Indian Space Program Discussion

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 07 Mar 2011 21:33

kvraghavaiah wrote:
ramana wrote:Will look at the F06 picture and let you know. I suspect the cables are the black strip running at the top of the vehicle.

However a question. Was the 4m dia fairing ver frlow with te Russian cryo stage. To me look slike not. And that combination was the problem.

Also I dont understand the primary cause and root cause. A root cause is a cause which explains the phenomenon/failure and one can take corrective action. All else are causes.
I doubt that black stripe is not the cable bus.I guess that black one may be some fuelling /coolant connection.
cables wont be so wide and open outside(how wide is a cpu bus.)

I took the high resolution image and zoomed in to the area of the black stripe.

The black stripe is the cable raceway (conduit path) form the fairing to the separation stage. One can see a inverted scoop at the junction of the cryo stage and the separation stage. The inverted scoop could be (made of the composite material) one that deflected under load and allowed the connectors to snap.

Again was the 4.0m fairing flown with the imported cryo-stage?

What are the thickness in that area of the Indian version and the imported version?

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 08 Mar 2011 00:30

TMC on Chandrayaan finds a cave on the Moon.

Is that you Carvor...hello...come in Carvor...(cue creepy music).

Was there a ground penetrating radar payload, and if so why?

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 09 Mar 2011 06:48

Can Bhuvan give Google Earth a run for its money?

NEW DELHI: Google Earth has competition at hand. Bhuvan, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) answer to the Google application, is snapping at its heels. However, Bhuvan, a satellite mapping tool and the geoportal of ISRO that was launched a year and half ago, has to overcome a procedural hurdle. The department of space is awaiting the Union Cabinet's nod for the remote sensing data policy, 2011, that will replace the existing 2001 norms.

The new policy envisages making public, pictures of upto 1 m resolution against the current 5.8 m. If the norms pass the muster, it will bring Bhuvan close to the 40 cm resolution of images available on Google Earth. Resolution is the technical word used for the minimum distance between two points on earth for them to appear as separate points in the projected image. Hence, smaller the resolution, the clarity of an image is better.

Officials claim, ISRO has the capacity to produce images that have resolution of upto 80 cm. However, these images are not in public domain due to the data policy.

"If some government or private institutions want the images for planning or other purposes, they are required to send a request to National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad, which gives due clearances. Images are made available after morphing high security installations," explained a senior official of the department of space.

Bhuvan displays satellite images of Indian landscape -- in resolutions varying between 5.8 m and 55 m -- that allow surfers to view cities and various places of interest from a perpendicular view or from an angle. Users can navigate these places in 3D. However, unlike Google Earth, Bhuvan imagery doesn't boast of any commercial establishments like hotels. The indigeneous Google Earth also has an in-built weather application.

"We've the capacity to pan on to the rest of the globe like other applications. As of now, we've limited ourselves to the political boundaries of India," an official explained.

Bhuvan, official admit, hasn't been a runway success, thanks to its poor image quality.

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 13 Mar 2011 00:24

I think its better if 80 cm images are kept out of public view and given access to, in a controlled manner. There is no reason to give Google a run for their money. Such images would prove useful to criminals as well. There is always Google Earth for casual viewing.

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 13 Mar 2011 00:49

A Nandy wrote:I think its better if 80 cm images are kept out of public view and given access to, in a controlled manner. There is no reason to give Google a run for their money. Such images would prove useful to criminals as well. There is always Google Earth for casual viewing.

but if the same resolution imageries are being made available through GE, then wouldn't it defeat any purpose behind keeping ISRO's imagery safely behind lock and sealed with lac. Why not pixellate the chosen sensitive info and release the rest as is

If it does want to provide a GIS program for the masses, then might as well go the whole way and be the best, else no point continuing it. A built-in weather forcast feature can hardly be a USP of such a service. Half-hearted attempt that could be done without IMHO

negi · Post by **negi** » 17 Mar 2011 14:20

Khan paranoid as always

Satellite launch in India torpedoes Italy-U.S. relations

CHENNAI: The launch of the Italian satellite AGILE on board an Indian-built rocket from Sriharikota threw U.S.-Italian relations out of kilter in 2007, after the U.S. maintained that Italy had re-exported classified U.S. defence technology to India without a proper licence.

In a confidential cable ( 110065: confidential) sent to the Secretary of State's office and U.S. embassies in India and Paris, U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald P. Spogli revealed that AGILE carried on board a reaction wheel assembly that was included on the U.S. munitions list and subject to U.S. export controls. The Americans, the testily worded May 26 cable showed, had engaged with Italy in Washington and Rome for up to a year before AGILE's April 23 launch, advising Rome that it would have “potential negative consequences for economic bilateral negotiations” but that the Italians had “disregarded” their council.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Mar 2011 17:17

Nothing to be alarmed or rejoiced over.

arun · Post by **arun** » 20 Mar 2011 11:23

negi wrote:Khan paranoid as always

Satellite launch in India torpedoes Italy-U.S. relations

CHENNAI: The launch of the Italian satellite AGILE on board an Indian-built rocket from Sriharikota threw U.S.-Italian relations out of kilter in 2007, after the U.S. maintained that Italy had re-exported classified U.S. defence technology to India without a proper licence.

In a confidential cable ( 110065: confidential) sent to the Secretary of State's office and U.S. embassies in India and Paris, U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald P. Spogli revealed that AGILE carried on board a reaction wheel assembly that was included on the U.S. munitions list and subject to U.S. export controls. The Americans, the testily worded May 26 cable showed, had engaged with Italy in Washington and Rome for up to a year before AGILE's April 23 launch, advising Rome that it would have “potential negative consequences for economic bilateral negotiations” but that the Italians had “disregarded” their council.

Further to the above X Posting the American diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileaks and published by the Hindu shows that the US sought to block the launch of the Italy’s AGILE Satellite by ISRO’s PSLV-C8 launch vehicle :

Protest of USML transfer to India

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 29 Mar 2011 18:37

http://isro.org/rep2011/Index.htm

ISRO's annual report is out. Some nuggets as usual!

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 29 Mar 2011 20:17

Varoon Shekhar wrote:http://isro.org/rep2011/Index.htm

ISRO's annual report is out. Some nuggets as usual!

The Space Transportation segment was a bit of disappointment. No news on the progress Semicryogenic engine, no concrete dates for HEX and a very cloudy view of CE-20 and C-25 development.

On the Space Sciences front here is what we have.

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to the Moon, will have an Orbiter and Lander-Rover module. ISRO will have the prime responsibility for the Orbiter and Rover; Roskosmos, Russia will be responsible for Lander. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched on India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkII) around 2012-13 timeframe. The science goals of the mission are to further improve the understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon using instruments onboard Orbiter and in-situ analysis of lunar samples using Lander and Rover.

The following five payloads are selected for Orbiter.

1. Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) and Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM)for mapping the major elements present on the lunar surface.
2. L and S band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for probing the first few tens
of meters of lunar surface for the presence of different constituents
including water ice. SAR is expected to provide further evidence
confirming the presence of water ice below the shadowed regions
of the moon.
3. Imaging IR Spectrometer (IIRS) for mapping of lunar surface over a wide
wavelength range for the study of minerals, water molecules and hydroxyl
present.
4. Neutral Mass Spectrometer (ChACE-2) to carry out a detailed study of the
lunar exosphere.
5. Terrain Mapping Camera-2 (TMC-2) for preparing a three-dimensional map
essential for studying the lunar mineralogy and geology.

Following two scientific payloads selected for Indian Rover would carry out elemental analysis of the lunar surface near the landing site

1. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS).
2. Alpha Particle Induced X-ray Spectroscope (APIXS).

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 03 Apr 2011 03:29

India Is Seventh Nation to Process Titanium Sponge

ISRO has always depended on overseas markets to source titanium sponge, which is created during the first stage of processing titanium ore. It is the raw material used to make alloys that are used to make rockets. Within two months, ISRO will be able to source titanium sponge from a new plant, one of the few in the world being put up by Kerala Minerals and Metals, or KMML. India will be the seventh country in the world to have the technology to make titanium sponge.

The technology was developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, a laboratory under Defence Research and Development Organisation, or DRDO. It cost KMML Rs. 143 crore to set up the facility and the tab is being picked up by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Kerala. The job of converting titanium sponge to titanium alloy will be done by the Hyderabad-based Mishra Dhatu Nigam.

“With India’s long coast line, titanium reserves are abundant here. And given its high costs and strategic use, we were trying to become self-sufficient for some years,” says a senior DRDO official. Insiders say the government has often been held to ransom by international suppliers. One example: The embargos imposed after the nuclear tests in 1998 made sourcing the metal difficult.

China dominates the production and use of titanium. Nine out of 18 companies making titanium sponge are Chinese. The KMML plant not only helps India get parity in strategic affairs but also opens the door for regional influence. In the pipeline is a partnership to make titanium sponge with Kazakhstan. This is another opportunity for India to expand its sphere of influence as a provider of special materials.

good going. keep it up.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 03 Apr 2011 17:50

Making our mark in space

One military application that has already been mooted is to develop intelligence about terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India’s armed forces already use IRS satellites for surveillance, but a dedicated satellite that can provide imagery of a particular region on demand would be very useful. So would the ability to launch low-earth satellites for detailed surveillance in crisis.

Another obvious military application is to develop long-range missile technology. The Agni’s first-stage motor is one meter in diameter and weighs nine tonnes. The GSLV/PSLV first stage motor is 2.8m in diameter and weighs 129 tonnes. In fact, ISRO designed the first and second stage motors of the Agni-II.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 03 Apr 2011 19:32

Any updates on the connector issue? Or it has quietly been resolved/buried?

kvraghavaiah · Post by **kvraghavaiah** » 03 Apr 2011 22:17

I read some scrolling news about PSLV launch with resource sat soon. I could not get the date of launch. Any information from your side, friends?

kvraghavaiah · Post by **kvraghavaiah** » 03 Apr 2011 22:20

There are two scheduled launches in this month.
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/inde ... h-schedule

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 03 Apr 2011 23:14

ramana wrote:Any updates on the connector issue? Or it has quietly been resolved/buried?

ISRO is blaming it on the shroud of Russian upper stage (build quality IMHO) whereas the Russians are blaming it on the bigger payload fairing which in turn caused deformation of shroud. This is the final question ie what deformed the shroud? Once this is resolved the report will be out.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Apr 2011 03:16

Was the new larger diameter payload fairing flown with Russian cryo? That would answer the question. If it was then its a non issue and could be a mfg issue. If it was not flown earlier then the aero-loads need to be revisited. Earlier report said ISRO felt that the aero-loads were non issue as the larger diameter fairing was flown on the Indian cryo-stage and did not have early flight problem implying these aero-loads were not important. However that begs the question was the larger diameter fairing flown with the older Russian cryo-stage?

Another thing would be the thickness of the shroud in the connector area. How comparable are they between the Russian cryo-stage and the ISRO cryo-stage? If the thickness is lesser for Russian stage then it could be a pointer for it could deform.

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 04 Apr 2011 11:49

yesterday was the 27th anniversary of Cosmonaut Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma's journey to the Salyut-7 Space station

some pictures
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/308484/Blog/201 ... ame.in.jpg

found one article about the same
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7268bafa-5a74 ... z1IXANRRkz

is it true that later [mid 80s - early 90s] another Indian was undergoing training at NASA for a manned Space mission but it did not quite materialize due to some reason

i think i remember reading about this long back, but am unable to recollect where, & if at all, i had read it

any help confirming or correcting it would be highly appreciated. if confirmed, some online references would be even more appreciated

TIA

marimuthu · Post by **marimuthu** » 04 Apr 2011 13:14

Hiten wrote: is it true that later [mid 80s - early 90s] another Indian was undergoing training at NASA for a manned Space mission but it did not quite materialize due to some reason

I think this was related to 1986 Challenger Disaster. Because after that they stopped sending the civilians in space shuttle.

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 04 Apr 2011 13:19

CCEA approves Rs 378 cr-grant for GAGAN project

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 04 Apr 2011 13:53

Maybe this was posted earlier.

http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/icg/20 ... rt/2-3.pdf

The last slide shows a graph with positional accuracy ...am I correct in reading the accuracy < 5metres.

Sagar G · Post by **Sagar G** » 04 Apr 2011 14:41

14th slide has the heading Final System Acceptance Test (FSAT) configuration
Target Position accuracy: 7.6m

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 04 Apr 2011 15:54

Sagar G wrote:14th slide has the heading Final System Acceptance Test (FSAT) configuration
Target Position accuracy: 7.6m

Just wondering if that is the average accuracy measured across different places.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 04 Apr 2011 17:47

ISRO has three launches this year.

For GSAT-12 ISRO is modifying a PSLV for launch! The GSLV program is really down - we all know what happens when ISRO is pushed into a corner

Hope this is the inspiration for ISRO to get the cryo perfected, get into the semi-cryo business, get the Mark-III ready.

Brando · Post by **Brando** » 04 Apr 2011 18:42

ISRO's pride is really at stake as a Space Agency wrt the GSLV. If they want to join the big leagues they need to be looking at a Full-cryo Launch vehicle capable of putting at least 5000 to 7000 kgs to GTO ASAP. With the repeated successful launches of the American private company Space X's Heavy Lift Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle and its crewed capsule the Dragon, ISRO should be racing to get into the race because a government enterprise like ISRO will have a very hard time trying to compete with a private company even with a slight cost advantage because unlike ISRO and Antrix, these private companies will have an army of lawyers, insurance brokers and other marketing execs who will corner the market and virtually eliminate the risks of sending payloads to space for corporations and countries.

ISRO really needs to get its budget increased if it wants to stay competitive and get more involved with the private sector in making themselves a viable and profitable enterprise for the future because unlike the past, space is no longer the preserve of only national governments, it is going to become increasingly private and unless they face that reality they will be missing the race by the time they have tested and perfected a launch vehicle to GTO.

kvraghavaiah · Post by **kvraghavaiah** » 04 Apr 2011 18:58

Surprisingly, if either isro or drdo achieves a bit, they show it as a hill big achievement. They over boast. When comes to work, they are not performing with sufficient craze. Radakrishnan told that they will relaunch GSLV with in a year again with our cryo engine. A year almost over..., even test not conducted.

When the indian cryo engine failed to run in the sky, radhakrishnan said, vernier thrusters might have failed. He took the increasing speed of module at that instant for working cryo engine, while in fact the accelaration was due to earth's gravity. How credible is indian science program? I do not blame scientists for this. Government is not bothered about keeping right people in the right place. It spends 1000 crores on a scientific project, but all that money goes waste as a less fit person handles that project.

In an interview, narayanan told that gslv mk3 systems will undergo testing by 2009 end. 2011 also will end soon, and we know that the tests may not go to completion even after 2012.

nits · Post by **nits** » 04 Apr 2011 19:39

kvraghavaiah wrote:There are two scheduled launches in this month.
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/inde ... h-schedule

If this schedule is accurate - and If we look at posted schdule; we are way behind in terms of Launches from China. India has just 3 scheduled Launches and China has 11. Amost 4 times... we need to speed up...

PratikDas · Post by **PratikDas** » 04 Apr 2011 20:03

nits wrote: If this schedule is accurate - and If we look at posted schdule; we are way behind in terms of Launches from China. India has just 3 scheduled Launches and China has 11. Amost 4 times... we need to speed up...

Actually, we need to get GSLV working. It has been argued here that increasing the mission rate, or speeding up, will accelerate the debugging of GSLV. Of course, I would like subscribe to that as well, but I'm not sure ISRO has that mass manufacturing potential, that budget, or the patience needed from the government.

Vivek K · Post by **Vivek K** » 04 Apr 2011 20:40

It isn't money (or lack of it) that caused GSLV's failure. Its success would have opened doors to further funding for ISRO. ISRO needs to fix the bug in the GSLV. It was surprising that ISRO altered the last GSLV's configuration. What they need is 3-4 launches of the last working configuration. Once they can repeat the launches with the same config without any issue then they should change some parameters.

Also, being open about their failure and its analysis would generate more confidence in ISRO's capabilities.

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 04 Apr 2011 22:34

ramana wrote:Was the new larger diameter payload fairing flown with Russian cryo? That would answer the question. If it was then its a non issue and could be a mfg issue. If it was not flown earlier then the aero-loads need to be revisited. Earlier report said ISRO felt that the aero-loads were non issue as the larger diameter fairing was flown on the Indian cryo-stage and did not have early flight problem implying these aero-loads were not important. However that begs the question was the larger diameter fairing flown with the older Russian cryo-stage?

Another thing would be the thickness of the shroud in the connector area. How comparable are they between the Russian cryo-stage and the ISRO cryo-stage? If the thickness is lesser for Russian stage then it could be a pointer for it could deform.

The larger payload fairing was not flown with the Russian stage. But, I would be reasonably certain that ISRO had calibrated the stage to sustain higher loads (aerodynamic and extra weight). I could be wrong here and maybe ISRO hadn't taken the additional aerodynamic forces due to larger payload fairing into account but that would be too big a letup by such a competent organization.

I'll try to pictorially explain where the failure occurred. I had a chat with a friend to confirm what exactly the shroud mentioned here is. Although we can't be 100% sure, I believe I'm reasonably certain about this.

In the above picture, the black covering below the the stage (surrounding the engine nozzle and containing all the cables etc) is/contains the shroud. Several connectors are also visible. This particular picture was sent by a friend and is not the GSLV upper stage.

Now lets take a look at the GSLV upper stage. (This one is the indigenous one but russian one would be very similar)

In this picture pan right from the uncovered interstage (nozzle) and you can see the connectors fixed on metal plates (brown plate with silver connectors). So my guess here is that shroud in question here is the interstage shroud (interstage covering) shown in the first picture and still not covered in the GSLV picture above. This got deformed due to flight load.

Reference:

The German made connectors are fixed on a metal plate. The plate, in turn, is fixed to a shroud or cylindrical cover that comes between the cryogenic engine and the lower stage (engine).

According to Nair, the shroud made of composites is part of the Russian cryogenic engine and it got deformed due to the flight load.

Hiten · Post by **Hiten** » 05 Apr 2011 23:14

marimuthu wrote:
Hiten wrote: is it true that later [mid 80s - early 90s] another Indian was undergoing training at NASA for a manned Space mission but it did not quite materialize due to some reason

I think this was related to 1986 Challenger Disaster. Because after that they stopped sending the civilians in space shuttle.

thanks a lot for pointing to the Challenger disaster - kept eluding me. Was an easy search from then onwards

Scientist Nagapathi C. Bhat was the one training to travel aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger as its payload specialist
http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/internati ... apathi.htm

Scientist Paramaswaren R. Nair was his backup
http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/internati ... ishnan.htm

thanks a lot again. kept troubling me like the food lodged between the teeth than no amount of nudging with the tongue would dislodge

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 05 Apr 2011 23:34

Re-reading the comments about the shroud deformation.

The German made connectors are fixed on a metal plate. The plate, in turn, is fixed to a shroud or cylindrical cover that comes between the cryogenic engine and the lower stage (engine).

According to Nair, the shroud made of composites is part of the Russian cryogenic engine and it got deformed due to the flight load.

I had been thinking that its a local component deformation (the inverted scoop type transition). I thought the airflow over the transition piece casued local deformation and led to the metal connector plate giving away.

What is being implied is the cylindrical shell portion deformed. Wonder what kind of load caused such a large deformation to dislodge the connector plates? Shells are strong in transverse loads.

The more they reveal the more intriguing it becomes.

Hobbes · Post by **Hobbes** » 07 Apr 2011 07:10

What is happening with the Indian cryo engine? I'm not able to find any reliable news beyond April 2010. While searching though I came across this (old) gem:
http://kuku.sawf.org/Articles/3583.aspx. Is there any truth to it or is Vaijinder K. Thakur another nekulturny basher of indigenous efforts?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Apr 2011 10:58

Resourcesat-2 Launch Scheduled for April 20
Excerpts

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) will launch the 1,206-kg satellite along with two other satellites — YouthSat and X-Sat

YouthSat, weighing 92 kg, is a joint Indo-Russian satellite for stellar and atmospheric studies. X-Sat is a microsatellite for imaging applications built by the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

The countdown to the launch is expected to begin in the early hours of April 18.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Apr 2011 13:04

A new ISRO facility to test satellites

A new nitrogen-based acoustic test facility for satellites has been inaugurated at ISRO's ISITE testing complex in Bangalore, according to a release from National Aerospace Laboratories.

A large number of qualifying tests on satellites can be now done under one roof at ISITE, it said.

NAL was chosen in 2007 to design, build, operate and maintain the new facility, the ninth such in the world. The CSIR lab also hosted ISRO's older test facility at its second campus in Bangalore.

The ISITE Acoustic Test Facility at Kundanahalli is also close to the ISRO Satellite Centre which builds spacecraft.

The ISRO Chairman, Dr K. Radhakrishnan, inaugurated the facility.

The release said satellites are launched at very high velocity.

“The acoustic field created during launch and trans-atmospheric flight can be strong enough to damage the delicate satellite/payloads since economic considerations demand that the satellite and payload structure be as light as possible.

“The acoustic shielding efficiency of heat shields is also tested in this facility.”

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Apr 2011 14:09

Hobbes wrote:What is happening with the Indian cryo engine? I'm not able to find any reliable news beyond April 2010. While searching though I came across this (old) gem:

I quite remember the time when US sanctioned India and Russia on the cryoengine deal , the then ISRO chairman (was it UR Rao ) mentioned that India would make its own cryo in 5 years time and PVN made similar statement in the house.

Its almost 15 plus years since then and we are still in the process to perfect the technology , seems ISRO either underestimated the effort involved or it was a political statement to cool the sentiments prevailing at that time.

Many then and even later felt we should have developed Lox/Kerosene engine first before jumping to build a full cryo engine , the learning curve would have been much smoother.

paultd · Post by **paultd** » 10 Apr 2011 15:10

BrahMos Aerospace to Make Cryogenic Rocket Engines for ISRO
http://iafnews.nuvodev.com/posts/brahmo ... -for-isro/

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Apr 2011 15:25

Austin wrote:I quite remember the time when US sanctioned India and Russia on the cryoengine deal , the then ISRO chairman (was it UR Rao ) mentioned that India would make its own cryo in 5 years time and PVN made similar statement in the house.

Its almost 15 plus years since then and we are still in the process to perfect the technology , seems ISRO either underestimated the effort involved or it was a political statement to cool the sentiments prevailing at that time.

Many then and even later felt we should have developed Lox/Kerosene engine first before jumping to build a full cryo engine , the learning curve would have been much smoother.

There is some justification in the general criticism that Indian research/scientific organizations make tall promises which then they struggle to meet even decades later. I think the development of the cryogenic engine was underestimated. But, Glavkosmos was supposed to do a total ToT and hold our hand too in establishing critical manufacturing technology. Even then, it might have been a tall order. And then, a bankrupt Russia was buffeted by a rampaging USA that put spokes in the deal and Glavkosmos simply capitulated. India was left high and dry. It was another of those stabs from the US. Anyway, there is no denying the fact that progress is painfully slow and we still have not established a reliable CUS.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 11 Apr 2011 08:58

I understand the stab, but I never understood why we couldn't easily deduce a stab will happen, and now why we are not deriving at many more stabs to come.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 11 Apr 2011 11:17

SSridhar Saar,
I woundn't say that.
ISRO was confident enough to actually fly their CUS. That in itself tells us that they thought they were ready.
News reports talk of how they delayed that GSLV launch, and tested and re-tested the CUS, before they gave the green light to the flight.

To me that means that they understand the science well and were reasonably confident that the engine they had produced would deliver.

What happened was an accident, some manufacturing deficiency, some material defect that the pump jammed.

This to me seems more like some minor niggling problem that they will overcome.

The other thing that worries me a little is that ISRO is now developing two GSLV launchers simultaneously - Both the GSLV-II and the GSLV-III are being readied. Makes me wonder if they'll get to Mark-III, when even Mark-II is having problems with the CUS.