Indian Space Program Discussion

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 09 Aug 2008 05:47

Rahul M wrote:this story originated in the 80's.
back then Indian nationalists were a bit nervous about India's lack of strategic weapons in a very hot political climate (Iran-Iraq war,Afghanistan,new cold war, Star Wars, Indo-pak clashes etc).
1) Some reassuring articles came out in a desi mag about how the SLV could be used as a modified BM initially by concerned people but gradually taken over by the garden variety DDM. (This is was beginning of the control of desi media by foriegn groups in the late 80s- After brasstracks)

2) NPA's were anyway looking for a stick to beat India with latched on and created the canard of the military implications of India's space programme, which was nothing but a ploy to restrict the civilian space programme itself. as time went along the SLV was gradually replaced by the PSLV to make the situation appear more fearful for the goras. (a 3rd world country so desperate and belligerent it is playing around with civilian rocket tech stolen from the west and putting it to military use in what is obviously an unstable and downright dangerous configuration !!)
translation : should we trust the browns with rocket tech, or any tech for that matter ??

A country without really a proper control over the media and intellectuals unable to understand the tech details of high tech weapon system could be easily fed some junk to feed the disarmament and jholawala brigade inside India. The target is mainly the Indian 'intellectuals'. Couple of failure of PSLV made the leftist media mock the scientists in TV who were supposed to be military/armaments types.

This episode will be studied in the future for example of propaganda more fascinating than the communism/utopia fantasy propaganda.
They have consistently fed and nurtured the jholawala brigade from 1960s and this generation is the bedrock of disarmament.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 09 Aug 2008 05:55

I really don't know enough to comment on media control in India but I do have a reasonably complete collection of military articles from mainstream Indian media of the 80's.

anyway, we are going steadily off-topic.

Vidyarthi · Post by **Vidyarthi** » 09 Aug 2008 14:28

News about Scramjet:

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.as ... st&Topic=0&

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 10 Aug 2008 12:47

I was looking at Hubble's deep field picture of the universe. Basically they took what looked like an empty part of the sky and pointed the hubble in that direction for 30 days of image exposure.

The picture that emerged was amazing. In that empty piece of the sky, there were thousands and thousands of galaxies. A galaxy consists of hundreds of millions of stars like our Sun.

All the dots and swirls you see in this image are galaxies in the foreground and background of various shapes and sizes. One mystery that has emerged is why some galaxies have a clockwise swirling pattern while others have an anti-clockwise swirl.

I hope some day India launches a kind of Hubble. Right now our poor astronomers only have crummy earth bound telescopes that can't quite see much.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _field.jpg

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 10 Aug 2008 14:46

Neshant wrote:I was looking at Hubble's deep field picture of the universe. Basically they took what looked like an empty part of the sky and pointed the hubble in that direction for 30 days of image exposure.

The picture that emerged was amazing. In that empty piece of the sky, there were thousands and thousands of galaxies. A galaxy consists of hundreds of millions of stars like our Sun.

All the dots and swirls you see in this image are galaxies in the foreground and background of various shapes and sizes. One mystery that has emerged is why some galaxies have a clockwise swirling pattern while others have an anti-clockwise swirl.

I hope some day India launches a kind of Hubble. Right now our poor astronomers only have crummy earth bound telescopes that can't quite see much.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _field.jpg

Hopefully 2009 will see the launch of astrosat, India's first space
telescope. It will image primarily in the ultra-violet and X-ray spectrum , unlike hubble which operates in the visible spectrum.

http://meghnad.iucaa.ernet.in/~astrosat/

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 10 Aug 2008 15:19

Meanwhile on the other side of the earth , preparations are in full swing for the LRO & LCROSS, unkil's mission to moon. The LCROSS has completed thermovac tests in june and is in the final checkout stages.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/r ... _56AR.html

http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/faq.htm#q7

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Aug 2008 20:37

Moon mission to give global footing to Indian scientists

"We must go to the moon and this is important because it gives an opportunity for Indian scientists to become international players," K Kasturirangan, Rajya sabha memeber and former Chairman of Indian space Research Organisation (ISRO) said adressing students at Centre for Basic sciences (CBS) here last evening.

"We must become equal global partners just as we are in the Antarctic expeditions," he said.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 10 Aug 2008 23:07

"We must become equal global partners just as we are in the Antarctic expeditions," he said.

He is reading BRF.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 11 Aug 2008 02:21

I hope some day India launches a kind of Hubble. Right now our poor astronomers only have crummy earth bound telescopes that can't quite see much.

Earth bound telescopes with adaptive optics can have Hubble's resoltion, and of course much larger apertures.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 11 Aug 2008 03:53

sanjaykumar wrote:I hope some day India launches a kind of Hubble. Right now our poor astronomers only have crummy earth bound telescopes that can't quite see much.

Earth bound telescopes with adaptive optics can have Hubble's resoltion, and of course much larger apertures.

There is list of downside to earth bound telescope (with or without AO) have much lower utilization fraction (inabelity to stare at target for many tens of hours of exposure time typical on space bourn Hubble. Much also depends on weather conditions as well as limited optical spectrum window due to atmospheric absorbption.

ISRO has a space telescope planned by the name of ASTROSAT due for 2009.

Here is a very informative PPT by VKRao. ASTROSAT: SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE, 27TH OCTOBER 2007, V. KOTESWARA RAO, PROJECT DIRECTOR

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 11 Aug 2008 03:59

^^^
know some people working on it. payload construction in progress.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 11 Aug 2008 04:19

India to launch 'Astrosat' in April 2009

February 09, 2008

Mumbai: About a year after India's first mission to the moon, "Chandrayaan-1', now Indian space programme is ready for another important mission in April 2009. On that day India's first dedicated astronomy satellite, 'Astrosat', will be launched to the orbit, said space scientist S N Tandon of the Pune based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Prof Tandon has presented a project earlier at the Nehru Centre. He said that satellite will carry X-ray telescope and ultraviolet telescope and it will be placed at an altitude (height) of 650 km. Tandon is a part of the 'Astrosat' project, said that many of the instruments are now prepared for the launch.

"Some of the detectors have been completed and the engineering models of some of the other instruments are getting ready." The 'Astrosat' will be flown by the four stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). It will send to space centre from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharokota. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is making an antenna to get data from 'Astrosat' at Byalalu village near Bangalore. The life span of the satellite will be nearly 5 years," said Tandon.

He is leading a team of scientists which is developing the ultraviolet telescope. There are six instruments in the 'Astrosat' and three instruments have been developed by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

He says the Britain and Canada had participated in the project with their astronomy knowledge. ISRO was searching the possibility of having a follow up to this satellite named 'Astrosat-2' he said.

disha · Post by **disha** » 11 Aug 2008 06:51

Arun_S wrote: Here is a very informative PPT by VKRao. ASTROSAT: SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE, 27TH OCTOBER 2007, V. KOTESWARA RAO, PROJECT DIRECTOR

Thanks for sharing the above. That was informative. Also from the mission profile - After GSLV-MKIII there is RLV-TD which from the mission profile image looks like based on GSLV-MKIII. Is that the case or there is a different model and they just kept the GSLV-MKIII image as a place holder for RLV-TD.

Any place where there is more details of RLV-TD is available?

[For newbies RLV-TD is exciting - it is reusable launch vehicle - technology demonstrator]

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 11 Aug 2008 06:55

What kind of astronomy is found in the soft X-ray region? What does the mission hope to find, ie what are the questions it is designed around?

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 11 Aug 2008 08:53

Wow, sounds promising.

I notice that it will in the same orbit (600 to 650kms) as the hubble (589kms). The hubble is in lower earth orbit rather than geo-earth orbit as i had thought.

Supposedly the reason it was put in lower earth orbit was to give its cameras protection from space radiation and for lower cost repair/replacement missions. This means it probably needs gyros to orient itself to keep staring at a target.

Anyways, its good news that they are launching the astrosat but why the optics are so small judging from the diameter of the tubes on the boxy satellite. Shouldn't there be a giant lens up front to focus or does that not matter ?

How far into the universe will Astrosat be able to see and can we expect pics like that of the hubble?

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 11 Aug 2008 14:49

disha wrote:
Arun_S wrote: Here is a very informative PPT by VKRao. ASTROSAT: SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE, 27TH OCTOBER 2007, V. KOTESWARA RAO, PROJECT DIRECTOR
Thanks for sharing the above. That was informative. Also from the mission profile - After GSLV-MKIII there is RLV-TD which from the mission profile image looks like based on GSLV-MKIII. Is that the case or there is a different model and they just kept the GSLV-MKIII image as a place holder for RLV-TD.

Any place where there is more details of RLV-TD is available?

[For newbies RLV-TD is exciting - it is reusable launch vehicle - technology demonstrator]

Here are some bits and pieces on ISRO and DRDO's hyspersonic crafts.
SCRAMJET COMBUSTOR DEVELOPMENT, Dr. Satish Kumar & Team* Head, Hypersonic Propulsion Division & Dy. Project Director, HSTDV,DRDL, Hyderabad

Here is a wealth of info in photo by one someone named Amit. I do not have copyright so posting the orginal source.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 074&page=6

Does anyone know Amit there?

Neshant wrote:Anyways, its good news that they are launching the astrosat but why the optics are so small judging from the diameter of the tubes on the boxy satellite. Shouldn't there be a giant lens up front to focus or does that not matter ?

How far into the universe will Astrosat be able to see and can we expect pics like that of the hubble?

Marathon starts with the first small step. Have to wait to see the big diameter telescopes. As for comparison w/Hubble, better to choose a virgin field where no man has gone before

OTOH what use in India for images from Telescope unless there is serious research in Indian universities in fundamental basic science. For that India has to first produce a institutional culture that cultivates world class Mathematicians. BARC used to be the citadel of Indian mathematicians, but the serious inbreeding in last 20 years has make it a laughing stock. India needs to bring back the glory home, the original birthplace and fortress of mathematics, till only 500 years ago, the real dip in Indian mathematics was with Sir Macaulay's destruction of Indian education system and introduction of english introduced education system. The Indian mathematics genius was eradicated by about 1935.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 11 Aug 2008 15:13

Arun,check out the post in the gen.aviation thread about the ISRO and DRDO's two scramjet concepts ,both being developed simultaneously.Great pics in the link.

Venkarl · Post by **Venkarl** » 12 Aug 2008 02:10

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.as ... 0808184820

It is but natural for anyone to wonder why two Indian agencies are developing the same technology in parallel, with so much, except the sophisticated nature of the end-use, in common. ISRO insiders blame it on the absence of a pro-active culture within DRDO’s portals; the latter finds fault with ISRO’s big brother attitude.

Happy to see this healthy competetion developing.....same instinct should stimulate private companies also

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 12 Aug 2008 17:41

Indian Institute of Astrophysics developing high resolution solar telescope

Bangalore : The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) is developing a high resolution solar telescope.

Announcing this at the Founder’s Day celebration at the institute on Monday, Director of IIA, Prof Siraj Hassan said that the institute is collaborating with Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in Nainital.

The solar telescope would be of 2 metre diameter and is at a conceptual stage. A detailed project report is being prepared.

Prof Hasan said that the initial estimate of project was Rs 150 crore and it was expected to be ready by 2013.

Three locations, one in Nainital and two in Ladakh have been identified as potential spots for installing the telescope.

Delivering the Founder’s Day lecture on 'Doing Science in India: Personal Reflections", Prof CNR Rao said that Nehru not only sowed the seeds of democracy, but also the seed of science policy.

Reminiscing about his earlier days of research at the Indian Institute of Science, he said that there was hardly any equipment at IISc during those times, and yet the paper he wrote there, was the most highly cited paper.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 13 Aug 2008 11:10

Some prominent space historian named Robert Zimmerman discusses his view of India's space program. I recorded a small clip of it off a radio show on the web. Hope the link works :

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/ ... /REC01.wav

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 14 Aug 2008 00:51

Neshant wrote:Some prominent space historian named Robert Zimmerman discusses his view of India's space program. I recorded a small clip of it off a radio show on the web. Hope the link works :

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/ ... /REC01.wav

Good find. He calls India "the dark horse". Compares it very favorably against China. I think India, with its technical manpower and America with its resources should joint venture in deep space exploration. Its a natural partnership.

Anurag · Post by **Anurag** » 14 Aug 2008 01:08

Here's a better quality version (mp3)

http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/ ... -06-18.mp3

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 14 Aug 2008 02:04

Philip wrote:Arun,check out the post in the gen.aviation thread about the ISRO and DRDO's two scramjet concepts ,both being developed simultaneously.Great pics in the link.

Are you referring to this article?
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.as ... st&Topic=0

But I see only one pic not many?

Did you check out more down to earth pic and diagrams posted on another foum by a person called Amit, from an event in Blore last year? The url I listed above.

I asked a former DRDO chief why there should be 2 parallel scramjet programs by DRDO and ISRO? and he mentioned that ISRO is very cagey about and does not want to link its program with military. Indicating to the "Love and Affection" that USA along with its cronies have applied on India last few decades.

That aside, the two programs have different operating envelop and that means they will be forced to choose different tradeoff in system design, so while basic science is largely common, the engineering choices will be largely different.

Let more than 1 flowers bloom.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 14 Aug 2008 10:20

ISRO AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Bangalore : ISRO on Tuesday announced the list of persons to be presented with the ISRO awards for 2007.

The scheme consists of five types of individual awards and team awards: Life Time Achievement award and Outstanding Achievement award given bi-annually and Performance Excellence awards, Merit awards, Young Scientists awards and Team Excellence awards given annually.

The list of awardees were announced by Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO here, during Dr Vikram Sarabhai’s birthday celebrations held at ISRO headquarters. Seven Performance Excellence awards of Rs 5.00 lakh each, 20 Merit awards of Rs 1.00 lakh each, 30 Young Scientists Merit awards of Rs 50,000 each, three Team Excellence awards of Rs 5.00 lakh per team and 12 Team Excellence awards of Rs 2.00 lakh per team were announced.

The awards will be distributed at formal function to be organised later.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 15 Aug 2008 09:58

India to launch maiden mission to moon this year: PM
New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) India hopes to launch its maiden mission to the moon -- Chandrayaan-I -- this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today. "This year we hope to send an Indian spacecraft, Chandrayaan, to the moon," Singh said in his Independence Day address to the nation from the rampart of the majestic Red Fort.

Singh said the launch of Chandrayaan will be an important milestone in the development of the country's space programme. The unmanned mission, which will orbit the moon for two years, is expected to be launched in October by indigenously developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

Space scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have completed the integration of the 11 instruments -- six indigenous and five under international cooperation -- onto the spacecraft. The spacecraft, which is no bigger than a typical office cubicle, is currently undergoing tests for its ability to handle the extreme thermal and vacuum environment experienced in a lunar orbit.

These assessments will be followed by vibration and acoustic tests. Meanwhile, India has already begun work on the next lunar mission in which space scientists plan to land a rover on the surface on the moon to collect rock and dust samples.

Chandrayaan-II will be developed as a joint venture project with Russia and a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed in that regard.

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 16 Aug 2008 20:06

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14741031

Raytheon eyes India's global navigation system for ISRO, AAI Saturday, 16 August , 2008, 14:07

New Delhi: A US defence major Raytheon would make a bid for a satellite-based navigation system for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Raytheon along with its Indian partners would bid for the system wit h its Geosynchronous Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN) project, company's vice president for Airspace Management and Homeland Security Andy Zogg said in a statement.

Raytheon will lead the team to deliver the GAGAN solution to AAI and ISRO. GAGAN is expected to provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation across south and east Asia, which will provide India with the most accurate, flexible and efficient air navigation system deployed.

“We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with ISRO and AAI during this critical phase of GAGAN,” Zogg said, promising that the company was committed to a thorough transfer of knowledge of GAGAN to further enhance India's leadershi p position in air navigation.

In November last year, Raytheon had announced the successful completion of the final system acceptance test to augment standard Global Positioning System signals over India. The Indian partners in the GAGAN project would be Accord Software and Systems f rom Bangalore for Global Positioning System (GPS)-based user-receiver prototype development optimised for equatorial region, and Elcome Technologies from Gurgaon for logistical and on-site support, he said.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 17 Aug 2008 11:10

Presentation of IRNSS and GAGAN at the Cospar meeting held in July 2008 in montreal.

http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/icg/2008/expert/2-3.pdf

1.) IRNSS first satellite to be launched in 2009 by PSLV.
2.) IRNSS constellation to be ready by 2012.
3.) GAGAN's first payload to be launched on board GSAT-4 this year.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 18 Aug 2008 03:11

Arunkumar wrote:Presentation of IRNSS and GAGAN at the Cospar meeting held in July 2008 in montreal.

http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/icg/2008/expert/2-3.pdf

1.) IRNSS first satellite to be launched in 2009 by PSLV.
2.) IRNSS constellation to be ready by 2012.
3.) GAGAN's first payload to be launched on board GSAT-4 this year.

Thanks for the ISRO presentation.
Page 3 shows the coverage. Clearly the 7m accuracy (compounded accuracy that is sum of all 3 axis) at 6000Km midflight distance will give Indian rockets orbital trajectory accuracy of < 14 meter at any distance or orbit.

The IRNSS satellite of 575 Kg dry weight (structure, electronics and solar panel), and launch weight of 1,370 Kg (the difference of the two number is the fuel mass carried on board the satellite for orbit raising and station keeping. Also notice that they will be launched by PSLV, into 24 hour period orbit. The PSLV launched KALPANA/METSAT into GSO that weighed ~1025Kg. The 350Kg payload increase since then, comes from higher ISP Vikas engines, and use of new S12 strapons instead of regular S9, the composite nose cone. These launches will not use the thicker 1.2m dia strap of S17 (17 tonne fuel) now in development.

Notice that PSLV insertion orbit is much lower than GTO mission at 250 x 24,000 Km only (that is because of heavier payload), and then the satellite LAM motor will do rest of the job to raise it to 36,000 x 36,000 Km orbit at GSO or GEO inclination. CHANDRAYAN will also be launched on the same transfer orbit.

The GEO payload is much higher because SriHarikota launch pad inclination is perfectly matching orbital inclination.

Here are some details from ROCKSIM:

1) Older PSOM S6 based PSLV-C6 will get 1,095 Kg in 200 x 36,000 km elliptic transfer orbit (at 18 degree inclination).

2) New S12.5/PSOM based PSLV-CX will put 1,380 Kg to 240 x 24,000Km transfer orbit, and 322 Kg (150 + 172 Kg) fuel to raise it to full GTO, and circularize it to GEO orbit. The balance 470Kg fuel for station keeping for the 10 year operating life.

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 20 Aug 2008 19:24

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/st ... 0080062332

Destination moon: ISRO's big challenge
NDTV Correspondent
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, (New Delhi)
India's maiden satellite to the moon, Chandrayaan-1 has been fully integrated and it is undergoing final tests before it can be sent in the next few weeks to the country's spaceport Sriharikota to be hoisted moon wards.

Speaking to NDTV Dr G Madhavan Nair, chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said, "the satellite is all dressed up and we can look forward to an October, 2008 launch."

Having mastered a host of technologies, ISRO's next big challenge really is the launch of Chandrayaan-1 (Moon Craft), the country's maiden shot at the moon to be launched using the 44-meter tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that will weigh 316 tonnes at lift off, or to put it in perspective weigh more that the combined weight of 50 fully grown Asian elephants and is taller than seven storey building. PSLV with 12 consecutive successful launches is India's workhorse rocket.

This moon mission costing about Rs 400 crore is a scientific venture meant for mapping the moon surface in detail like never before and will undertake the most intense search of water on our nearest planetary neighbour. This is first multi-continent mission in several decades, and also literally one where the tables have been turned around for once.

In this mission, countries like USA, UK and Sweden are being given a literal free ride to the moon as India is just not charging them anything for taking their instruments to the moon. In this barter deal the contributing nations share data with each at no cost. The recent Japanese and Chinese mission carried only instruments from their own countries, while ISRO in its magnanimity opened its heart and coffers so that the global lunar community could join in this new race to the moon, now being led by the Asian nations.

India's mark on space faring is now indelible with a mission for robotic landing on the moon called Chandrayaan-2 already slated for 2012 and spacecrafts to Mars, an asteroid and Sun already under planning. The Indian space agency is already eyeing sending an Indian up on an Indian rocket from Indian soil by 2015 and an Indian on the moon by 2025.

Quoted in the book written by NDTV's Science Editor Pallava Bagla and Subhadra Menon titled Destination Moon: India's Quest for the Moon, Mars and Beyond and released on Tuesday, Nair says, twenty years from now when space travel is likely to become mundane like airlines travel today, we don't want to be buying travel tickets on other people's space vehicles.

Moon is still an enigma

Even though the moon has been fabled in songs and poetry, and romanticized by lovers down the ages, the earth's closest neighbour is still an enigma in material terms. Can it sustain life? Does it have water? How did it come into existence? And what is its exact relationship with the earth?

Chandrayaan-1, India's maiden moon craft, will seek to unravel these and other mysteries in the most ambitious exploratory mission to the moon in decades.

Conceptualized by Indian scientists, it is in some ways a global scientific endeavour, with European and American instruments hitching a ride on a lunar satellite and rocket designed and launched by the Indian Space Research Organization.

When the mission was first proposed in 1999, it seemed wildly optimistic to most people. Could a developing nation with limited resources afford to invest so much money, time and effort on research into outer space? Yet, almost a decade later, India's science community has just about proven beyond doubt that it is capable of meeting the most exacting challenges.

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 21 Aug 2008 07:07

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indi ... 386950.cms

India, Nasa tie up for Chandrayaan
21 Aug 2008, 0201 hrs IST, Srinivas Laxman,TNN

MUMBAI: Preparing to its first unmanned mission to moon, Chandrayaan-1, between October and December, India joined seven other nations to team up with Nasa for the future exploration of earth's only satellite.

Confirming this, Isro spokesperson S Satish told TOI that a key pact was signed at a conference of International Lunar Users' Group at Nasa's Ames Research Centre last month. India was represented by Devi Prasad Karnik, space counsellor attached to the Indian embassy in Washington. The other seven countries are Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, France and Britain. Japan has already launched an unmanned mission to the moon. Germany, Italy and Britain had announced at International Astronautical Congress in 2007 that they planned their own lunar missions which would be independent of the European Space Agency.

The international lunar agreement, which Nasa says a "landmark" one, will allow India and the seven countries to join hands with Nasa for developing new technologies and send robotic exploratory missions for a manned return mission to the moon.

For Nasa, the lunar agreement is important as the eight countries, including India, are keen to send astronauts to the moon. Experts say the increased interest in the lunar science and the emergence of India, Japan and China as important space-faring nations will also help Nasa.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Aug 2008 08:59

I know ISRO is trying to be nice and buddy buddy and showing that there is no military content, but the first Chandrayaan shouldn't have had any foreign instruments for psy-ops reasons. Now every article about Chandrayaan will have NASA and other folks in the same sentence while ISRO is doing most of the work. I dont mind Chandrayaan -2 onwards can be fully foreign integrated. The first one should ave been a clean triumph for India.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 24 Aug 2008 15:05

ramana wrote:I know ISRO is trying to be nice and buddy buddy and showing that there is no military content, but the first Chandrayaan shouldn't have had any foreign instruments for psy-ops reasons. Now every article about Chandrayaan will have NASA and other folks in the same sentence while ISRO is doing most of the work. I dont mind Chandrayaan -2 onwards can be fully foreign integrated. The first one should ave been a clean triumph for India.

I agree with you on this. The first moon mission could have been a simple made in india mission with basic instruments like stereo camera, laser ranging instrument and a gamma ray spectrometer. The spacecraft itself could have been used as an impactor after completing its science goals. ISRO has always followed a incremental approach involving gradual addition of complexity to its programs. It was surprising that in the first mission itself they choose to integrate no less than 11 instruments. Also one of the reasons why the launch date got postponed from april is the testing of the inter-operability of the large number of instruments.

http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/Ar ... wsId=94684

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 24 Aug 2008 15:28

agree fully with the above sentiments, especially when DDM has already carried news reports to the effect of "NASA agrees to help ISRO with Chandrayan"

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 25 Aug 2008 16:08

Antrix has won 2 orders for launches!

Isro to launch Italian, Algerian satellites

Antrix Corp. Ltd, the commercial arm of India’s space agency, has won a pair of deals from Algeria and Italy to launch earth observation satellites next year

The contract awarded by the Algerian space agency to launch Alsat-2A, a 200kg remote sensing satellite, is the first won by Antrix from an African nation. The Algerian agency has the option to launch a second such satellite. For the Italian space agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Antrix will launch a satellite named IMSAT, which will be the second Italian satellite to be boosted into space by the Indian Space Research Organisation, or Isro, which in April 2007 launched Agile, a 352kg scientific satellite.

Antrix is also in talks with space agencies of South Africa and Nigeria to carry out similar launches, Murthi said. “We are also looking at opportunities bigger than that—remote sensing satellites, where payloads (are) of 800kg or even higher.”

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Aug 2008 07:20

US, Russia to help track India's moon mission

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 26 Aug 2008 12:42

Folks

Bengaluru Space Expo is planned between Nov 28 and Dec 1st.
Website:http://www.bsx08.com

Public viewing on Dec 1st, 14:00 to 18:00 HRS.

Details here:

Is BR planning to be there?

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 26 Aug 2008 12:46

Although there is propaganda value to claiming this as a 100% Indian mission, its also important not to lose sight of the science motive. Ultimately one should not turn our space program into a political gimmick for grandstanding like NASA and the russians have done.

I'm happy to see that some of the science payloads have been accepted from small countries like bulgaria which would otherwise have zero opportunities in space.

S Malwatkar · Post by **S Malwatkar** » 26 Aug 2008 20:43

ramana wrote:I know ISRO is trying to be nice and buddy buddy and showing that there is no military content, but the first Chandrayaan shouldn't have had any foreign instruments for psy-ops reasons. Now every article about Chandrayaan will have NASA and other folks in the same sentence while ISRO is doing most of the work. I dont mind Chandrayaan -2 onwards can be fully foreign integrated. The first one should ave been a clean triumph for India.

I believe there was formal/informal ban on India from the US. No US components could be sent using Indian rockets. Even third country satellites - but with US components were not allowed.

I am not sure, when this was removed.
With this launch of US instruments, this ban is effectively over.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 26 Aug 2008 22:16

Not correct.

US made parts can be used in ISRO launch vehicles and sats, just that every part needs specific approval by IIRC US Commerce deptt. That is the arm used to throttle/squeeze the neck and balls of Indian Hi tech.

The SAR and other experimental payload that US wants to send on Chandrayan, went through that process. It was certainly not the first or the last time.

There is bunch of parts that go into INSATS/IRS that has parts sourced from US with tight leash and control on end-user certificatie.

Why do you think ISRO top brass is so shy to openly do things that make sense from India but could jeoperdize its end-user certificatie required not only by US but all memebers of the MTCR club.

And MTCR and NSG club were specifically cretaed by US after India started unfurling its wings in late 70's/early 80's.

Such overflowing expression of God's love by Netherlands, Switzerland and NewZealand

I say my foot. But for that India has to end Vedic "Goodess for All" outlook and have its outlook defined by ONLY by Indian Self Interest. No shame in being a prostitute to my spouse.

Rupesh · Post by **Rupesh** » 29 Aug 2008 10:25

Foreign push to moon mission
Manoj K Das | ENS
29 Aug 2008 01:50:00 AM IST

KOCHI: India’s moon mission is giving new dimensions to international scientific cooperation. A 50-member team of scientists from NASA and EADS (the European Space Agency) has arrived in the country to provide technical support to Chandrayaan-I.

The NASA team has already completed a thorough scrutiny of the Indian strategy to reach the moon at its Jet Propulsion Centre and stamped its endorsement. The NASA brains, along with the EADS scientists, are also studying the minute behaviour of the Chandrayaan satellite currently undergoing the crucial therm-vac tests at ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore.

The thermo-vacuum tests subject the payload to the vagaries of space where it is exposed to temperatures ranging from 180 degrees to minus 120 degrees. "Each time we switch over from one extreme to the other the data is analysed by the NASA-EADS team. The constant monitoring will continue till the satellite comes out of the thermvac chamber around September 12," said M Krishnaswamy, IRS programme director.

The foreign scientists are engaged in an extensive study of the ISRO’s launch plan. "NASA is studying the impact of gravity on our satellite while it is en route to the lunar pole. This being our first inter-planetary mission, we’ve no models on influences. NASA tested our software on their models and found that our plan should safely put Chandrayaan into lunar orbit," sources said.

The US has also agreed to undertake parallel tracking of the Chandrayaan till the satellite is placed in the moon’s orbit. "Though we plan to execute all crucial manoeuvres when Chandrayaan is visible to our stations, a couple of commands may have to be executed when it is not. NASA will track it during this phase," ISRO sources said. They also revealed that India and the US have already inked an MoU for smooth tracking of the Chandrayaan.

The ISRO is looking at a mid-October window for the launch. "The programme is now three days behind schedule. But we’re hopeful of making it happen on October 16 or 17. In case we miss this window, the next chance is on November 3 and then on November 16," sources said.

The launch date is dependent on the moon’s cycle.

ISRO’s plan is to station Chandrayaan at 400,000 km when the moon comes closest to earth. The satellite will be moved towards the moon’s southern polar field and allowed to be grabbed by lunar gravity. Then, through controlled firing of onboard rockets, it will be placed at a height of 100 km before the probe is launched to study the lunarscape.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... ehHe7IsSU=