Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by Ashokk »

Consortium led by Adani-backed firm assembled, integrated and tested Isro's earth observation satellite
BENGALURU: In another mission that saw a push for private industry, the Earth Observation Satellite-04 (EOS-04) or Risat-1A launched by the PSLV-C52 as its main payload on Monday was assembled, integrated and tested by a consortium led by Bengaluru-based private firm Alpha Design Technologies Limited (ADTL).
Adani-backed ADTL, along with its consortium partners had, in 2018, signed an agreement with Isro to work at ISITE (Isro Spacecraft Integration Test Establishment) to build satellites for the space agency. ADTL chairman-and-managing director (CMD) Col (retd) HS Shankar said young engineers and technicians from their consortium carried out the work under Isro’s guidance.
“The complete Assembly, Integration & Testing (AIT) at ISITE facilities were done by us. That is, all the items that Isro had procured from various vendors — both in India and abroad — and what they had developed in some of their centres were all assembled, integrated and tested by our specially qualified and trained team of 50+ engineers and technicians,” Shankar told TOI.
Risat-1A was put into an intended sun synchronous polar orbit of 529km altitude at 6.17am eighteen minutes after the PSLV-C52 lifted off from the first launch pad at SHAR.
This was the 80th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota; 54th flight of PSLV; and the 23rd flight of PSLV in XL configuration (6 strap-on motors).
The satellite is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping. Weighing about 1,710 kg, it generates 2,280W power and has a mission life of 10 years.
The consortium had done the AIT for another Isro satellite before this — the GSAT-30. The telecommunication satellite was successfully launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on January 17, 2020 from Kourou launch base, French Guiana by Ariane-5 VA-251.
GSAT-30 is designed to provide communication services from Geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands and derives its heritage from Isro’s earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series.
A replacement to INSAT-4A, GSAT-30 weighs 3,357kg and provides Indian mainland and islands coverage in Ku-band and extended coverage in C-band covering Gulf countries, a large number of Asian countries and Australia.
“These two satellites are part of the consortium, but before that ADTL had assembled two other satellites independently — the IRNSS-1H and IRNSS-1I — which was before the said 2018 contract,” Shankar added.
While the IRNSS-1H could not be put in orbit as the PSLV launching it suffered a glitch in the heat shield, the IRNSS-1I, a repeat satellite of the same family is in orbit as part of the constellation of satellites under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or NavIC programme.
“The 2018 contract came before the space reforms were announced. Now, with additional emphasis on the private sector, we are looking forward to more collaborations with Isro,” Shankar added.
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PSLV-C52 Liftoff and Onboard Camera View
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Feb 15, 2022
Hyderabad-based space startup “Navars Edutech” envisages launching 100 student-developed satellites constellation with Skyroot Aerospace as a launch partner in the next five years.
https://www.newsvoir.com/index.php?opti ... &rid=19384
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

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Decks cleared for first flight of SSLV; first stage test done.

Clearing the decks for the first flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Monday successfully carried out the ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the new launch vehicle at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The test happened at around 12.05 pm. “This is the last test before the flight (developmental flight),” S Unnikrishnan Nair, director, Vikram
Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), which is developing the SSLV, told TOI.

Isro will now schedule the first developmental flight which will put into orbit EOS-2 or Microsat. While an official date for the developmental flight is yet to be arrived at, multiple scientists told TOI that it is expected to happen in the first half of this year.

A January review document from Isro accessed by TOI reads: “The first developmental flight of the SSLV, the SSLV-D1, is scheduled to launch the EOS-2, an earth observation satellite in the first quarter of 2022.”

According to Isro, all the propulsion parameters during the test are found satisfactory and “closely matching with the predictions”.

The SS1 motor is a three-segmented solid propulsion stage incorporating many new technologies and innovative processes including bond-free joint between the segments, high power electromechanical actuator with digital control electronics, optimised ignitor and simultaneous propellant casting of all segments.

All these systems and segments have now been successfully validated in the ground test. Monday’s successful testing, ISRO says, has given sufficient confidence to proceed with the first developmental flight of SSLV (SSLV-D1). “The remaining stages of SSLV (SS2 & SS3) have successfully undergone necessary ground tests and are ready for integration,” the space agency said.

Earlier, Isro had completed the SSLV Payload Fairing (SPLF) functional qualification test successfully and other testing activities are in progress.
TOI had reported that Isro will carry out this test this week while other crucial tests relating to the reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (RLV-TD) and Chandrayaan-3 programmes are also scheduled in the coming weeks.

Nair further added that once proven, each SSLV can be integrated and launched within 10 days. “That’s the beauty of an all solid stage launch vehicle,” he said.

Designed to meet launch demand requirements cost-effectively, SSLV is a three-stage all-solid vehicle with the capability to launch up to 500kg satellite mass into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

According to VSSC, the SSLV is a three-stage launch vehicle configured with three solid propulsion stages and a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage.

“SSLV is 2m in diameter and 34m in length with a lift-off weight of around 120 tonnes. SSLV is capable of launching around 500kg satellites in a 500km planar orbit. The key features of SSLV are low cost, with low turnaround time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, launch on-demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements, etc,” the VSSC adds.
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* Deleted as per poster request *
Last edited by SSridhar on 25 Mar 2022 14:17, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: As requested by the poster
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FWIW
Article on ISRO's problems retaining young talent

https://theprint.in/science/wheres-the- ... ro/881293/
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Cyrano wrote:FWIW
Article on ISRO's problems retaining young talent

https://theprint.in/science/wheres-the- ... ro/881293/
As a long time resident of IIST and partner of ISRO I would observe that the problems in ISRO mentioned above are a microcosm of the entire Indian Industry. Bureaucratic work environments, emphasis on 'proven products' rather building something new, total risk aversion, etc. In that regard the govt organizations are still miles ahead of private sector. But not everyone is comfortable with being a govt employee.
I will also say that it is not possible to 'tailor make' 'graduates' for any institution. These people come from various backgrounds and have diverse interests and a history of their own. Some will be ok to go on the path you lay out for them, others will not.
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Adani, L&T among firms keen to build satellite launchers,
The government Thursday said Adani Enterprises Limited and L&T are part of two consortia led by State-run enterprises that have evinced interest in building the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the ISRO's warhorse rocket to put satellites in orbit. In a bid to encourage private sector participation in the space sector, New Space India Limited (NSIL), a company under the Department of Space, had invited proposals from the Indian industry to build five PSLVs.

Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said two consortia, one comprising Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Larsen & Toubro, and another involving Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), have submitted techno-commercial proposals for building PSLV.

State-run Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited too has submitted a techno-commercial proposal for "end-to-end realisation" of PSLV, he told the Rajya Sabha in response to a question by NCP member Vandana Chavan.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had been working closely with the industry in building launch vehicles, satellites and other components, but it was for the first time in 2020 that the government opened up the sector for private participation for the entire spectrum of space operations, including planetary exploration missions.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) acts as the agency to promote, handhold and authorise private sector activities in the sector, besides enabling sharing of technical facilities and expertise from ISRO.

NSIL has the mandate to scale up private participation in the space programme and also own and operate capital-intensive assets such as satellites and launch vehicles.

Singh told Rajya Sabha that since 2020, there have been 48 applications from private players received to IN-SPACe for undertaking space activities and their applications are being processed for further action.

"Out of these, the applications with respect to authorizing the space activities to non-government private entities are 16, sharing of technology and facilities of Department of Space to NGPEs are 23 and Consultancy and Promotion are 9," he said in a written response.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

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https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1808586
The current status of Gaganyaan programme is as follows:



An Astronaut training facility has been commissioned in Bengaluru. Training activities are progressing well at the newly commissioned Astronaut training facility.
The design of all systems and sub-systems for Gaganyaan has been completed. Realisation of the same is in different stages of progress.
Long duration qualification test of human rated cryogenic engine and First phase testing of human rated VIKAS Engine completed. First phase of demonstration tests for Gaganyaan service module propulsion system completed.
Proof of concept demonstration for ground network with service providers completed. Construction of integration facility for Orbital module preparation is nearing completion.
The MoU, Contracts and Implementation Arrangements (IA) related activities with both national and international agencies are progressing well. The design of various human centric products has been completed and various prototypes are under realization.
Receipt of Gaganyaan deliverables against contracts with M/s. Glavkosmos (Russia) and CNES (France) commenced.
Roles and responsibility for crew recovery operations and rehearsals finalized. Detailed operational requirements for nominal missions scenarios worked out.
The activities related to development of microgravity experiments have commenced. The conceptual design for experiments is under review.


The government is encouraging the private sector and start-ups for various Gaganyaan activities such as hardware realization, components supply, health monitoring devices, Virtual reality simulators etc.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

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Why did Isro's GSLV F-10 mission fail in 2021?

In August last year, India was poised to get the third Earth Observation Satellite, when after 26 hours of the countdown, the GSLV-F10 mission lifted off - but never reached its destination in space. Isro lost the mission just 297.3 seconds after lift-off to a "technical anomaly", which it now says was due to a deviation in performance of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) of the launch vehicle.

The Failure Analysis Committee set up by the Indian space agency in its report has said that subsequent to lift-off the build-up of pressure in the propellant (Liquid Hydrogen or LH2) tank during the flight was not normal leading to a lower tank pressure at the time of ignition of the engine.

This led to an insufficient flow of Liquid Hydrogen into the engine thrust chamber and the reduction in LH2 tank pressure was due to a leak in the respective Vent and Relief Valve (VRV), which is used for relieving the excess tank pressure during flight. Isro said that computer simulations as well as multiple confirmatory ground tests, closely simulating the conditions in the GSLV-F10 flight, validated the analysis by the FAC.

"The FAC concluded that the lower LH2 tank pressure at the time of CUS 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," Isro said in a statement.

The leakage in the Vent and Relief Valve is being 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.

"The committee has submitted comprehensive recommendations to enhance the robustness of the Cryogenic Upper Stage for future GSLV missions, which includes an active LH2 tank pressurization system to be incorporated to ensure sufficient pressure in the LH2 tank at the appropriate time before engine start command, strengthening of Vent & Relief Valve and associated fluid circuits to avoid the possibility of leakage along with the automatic monitoring of additional cryogenic stage parameters for giving lift-off clearance," Isro said.

The 51.70-meter-tall rocket GSLV-F10/EOS-03 had successfully lifted off from the second launch pad at the Sriharikota spaceport as planned at 05.43 am on August 12. While the first and second stages of the mission kicked in successfully with a nominal burn, it was the third stage that did not go as planned.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-II (GSLV Mk II) is one of the largest launch vehicles developed by India. A fourth-generation launch vehicle, it is a three-stage rocket with four liquid strap-ons. The third stage, that led to Isro's recent failure, consists of the homegrown Cryogenic Upper Stage.

The GSLV has the capability of placing up to 5 tonnes of payload into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and 2.5 tonnes in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits. The August launch was intended to place the EOS-03 into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
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HAL-L&T wins over Rs 824-crore contract for making 5 polar space launch vehicles
Manufacture of polar space launch vehicles (PSLVs) — which was the preserve of premier agency Isro for nearly three decades — has been awarded to an HAL-L&T consortium which will become the first group outside the storied space campus to produce five PSLVs in the coming months, reports Chethan Kumar. This is expected to pave the way for commercialisation of other rockets such as SSLV and GSLV.

Space PSU NewSpace India opened the commercial bids of the three shortlisted entities — HAL-L&T, BHEL (single firm) and the BEL-Adani Alpha Design-BEML consortium — on Wednesday. The winning bid quoted Rs 824 crore, BHEL Rs 1,129 crore and the third group Rs 1,218 crore, a source said. These figures exclude taxes.

TOI was the first to report on March 22 that NSIL, which has been authorised to commercialise PSLV production by the department of space, had completed evaluation of the bids.HAL chairman and managing director R Madhavan told TOI on Friday: "We've won the contract for five PSLVs. While HAL is the lead partner, work will be shared equally with L&T. We will use all our vendors. We feel we were best equipped to handle a contract of this magnitude. While some help will come from Isro on the mission side, we will carry out most of the work. Slowly, PSLV will become an outsourced item for Isro."Although Isro had been talking about commercialising PSLV, the expression of interest was floated in August 2019. NSIL floated the request for proposal in December 2020, shortlisted three entities in early 2021 and they submitted bids in July 2021.

Adani-Alpha Design CMD Col (retd) HS Shankar said their consortium had to consider fresh investments for PSLV, whereas HAL-L&T already had infrastructure, a key reason that explains difference in the quoted price.

He said: "Alpha is already an important player in Isro's launch vehicle programmes through our fully owned subsidiaries Tokol (Peenya-Bengaluru) and Kortas (Thiruvananthapuram). Almost 15% of PSLV is made at these factories. Given that the winning consortium must procure Isro-qualified items from vendors, our subsidiaries will continue to work on the programme."

Despite the contract, Isro has its job cut out since processes relating to mission operations, trajectory design and launch campaign are completely in its domain. A senior NSIL officer put Isro's workshare at 20%, adding the space PSU was planning to ask the industry to do the first-stage stacking on the launchpad with Isro guidance, while the remaining stages will be done by Isro for the first couple of missions.

PSLV first flew in September 1993 and has completed over 50 missions since. It has put in space key science missions — Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Astrosat — all foreign satellites launched by Isro and a host of other payloads.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by arvin »

^^^
Right step to let ISRO be a design bureau , while HAL \ private sector takes care of production side.
Finances freed up from production side can be better used to design newer engines.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

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Bellatrix tests India’s 1st high-performance green propulsion system for satellites.

In a significant milestone, space transportation company Bellatrix Aerospace has successfully tested India’s first high-performance green propulsion system for satellites, a greener alternative to conventional hydrazine-based satellite propulsion systems. The Bengaluru firm developed a “proprietary high performance green monopropellant” with guidance from Charlie Oommen, professor, department of aerospace engineering at IISc. The test comes at a time various governments are considering banning hydrazine due to its toxic impact.

The proprietary green monopropellant possesses higher density than hydrazine, which means that more volume of propellant can be stored in containers of the same volume. Another advantage is the elimination of line heaters to prevent freezing of propellant. Elaborating on the test done in a vacuum environment, Saagar Malaichamy, co-founder and senior scientist at the firm’s mono propellant systems division, said “These tests validate functioning of many critical areas such as high temperature metallurgy, catalysis and energetic materials. We’ve performed multiple consecutive tests and the results are fairly consistent.

We are currently working towards optimising parameters to meet stringent requirements for acceptance in spaceflight.”

Saagar added that the product under testing is a 1N thruster suitable for use in micro/small satellites weighing between 50kg to 1,000kg and supports agile manoeuvres in space. “We’re also developing larger thrusters that could propel heavy satellites,” he said. The major combustion byproducts of the new Bellatrix thruster are water vapour based, making it green and environment friendly and its unique properties make it suitable for deep space missions with long coasting requirements.

Pointing out that Hydrazine requires strict safety standards for storage, transport and use of space propellants, the firm said that “while all rocket fuels can be dangerous to handle without proper safety precautions, our proprietary green propellant has significantly reduced toxicity levels compared to hydrazine, making it easier and safer to store and handle”.

Bellatrix CEO and CTO Rohan M Ganapathy, said: “Chemical propulsion uses completely different technology compared to electric propulsion. Development of this is a key indicator of our capabilities as a full suite solution provider with expertise both in electric and green chemical propulsion.”
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India continuing work on moon landing and crewed spaceflight plans despite delays.

India's second attempt at landing a spacecraft on the moon will likely be pushed to 2023, according to the head of the country's space agency.

S. Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told Indian news channel NewsX that the Chandrayaan 3 lunar lander is in the assembly phase but teams are still testing vital systems, meaning the launch, previously slated for August, could be delayed until next year.

"Currently, we are testing the propulsion system because, you know, the last time [we] had a problem with that,” Somnath said. The comment referred to the 2019 Chandrayaan 2 mission, which included an orbiter, a lander and a rover. The moon orbiter has been operating successfully for more than two years, but the Vikram lander suffered a hard landing after a loss of control over the thrust of the spacecraft.

To avoid a similar incident with Chandrayaan 3, ISRO has made adjustments to the lander.

"There is a change in the propulsion system. It is undergoing testing at the liquid propulsion center at Mahendragiri," Somanath said. "Teams are testing the integration of the propulsion, computer and sensor systems."

While the data from the tests have been very good, ISRO is proceeding carefully. "We would like to go very, very cautiously this time, because we know how to go to the moon," Somanath said. "It's well proven. The only thing that we need is to learn how it lands. And it has to be error-free to the best of our abilities."

The Chandrayaan 3 mission includes both a new lander and a rover but not an orbiter. Similar to Chandrayaan 2, the mission is expected to target a near-polar landing area, and will operate for a single lunar day (14 Earth days) on the surface; it will not be capable of surviving the extreme cold of a lunar night.

Human spaceflight
ISRO's crewed Gaganyaan mission is also moving ahead. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., a state-owned aerospace and defense company, delivered the first set of Gaganyaan hardware to ISRO on April 4, India Today reported.

The design of all systems and subsystems for Gaganyaan has been completed, Space Minister Jitendra Singh wrote in a response to a question submitted to the Lok Sabha, India's parliament, in March.

For the next steps, ISRO will test mission-abort sequences in August and December. The tests are designed to verify that emergency systems will be able to deliver astronauts to safety in the event of anomalies during launch. Abort tests will be carried out before India conducts orbital test flights of the Gaganyaan capsule. Only then can the first crewed launch attempt take place.

Gaganyaan was announced in August 2018, with the aim of launching India's first crewed mission before the 75th anniversary of India's independence, to be marked on Aug. 15, 2022. In 2021 ISRO stated that he COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the first crewed flight into 2023. Test flights are now expected take place in 2023 if the abort tests are successful, but the first crewed flight may now only occur in 2024.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft will launch on a modified Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. The standard version of the launcher suffered a catastrophic failure in August 2021. The cause of the failure has been identified, Somanath told NewsX, and the rocket is now expected to be back in action in the second half of the year with the planned launch of the first NVS series navigation satellite, The Hindu reported.

Somanath said a 2022 space policy to provide guidance and regulation for India's private space endeavors has been drafted and will be released after its approval by Parliament.
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Post by shaun »

For this Gaganyan project, it seems other important projects r getting delayed . EOS 5 , NVS 01 , Adiya-L1, Chandrayaan-3 . Yes human rated gaganyan will propel us to heavy lift category but those missions delayed are very important missions at their own rights.
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There is a big problem at ISRO since the last 2-3 years (it is not just Covid). Forget the big ticket and new programs, ISRO is not able to adhere to its planned program of launching 8 to10 PSLV in a year.
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India 1st in Asia-Pacific to land aircraft using satellite-based navigation system 'Gagan' - ToI
After 10 years, we must be delighted to see this.
Satellites have been helping motorists navigate their way to destinations for decades now, but on Thursday, for the first time in Asia-Pacific region, the very same constellation of satellites that offers GPS teamed up with three ISRO satellites to provide three-dimensional navigation guidance to pilots who landed their aircraft safely on to the Ajmer airport runway in a successful trial flight.

“India is the first country in Asia-Pacific Region to achieve such a landmark...have a satellite-based landing procedure,” said government-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), adding the successful trial was a major “air navigation services” milestone in India’s civil aviation history. Currently, air navigation services are provided by ground-based systems.

IndiGo airline carried out the test flight with its ATR aircraft that departed from Delhi for Ajmer’s Kishangarh airport, piloted by Captain Sandip Sud and Capt Satish Veera, while Capt Shweta Singh, deputy chief flight operations inspector, and other Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials were on board.

The satellite-based navigation system, evocatively called GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) offers almost the same accuracy as a ground-based landing system comprising antennae and beacons that transmit signals to aircraft to help pilots land in runway visibility up to 550 metres or more. The one difference though was that the said ground-based system called CAT-I ILS has a “decision height” of 200 feet. It’s the height at which pilots should discontinue the descend to land if they have not yet spotted the runway. But the decision height for the trial flight was set higher, at 250 feet. The Indigo pilots used ‘Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV)’ approach—essentially carrying out a descent and landing with vertical and lateral navigational guidance from GAGAN satellites, that is.

IndiGo in a statement said: “The tests at Kishangarh Airport were performed as part of initial GAGAN LPV flight trials. After the final approval by DGCA, the procedure will be available for usage of commercial flights.”

AAI said LPV approaches will make it possible to land at airports not equipped with expensive ground-based landing systems, which includes many small regional airports. The DGCA has issued a mandate stating all aircraft registered in India after 1 July 2021 be fitted with GAGAN equipment. Currently, 76 aircraft in India with airlines such as Indigo, SpiceJet, Air India, Go First and Air Asia are fitted with GAGAN equipment and are capable of using these LPV procedures, said AAI.

Other than GAGAN, there are only three space-based augmentation systems in the world—US (WAAS) Europe (EGNOS) and Japan (MSAS). “For the aviation sector, GAGAN can bring benefits in terms of fuel saving, saving in equipment cost (ground based navigation system not needed), flight safety, especially in adverse weather conditions, increased air space capacity etc,” said ISRO, which had launched the three GAGAN satellites into orbit over the past decade.
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Gaganyaan: First uncrewed mission to have unpressurised crew module.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which has finalised several aspects of the mission planning for G1 (the first uncrewed mission), has proposed to send unpressurised crew modules during both the test vehicle demonstrations that will precede G1 and the G1 too.

As per Isro: “The structure has been designed considering two configurations — unpressurised crew module for G1 and both test vehicle demonstrations (TV-D1 and TV-D2), and pressurised inner structure for the G2 (second uncrewed) and H1 (human spaceflight) missions.”

For both versions, outer and inner mould lines have been defined. Isro added that inputs and requirement documents have been generated for each of the crew module subsystem designs.

The crew module will accommodate subsystems like aero thermal structure, ECLSS (environmental control and life support system), propulsion system, parachute and separation systems, avionics, power and communication system, crew auxiliary systems like crew seat, hatches and viewports, and crew console which consists of display units and alert/command buttons.

Image
Various views of the crew module

Systems Configuration
“Configuration and accommodation/layout of subsystems like apex cover, parachutes, propulsion avionics, up-righting system, separation system, crew seat assembly has been carried out accounting inter and intra dependencies between systems.

Except for ECLSS, all functional systems have been retained as the same for H1 (human spaceflight mission) and G1,” Isro said.

Also, the crew module-service module umbilical is configured with a two plane separation system with an auto sealing device for ECLSS oxygen and heat exchanger lines and electrical connectors for transfer of electrical signals, power, pyro commands between the modules, Isro added.

“Assisted separation force connectors (ASF) have been realised, and functional demonstration tests of the same have been carried out,” Isro said.

Propulsion & Up-righting
The crew module propulsion system, Isro said, has been configured with 12 bi-propellant thrusters at the leeward side (the direction in which the wind goes) of the module.

The required propellant tanks, gas bottles, propulsion deck with control components, fill and drain valves have also been configured and accommodated.

Further, Isro said that an up-righting system — which will prevent the crew module from remaining upside down even if it lands that way in sea — has also been designed.

“Considering two stable orientations (6° and 170° from vertical) for the crew module after a touchdown in the sea, the uprighting system is designed to maintain the module in a mono-stable position. Six inflatable floats — three primary and three secondary — are planned and are accommodated as packed units in the module,” Isro added.

And based on expert recommendation, Isro has worked out the design for a pyro-based cold gas generator system for inflating the floats upon touchdown. This new system will replace the conventional gas storage system.
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India to launch Shukrayaan Venus mission in 2024 after pandemic delays.

India plans to launch a new orbiter to Venus in 2024, a year later than planned, according to media reports.

The Shukrayaan orbiter will be the first mission to Venus by the India Space Research Organization (ISRO) and will study the planet for four years, according to SpaceNews, which cited a presentation by an ISRO research scientist at a NASA-chartered committee Nov. 10.

ISRO has been soliciting ideas for instruments for a Venus-based mission since at least 2018, according to its website. At the planetary science committee, ISRO's T. Maria Antonita presented more information about Shukrayaan during a discussion about NASA's new 10-year plan for planetary science, SpaceNews reported.

"ISRO was aiming for a mid-2023 launch when it released its call for instruments in 2018, but Antonita told members of the National Academies' decadal survey planning committee last week that pandemic-related delays have pushed Shukrayaan's target launch date to December 2024," SpaceNews stated in a Nov. 19 report.

A backup launch opportunity is available when Venus and Earth are next aligned in mid-2026, in such a way to minimize spacecraft fuel use during the planetary transit, Antonita added.

Shukrayaan is set to launch on India's GSLV Mk II rocket, but it may go on the more powerful GSLV Mk III rocket to carry more instruments or fuel, Antonita told the committee. ISRO will make a final decision in the next three to six months.

The spacecraft will carry several instruments to probe the Venusian environment. The flagship instrument will be a synthetic aperture radar to examine the Venusian surface, which is shrouded by thick clouds that make it impossible to glimpse the surface in visible light. An earlier version flew on the Indian Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft now orbiting the moon, Space News reported.

Another instrument will be a Swedish-Indian collaboration known as the Venusian Neutrals Analyzer, which will examine how charged particles from the sun interact with the atmosphere of Venus, according to The Economic Times. An earlier generation of this instrument launched on the Indian Chandrayaan-1 moon mission of 2008-09, studying how the sun's particles affect a world with a far more tenuous atmosphere.

Shukrayaan will also bring an instrument to Venus to examine the planet's atmosphere in infrared, ultraviolet and submillimeter wavelengths, Antonita said. Earlier in 2020, scientists announced the possible detection of phosphine — a life-friendly element — in Venus' atmosphere, although many in the science community remain skeptical of the findings.

In September, the French space agency (CNES) announced it would also fly an instrument on Shukrayaan. The Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker (VIRAL) is a collaboration with Russian federal space agency Roscosmos. Antonita added that other instruments have been shortlisted and that India plans to fly an instrument from Germany.

Dozens of missions have flown to Venus since the 1960s, but only a few in recent years. For example, the European Space Agency's Venus Express orbited the planet between 2006 and 2014, and Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft entered orbit in 2015 after a previous unsuccessful attempt. Several spacecraft are also performing flybys of Venus in the near future, including NASA's Parker Solar Probe for solar observation, and Europe's BepiColombo en route to Mercury.
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ISRO successfully tests large human-rated solid rocket booster for Gaganyaan mission.

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday successfully completed the static test of a human-rated solid rocket booster (HS200) for the
Gaganyaan programme at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The HS200 is the human-rated version of the S200 rocket booster of satellite launch vehicle GSLV Mk III, popularly known as LVM3, the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency noted in a statement.

"The successful completion of this test marks a major milestone for the prestigious human space flight mission of ISRO, the Gaganyaan, as the first stage of the launch vehicle is tested for its performance for the full duration," it said. The event was witnessed by ISRO Chairman and Secretary in the Department of Space, S Somanath, and Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) S Unnikrishnan Nair along with other ISRO scientists.

The design and development of the HS200 booster were completed at VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram and propellant casting was completed at SDSC, Sriharikota. The S200 motor, which is the first stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle intended for launching a 4,000 kg class satellite to the geosynchronous transfer, was configured as a strap-on rocket booster.

Based on the successful launch pedigree of this launch vehicle including the Chandrayaan mission, the LVM3 has been identified as the launcher for the Gaganyaan mission.

For the manned space mission, LVM3 launch vehicle underwent improvements stipulated by the requirements of human rating, it was stated. Accordingly, a host of design improvements aimed at increasing the safety and reliability of various systems were implemented in the S200 booster like all other systems. These include additional safety features for motor case joints, robust insulation and ignition systems. The control system used in this booster employs one of the world's most powerful electro-mechanical actuators with multiple redundancies and safety features, ISRO said.

The system is indigenously designed and developed by ISRO in participation with various industries spread across the country. "Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, ISRO could complete the entire design, development, realisation and testing process within a short span of two years," the statement said.

The HS200 booster loaded with 203 tonnes of solid propellant was tested for a duration of 135 seconds. The 20-metre long and 3.2 m diameter booster is the world's second-largest operational booster with solid propellant, it said. During the test, about 700 parameters were monitored and the performance of all the systems was normal, the space agency further said.

"With the successful completion of this test, ISRO marches one more step closer to Gaganyaan Programme," it said.

Out of the three propulsion stages of LVM3, the human-rated versions of the second-stage known as L110-G loaded with liquid propellant and the third stage C25-G with cryogenic propellant are in the final phase of qualification, including tests with static firing.

"Gaganyaan programme, the most prestigious scientific endeavour of India, is steadily progressing towards its final goal of taking an Indian to space and bringing him safely back," ISRO added.
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Post by Rakesh »

https://twitter.com/RAFIndia_/status/15 ... Bz57RoPJ4g ---> Indian Startup SkyRoot Aerospace has successfully completed full duration static fire test of Vikram-1 rocket stage ‘Kalam-100’.

Peak Thrust: ~10 Tons
Carbon Fiber Built
Burn time: 108s

Image
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ISRO lines up Azadisat, 75 student satellites for launch this year.

ISRO plans to launch Azadisat and 75 student satellites this year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of India's independence. ISRO chairman S Somnath said this during a joint meeting of science departments and ministries chaired by Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh here.

The minister said over 55 start-ups have registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in just about two years since the space sector was opened for private firms. Singh said out of 55 proposals, 29 are satellite related, 10 for space applications and products, eight related to launch vehicles and eight about ground systems and research. He said nine proposals from the start-ups are expected to be completed by 2022-23.

According to Singh, priority implementation of S&T solutions to 204 odd problems from 38 Line Ministries received for scientific applications and technological solutions by all the six S&T departments coordinated by CSIR.

He said inputs have been received on areas of participation from all departments, while Department of Biotechnology and ISRO have submitted their preference for leading in solution development/deployment for few challenges.

Singh said different scientific applications for sectors like agriculture, food, education, skill, railways, roads, Jal Shakti, power and coal to name a few are being worked out since the launch of the initiative in September last year.

The minister said that CSIR with the help of North Eastern Council (NEC) has identified 50 problems requiring S&T intervention in northeastern states and the same has been shared with the Department of Science & Technology and is being shared with the Ministry of DONER.
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Post by chetak »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI16AMPQna8



How India Developed World Class Rockets From Humble Beginnings.





India's Space Research Organization has managed to develop a world class space program and a series of launch vehicles that have multiplied their payload capabilities by hundreds of times between the SLV-3 able to place 40kg into orbit to the GSLV MKIII which can place 10 tons into orbit.

Starting with the SLV in the late 1970's a and all the way up to the modern GSLV India has been heavily reliant on solid rocket motors to deliver their payloads, they've developed their own 200ton solid rocket motors, comparable to those used by the US and Arianespace.

India's main liquid fueled engine is the Vikas, derived from Europe's Viking, but evolved with greater capabilities. India also developed hydrolox engine technology on their own and have high performance upper stages on their GSLV rockets.
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Post by Cyrano »

Vips wrote:Bellatrix tests India’s 1st high-performance green propulsion system for satellites.The test comes at a time various governments are considering banning hydrazine due to its toxic impact.
Wasted research effort IMVHO.

BTW, didn't Hydrazine help the stranded astronaut in the movie/novel the Martian? LoL !
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Post by arvin »

^^^
Usage of above thruster will reduce investment for companies in handling toxic hydrazine for small sats.
Also good to have alternative other than ISRO make.
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Most likely could be using H2O2 (Hydrogen peroxide) similar to one funded by ESA.

https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_w ... lytic_beds
Analytic evaluations of these results show the potential to obtain a specific impulse of 164s and a thrust of nearly 1N.Overall, the system is considered as very suitable for use in small satellites. It has been experimentally verified that the catalyst lifetime is sufficient to decompose 1.2kg of H2O2 propellant.In performance terms, this translates into:
Total impulse of about 1900 Ns.
deltaV = 20 m/s for a 100 kg satellite.
Orbit maintenance of a sun synchronous satellite (100 kg) for one year
Drag compensation for one year for a satellite in a 400–500 km orbit
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Isro to launch GSAT-24 satellite on Europe’s Ariane-V rocket from Kourou on June 22.

India's communication satellite GSAT-24 will be launched by Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana on June 22, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a mission status update on Tuesday.

"New Space India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under the Department of Space (DoS), is undertaking GSAT-24 satellite mission as its 1st Demand Driven mission post space reforms", the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said.

GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4,180 kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. NSIL has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play, an ISRO statement said.

After completing assembly, integration, and environmental tests, the GSAT-24 satellite was cleared by the PSR (Pre-Shipment Review) committee on May 2.

On May 18, the satellite and its supporting equipment were flown to Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a C-17 Globemaster.

The satellite is currently undergoing health and performance checks at clean room facilities in French Guiana as part of the launch campaign.
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NISAR payload integration completed: Top NASA officials
Top NASA officials on Wednesday said the payload integration of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission has been completed in the US and it is expected to be shipped to India after testing for integration with the satellite and eventually with the launch vehicle.

NISAR is a joint earth-observation mission between ISRO and the US space agency NASA for global observations over all land mass, including the Polar cryosphere and the Indian Ocean region.

It is a dual-band (L-band and S-band) radar imaging mission with the capability of full polarimetric and interferometric modes of operation to observe minor changes in land, vegetation and cryosphere.

A team of US space agency officials under the leadership of Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate, are here, and have held meetings with officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The trip would mostly focus on NISAR, "the biggest-ever collaboration" of NASA and ISRO, they have said.

"I have come from a meeting with the Scientific Secretary of ISRO and later tonight I have a meeting with Chairman of ISRO. I'm very excited for this meeting," Zurbuchen said at an event at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) today.

Terming NISAR as a complex mission, he said the progress has been made on NISAR after COVID-induced delays.

NASA's Earth Science Division Director Karen M St. Germain said NISAR is a dual SAR, for which the US is building L-band SAR and ISRO is building S-band.

Stating that this would be a mission with several unique capabilities and of several firsts, she said, "We have now got the payloads integrated at our facility at JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab), we are going into testing. First, the launch integration tests and then the functional tests, and then the whole thing will be shifted back here to ISRO for integration on the satellite and for integration on the launch vehicle, and then launch."

Further noting that NASA and ISRO have worked together on an air-borne testbed for testing the radars, she said, "...what is really exciting is the science, this mission is going to enable us to do for the first time, and in order to facilitate that science, we have built this air-borne simulator together."

NASA and Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014, to collaborate on and launch NISAR.
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https://www.isro.gov.in/update/23-jun-2 ... -gsat-24-0
Today, 23rd June 2022 @ 03.20 Hrs IST, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a CPSE under Department of Space, successfully undertook the launch of GSAT-24 communication satellite on-board Ariane-V [VA257 flight] from Kourou, French Guiana. The VA257 flight in addition to GSAT-24 satellite of India also carried Measat-3d communication satellite from Malaysia as other co-passenger

GSAT-24 is a 24 Ku band communication satellite meant for meeting the Direct-To-Home (DTH) communication needs of the country. Satellite weighed 4180 kg at lift-off and has mission life of 15 years. NSIL has leased the entire satellite capacity to M/s Tata Play for a period of 15 years. The entire funding for the GSAT-24 mission has been borne by NSIL.

After nearly 40 minutes of flight, GSAT-24 satellite was successfully injected into its intended Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with Perigee: 250 km and Apogee: 35825 km.

Post-separation of GSAT-24 satellite, ISRO's Master Control Facility at Hassan, Karnataka took control of the satellite and initial data received indicates good health of the satellite. In the coming days, the orbit of GSAT-24 satellite would be raised from GTO to Geo-Stationary Orbit (GSO), through a series of orbit raising manoeuvres using satellite’s on-board propulsion system.

“Today’s successful mission of GSAT-24 is a major step forward for NSIL in commercially meeting the DTH communication needs of the country using indigenously built satellite solutions from ISRO,” Dr S Somanath, Secretary DOS said.

With the successful launch of GSAT-24, NSIL will be owning and operating nearly 11 Communication Satellites in-orbit and would meet the bulk of the communication needs of the country. GSAT-24 is the first of the many Demand Driven Missions, that NSIL would undertake in the coming years.
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by ArjunPandit »

sadly not GSLV..
GSAT mass: 4181.3kg
GSLV Mk3 Payload: 4,000 kg
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https://twitter.com/TheLegateIN/status/ ... S89_r8-Dew ---> ISRO passes technology of its Optical Imaging System to Indian defence corp 'Paras Defence & Space Tech'.
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Countdown begins for ISRO's PSLV-C53 mission.
The 25 hour countdown for the launch of PSLV-C53 mission from here on Thursday has commenced, ISRO said.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching the second dedicated commercial mission of its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)- 'PSLV-C53' carrying three satellites from Singapore on June 30.
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PSLV C53 mission successfully completed. All satellites placed in intended orbits.
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Post by arvin »

PSLV sure makes Rocket launches look so routine and simple.

The fourth stage PS4 will be used as an orbital platform for scientific experiments. Kind of micro space lab.

https://www.isro.gov.in/launcher/pslv-c53-ds-eo-mission
The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) activity is performs in-orbit scientific experiments using the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform. It is first time that PS4 stage would orbit the earth as a stabilized platform. Attitude stabilization is achieved using a dedicated NGC system. POEM derives the power from the solar panels mounted around the PS4 tank and a Li Ion battery. It navigates using four sun sensors, a magnetometer, gyros & NavIC. It carries dedicated control thrusters using Helium gas storage. It is enabled with telecommand feature.
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ISRO’s PSLV-C53 places three Singapore satellites in orbit, continues journey ‘writing some poems in space’
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 575117.cms
30 June 2022
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Gaganyaan mission can't happen this year or next year, focus fully on safety aspects: ISRO Chief.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Thursday said the launch of the ambitious Gaganyaan mission, the country's first manned space flight, cannot happen this year or next year as the agency is keen to ensure that all safety systems are in place.

Noting that it is a very important mission, the ISRO chief said a lot of focus would have to be on safety when humans are sent to space.

"It is a very important mission. We have to be extremely careful when we send humans to space," Somanath said at a press conference after the successful launch of three foreign satellites by ISRO at the spaceport here.

He said tests were being conducted with regard to safety. "We are testing it more number of times, We would like to do it very cautiously."
The ISRO chief emphasised that various demonstrations would be taken up and an unmanned mission in the middle of next year and make sure everything is fine. "(Gaganyaan) cannot happen this year or next year. This is for the safety of our folks."

"We need to remove the worry part – any time it can burst. Worry can be removed only by ruggadising the object, testing it more number of times and introducing intelligence in the rocket so that it can identify problems, let the aircraft know pilots can escape. But rockets cannot do that. Rockets are moving very fast and rockets themselves have to find out something is going bad now so let these fellows go away. It will automatically command an escape system and the astronauts can escape. This is new system currently what we are doing is let us wait for some more time."

Noting that it is a very important mission, the ISRO chief said a lot of focus would have to be on safety when humans are sent to space.

"If we want to fly astronauts, we need to first prove the safety system.. it has to go through many tests. We are trying to do that this year. I don't want to end up doing the Gaganyaan programme with a disaster. We will want to do it very cautiously."

About Chandrayaan-3, Somanath said currently a lot of tests were going on and added that "this time we are not in a hurry to go to the moon."
"This time we want to make sure we land on the moon."

"Currently the tests on lander propulsion and lander systems are underway. We want to make it very rugged. We have made the lander rugged. So some mass increase in lander has occurred. Its legs have been made stronger. Propulsion system needs to be rugged. Tests are going on at Mahendragiri for proving that. We want to look at the sensors. Last time we had doubts on sensors. So we are adding new sensors, helicopter sorties, experiments. Let us complete all tests and be clear," he further said.

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a follow up of Chandrayaan-2, which was India's first mission to land on the lunar south pole. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed in September 2019.

Asked if there were plans to make the PS-IV stage a routine experiment after in-orbit scientific experiments were carried out, Somanath said, "normally the 4th stage would end up as debris in space. But, ISRO has repurposed the fourth stage and introduced a computer, control system to fire its thrusters, sensors such as star sensors that will enable it look at the stars and find its own position and also send commands from the ground."

The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) activity performs in-orbit scientific experiments using the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform, ISRO said. It is the first time that the PS4 stage would the earth as a stabilised platform.

With regard to the GSLV commercial launch, Somanath said GSLV is currently booked for our own internal launches. "So we are not offering GSLV-Mk II for commercial launches for the time being. Mk-III we have already announced for launch for commercial launches. Next mission will be a commercial mission. That will carry a very well known OneWeb satellites, mid Sept-Oct this year and next year by January 2023."

On the spaceport expected to come up at Kulasekarapattinam, Somanath said, "2,000 acres has come to ISRO's hands. Area where we have to build the launch pad is with us and the design process is complete. Tendering process has started."
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Re: Indian Space Program: News & Discussion

Post by srin »

^^^ I find it strange that there is no mention of SSLV. It was promised to be developed two-three years ago. Even accounting for Covid, there is a distinct lack of interest there.
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