in Alaska, Canada, UK, and the Arctic region.

Two solid strap-on boosters and a liquid core stage of LVM3 have been fully integrated at the second launchpad at Sriharikota.

In the coming days, the integration of the cryogenic upper stage of the launch vehicle and the integration of payload fairing with 36 satellites will take place, Isro said.
Ashokk
BRFite
Posts: 1116
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Ashokk »

India's heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III will make its entry into the global foray on October 22
"The launch is slated shortly after October 21 midnight. We are looking at 00:12 hours on October 22," said a senior official of the national space agency on the condition of anonymity on Thursday.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by ramana »

Prasar Bharati
Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter locates Sodium abundance on Moon; Know about all Major Findings


The Chandrayaan 2 mission may have had a fatal ending on the moon, but the orbiter that remained active and currently orbiting the moon, is now used by the scientists for high and low, new discoveries from the lunar surface. In a first, India’s Chandrayaan-2 has spotted and mapped an abundance of Sodium on Moon.

According to recent publications that featured in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers and scientists at ISRO have reported that the Chandrayaan 2 made the discovery using its large area X-ray spectrometer, CLASS. Built at the U R Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO in Bengaluru, CLASS provides clean signatures of the sodium line, thanks to its high sensitivity and performance.

Two types of of sodium atoms have been found on the Moon’s surface, those that are loosely bound on the surface and those that are part of the minerals. External agents such as solar radiation liberate the loosely bound atoms more easily thus acting as a source of the atoms in the lunar exosphere. Thus, these new findings made by Chandrayaan 2 pave way for the study of surface-exosphere interaction on the Moon. This can lead to the development of similar models for Mercury and other airless entities in our Solar System and beyond.

Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

This is not the first time India’s lunar mission has made such a discovery. A decade ago, India’s maiden lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1 was launched. It had carried a similar instrument named Moon Mineralogy Mapper (or M3) for collecting and detecting surface water on the lunar surface. However, the range of detection was between 0.4 to 3 micrometre. It was developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was not indigenous to ISRO. But now, ISRO’s IIRS, which has a higher wavelength and spectral range, permits better accuracy in results.

Findings so far by Chandrayaan 2

1. Finding hydroxyl & water molecules on Lunar Surface

One of the most path-breaking discovery was made by Chandrayaan 2 in August last year. Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) indigenous instrument had detected the unambiguous presence of hydroxyl (OH) as well as water molecules (H20) on the lunar surface with the precision of differentiating between the two. In order to achieve the precision in distinguishing between hydroxyl and water molecules, the spacecraft had taken aid from Imaging Infrared Spectrometer (IIRS). The initial data analysis from IIRS demonstrated the presence of widespread lunar hydration and unambiguous detection of OH and H2O signatures on the Moon between 29 degrees north and 62 degrees north latitude. Along with this, researchers also observed that the sunlit regions at higher latitudes of the Moon were found to have higher hydroxyl or water molecules. The discovery was hailed as significant for future planetary explorations & future projects on earth’s lunar surface.

2. Distribution of gas in lunar atmosphere

Earlier, Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2) instrument onboard India’s 2017 Chandrayaan-2 orbiter had made observations related to the distribution of an important gas (Argon-40) in the tenuous lunar exosphere. The findings suggested that Argon-40 (Ar-40) exists in the lunar exosphere but the knowledge of its distribution at higher latitudes was lacking. The new observations from CHACE-2 had also hinted at the requirement for improvement in our understanding of the surface exosphere interactions and source distributions of Ar-40. The findings were crucial for developing insights into the dynamics of the lunar exosphere in the first few tens of meters below the lunar surface and in enhancing the current understanding of the composition of the lunar surface.
3. Presence of precious elements

Because of the better performing detector, apart from major elements like magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, titanium, iron etc., the Chandra’s Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) examined and detected minor elements – chromium and manganese for the first time. The findings have paved the path for adding knowledge about the magmatic evolution of the Moon, its nebular conditions and much more.

4. Study of the Sun

Besides gathering information about the Lunar surface, one of the scientific payloads has collected information about Solar flares. Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM), has witnessed a huge amount of microflares outside the active regions of the Sun for the first time. ISRO believes that this discovery will lead to a better understanding of the mechanism behind the heating of the solar corona, which has been the centre of attraction and a problem for many decades.

The data collected by the Orbiter has hugely contributed in adding to the current understandings of the Moon. The future scope of the work depends on four key aspects: Volatile Mapping of the Lunar Surface, subsurface properties, presence of Water in various forms across the Lunar Surface, and presence of various Elements on the Moon.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

Gaganyaan: First abort test likely only in early 2023.

The first abort test using the special test vehicle (TV) as part of Gaganyaan, which was earlier being targeted for the last quarter of this calendar year, is now expected only in early 2023.

Isro chairman S Somanath told TOI: “There has been a lot of progress and at this juncture we are looking at completing the first test in early 2023. The test vehicle is already at SHAR (spaceport in Sriharikota) and work on the crew module (CM) and crew escape system (CES) is progressing.”
As reported by TOI earlier, the test — TV technology demonstrator-1 (TV-TD1) mission — will demonstrate the descent phase, parachute deployment and recovery, among other things.

While there will be more than one TV-TDs, in the first one, the CM will separate from the TV at a height of around 11km (from sea level), attain an altitude of around 15km before falling back to back in the Bay of Bengal.

The ground team at Sriharikota will do the tracking. Once separated or ejected from the vehicle, the module will have a free fall. Essentially, Isro will demonstrate the crew escape system in an in-flight abort scenario — that is, navigation and guidance, control systems and parachutes will be demonstrated.

“We’re getting ready for the first test vehicle launch which should happen mostly in the second or third week of January as things stand now. CES is almost ready with most motors having been tested. The CM will take some time as there are many systems involved,” a senior scientist said.

The full-scale CM will have a simulated mass of the actual module Isro plans to send astronauts in. While this will not carry the environment control and life support system (ECLSS), the weight will be simulated.

Further, another scientist explained that the training of the four astronaut-elects is continuing in Bengaluru even as the space agency makes headway in procurement of various simulators needed for the next level of training.

“We need to make two or three virtual reality (VR) simulators of which we already have one. But we also need a mock-up simulator that gives the trainees the feel of the actual CM with all the interiors mimicking the real module. For this simulator, we are in the final stages of placing an order. It will most likely be an Indian company. Other than this, we will also need a dynamic training simulator (DTS),” the scientist said.

As reported by TOI earlier, Isro has recently floated a tender for a dynamic simulator and is awaiting responses from firms. As per the expression of interest (EoI) to acquire the DTS, vendors who qualify will develop the simulator for Isro, which will among other things develop and supply the simulation software, configuration of the crew module interior, mission sequence, and carry out review of design and realisation of systems.

Any new IP created during the development of the simulator will be shared by the vendor and Isro. On why DTS, Isro elaborates that the DTS will be essential for mission-specific training (MST) which will be supported by various crew training simulators (CTS) identified based on different capabilities for crew training, including the DTS.
Varoon Shekhar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2178
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 23:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

Whatever happened to the RLV-D2( reusable launch vehicle). Are they still having weather problems in the testing area?
YashG
BRFite
Posts: 936
Joined: 22 Apr 2017 00:10

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by YashG »

Sourabh Jha has said that BARC & ISRO are two institutions that need some attention immediately. Both of these report directly to PMO.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

Isro confident to launch maiden sun mission early next year, Chandrayaan-3 to wait till mid-2023.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which has multiple big science projects in its pipeline, will only be able to launch its third mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-3, in June or July next year, (Meaning it will not be before 2024) while it is more confident of launching its maiden mission to study Sun, Aditya-L1, in the first quarter of next calendar year.

Chandrayaan-3, on the other hand, will be Isro’s second attempt at landing payload on the lunar surface after the failure of Chandrayaan-2.

Isro chairman S Somanath told TOI: “We are scheduling the launch only in June-July next year, while Aditya will happen before that. Aditya could be possible in January or February as payload integration is going on. But we’ll have to look at the availability of the PSLV and there are also some
other factors.”
(Availability of PSLV now in doubt - Really. Whats up ISRO?)

Aditya-L1, the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India, will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system. A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses.

According to Isro, this position provides a greater advantage of observing solar activities continuously. Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.

Four payloads directly view the Sun from the unique vantage point of L1, and the remaining three carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at L1.

Sankarasubramanian K has been designated the principal investigator of the mission. A senior solar scientist at Isro’s UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), is heading the centre’s Space Astronomy Group (SAG) involved in developing scientific payloads for Aditya-L1, XPoSat, and the science payload onboard the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module.

“Sankarasubramanian has contributed to AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions of Isro in several capacities,” Isro said, adding that he is also the principal investigator for one of the X-ray payloads onboard Aditya-L1 also heads the AdityaL1 Science Working Group, which has members from several institutes of India engaged in solar science research.
Mollick.R
BRFite
Posts: 1033
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 10:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Mollick.R »

Countdown begins for ISRO's historic rocket launch

IANS Last Updated: Oct 22, 2022, 07:25 AM IST

The Indian space agency on Saturday at 12.07 a.m. began the 24-hour countdown for the launch of its heavy lift rocket GSLV Mk III - renamed for this mission as LVM3 M2 - carrying 36 'OneWeb' satellites.

The 43.5 metre tall and weighing 644 ton LVM3 M2 rocket is scheduled to blast off from the first second pad at India's rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 12.07 a.m. on Sunday.
.
.
.
Normally the GSLV rocket is used for launching India's geostationary communication satellites. And hence it was named as GeoSynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The GSLV MkIII refers to the third generation rocket. As the rocket that will fly on Sunday morning will be orbiting the OneWeb satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the ISRO has renamed GSLV MkIII as LVM3 (Launch Vehicle MkIII).

The rocket, just over 19 minutes into its flight, will sling the 36 small broadband communication satellites of Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) in LEO.

The LVM3 M2 is a three stage rocket with the first stage fired with liquid fuel, the two strap on motors powered by solid fuel, the second by liquid fuel and the third is the cryogenic engine.

The ISRO's heavy lift rocket has a carrying capacity of 10 ton to the LEO and four ton to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO).

"The total launch mass of OneWeb satellites will be 5,796 kg," said ISRO.

The 36 satellites will be on a dispenser system made by the Swiss based Beyond Gravity, formerly RUAG Space.
.
.
NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, has signed two contracts with Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) for launching the latter's broadband communication satellites in low earth orbit.

The board of OneWeb had voted to suspend satellite launches from the Baikonur rocket port in Russia.

Meanwhile, the Sunday rocket mission has several firsts for the Indian space sector. It is the first commercial launch of GSLV MkIII and for the first time an Indian rocket will be ferrying a payload of about six tonnes. Similarly, the OneWeb is using an Indian rocket to put its satellites into orbit for the first time. Also, it is the first commercial launch of GSLV MkIII contracted by NSIL, and for the first time a renamed GSLV MkIII is being used for launching satellites in LEO.


Read Full Article from Economic Times Link Given Below
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 022468.cms
Mollick.R
BRFite
Posts: 1033
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 10:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Mollick.R »

LVM3 M2 / OneWeb India-1 Mission Teaser Video by ISRO/NSIL


https://www.isro.gov.in/LVM3_M2_Teaser.html
Mollick.R
BRFite
Posts: 1033
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 10:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Mollick.R »

LVM3 M2 / OneWeb India-1 Mission Live Streaming Link

PS:- Live Streaming Starts at 11:35 PM (IST) , Launch Time 12:07 AM Sunday (IST)/23-10-2022


https://www.isro.gov.in/LVM3_M2_OneWebIndia_Video.html
Mollick.R
BRFite
Posts: 1033
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 10:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Mollick.R »

LVM3 M2 / OneWeb India-1 Image Gallery

https://www.isro.gov.in/mission_lvm3_gallery.html
kit
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6278
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 18:16

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by kit »

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/in ... 6307.cms

Why Devas thinks it can still get $1.3 bn from India

When defunct "companies" and law firms try to con a government
S_Madhukar
BRFite
Posts: 513
Joined: 27 Mar 2019 18:15

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by S_Madhukar »

Good luck ISRO for the launch! :) The media package sucks as usual though even YouTubers do a better job editing videos and sound :shock:
basant
BRFite
Posts: 889
Joined: 20 Mar 2020 20:58

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by basant »

Makes me so proud! Congratulations ISRO and team!!

LVM3 M2 mission successfully places 36 satellites into intended orbits
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) made its maiden commercial launch of 36 broadband communication satellites on board the space agency's heaviest rocket launch vehicle LVM3-M2. The rocket has successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit. Stay with TOI for the latest updates on news across India and world.
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1975
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by bala »

Isro chairman S Somnath and Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of OneWeb, at Sriharikota

Image

Image
SriKumar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2243
Joined: 27 Feb 2006 07:22
Location: sarvatra

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by SriKumar »

So this rocket has a cryo upper stage. IIRC the previous two rockets launches with a cryo upper stage had a problem with the cryo stage (for sure the last one had a problem). Looks like its been resolved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IjT2a_kjdk

CUS ignitiion happens a little after 37:35 (As usual, the mission room calls outs are obscured by the TV commentators' aankhon-dekha-haal).
Pratyush
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12187
Joined: 05 Mar 2010 15:13

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Pratyush »

Wow, a great development.

Congratulations to the entire team.
SBajwa
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5777
Joined: 10 Jan 2006 21:35
Location: Attari

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by SBajwa »

Congratulations! Great achievement
Varoon Shekhar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2178
Joined: 03 Jan 2010 23:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

Awesome achievement! I admit to being apprehensive and jittery, I hesitated for several hours after the launch to find news of the mission. A failure would be bad for ISRO, for India, and even for the world, since these OneWeb satellites are serving the globe. Alas, this was not going to happen, and ISRO(NSIL) came through brilliantly!
disha
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 8236
Joined: 03 Dec 2006 04:17
Location: gaganaviharin

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by disha »

SriKumar wrote:So this rocket has a cryo upper stage. IIRC the previous two rockets launches with a cryo upper stage had a problem with the cryo stage (for sure the last one had a problem). Looks like its been resolved.

...

CUS ignitiion happens a little after 37:35 (As usual, the mission room calls outs are obscured by the TV commentators' aankhon-dekha-haal).
SriKumar'ji, the "CUS" of GSLVmkIII you refer to is actually called C25 stage with CE20 engine and it never had problems in flight.

This is different from the actual CUS of GSLVmkII which is powered by the CE7.5 engine. This one is a naughty boy and the last one failed due to stage leaking the hydrogen propellant and thus lower LH2 tank pressure. No fault of the engine, but the construction/integration of the stage
"The FAC concluded that the lower LH2 tank pressure at the time of CUS(cryogenic upper stage) engine ignition, caused by the leakage of Vent & Relief Valve (VRV) resulted in the malfunctioning of the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP) leading to mission abort command & subsequent failure of the mission. The most probable reason for the leakage of VRV valve is attributed to the damage in the soft seal that could have occurred during the valve operations or due to contamination and valve mounting stresses induced under cryogenic temperature conditions"
LVM3 is a modification of GSLVmk3, for LEO purposes.

K. Sivan, Chairman ISRO thanked PM Modi for encouraging NSIL/ISRO to pick up the contract and launch it on Mk3. This was a very complex mission. And it so happened that due to russo-nato war in ukraine, the deal to launch the 36 oneweb sats via ROSCOSMOS fell through. ISRO's gain.

Varoon'ji, the CE20/C25 is generally more reliable and less powerful than the Staged-combustion CE7.5/CUS. And CE20/C25 so far had only success. The launch complexity here was the 36 sats and long duration and reorientation.

Prior to the launch, ISRO did provide information about the inertial navigation system (INS) used in this launch. It is a ring laser gyro and its performance parameters were also provided by ISRO.

Here is the info for members to chew on:

1. 6 Tonne to 600 Km
2. 36 sats in different orientations.
3. Each sat is 145 Kg.
4. Launch from requirements time: 3 months

Imagine what happens if "dharma" is followed!

Ask for Jingoes: Can someone digout the parameters of INS RLG mentioned prior to LVM3 launch? Hint: Cheenis do not have that.
thammu
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 79
Joined: 29 Mar 2007 08:16

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by thammu »

the CE20/C25 is generally more reliable and less powerful than the Staged-combustion CE7.5/CUS.
@Disha Is it less powerful?
rsingh
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4451
Joined: 19 Jan 2005 01:05
Location: Pindi
Contact:

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by rsingh »

bala wrote:Isro chairman S Somnath and Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of OneWeb, at Sriharikota

Image

Image
ISRO can earn more money by selling the brass model of the rocket. My commercial sense see a very good opportunity here.
srin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2508
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:13

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by srin »

thammu wrote:
the CE20/C25 is generally more reliable and less powerful than the Staged-combustion CE7.5/CUS.
@Disha Is it less powerful?
The specific impulse of a gas generator cycle (used in CE20) is less than the specific impulse in CE7.5 (which itself was a drop in replacement for the Russian RD56 engine) that uses staged combustion cycle.

To understand the difference, please see below:
rrao
BRFite
Posts: 195
Joined: 13 Feb 2007 22:17

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by rrao »

congratulation ISRO for the successful launch of LVM3 BAHUBALI Rocket and subsequent placement of 36 satellites in their stipulated orbit precisely. it was a tense moment for me while watching Live Telecast. The Initial burn of S200 was so intense as if the SUN came down and lit the sky at 12.07AM in the night. The CUS25 burning was flawless...but the trajectory had some spikes at two points. may be due to reorientation of upper stage using thrusters...afterwards there was no news or update of successful launch of the remaining 20 satellite. when i googled somebody tweeted the good news that all 36 have been ejected precisely. It is amazing to see the development of DTG ,RLG, Accelerometers inertial sensors by IISU. DRDO is struggling to make RLGs...HAL makes DTGs and accelerometers, FOG at its facility. i don't know why HAL is not using the sensors from ISRO for making INS,AHRS for their aircraft programs. congratulations ISRO!!!
SriKumar
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2243
Joined: 27 Feb 2006 07:22
Location: sarvatra

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by SriKumar »

disha wrote:
SriKumar wrote:

SriKumar'ji, the "CUS" of GSLVmkIII you refer to is actually called C25 stage with CE20 engine and it never had problems in flight.

This is different from the actual CUS of GSLVmkII which is powered by the CE7.5 engine. This one is a naughty boy and the last one failed due to stage leaking the hydrogen propellant and thus lower LH2 tank pressure. No fault of the engine, but the construction/integration of the stage



LVM3 is a modification of GSLVmk3, for LEO purposes.
(No ji for me please) Thanks for the details. I did not realize there were 2 kinds of cryo engines. In some of the previous GSLV failures, the cryogenic engine ingition would happen but would not sustain (beyond 1-2 seconds). It is surprising to me that the ignition is trouble-free in the CE20 engine, but it is a 'naughty boy' for the CE7.5 cryo engine.

Good to know they released a failure cause for the previous launch. Somehow I missed it. So it was traced to a leak in the hydrogen tank that was traced to a compromised seal. This is a very unforgiving business. They had better watch out for the seals, even the space shuttle (Challenger) was brought down by a seal problem.
disha
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 8236
Joined: 03 Dec 2006 04:17
Location: gaganaviharin

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by disha »

thammu wrote:
the CE20/C25 is generally more reliable and less powerful than the Staged-combustion CE7.5/CUS.
@Disha Is it less powerful?
I should have said less efficient. My layman mind made it "less efficient <-> less powerful". CE20 produces ~200 kN thrust compared to ~75 kN thrust of CE 7.5. Thanks for pointing it out Thammu'ji.

So yes, CE20 compared to its naughty brother CE7.5 is less efficient. The ISP of CE 7.5 is ~450 while that of CE20 is ~430.

And nothing wrong with it. Its the way the LH2 is burnt the efficiencies of the engine are coaxed out. Higher chamber pressure, oxidizer reach combustion etc also add up.
Mort Walker
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10032
Joined: 31 May 2004 11:31
Location: The rings around Uranus.

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Mort Walker »

I'm being lazy, but does anyone have the orbital inclination, apogee & perigee of each of the 36 satellites? TIA
Ashokk
BRFite
Posts: 1116
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Ashokk »

OneWeb resumes launches with first commercial GSLV Mk.III
This year, however, OneWeb’s constellation deployment has been severely disrupted by Russia’s war against Ukraine and the knock-on effects to the international partnerships that Russia had formerly been engaged in with OneWeb.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, preparations were well underway for a Soyuz launch from Baikonur, then scheduled for March 5, which was to have deployed another 36 OneWeb satellites. This became an early flashpoint in tensions between Russia and the West, with Russia demanding that the British government give up its stake in OneWeb and that OneWeb itself provide a guarantee that the satellites would not be used for military purposes. When their ultimatum was not met, Russia announced the launch’s cancellation.
The rocket, already at the launch pad, was rolled back to the assembly building and destacked, with the satellites being secured in a cleanroom at Baikonur. OneWeb’s deployment – previously averaging a launch every one to two months – came to a halt as the company looked for new launch partners. In addition to the two GSLV Mk.III launches it has signed with ISRO and NSIL, OneWeb has also agreed to a three-launch deal with SpaceX on its Falcon 9 rocket, with these five missions expected to deploy enough satellites to finish the initial constellation.
When launching aboard GSLV Mk.III, the 36 OneWeb satellites are deployed using a lightly modified version of the 36-satellite dispenser previously used on Soyuz. This was developed by Beyond Gravity – a subsidiary of the Swiss RUAG group – and provided by Arianespace, who are supporting the mission.
It is expected to be the only GSLV Mk.III launch this year, with the rocket’s next mission currently slated for early 2023 with another 36 OneWeb satellites.
ISRO is believed to have at least one more launch scheduled before the end of the year, with a PSLV rocket due to carry the EOS-06 – or OceanSat-3 – environmental research satellite into orbit. As of September, this was on track for an October launch date, however, no further updates have been given since – meaning it is now unlikely to fly this month.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

ISRO plans Sun and Moon missions in 2023 as well as commercial ones.

The Indian space agency is having a busy launch schedule next year that includes commercial, navigation, sun and moon missions, said a top official. Speaking to the reporters in Andhra Pradesh, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath said integration tests are happening with regard to the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. He said the space agency will look at June 2023 for the moon mission.

The ISRO is also planning to have its mission to the sun with its satellite AdityaL1, a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, an official told IANS.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system. A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses.

The ISRO will open 2023 with the commercial launch of 36 satellites of the UK-based OneWeb, said its Chairman S. Somanath. The first batch of 36 satellites was successfully launched on Sunday. The UK company has contracted with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) to pay over Rs 1,000 crore for both launches. OneWeb is a joint venture between India Bharti Global and the UK government.

The other mission slotted for 2023 is the launch of a navigation satellite for the country's NavIC constellation.

According to Somanath, the space agency will end 2022 with the launch of its small rocket - Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in December.

The rocket's maiden mission this year was a failure.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

India to expand NaVIC, make signals more secure: ISRO chief.

India plans to expand its regional satellite navigation system NaVIC in a bid to increase its use in the civilian sector and also by ships and aircraft travelling far from the country's borders. The Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC) uses seven satellites to provide real-time positioning and timing services in India and an area extending upto 1,500 km from the country's borders.

However, several satellites of the constellation have outlived their lives and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) now plans to replace at least five of these with the improved L-Band, which would enable it to offer better global positioning services to the public.

"We have five more satellites in production, they have to be launched periodically to replace the defunct satellites. The new satellites will have L-1, L-5 and S Band," ISRO Chairman S Somanath told PTI in an interview. Somanath was speaking on the sidelines of the India Space Congress organised by the SatCom Industry Association.

He said the NaVIC system was not in a "full-fledged operational regime" as some of its seven satellites have failed.

Somanath said the space agency has also approached the government for permission to launch an additional 12 satellites in the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) to expand the reach of NaVIC. "A regional to global changeover will be very fast if you have a GEO-MEO constellation. We are talking to the government," the ISRO chief said.

Of the seven satellites used by NaVIC at present, three are in the geostationary orbit and four in the geosynchornous orbit. Also, the current constellation of satellites operate in L-5 Band and S Band, which are used for transportation and aviation sectors.

"We have to equip the new satellites with the L-1 band, which is a typical GPS band for public use. We do not have it in In a bid to spur satellite manufacturing in India, ISRO is also keen to become an anchor customer for satellites in the country. That is the reason it has not penetrated into the civilian sector easily," Somanath said.

The ISRO chairman said the new satellites being built for NaVIC would also have better features for safety of signals for different uses, particularly the strategic sector.

"Currently, we are providing only short code. Now, the short code has to become long code for strategic sector use so that the signal cannot be breached or spoofed or made non-available. We are doing this so that the user base can be widened. Unless you do this, it may not be user friendly," Somanath said.

In a bid to spur satellite manufacturing in India, ISRO is also keen to become an anchor customer for satellites in the country. "Currently, all satellites required by the government are manufactured by ISRO. If there is a need for a government satellite, why not get it manufactured from a private supplier and use an ISRO launcher to launch it. That is the concept of an anchor customer," Somanath said. He said there was a need to create industry capacity in the satellite manufacturing sector and ISRO becoming an anchor customer could be a step in that direction.
JTull
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3113
Joined: 18 Jul 2001 11:31

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by JTull »

Have we developed desi atomic clocks?
kit
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6278
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 18:16

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by kit »

JTull wrote:Have we developed desi atomic clocks?

in 2018 :D

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 056352.cms
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

India to test first human space flight mission in February: Isro.

The Indian Space Research Organisation will start a series of test flights for India's maiden human space flight mission from February next year, a senior official said in New Delhi on Thursday.

The space agency also plans to deploy the heavy lift Chinook helicopter and the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft for testing the crew module, which will carry astronauts into the orbit for three days as part of the Gaganyaan human space flight mission, R Umamaheshwaran, director of ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre said.

Addressing the India Space Congress in the national capital, he said scientists at ISRO had completed the design of the environment control system, which will ensure ambient living conditions for astronauts in the crew service module when they are orbiting the earth.

At least 17 different tests are planned by ISRO next year before it carries out the unmanned space flight in December next year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Gaganyaan Mission in his Independence Day address in 2018 with a tentative target of achieving it in 2022, when the country completed 75 years of freedom from colonial rule. However, the Covid pandemic led to several delays and the first Indian astronauts are likely to undertake their maiden spaceflight by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

Umamaheshwaran said the task of designing the crew module and environment control system was a challenging one as the astronauts should feel comfortable even during the re-entry phase, when the temperatures outside the space capsule could reach over 2000 degrees celsius.

"The crew module, where the astronauts are supposed to sit and fly, is completed and the fabrication work is on. Within six months, we will get the crew module," he said on the sidelines of the event organised by the SatCom Industry Association.

Umamaheshwaran said the environment control system was a critical element of the project as it provides ambient living conditions in the crew module. "We have to provide oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, remove humidity, maintain temperature and also ensure there is no fire hazard. This is a very complex technology which no country would give us," he said.

The senior scientist said it was decided to develop the environment control system indigenously. "We have the capability to design, so we are doing that and that only is taking a little bit of time. We have completed all the design and now is the time to prove that whatever has been designed is safe enough. That is the entire effort," Umamaheshwaran said.

He said four candidates have been shortlisted to undertake the spaceflight and have already completed their initial training in Russia.The shortlisted astronauts are currently undergoing further training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru, he said.
RajaRudra
BRFite
Posts: 344
Joined: 17 Sep 2019 14:13

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by RajaRudra »

Vips wrote:India to test first human space flight mission in February: Isro.

The Indian Space Research Organisation will start a series of test flights for India's maiden human space flight mission from February next year, a senior official said in New Delhi on Thursday.

Who are we going to send first (before real humans)? may be a dog or monkey?
arvin
BRFite
Posts: 672
Joined: 17 Aug 2016 21:26

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by arvin »

Nothing. This wont go into space. Its a crew abort test at a altitude of 15 km.
Ashokk
BRFite
Posts: 1116
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Ashokk »

Isro hot-tests CE-20 engine for GSLV-Mk3 to be used for next OneWeb launch
Image
BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has successfully carried out the flight acceptance hot test of a CE-20 engine for a duration of 25 seconds in its high altitude test facility Mahendragiri.
The test happened on Friday. This engine is earmarked for the next GSLV-Mk3 mission — the LVM3-M3 — identified for the launch of the next set of 36 OneWeb India-1 satellites.
"The cryogenic upper stage of the LVM3 vehicle (C25 stage) is powered by a CE-20 engine working with the LOX-LH2 propellants combination. This engine develops a nominal thrust of 186.36 kN in vacuum," Isro said.
The major objectives of the flight acceptance test were to confirm the integrity of hardware, assessment of subsystems' performance and tune the engine for meeting mission requirements parameters for flight operation.
"Analysis of test data confirmed the satisfactory performance of the engine systems. This engine will be assembled to the C25 flight stage being integrated for the LVM3 M3 vehicle," Isro added.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25085
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by SSridhar »

ISRO’s LVM3-M2 mission: an expansion of India’s commercial activities - Ajay Lele, The Space Review
On October 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 36 satellites on a mission called LVM3-M2 for a UK-based company, OneWeb. This company, in which the UK government is a minority shareholder, is partnering with India’s Bharti Group to provide broadband connectivity for government and commercial customers from space.

The LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3)-M2 mission was the first commercial mission for ISRO with the LVM3, also known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III). The mission successfully delivered a 36 satellites payload to low Earth orbit (LEO). This has been the heaviest payload—5,796 kilograms, with each satellite weighing around 150 kilograms—ever delivered by ISRO. This mission was the first for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO. NSIL was established during 2019 and is expected to handle a range of activities including commercial satellite launches, leasing of transponders, providing consultancy services, satellite manufacturing, among others. Although this mission lifted approximately six tons of payload, the LVM3 has the capacity of carrying up to eight tons. The GSLV Mk III was developed by ISRO to launch payloads of communication or meteorological satellites weighing up to four [tonnes] into geostationary orbit. When this vehicle is used for putting satellites into LEO, it is referred as LVM3. This vehicle had already done four successful flights including India’s second mission to Moon during 2019.

For India, performance of this vehicle is crucial, as it is currently being human-rated and is expected to carry Indian astronauts to space for the Gaganyaan mission. LVM3 is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage, and a cryogenic upper stage. The cryogenic stage for the vehicle has been designed and developed by ISRO with much effort for many years. All 36 satellites have were put in a circular low-earth orbit of about 601 kilometers with a 87.4 degree inclination. According to ISRO, the separation of satellites involved a unique maneuver of the cryogenic stage to reorient itself, covering nine phases spanning 75 minutes.

OneWeb is working towards providing high-speed (LEO) connectivity with low latency for primary, backup, and hybrid capabilities. They are working towards establishing a 648-satellite constellation. They expect to complete the process of putting all required satellites into the space by early 2023, and fully operationalize their global broadband internet services by the end of 2023. Before this launch, OneWeb has launched 428 satellites in space in different batches and for all these launches the launch vehicle has been the Russian Soyuz.

ISRO was not originally considered for providing launch services to OneWeb. But the Ukraine war changed the entire dynamics of the launch industry. Russia is now under sanctions and the UK suspended its launch services contract for Soyuz missions. OneWeb soon selected SpaceX and ISRO to complete their remaining launches. The next three launches with 48 satellites per mission will be performed by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, and the last launch with 36 satellites is expected to be conducted by ISRO around February 2023.

In July 2022, OneWeb signed a merger agreement with Eutelsat Communications with the aim to create a single, powerful global player in connectivity. Eutelsat would be adding its 36-strong fleet of GEO satellites to OneWeb’s LEO constellation. The merger is projected to be completed by first half of 2023.

With the success of LVM3 mission, ISRO’s count for launching satellites for foreign agencies has reached 381. During that time, 36 countries are known to have commercially engaged ISRO for launches of their satellites. ISRO has been in in launching business for more than two decades; the first satellite for a foreign country, Germany, took place in 1999. However, the majority of these satellites were very small satellites. Typically, ISRO used to fly these payloads when there was excess capacity during their PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) missions. Essentially, most of the commercial launches undertaken by ISRO so far have been piggyback missions, except for a very few PSLV missions that were undertaken exclusively for commercial purposes.

Realizing that there is a good market for commercial launches of small satellites (in the range 10 to 500 kilograms) into LEO, several years ago India decided to develop a separate vehicle for launching such satellites called the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). This vehicle has been developed for a payload carrying capacity of 500 kilograms to LEO and 300 kilograms to Sun-synchronous orbits, with the ability to support multiple orbital drop-offs. However, the inaugural flight of this vehicle on August 7 failed to reach orbit. The SSLV is a three-stage vehicle powered by solid fuel and the three performed their function as planned. However, a malfunctioning sensor resulted in placing the satellites in an elliptical orbit, rather than a circular orbit. ISRO is now planning the second SSLV mission for this November. Another planned mission during 2023 has been already booked by Spaceflight, an American company, for launching four BlackSky imaging satellites.

Interestingly, Indian agencies were very quick to grab the opportunity when there was a realization that OneWeb required launching assistance once it could no longer use Russian rockets. NSIL responded quicky and now, within six months after signing the contract, the satellites are already in space. All this indicates that India is keen to establish itself as a major player to offer launching services in LEO with their SSLV and LVM3 satellite launching systems. According to some predictions, there could be a possible market for around 10,000 satellites requiring launches in the coming years. However, the competition is going to be very interesting. SpaceX has already established itself as a major player. Companies like Relativity Space, the first company to 3D-print nearly entire rockets, have already signed multi-launch agreements with companies like OneWeb. There are some other companies that are offering LEO launching services. Hence, it would be of interest to see how India succeeds to fill the void created by Russia being removed from the launch market by sanctions. It is also important for India to develop its own market beyond filling this void.
Vips
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4699
Joined: 14 Apr 2017 18:23

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Vips »

ISRO set for 1st runway landing experiment of reusable launch vehicle.

The Indian Space Research Organisation appears set for the first runway landing experiment (RLV-LEX) of Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) from aeronautical test range in Karnataka's Chitradurga district, with its Chairman S Somanath indicating that weather is being monitored.

"We are looking at the climate. Climate is still not good. So, we are waiting for the wind and other systems to become benign. We will do that," Somanath, also Secretary in the Department of Space, told PTI.

According to ISRO officials, the RLV wing body will be carried using a helicopter to an altitude of three to five km and released at a distance of about four to five km ahead of the runway with a horizontal velocity. After the release, the RLV will glide, navigate towards the runway and land autonomously with a landing gear in the defence airfield near Chitradurga.

Sources in the national space agency earlier said new systems like landing gear, parachute, hook beam assembly, radar altimeter and pseudolite have been developed and qualified.

ISRO accomplished its maiden RLV-TD HEX-01 (Hypersonic Flight Experiment-01) mission on May 23, 2016 from SDSC SHAR and successfully demonstrated the critical technologies for design and flight testing of re-entry vehicles. However, it was a suborbital flight and designed to land on sea.

One of the critical technologies to be demonstrated in the RLV-LEX mission is approach and autonomous landing on a runway, according to ISRO.
In order to acquire end-to-end reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology capability, this milestone (RLV-LEX) has to be achieved before the RLV ORE (Orbital Re-Entry Experiment) mission, ISRO officials say.

In ORE, a wing body called Orbital Re-entry Vehicle (ORV) will be taken to an orbit by an ascent vehicle derived from the existing GSLV and PSLV stages and stay in orbit for a stipulated period, re-enter and land in a runway autonomously with a landing gear.
Gagan
BRF Oldie
Posts: 11242
Joined: 16 Apr 2008 22:25

Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Gagan »

I wish ISRO will seriously upgrade the quality of its launch telecast by several notches.

Both the visuals, and commentary - aankho dekha haal, are very amateurish
They have sworn not to have higher bandwidth video to show fairing separation, stage separation, satellite deployment etc
They have optical tracking camera, but don't want to give the feed to a live telecast

The less said about the aankhon dekha haal, the better. It smacks of amateurish 80's era cricket commentary, with focus on completing badly pronounced english sentences, with no coordination with what is going on in the screen...

The launch goes through several very critical milestones, but it seems our guys are mostly oblivious of them.
They should actually give a run down of the various events BEFORE the launch, so viewers will know what to expect.

And LESS commentary, and LESS loud, more QUIET commentary if possible.
I dislike the while balance settings on ISRO/DD's camera. the whole telecast is not cool and bluish, too much yellow.
Post Reply