Indian Space Programme Discussion

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 16 Dec 2015 20:40

^ People in Chennai can see the launch regularly.Thec distance is much less 100 Kms on same side of the Eastern ghats.
Prasanna

Vivek K · Post by **Vivek K** » 16 Dec 2015 20:56

Yawn!! Another day, another 6 satellites launched by ISRO. What is so special??

SSSalvi · Post by **SSSalvi** » 16 Dec 2015 21:13

^^^

Till they announce their experience with 2nd burn of PS4

( Let's hope they don't forget to announce it .. The bhashans ceremony post launch must have clouded it )

It is 3+ hours after all the sats have been released .. no word yet on their website/facebook about 2nd burn.

wasu · Post by **wasu** » 16 Dec 2015 21:33

SSSalvi, Done.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/ ... 180961.ece

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 16 (IANS) Indian space agency ISRO on Wednesday successfully tested restarting of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket after its engine was cut off during the mission to launch six Singaporean satellites, a top official said.

"The restart test was successful. The engine was fired for nearly five seconds. We will be using this technology sometime next year," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar told IANS.
...

"The restart of the engine happened beautifully. The test was a success," S. Somnath, director of the Liquid Propulsions Systems Centre, told IANS.

According to him, the multiple burn fuel stage/engine will be used in PSLV-C35 rocket which will carry two satellites.

One satellite will be launched at an higher orbit and the other one will be at a slightly lower orbit, he said.

Technically speaking, India tested a multiple burn fuel stage/engine for the first time.

"The restart and shut off of the fourth stage engine is done as a first step towards launching multiple satellites but in different orbits," an ISRO official told IANS, declining to be named.

.....

"Restarting a rocket engine soon after it is shut off is a critical technology that has to be mastered. Once a rocket engine is activated, then the heat generated is very high. The trick is to cool it down in the space and to restart it at a short gap," an industry expert told IANS.

"This is entirely different from switching on and off the communication satellite's engines in the space. The interval between two restarts of a communication satellite engine will be in days. But in the case of restarting a rocket engine, the time gap will be in hours," the expert added.

"By that time the rocket's engine has to be cooled down. This part of the experiment is very critical," he explained.

The PSLV's fourth stage was restarted successfully at just over 67 minutes into the flight or 50 minutes after the engine was cut off.

At the time of restart the fourth stage was in a lower altitude of 523.9 km while the satellites were ejected at 550 km altitude.

The engine operating for few seconds went up to an altitude of 524 km before the stage was cut off again.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 16 Dec 2015 22:05

Thanks for the info, Wasu! And good to see you again in these pages( no, I don't know you).

The PSLV C-3 in Oct/2001, carrying 3 satellites, sent two, TES and Bird, into the same orbit, but a third, the Belgian Proba, was placed into a slightly higher orbit. This was done by firing the thrusters in a different sequence.

From a purely layman's standpoint, the delay in the firing of the engine, as opposed to the thrusters, allows for higher, or more contrasting, orbits correct?

What, if any, modifications were made in PS-4, for this to be accomplished? Or to put it differently, could it have been tested 10 years ago, or did something major haveto be changed or developed?

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 16 Dec 2015 22:30

Whaaaaaat.As I came to this dhaga saw the pleasent surprise. Never knew. no hullagullah and hair-splitting nut-bolt discussion. Just chood diya Diwali ke patake ki trah.congratulation to every Bhartiya.

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 16 Dec 2015 23:51

Congratulations ISRO! Political and economy news is taking so much bandwidth that I came to know of PSLV launch from PM timeline. Not a good state of affairs.

member_29247 · Post by **member_29247** » 17 Dec 2015 07:18

Folks,is there a way to watch action replay of the live video for adenilene pumping

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 17 Dec 2015 07:33

Some links:
Link from ISRO.

This is the eleventh flight of PSLV in 'core-alone' configuration (without the use of solid strap-on motors)

Check image gallery for pics!
For launch video, PSLV-C29 launching TeLEOS-1 from Doordarshan.
link : see 29:00 onwards for SDRE launch.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Dec 2015 13:55

This is my image capture of PSLV C-29 streaking across the skies as seen from Chennai

Link

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Dec 2015 14:06

Rocket launch inspires awe - S.Poorvaja, The Hindu

On Wednesday evening, city residents who were out in the open were able to catch a glimpse of the PSLV C29 rocket that was launched at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

Gopal Padmanabhan, a working professional, said that many motorists and pedestrians at Kotturpuram stopped on the road on seeing a trail of white smoke. The curiosity of those who were unaware of the satellite launch from Sriharikota was further piqued when they saw the speck of orange moving across the sky.

A resident of Basin Bridge said it was the first time he had so clearly seen the spire of smoke from a rocket launch. Social media was filled with videos and accounts of seeing the launch and many residents from Kolathur, T. Nagar, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Guindy and Basin Bridge tweeted photos of the trail of smoke.

‘PSLV C29’ became a trending topic among Twitter users from Chennai. Congratulatory messages to the ISRO soon followed.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 17 Dec 2015 19:50

vishvak wrote:Some links:
[
link : see 29:00 onwards for SDRE launch.

Just before the 1 hour mark on the video, the ISRO scientist refers to launching every month in the coming year.

Does he mean this literally? Or is it a projected goal, which could take place within 3 to 5 years?

Absolutely wonderful, if ISRO achieves it in 2016! We do know that there's an IRNSS launch coming up in January, and 2 IRNSS' in March.

Also, a little, very little, nitpick- they claimed this was the 50th launch from Sriharikota. I can only count 48- 31 PSLV's( including the first, a failure), 9 GSLV's( with 4 failures) 4 SLV's and 4 ASLV's, with failures.

Are they including aborted launches as well? There was one in March/2001, and another in August/2013, both GSLV's. That would make it an even 50!

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 17 Dec 2015 23:24

Do not think this was posted before at least in this thread....but relevant.
http://spacenews.com/getting-the-cubesa ... -low-gear/

San Francisco-based startup Spire, meanwhile, turned to India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for the Sept. 28 launch of four Lemur-2 cubesats, designed to provide weather and maritime situational awareness data. The U.S. government has a policy that discourages launches of U.S. commercial satellites aboard Indian rockets, but Spire — operating through broker Spaceflight — was able to get a waiver from the U.S. Department of State. Typically such waivers are granted only if comparable capacity is not available from U.S., European, Russian or Ukrainian rockets.

Chinese rockets are of course off limits to U.S. companies, while Indian vehicles are in a middle category — restricted, but not forbidden — owing to India’s refusal to sign a commercial launch accord with the U.S. government to ensure fair market-based pricing. Efforts to negotiate the accord began in 2005 as part of a much broader initiative to strengthen technology ties between the two countries but were abandoned in 2010.

But things are happening again. At a recent meeting in Washington, Samuel duPont, a director in the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) international trade and development office, said the government is reviewing the current policy on Indian rockets after being approached by unspecified U.S. satellite companies with complaints about a dearth of available launch services.

Not surprisingly, established and aspiring launch services providers are lining up in opposition to any U.S. policy shift. These companies fear India’s potential to flood the market with low-cost launch capacity, depriving them of business and investment capital.

Such concerns are legitimate — as they ponder a policy change, the USTR and other agencies involved must take a hard look at pricing, beginning with what Spire paid for its PSLV launch. Other factors, including the amount of capacity India can bring to the commercial market in any given year — this likely is very limited in the near term — also will be considered.

The right answer isn’t necessarily obvious, but the experiences of Planet Labs, Spire and others make a compelling argument for change. Certainly they take the wind out of assertions by some companies that there’s enough capacity available to serve the market. Help may well be on the way, but history suggests it’s unwise to bet on the arrival of a new rocket, especially one whose development is privately funded.

Besides, the best way to encourage the development of new rockets is to promote the market they are intended to serve. The latter should be the government’s overriding priority in any case, and if that is best served by opening up access to Indian rockets, so be it.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 18 Dec 2015 01:10

Bade wrote:Do not think this was posted before at least in this thread....but relevant.
http://spacenews.com/getting-the-cubesa ... -low-gear/
Chinese rockets are of course off limits to U.S. companies, while Indian vehicles are in a middle category — restricted, but not forbidden — owing to India’s refusal to sign a commercial launch accord with the U.S. government to ensure fair market-based pricing. Efforts to negotiate the accord began in 2005 as part of a much broader initiative to strengthen technology ties between the two countries but were abandoned in 2010.

But things are happening again. At a recent meeting in Washington, Samuel duPont, a director in the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) international trade and development office, said the government is reviewing the current policy on Indian rockets after being approached by unspecified U.S. satellite companies with complaints about a dearth of available launch services.

Doesn't sound like something that will pass a WTO challenge. They can keep a security embargo, but they have no business demanding 'fair market pricing'. We can do the same thing and assert that MNCs sell products cheaper in India, if that's the case.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 18 Dec 2015 12:02

Varoon Shekhar wrote: Also, a little, very little, nitpick- they claimed this was the 50th launch from Sriharikota. I can only count 48- 31 PSLV's( including the first, a failure), 9 GSLV's( with 4 failures) 4 SLV's and 4 ASLV's, with failures.

Are they including aborted launches as well? There was one in March/2001, and another in August/2013, both GSLV's. That would make it an even 50!

If they are launching 3 more in coming months, it will like 7 launches in a financial year, which is great.

PSLV has been launched 32 times. 3 developmental and 29 continuation (C13 was not launched)

Also apart from the above launches, Sriharikota also launched the first prithvi (I vaguely remember, no links to offer) and also a contraption rocket (derived of SLV) to test the strapons in ASLV
(it was not reported much outside). So it makes 51. I dont know which ones they took

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 18 Dec 2015 14:39

symontk wrote:
Varoon Shekhar wrote: Also, a little, very little, nitpick- they claimed this was the 50th launch from Sriharikota. I can only count 48- 31 PSLV's( including the first, a failure), 9 GSLV's( with 4 failures) 4 SLV's and 4 ASLV's, with failures.

Are they including aborted launches as well? There was one in March/2001, and another in August/2013, both GSLV's. That would make it an even 50!
If they are launching 3 more in coming months, it will like 7 launches in a financial year, which is great.

PSLV has been launched 32 times. 3 developmental and 29 continuation (C13 was not launched)

Also apart from the above launches, Sriharikota also launched the first prithvi (I vaguely remember, no links to offer) and also a contraption rocket (derived of SLV) to test the strapons in ASLV
(it was not reported much outside). So it makes 51. I dont know which ones they took

Well you and me missed GSLVMk3, which makes it 4 SLV, 4 ASLV, 32 PSLV, 9 GSLV, 1 LVM3

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 18 Dec 2015 18:51

"Also apart from the above launches, Sriharikota also launched the first prithvi (I vaguely remember, no links to offer) and also a contraption rocket (derived of SLV) to test the strapons in ASLV
Well you and me missed GSLVMk3, which makes it 4 SLV, 4 ASLV, 32 PSLV, 9 GSLV, 1 LVM3"

Right! I missed GSLV Mk 3-ex, and you're absolutely right, the first Prithvi test was from Shar in Feb or March/1988. But that was a DRDO mission, wasn't it? Technically, it was a mission from SHAR, an ISRO facility, so it counts as a launch from ISRO, I suppose.

But I think the GSLV Mk 3 and the less publicised contraption rocket to test strap-ons, are the missions which bring the number to 50! Thanks.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 18 Dec 2015 18:54

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_S ... e_launches

This gives the details of the launches

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 18 Dec 2015 19:26

^
Thanks, wiki seems to be hard on those little glitches, enough to label the missions 'partial failures'. But ISRO themselves see the missions as successful.

The IRS-1D was a success, after a little problem in reaching the desired orbit. Ground control lifted the satellite to an orbit where the satellite beamed excellent images for years on end. Wiki is reluctant to mention that, and similar conditions on other 'partial failures'. The SROSS-3 satellite detected two gamma ray bursts in its short lifespan, and ISRO itself was quite happy with the launch, after two failures with the ASLV. Wiki doesn't capture that mood at all. I actually have the Frontline issue from June/1992 where it is pretty obvious that ISRO, including U.R Rao, were quite elated with the mission.

nTripathi · Post by **nTripathi** » 18 Dec 2015 21:11

Can anyone provide me a clarity on ISRO launches next year after the IRNSS is completed?

disha · Post by **disha** » 18 Dec 2015 23:46

nTripathi wrote:Can anyone provide me a clarity on ISRO launches next year after the IRNSS is completed?

Bhy?

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 19 Dec 2015 00:19

nTripathi wrote:Can anyone provide me a clarity on ISRO launches next year after the IRNSS is completed?

Let me try!

It should be Cartosat 2C, Resourcesat 2A and Scatsat. Separate launches, on PSLV. Probably one commercial launch with some US satellites.

There should be a GSLV mk2 launch with Insat 3D-R as well. Sometime in the next few months, the RLV-D( reusable launch vehicle) is supposed to be tested for the first time in flight.

So 4 PSLV's and one GSLV, plus one RLV, in addition to the 3 PSLV's between Jan-March.

nTripathi · Post by **nTripathi** » 20 Dec 2015 09:10

What about the PSLV carrying two primary payloads for which the re-ignition test was done!?

So other than routine launches, new things we can expect in 2016 are:
1. RLV
2. Operational PS4 restart
3. LVM3 D1 should occur in Dec (fingers crossed)
4. Ion propulsion? anybody??

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 20 Dec 2015 11:34

Scatsat?

nTripathi · Post by **nTripathi** » 20 Dec 2015 13:11

FROM INDIANEXPRESS ARTICLE:

“This ScatSat satellite will measure the wind speed and it’s direction over the ocean. It can predict the formation of cyclones, about 4-5 days in advance. This time period is very crucial in saving lives,” Tapan Mishra (SAC) said about the satellite that will carry a payload of about 110 kilograms. Once launched at the end of this year, this satellite is expected to take over some of the functions of OCEANSAT-2, a satellite that had accurately predicted the landfall of cyclone Phailin on the Orissa coast in October 2013. This prediction had helped in timely evacuation and minimize human casualties.

The scatterometer on OCEANSAT-2 was launched in 2009 and became dysfunctional in about four-and-a-half years. Currently, India is depending on the NASA’s ISS-RapidScat to monitor ocean winds and cyclones.

A scatterometer is a microwave radar sensor which measures the reflection (or scattering effect) produced while scanning the surface of the Earth from an aircraft or a satellite- JPL, NASA

Lilo · Post by **Lilo** » 20 Dec 2015 17:32

sanjaykumar wrote:Scatsat?

An unfortunate name.
When will ISRO begin naming its launch vehicles & sats with yeevil yindoo names .. hain ji?

nTripathi · Post by **nTripathi** » 24 Dec 2015 21:44

Well, on the contrary, I think the nomenclature used by ISRO is quite beautiful in its way due to its simplicity... Easy to remember and keep track of! Further, not naming the launch vehicles and satellites some legendary names keeps the space programme away from our "secular" politics!! :p

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 25 Dec 2015 08:12

^^^^
I think Lilo-ji is alluding to the meaning of scat (see sense 3). I'd say it is an unfortunate choice of name too.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 25 Dec 2015 08:48

Yes right up there with Anusat.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 25 Dec 2015 09:29

I beg to differ. It is for what it is, a scatterometer in technical parlance. NASA/JAXA missions had QuikSCAT as an example. Previous payload was called OSCAT as in Scatterometer on OCEANSAT-2.

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 25 Dec 2015 10:02

Is there a need to follow what NASA is doing when it comes to naming? They have their limitations. We can name our satellites...Garuda, Bheema, Nakula...and even our spy sats as Shakuni..

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 25 Dec 2015 10:05

Well names in one language can have different meanings in another and so on and so forth - I think names are the least important thing.For eg in Telugu there is a word which in English means an assault of extreme nature !! So we name as we please and find appropriate.

SSSalvi · Post by **SSSalvi** » 26 Dec 2015 21:33

^^^
^^^
Some ISRO used names:

ANUSAT, ARYABHATA, BHASKARA, CHANDRAYAAN, GAGAN, KALPANA, MEGHA( Part of Megha-Tropiques ), MANGALYAAN, SARAL,

Add Student sats : JUGNU, SRM, ANUSAT

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Dec 2015 13:37

2016 set to lift ISRO towards heavy missions - Madhumathi D.S., The Hindu

The year 2016 is set to see the national space programme slowly shift gears towards large satellites, a heavy-lift launcher and improved Earth observation capabilities.

The ten-odd planned missions will be mostly bread-and-butter types with no major explorations before Chandrayaan-2, now slated for 2017.

The Space agency will complete on priority the seven-satellite regional navigation loop, IRNSS, in the first three months, according to Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar.

On the target later in the year is GSAT-11, which would be the heaviest Indian satellite at four to five tonnes and packing many more transponders than normal; the biggest so far was about 3.1 tonnes. Also planned to be tested is a matching launcher to lift spacecraft like it to space: the GSLV-Mark III heavy-lifter with a limited version satellite, Mr. Kumar told The Hindu .

Earth observation

After a gap of about three years, a host of functional Earth observation (EO or remote-sensing) satellites is lined up. They include new ones with improved views of Earth as well as those to replace older ones that are in orbit.

Of these Cartosat-2C would sharpen the present imagery resolution from 0.8 metres to 0.6 metres and is aimed for the first half.

A new EO version called Scatsat is planned, besides continuity missions Resourcesat-2A, Oceansat-3 series; and Insat-3DR (on a GSLV), a replacement Met sat.

The old Cartosat-1 series satellites would be replaced. The ISRO was working on the approved ones and taken up the new ones at various forums for clearances.

About the navigation constellation IRNSS, Mr. Kumar said, “Immediately over the next three months we will launch the three navigational satellites IRNSS-1E, 1F and 1G. They come up consecutively in January, February and March. [The older four, A to D, are in orbit.].”

“IRNSS is already being used to some extent. It will take about three months to fully demonstrate its working. At the same time we are working on the development of receivers. A large number of them have been already realised, some with the ISRO design and some with industry design and both to be made by industry.”

The year 2015, he said, was “a reasonably good year in all domains” with marginally more launches than the previous year. Over the next two years, the ISRO planned to do eight to nine missions a year with six PSLV and two GSLV launches. Additionally there could be at least one fully commercial PSLV launch meant only for foreign satellites; this year, it did two fully commercial launches - in July and December.

Heavier the communication satellites, GSAT-17 and 18 were planned to be flown separately on procured Arianespace launchers.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 28 Dec 2015 10:17

SSridhar wrote:2016 set to lift ISRO towards heavy missions - Madhumathi D.S., The Hindu
The year 2016 is set to see the national space programme slowly shift gears towards large satellites, a heavy-lift launcher and improved Earth observation capabilities.

Heavier the communication satellites, GSAT-17 and 18 were planned to be flown separately on procured Arianespace launchers.

Instead of sending satellites thru Ariane ISRO should have fast tracked GSLV-2 and the corresponding satellites and delaying the above 2. Anyway hopefully, this years and next years ones are the last ones thru Ariane

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 29 Dec 2015 05:38

ISRO's RLV-TD Project Likely to be Delayed

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/ ... 199276.ece

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Technical snags have forced the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to put off the first test on a scaled-down prototype of India’s futuristic space shuttle.

Sources said on Sunday that the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), under development at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here at Thumba, developed a minor leak during a test, forcing the ISRO to postpone the mission. The ambitious RLV-TD, the first small step to building a ‘space shuttle’ which can return to earth after accomplishing space missions, is likely to be delayed up to April 2016.

ISRO had originally planned a mid-2015 launch for the RLV-TD. It had later been postponed to January 2016.

VSSC Director Dr K Sivan said that some of the components had to be re-assembled. ‘’If things go as planned, we can launch the mission in the first week of February. Otherwise, the test will be conducted in the first week of April,’’ he said.
ISRO has three missions lined up for January and March, which is another reason why the RLV-TD could be delayed up to April. ISRO plans to launch the three remaining IRNSS satellites - which will complete the seven-satellite Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System - by March 31. The first of the three is to be launched on January 20, and the remaining two in March using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

“The missions will be launched from the first launch pad, which is also to be used for the RLV-TD,’’ Sivan said.

The RLV-TD consists of a winged space plane-like part rigged atop a booster rocket. The rocket will go up to a height of 70 km and release the space plane portion which will glide down to earth.

In the first test, the space plane will glide into a landing in the Bay of Bengal. RLV-TD will be the first of a series of tests planned by ISRO before venturing to build the actual vehicle. A reusable launch vehicle will cut mission costs considerably for ISRO.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 29 Dec 2015 06:08

I was going to make a comment....but is there really a need.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 29 Dec 2015 06:37

If you can build ISS type self-docking modular systems, a BIG YES!

Vivek K · Post by **Vivek K** » 29 Dec 2015 07:49

sanjaykumar ji - it isn't necessary if you want to speak Mandarin!

member_29267 · Post by **member_29267** » 29 Dec 2015 22:11

Well, ISRO mostly prefers names based on the functional aspects (GSLV, PSLV, RISAT, INSAT, IRNSS) or even after personalities (Aryabhatta, Bhaskara, Kalpana). There have been instances where ISRO did give the spacecraft like Chandrayaan, Aditya (mind you the official name of Mangalyaan is Mars Orbiter Mission) and even the satellite for the Indian navy was named Rukmini IIRC. So, its not to say ISRO doesn't want mythological names rather it just prefers simpler operational names over the former. But, I would love to see an Indian LV named 'Garud' or something although it doesn't matter.

Moving along to more interesting stuff, ISRO does have a challenging year ahead as far launch technology goes. It might be the first calendar year where ISRO flies 3 different launch vehicles (PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 + the RLV TD suborbital HEX test). But, the LVM3 flight scheduled for December 2016 depends on how well and how quickly ISRO can complete the full stage testing and certification of the C25. We might also get to see an upgraded upper stage for GSLV on it's next flight. We might see some significant progress on the Semi cryo engine and once the LVM3 is operationalized we will start to get more information about the UMLV from the formal channels.

From the satellite end, we will of course see the completion of the current phase of the IRNSS constellation (ISRO plans on completing this before the end of the financial year). Astrosat will move along from the calibration stage to being fully operational. We might learn more on the next Indian deep space mission (last time we heard from ISRO Venus and Asteroid were the contenders with ISRO leaning to towards a Venus mission very similar to Mangalyaan). We might as well see the launch of the first IRS mission is sometime plus also the SRE.

So to conclude, lots of interesting stuff ahead and as has been a pattern since a few years ISRO is pushing the limits every year!