Indian Space Program Discussion

ss_roy · Post by **ss_roy** » 09 Dec 2008 06:51

An interesting and relevant article. Remember that a GSLV Mk3 is at least equivalent to a Titan 3 (as I have previously written about).
____________________________
Right up to the end of the Gemini program, the Gemini spacecraft was considered by its contractor and certain factions within NASA as an alternate means of reaching the moon. The Gemini re-entry capsule, smaller and lighter than that of Apollo, would allow direct launch of a mission to the moon using a single rocket. Alternatively, rendezvous and docking of components launched by two small rockets (Titan 3C's or Saturn IB's) would eliminate the need for development of the Saturn V.

http://www.astronautix.com/articles/bygemoon.htm

ss_roy · Post by **ss_roy** » 09 Dec 2008 06:53

If you can build a reentry vehicle and a supersonic airplane cockpit- then yes! Have a look at the internals of gemini and soyuz- you will get my point.

vavinash wrote:Does India have the tech currently to built a human rated space pod? I was assuming they will only be done by the time GSLV_III is ready.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 10 Dec 2008 13:04

Russia to take Indian astronaut on space mission in 2013
NEW DELHI: An Indian astronaut will embark on a mission to space in a Russian spacecraft within the next five years, nearly three decades after
Rakesh Sharma undertook the historic flight
.

This mission, tentatively scheduled for 2013, will be the precursor to Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) maiden human spaceflight planned to be launched in 2015.

India and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Activities in the Field of Human Spaceflight Programme during the recent visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"As per the agreement, an Indian astronaut will first go on a space mission on a Russian spacecraft. This will be followed by an Indian manned mission to space in 2015," ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

Under the MoU signed by Nair and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Perminov, ISRO and Russian space agency Roskosmos will jointly build the spacecraft
for the Indian manned mission.

"We will be redesigning the Soyuz space capsule of the Russian agency for our mission," Nair said. Government has already sanctioned Rs 95 crore to study all aspects of the manned space mission under which ISRO plans to send a two-member crew on a week-long sojourn in space.

The spacecraft, to be placed in a low earth orbit, will splash in the Indian ocean after completion of the mission.

ISRO is setting up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore. For the two-member mission, a batch of 200 would be initially selected and trained before opting for four persons out of which two would go on the mission.

vavinash · Post by **vavinash** » 10 Dec 2008 13:12

So is the ISRO orbital vehicle a redesigned soyuz?

ss_roy · Post by **ss_roy** » 11 Dec 2008 02:05

Do they really require 6-7 years to copy the soyuz orbiter? I mean, that thing is based on 70-era soviet technology. It is very rugged and reliable but hardly difficult to copy.

vavinash wrote:So is the ISRO orbital vehicle a redesigned soyuz?

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 11 Dec 2008 02:34

I dont think 6-7 years is for copying/modifying the vehicle. It is for the astronaut training, building under-water training rooms, centrifuges, design and development of g-suites, modifications to the Soyuz (whatever that means), mating the craft with the lauch vehicle, simulations, etc..

hell I cant spell rocket sceince and I can think of so many things. Sure ISRO would have a list that is 10 times longer..

vavinash · Post by **vavinash** » 11 Dec 2008 02:59

Actually it took the chinks 16 years to copy soyuz, 6-7 years is not bad. but i would have preferred if they went on their own.

ss_roy · Post by **ss_roy** » 11 Dec 2008 03:38

You can train any decent test pilot to operate a space capsule in under a year. The instrumentation layout is much simpler than an 80s era fighter plane (mig 23).

The most important attributes for astronauts are

1] Ability to remain calm, composed and follow instructions.
2] Ability to learn new things (technical stuff).
3] A test pilot + engineering background.
4] Reasonably good health. (ability to tolerate +6 G and -2G for a couple of minutes+ no chronic health problems).

Most rejections in astronaut programs are due to internal politics- not due to the the lack of the candidates ability.

The russians have training facilities, India has to select people, pay the fee for initial training and build it's own facilities in the meantime. It is that simple, if you want to do it.

I do not think we lack people with the above mentioned qualifications. Unimaginative babus are a bigger threat to the indian space program than our lack of experience.

Kailash wrote:I dont think 6-7 years is for copying/modifying the vehicle. It is for the astronaut training, building under-water training rooms, centrifuges, design and development of g-suites, modifications to the Soyuz (whatever that means), mating the craft with the lauch vehicle, simulations, etc..

hell I cant spell rocket sceince and I can think of so many things. Sure ISRO would have a list that is 10 times longer..

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Dec 2008 03:51

Indian-built satellite goes global

In a major commercial achievement for the ISRO, its 'W2M satellite' built for Europe's leading satellite system specialist EADS Astrium is set to be launched from Kourou in French Guyana on December 20. Weighing 3462 kg at lift-off, W2M is the heaviest spacecraft built by the Indian space agency till date and will be launched on board an Ariane rocket.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 13 Dec 2008 13:31

An Indian perspective on the Indian space program..

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1265/1

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 14 Dec 2008 17:47

India wants Global Space Partners.

The Indian Space Research Organisation hopes to fast-forward some of its ambitious space plans.

BENGALURU, India - Flush with the ongoing success of its Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is looking for international partners as a way to fast-forward some of its ambitious space plans.

"There will be challenging opportunities for industries in India and abroad to provide equipment and services," says ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, addressing the recent Bengaluru (former Bangalore) Space Expo 2008 organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry in association with ISRO and its marketing arm, the Antrix Corporation. "These include many small and medium enterprises."

The latest Geosynchronous Space Launch Vehicle - the GSLV Mk III (LVM3) under development with a $500 million budget and a Russian cryogenic stage - is now moving to an indigenous cryogenic stage, with two variants set to be ready in 2009.

"The objective is to have a self-reliant cost-effective new launch vehicle capable of launching the 4-ton class of communication satellites in Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and up to 10-ton satellites in low Earth orbit by 2010/2011," says N. Narayanamoorthy, the SLV3 project director at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSCC). The LVM3 development also includes improved operability, he says.

Reducing the cost of access to space is a prime goal. And some potential international partners may be willing to help. "We're not in India to sell any hardware," says Alan De Luna, Project Director, Space Flight Programs, United Space Alliance. "What we bring is our experience on how to totally scope your program."

In land remote sensing - long a focus of India's help-the-villages space policy - "international cooperation will be the cornerstone," Antrix Director C.V.S. Prakash says.

"Building, launching, operating and pursuing the program is very expensive," Prakash says. "It is a 'dammed if you do and dammed if you don't' situation once you have stepped in to such a program. You require investment for processing systems, software to use the remote sensing data of a satellite, which takes about three to four years to start yielding results. If the program is not continued after the normal life of a satellite, the ground investment comes to naught."

That conundrum may be a way for India to find common cause with other national space programs, much as NASA has joined the European Space Agency to stretch limited resources with a collaborative Mars exploration plan.

"For small countries, there is no other way than collaboration," says Zvi Kaplan, director-general of the Israel Space Agency (ISA).

The ISA is waiting for India to launch its Tel Aviv University Ultra-Violet Experiment (TAUVEX) instrument, started in the 1990s, on the GSAT-4 satellite next year. That mission also will test the ISRO-developed cryogenic engine for the GSLV upper stage.

But challenges remain as India's long-isolated space program struggles to join the international mainstream. A senior official told Aviation Week that while the Chandrayaan-1 mission had raised India's image, some countries are not ready to share technology.

ISRO plans six launches by the end of 2009, and also plans to launch a small probe named Aditya - "Sun" in Sanskrit - in 2012 to study the solar corona during the next solar-maximum period.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 15 Dec 2008 00:14

"Building, launching, operating and pursuing the program is very expensive," Prakash says. "It is a 'dammed if you do and dammed if you don't' situation once you have stepped in to such a program. You require investment for processing systems, software to use the remote sensing data of a satellite, which takes about three to four years to start yielding results. If the program is not continued after the normal life of a satellite, the ground investment comes to naught."

Frankly, India is seriously lagging behind in the usage of remote sensing data is as widely as it is done in the west. Even the NRSA and the new SAC facility for data distribution is hardly to write home about. Like anywhere else, the usage of such data by defense services will be under wraps and hard to comment on. But, going by what is publicly available by the civilian agencies I am not too impressed. We lack the depth in our university and other institutions to carry on the hard work. One PRL/SAC doing all the work will never cut it even with foreign collaboration from the best of the places. This elitist mentality that pervades all our institutions is going to be our bane in improving usage of our own data in a meaningful manner while also developing and pushing the envelope. We seem to lacking the will in this area to apply extra resources. Just launching missions and data collected going under utilized cannot be continued for long, if we dream of being leaders in any field. A long way to go still.

BajKhedawal · Post by **BajKhedawal** » 15 Dec 2008 09:16

So ISRO choose Soyuz

http://newsx.com/story/38251

ISRO to redesign Russian Soyuz

Sun-Dec 14, 2008

New Delhi / Press Trust of India

After the historic moon mission, India will redesign Russian space capsule Soyuz to send its astronauts on the country's maiden manned space mission.

"We will be redesigning the Soyuz space capsule of the Russian agency for our mission," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair told PTI.

ISRO signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russian space agency Roskosmos on Joint Activities in the Field of Human Spaceflight Programme during the recent visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in New Delhi.

Under the MoU signed by Nair and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Perminov, space scientists from the two countries will jointly build the spacecraft for India's manned mission.

The Soyuz, which has been in use since 1967, has been upgraded several times and has recently brought back American astronauts from the International Space Station.

The Soyuz TM is a modernised version of the Soyuz T with a new docking and rendezvous, radio communications, emergency and integrated parachute/landing engine systems. It has a more durable metal body and lighter heat shield material.

It serves as both a ferry for Russian crews coming to and from the space station as well as a "lifeboat" for any emergency escapes.

Government has already sanctioned Rs 95 crore to study all aspects of the manned space mission under which ISRO plans to send a two-member crew on a week-long sojourn in space.

ISRO plans to undertake the manned space mission in 2015 in which the spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit. It will splash in the Indian ocean after completion of the mission.

The space agency is also setting up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore. For the two-member mission, a batch of 200 would be initially selected and trained before opting for four persons out of which two would go on the mission.

Upbeat over the success of Chandrayaan-I, the country's maiden mission to moon, India and Russia are already working on a sequel which entails landing a rover on moon.

The two countries have already launched technical discussions for the Chandrayaan-II project which was signed during Prime Minister's visit to Moscow last year.

Last year, ISRO had sent to space a capsule which was recovered after keeping in orbit for 22 days. The Space Recovery Experiment (SRE) was seen as a technology demonstrator for future manned missions.

Russia and India are also expected to collaborate on launch vehicles for future space missions. The two sides will also set up the India-Russia Centre for Technology Transfer.

India launched its first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975 which was followed by another successful launch in 1980.

The human space flight mission holds immense potential in terms of telemedicine, material science and would involve various work packages before it is launched.

It includes development of human-rated GSLV, an escape system, an environmental life support system, thermal protection system for re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, facilities for training astronauts and crew and with mission management system in place with man being in the loop.

neerajb · Post by **neerajb** » 16 Dec 2008 06:47

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/New ... 832099.cms

ISRO, Russian Space Agency join hands for Indian Man Mission

BANGALORE: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Russian Space Agency have joined hands to share critical equipments for the Indian
Man Mission to the Moon.

India and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote joint activities in the field of human space flight programme during the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last week.

"Under the MoU, both countries will jointly build spacecraft for the Indian manned mission," said S Satish, spokesperson of ISRO.

As per the MoU, an Indian astronaut will embark on a mission to space in a Russian spacecraft within the next five years, ahead of ISRO's maiden human space flight scheduled for 2014 or 2015.

"We have well laid our plans and of course manned mission are in our plan and programme. May be manned mission for the government approval, comes immediately, around 2014 or 2015, will be the targeted launch date," added Satish.

Recently, ISRO achieved benchmark success when the Chandrayaan-1 (India's moon mission) was successfully launched on October 22, by PSLV-C11.

This success allowed India to join the elite lunar club of which Russia, the USA, Japan, China and European Space Agency are already members.

India is also planning to launch the satellite 'Aditya' to study the sun by 2012 and it also hopes to send an astronaut into space by 2012.

Cheers....

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 16 Dec 2008 21:15

So finally the stone gets rolling on the manned program.

Can someone please put this in context with ISRO's RLV development?

Also I assume that the ISRO RLV and AVATAR are two different initiative. Please provide your inputs on this.

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 20 Dec 2008 18:14

Flight acceptance hot test of cryogenic engine successful

ISRO has crossed yet another major milestone by successfully conducting the Flight Acceptance Hot Test of Indigenous Cryogenic Engine at Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre’s (LPSC) Mahendragiri facilities on Thursday. This Cryogenic Engine is identified for the first indigenously developed Cryogenic Stage to be used in the next Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle mission (GSLV -D3).

The indigenous cryogenic engine develops a thrust of 73 kilo Newtons (kN) in vacuum with a specific impulse of 454 seconds and provides a payload capability of 2200 Kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) for GSLV. The Engine works on ‘Staged Combustion Cycle’ with an integrated turbopump running at around 42,000 rotations per minute (rpm). It is also equipped with two steering engines developing a thrust of 2 kN each to enable three-axis control of the launch vehicle during the mission. Another unique feature of this engine is the closed loop control of both thrust and mixture ratio, which ensures optimum propellant utilisation for the mission.

The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 200 seconds during which the engine was operated in the nominal and 13% uprated thrust regimes. All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions.

The Cryogenic Engine will be further integrated with propellant tanks, stage structures and associated feed lines to realise the first fully integrated indigenous flight Cryogenic Stage by the middle of 2009.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 20 Dec 2008 19:12

Union Cabinet sanctions financial package for ISRO

Saturday 20 December, 2008

ISRO's efforts to develop a semi-cryogenic engine to power future inter-planetary missions got a boost as the government sanctioned Rs 1,798 crore for the initiative to be completed within six years.

India will become the third country, after the US and Russia, to have developed the advanced propulsion system which will be used to launch space shuttles and future space missions.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved development of semi-cryogenic engine technology at an estimated cost of Rs 1,798 crore with a foreign exchange component of Rs 588 crore, Home Minister P Chidambaram said reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

The objective is designing, fabricating and testing this advanced technology in India in six years time, which will be a key step towards self-reliance in advanced space transportation technology for the country, he said.

"The semi-cryogenic engine will facilitate applications for future space missions such as the Reusable Launch Vehicle, Unified Launch Vehicle and vehicle for interplanetary missions," Chidambaram said.

The semi-cryogenic engines using liquid oxygen and kerosene are considered relatively environment friendly, non-toxic and non-corrosive.

The propellants for such engines are safer to handle and store and also reduce the cost of launch operations.

After the successful launch of Chandrayaan-I, ISRO is now planning to send an Indian in space, a mission to Mars, flyby mission to asteroids and comets.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 21 Dec 2008 10:15

Space science is for common man: ISRO

By KOL News , Written on December 12, 2008

Thiruvananthapuram, Friday 12 Dec 2008: ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair has said the fishermen can now be told exactly in which part of the sea they should go to get boatloads of fish. The ISRO has developed a methodology to locate fish schools by reading sea surface temperature and analysing the ocean colour through satellite remote sensing, Madhavan Nair said.

He was delivering the endowment lecture in the name of the late Prof. C. Karunakaran, the founder of the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), a leading science institution of the State government. He said India’s space programme had been discussed so exhaustively in the media in the wake of the success of the moon mission Chandrayaan-I that there was greater public awareness now on what it meant to the common man.

He said the moon mission taken up under the space programme had taken only three per cent of ISRO’s budget for the last four years. Nearly 85 per cent of the budget was spent solely on applications that directly impacted the lives of the common man. He touched upon several applications now available for helping in economic planning, healthcare services, education, nature conservation and weather and disaster forecast.

Chandrayaan to be introduced as project in schools
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... 7OVZOOEmts

Express News Service
First Published : 12 Dec 2008 10:56:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 12 Dec 2008 01:05:47 PM IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Education Department will ensure that India’s maiden moon venture does not remain confined to the scientific realm.

The Chandrayaan I Mission, which catapulted India into an elite league of spacefaring nations, will be introduced as a `special project’ in Kerala schools, Education Minister M.A. Baby said on Thursday.

Addressing a public reception given to the Chandrayaan team by the State Government, he said that the Chandrayaan I mission marked the culmination of efforts taken by several generations of ISRO scientists.

The mission, he said, will help us remind the importance of fundamental science, an area in which few students are interested in.Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who inaugurated the public reception, said that ISRO scientists should strive to fill the gaps of our knowledge of the moon.

``Many nations are studying and collating information about the moon. We should not repeat what they have done, rather, we should strive to fill the missing links,’’ he said.

Projects like the Chandrayaan, he said, becomes a real success only when the benefits which accrue from it trickle down to the common man. The mission has given impetus to India’s future space programmes, he added, expressing the hope that more science and technology institutions in the state will be involved in the future projects of the ISRO.

In his reply address, ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair said that the space agency will provide all support to the Education Department’s plans to introduce India’s moon adventure in schools.

He said visits to ISRO units for select groups of students will be organised. The ISRO will shortly submit the project for India’s first human space flight - expected to be realised in six years’ time - to the Centre, he said.

Madhavan Nair said that India should emerge as a hub of scientific and technological development, rather than as a labour camp for the IT sector.

Ministers N.K. Premachandran, Mons Joseph, M. Vijayakumar, P.K. Sreemathi, K.P. Rajendran, Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy, Mayor C. Jayan Babu and ISRO scientists including K. Radhakrishnan, George Koshy, M.K.G. Nair, M.C. Dathan, P.S. Veeraraghavan, T.K. Alex were present. The scientists were presented with mementos.

The moon man of Punjab
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/200812 ... /main2.htm

Madan Lal, from Budhlada in Mansa district of Punjab, designed and fabricated the MIP (Moon Impact Probe) that was recently released on the moon by Chandrayaan-1. The road to success wasn’t a smooth one for this pioneer, who has played a pivotal role in almost all missions of ISRO till date, and has carved a niche for himself among top international scientists, writes Chander Parkash

THE humble and unassuming persona of Madan Lal belies his achievements. Born in the dawn of Independence, this former deputy director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been a key player in propelling the country into the big league in the field of space research. As a child he listened to the tales of chanda mama while looking with amazement and awe at the brightly shining moon in the sky, little knowing that one day he would design and fabricate the MIP (Moon Impact Probe) that was released on the moon by Chandrayaan-1 in November this year. With this not only did the Indian Tricolour land on the moon, but the country also become the fifth in the world to have done so. Coming from the sleepy Budhlada town in Mansa district, Madan Lal overcame adverse circumstances and financial limitations to make India’s moon mission a reality.

The road to success wasn’t a smooth one for him, as on several nights this aeronautical engineer had to study in the light of a lantern or moon. Interestingly, it was on July 20, 1969, that Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, and on the very next day (July 21, 1969), Madan Lal joined Asia’s premier space agency—Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)—as an engineer. He worked there for 38 years and became its deputy director.

Madan Lal has played a pivotal role in almost all missions of ISRO till date, including the space capsule recovery experiment, the reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (RLV-TD), the geo-synchronous launch vehicle (GSLV) and soft landing mission and sounding rockets. He has worked under scientists like the ‘missile man’ and former President of India, Abdul Kalam, and Vikram Sarabhai, who is known as the ‘father of space programmes’.

Not only this, he has rubbed shoulders with top-notch scientists of other developed nations also. He has been to Germany, Russia and Italy in connection with various missions, where he carved a niche for himself among the fraternity of international scientists. But he never gave a thought to the idea of leaving his own motherland to go aboard and to use his talent to make more money.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Madan Lal, who has retired from the ISRO, says: "MIP was dropped on the lunar surface in the first half of November, 2008, by Chandrayaan-1.`A0The mission successfully launched on October 22 this year, is India first to the moon. It entered its final circular orbit of 100 km around the moon on November 12, 2008."

"During its descent, the camera of the MIP has taken a large number of excellent quality photographs of the moon’s surface. Its mass spectrometer has collected enormous amount of data about the constituents of the moon’s rarified atmosphere. This data, after processing and analysis, may lead to many first time discoveries," he said.

"I had the opportunity to lead the team which designed and developed this probe. The main objectives of the probe were to develop and test the technologies required for precise landing on the moon and to explore the rarified atmosphere of the moon from 100 km to touch down.

Since the probe had to work in hard vacuum and in an environment with extreme temperature variations of +120 degree centigrade to –120 degree centigrade, it posed many challenges. However, the flawless working of all the sub-systems and meeting the set objectives has made my team and me proud of this achievement".

"Its success in the first attempt itself has demonstrated that we have achieved maturity in mission planning, design and execution. This will provide important inputs for the next soft landing mission planned by ISRO," he exclaimed.

He says: "When Neil Armstrong had set foot on the moon, I had wondered whether India would ever achieve such a feat. But as luck would have it, I was chosen to conceive and lead the MIP project. I consider this as the highlight of my career. This achievement has given me immense happiness and satisfaction. I owe this to the hard work and dedication of the team that I led. It is our small contribution to the national pride.

"It was a proud moment for me when I was especially invited to the Space Control Centre, Bangalore, to witness the dropping of the MIP, the creation of my team, on the lunar surface a few weeks ago," he adds.

Speaking about his life and achievements, he said: "I was born in Tapa Mandi at my maternal grandparents’ house at the time of the Partition while the fire of communal riots was raging everywhere in the region. I grew up hearing stories about chanda mama. Looking at the moon at night, I was always fascinated by its beauty, and more so by the dark spots on it. It always appeared so distant and unreachable.

"Over the years and after sending the MIP on the moon, I have understood that it is the nearest heavenly body to earth in our solar system. It needs to be explored so that we can understand the evolution of earth and the solar system. However, the fascination still remains, specially after looking at the pictures taken by the MIP. But it no more appears to be beyond reach. We can have human colonies on the moon one day," he claimed.

With a sense of pride, he says: "Today India is in the league of developed nations as far as space technology is concerned. We are self reliant in launch vehicle and satellite technology to meet our national needs in the most cost-effective manner. The world is envious of our track record. We are on the threshold of making it big in the commercial arena, too. More and more countries are looking forward to having collaboration with India."

When asked about the successive union governments’ response to India’s space programmes, he said funding had never been an issue with ISRO, irrespective of the party in power. All governments have always been enthusiastic in supporting ISRO programmes as the organisation achieved the set goals in the most economic way, and, therefore, it enjoys credibility.

Madan Lal, who has grown up in Mansa district, which was once known for huge consumption of liquor and was called as Asia’s wettest place for the same, has been honoured with team excellence award by ISRO in 2007 for successful accomplishment of the space capsule recovery experiment mission.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 21 Dec 2008 12:16

Isro to send its own engineer/scientist aboard soyuz in 2013.

http://www.india-server.com/news/indias ... -5229.html

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 21 Dec 2008 14:35

what is "semi-cryogenic" engine that we are going to invest in heavy?

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 21 Dec 2008 21:58

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/00 ... 211180.htm

ISRO's commercial Communication Satellite launched

A state of the art communication satellite, W2M, built by ISRO on a commercial basis in partnership with EADS-Astrium of Europe, was successfully launched on Sunday at 0405 hrs (IST) by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle. The launch took place from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana, says ISRO release.

32 minutes after its lift-off, W2M separated from Ariane-5, after reaching its intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Radio signals transmitted by W2M were successfully received by ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka and the satellite’s health is normal.

W2M project was undertaken in the context of an accord signed during the visit of the President of France on February 20, 2006, at New Delhi between Antrix Corporation Ltd., the commercial arm of the India’s Department of Space and EADS Astrium to jointly build and deliver a communication satellite (W2M) to Eutelsat Communications, which is a global satellite communications provider based in Paris.

Astrium had the responsibility for overall program management and delivery of the communications payload and Antrix/ISRO provided the satellite bus and also performed W2M's integration and testing at ISRO's facilities in Bangalore.

W2M satellite, weighing 3,463 kg at lift-off, is the heaviest satellite built by ISRO and is capable of operating for over 15 years. The satellite's solar panels generate a maximum of about 7000 Watts of power.

Subsequent to its placement in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by Ariane 5, W2M is to be positioned finally at the orbital slot of 16 degree East in the Geostationary Orbit.

It carries 32 high power Ku band transponders for telecommunications and broadcasting services over Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

Antrix/ISRO is also responsible for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) operations of W2M, which is being conducted from Master Control Facility.

The operations include 3-axis stabilisation of the satellite, repeated firing of its Liquid Apogee Motor to reach the satellite to its final orbital slot and deployment of its appendages.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 21 Dec 2008 23:18

SaiK wrote:what is "semi-cryogenic" engine that we are going to invest in heavy?

The semi-cryogenic engine is Liquid oxygen-Kerosene (Lox-Kerosene) engine. Cryogenic engines are Liquid oxygen-Hydrogen engines. Now hydrogen is very light, so energy per Kg is quite high. But it is expensive to produce and store cryogenically and most importantly has a high volume. Kerosene is denser, and has a higher energy per unit volume (though lower energy per Kg) than hydrogen. There is quite a bit of controversy about whether liquid hydrogen is actually advantageous as rocket fuel. When you consider the bigger tanks and the plumbing apart from cryogenic storage issues, liquid hydrogen in most instances doesn't seem to have cost or weight advantages when you consider kerosene.

Desh wants to develop this technology.

The article is a bit wrong in the sense that IIRC Chinese launchers use Lox-kerosene. The latest (and most interesting launcher) to use Lox-Kerosene is Falcon 9. The Lox-Kerosene stage is recoverable and can be reused.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 22 Dec 2008 00:58

perhaps an offshoot of cryogenic techs isro should consider should be hydrogen fuel cells.

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 22 Dec 2008 01:10

SaiK wrote:perhaps an offshoot of cryogenic techs isro should consider should be hydrogen fuel cells.

There is already a very similar project going on in ISRO with TATA for hydrogen powered buses. But the pace is real slow and it seems to be not a priority for either ISRO or TATA.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 22 Dec 2008 15:49

Isn't W2M the first satellite fully built by ISRO for anyone but Indian govt. I can recollect a little while ago they sold their INSAT bus to someone, but I could be mistaken.

Good work ISRO!

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 22 Dec 2008 20:01

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/21/stories ... 191000.htm

Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which thus far relied on Russian cryogenic engines for its launches, has just got closer to having an indigenous engine. In a significant milestone, the indigenous cryogenic engine being developed has passed a “flight acceptance hot test” at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

ISRO’s next GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) launch slated for mid-2009 will be the first to use this indigenously developed cryogenic engine, said ISRO spokesperson S. Satish. The 2.3-tonne GSLV Mk II will launch a geostationary satellite along with a navigational and technological payload, most likely next April. The engine will provide a payload capability of 2,200 kg for GSLV.

The hot test was carried out on Thursday for a duration of 200 seconds and the engine developed a thrust of 73 kN (kilo Newtons) in vacuum. The engine works on a ‘staged combustion cycle’ with an integrated turbo-pump running at around 42,000 rotations per minute. Another unique feature of this engine is the “closed loop control” which ensures optimum utilisation of propellant for the mission.

The cryogenic engine will, in the next four to five months, be integrated with propellant tanks, stage structures and associated feed lines, said Mr. Satish.

Avinash R · Post by **Avinash R** » 22 Dec 2008 20:50

ISRO makes $40 million profit out of W2M satellite

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/1915232 ... rofit.html

Bangalore: India’s space programme is all set to achieve a major milestone when European space consortium Arianespace launches over the weekend the W2M satellite built by ISRO for a foreign customer for the first time fetching it $40 million profit.

Building W2M for satellite operator Eutelsat under the ISRO-EADS Astrium alliance has signalled the Bangalore- headquartered space agency’s foray into the satellite-manufacturing market.

While W2M was built under a $80 million (Rs400 crore) contract by ISRO, officials said it was a good deal for the space agency which made a profit of $40 million (Rs200 crore) in this venture.

“ISRO builds such spacecraft without payloads for less than Rs200 crore. That way we made a good profit”, an ISRO official said.

“It (W2M) is comparable to INSAT-4 series. For the first time, we have built a satellite for a foreign customer. So, that’s why the launch is important for us”, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told PTI.

Nair would be at the Europe’s spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana when the W2M spacecraft is launched, along with HOT BIRD satellite built by EADS Astrium, Europe’s leading satellite system specialist, by an Ariane rocket early Sunday Indian time.

ISRO spokesperson S Satish said “weighing 3,462 kg at lift-off, W2M is the heaviest spacecraft built by the Indian space agency till date. It was built in 26 months”.

Made in India, orbiting for European firm
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081222/j ... 285142.jsp

New Delhi, Dec. 21: A European launch vehicle today ferried into space India’s first satellite built for a foreign customer, a 3,460kg communications capsule that is the heaviest so far from the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle placed into orbit the W2M satellite designed to provide radio, television, cable and data services across Europe, North Africa and West Asia, 32 minutes after lift-off from a spaceport in French Guiana at 4.05am Indian time.

Antrix Corporation, Isro’s commercial arm engaged in exporting space products and services, had built the satellite in partnership with EADS Astrium, a European space company, under a contract for $33 million, Isro officials said.

The W2M satellite — operated by Eutelsat, a European telecommunications provider — has a designed life of 15 years.

Antrix had provided the main satellite structure for W2M, its mechanical subsystems, satellite control systems, propellants and tanks and power systems and solar panels. Antrix had also integrated and tested the satellite at Isro facilities in Bangalore.

India has supplied space industry hardware and services for nearly 15 years and launched several satellites for foreign customers aboard the home-grown Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle beginning with Korean and German mini-satellites in 1999.

Antrix earnings touched Rs 940 crore during 2007-08, a 41 per cent rise over the previous year. “But W2M marks our entry into the market for commercial satellites,” a senior Isro official said. Antrix has made “reasonable profits” from the W2M deal, the official said, but declined to provide details.

European partner Astrium delivered the communications payload for the satellite which has up to 32 transponders — the wireless transmitter-receiver systems that relay broadcasting and data signals to Earth.

Antrix is also responsible for early orbit operations — multiple firings of an onboard rocket motor through which W2M will be guided from its initial elliptical orbit towards its final parking slot over 16°E longitude.

Arunkumar · Post by **Arunkumar** » 22 Dec 2008 21:21

Kailash wrote:http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/21/stories ... 191000.htm

The hot test was carried out on Thursday for a duration of 200 seconds and the engine developed a thrust of 73 kN (kilo Newtons) in vacuum. The engine works on a ‘staged combustion cycle’ with an integrated turbo-pump running at around 42,000 rotations per minute. Another unique feature of this engine is the “closed loop control” which ensures optimum utilisation of propellant for the mission.

.

Wow.... staged combustion cycle!

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Dec 2008 16:11

"Bhuvan' to be launched in March

Bhuvan, India's response to Google Earth, will be launched in March 2009 and will provide high resolution imagery data of the order of five metre . . .

"Bhuvan, which means earth, will get the images from the satellites and provide high resolution imagery data of the order of five metre. This can be of use for real-time exercises like disaster management and military operations," he said.

For real-time exercises, the latest data is a guiding force, he said. It can show the topography, altitude, depth and other features of any specific location.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 24 Dec 2008 10:14

SSridhar wrote:"Bhuvan' to be launched in March

Bhuvan, India's response to Google Earth, will be launched in March 2009 and will provide high resolution imagery data of the order of five metre . . .

"Bhuvan, which means earth, will get the images from the satellites and provide high resolution imagery data of the order of five metre. This can be of use for real-time exercises like disaster management and military operations," he said.

For real-time exercises, the latest data is a guiding force, he said. It can show the topography, altitude, depth and other features of any specific location.

I wonder if they will have external adverstisements in this site....

SuKan · Post by **SuKan** » 24 Dec 2008 11:32

#IP 848,15 - 21 Dec 2008

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISATION OF RLV-TD

NAL trisonic wind tunnel facility is being used extensively to characterize the aerodynamics of Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) configuration during various phases of flights as well as to generate very important data viz. FADS calibration coefficients, hinge moments, unsteady aerodynamics, flow visualization and dynamic derivatives of RLV-TD HEX-1 mission, which is planned in the middle of next year. The descent phase aerodynamic characterization (TDV alone) was completed and the huge data generated was of immense use for the design and simulations. The aerodynamic community has lauded the voluminous data, which runs into 1196 tables that was followed for the first time, as practiced in aircraft industry.

In order to meet RLV-HEX-1 mission target of May-June 2009, the complete aerodynamic characterization during ascent phase as well as FADS calibration data were essential by November, 2008. On the request from ISRO, the test program was undertaken on priority by the NTAF team. Also during the course of the tests, the test data were made available in real time to the Project and design teams that facilitated making a first cut assessment on the result and to carry forward the remaining program. The total number of blowdowns was more than 450 and the whole test program went smooth. The NTAF team rose to meet the crises, like power problems and put extra effort in order to ensure timely completion of the program.

On behalf of the project, Dr K Sivan Project Director, RLV-TD, VSSC has appreciated the NTAF team for putting their best efforts to complete the RLV-TD ascent phase aerodynamic characterization and FADS calibration test for providing the data within the targeted schedules . Dr K Sivan has also mentioned that he is looking forward to the continued support and cooperation from NAL for the further test programs.

http://www.nal.res.in/pages/pasteboard.htm

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 24 Dec 2008 17:21

Chandrayaan II design complete.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday said that the design for Chandrayaan II has been completed and it will be launched by 2012.

"The designs for Chandrayaan II have been completed and we hope to launch it by 2012," ISRO chairperson G Madhavan Nair told reporters here on the sidelines of a function organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to felicitate the Chandrayaan I team.

The Chandrayaan II project is slated to land a small rover on the moon's surface and collect and analyse samples, he said.

The ISRO has made another achievement recently, when a commercial satellite built by the organisation for the European satellite operator, Eutelsat, was successfully launched from French Guiana in South America.

Nair noted that the ISRO was earning about Rs 10 billion (Rs 1,000 crore) annually from its commercial wing. This is expected to grow at 20 percent per year, he added.

SuKan · Post by **SuKan** » 24 Dec 2008 17:28

ISRO eyes lunar landing in 2012, Mars mission in 2013

New Delhi (PTI/IANS): Buoyed by the success of Chandrayaan-I, space scientists now plan to conquer new frontiers by sending a robot on moon in 2012 and a spacecraft to Mars the following year which will also see an Indian astronaut in space.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has lined up a slew of missions which also include landing a spacecraft on an asteroid and sending a probe to fly past a comet.

ISRO plans to send an Indian astronaut in space onboard a Russian mission in 2013 and follow it up with two Indian astronauts on a seven-day mission on an indigenously developed rocket in 2015.

India's mission to Mars is at a conceptual stage right now, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told PTI on the sidelines of a felicitation of the Chandrayaan-I team by CII.

"Next year we will be able to finalise and by 2013 it can take off," he said.

Nair said the current Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), used to put communications satellites in orbit, will be used to launch the probe to Mars.

ISRO also plan to launch a sequel to Chandrayaan-I, which will entail landing a rover robot on moon by 2012. The lunar rover will be built in collaboration with Russia.

"The designs for Chandrayaan II have been completed and we hope to launch it by 2012," Nair Said.

The Chandrayaan II project is slated to land a small rover on the moon's surface and collect and analyse samples, he said.

The ISRO has made another achievement recently, when a commercial satellite built by the organisation for the European satellite operator, Eutelsat, was successfully launched from French Guiana in South America.

Nair noted that the ISRO was earning about Rs.10 billion (Rs.1,000 crore) annually from its commercial wing. This is expected to grow at 20 per cent per year, he added.

Last year, ISRO had sent to space a capsule which was recovered after keeping in orbit for 22 days. The Space Recovery Experiment (SRE) was seen as a technology demonstrator for future manned missions.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holn ... 241582.htm

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Dec 2008 01:27

Moon Lust: Will International Competition or Cooperation Return Humans to the Moon?

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 25 Dec 2008 01:42

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISATION OF RLV-TD

Any pictures / concept drawings around?

Sid · Post by **Sid** » 25 Dec 2008 02:00

p_saggu wrote:
AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISATION OF RLV-TD
Any pictures / concept drawings around?

look a bit similar to EADS Phoenix.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 25 Dec 2008 05:04

ISRO’s proposal for manned mission submitted to Govt.

New Delhi, Dec. 24 The success of the Chandrayaan-1 is now going to be a stepping stone for India’s space science team which has its eyes set on Mars.

A report for ISRO’s plans for a manned mission into space has been submitted to the Government, said Dr G. Madhavan Nair, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space. The three-manned mission is expected to take off in 2015. Before that ISRO hopes to get a lander on the moon and collect material, including scientifically rich minerals for study.

At an event organised by CII to felicitate the various scientific and research agencies of the country, that along with ISRO made the moon mission such a success, Dr Nair said, “Where Space science was concerned, India was no longer a developing country. …Now developed countries are buying spacecraft from India.” In a year that saw moon missions from Europe, China and Japan take off, India’s mission was also noticed for the comprehensive range of instruments it took on board.

The success of the lunar mission had made the country proud, and highlighted the huge service that ISRO had been doing for the country since so long, said Mr Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs. According to Dr Nair, although there was a certain brain drain that happened from India, many scientists like those at ISRO worked for the technical challenges that projects like the moon mission offered. The Government has taken note of the remuneration of researchers and scientists at least at ISRO and institutes under the Department of Atomic Energy, said Dr Nair.

ISRO’s Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) would also introduce its first batch of students who would soon contribute to India’s scientific community, added Dr Nair.

Among those felicitated today were Dr K. Radhakrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre; Dr M.Y.S. Prasad, Associate Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SHAR; Dr V. Jayaraman, Director, National Remote Sensing Agency; and Mr K.R. Sridharamurthy, Managing Director, Antrix Corporation. Mr M.K.G. Nair, Director of Liquid Propulsion System Centre; Mr P.S. Veeraraghavan, Director, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit at Trivandrum; Mr S.K. Shivkumar, Director, ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC); Mr A Bhaskaranarayana, Director, Satellite Communication Programme/Scientific Secretary, ISRO; Dr T.G.K. Murthy, Programme Director, ASP, ISRO Satellite Centre, Mr A.S. Kiran Kumar, DD, SEDA, Space Applications Centre; and Dr George Koshy, Managing Director, PSLV-C11; were also felicitated.

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 25 Dec 2008 07:54

Great news on the RLV-TD. At least they are serious about the timelines. Lot of parallels between ISROs program and the EADS program here.

Will it be launched vertically like the space shuttle ( till half way, when the L-OX has been extracted from the atmosphere)?

lakshmikanth · Post by **lakshmikanth** » 25 Dec 2008 08:06

Kailash wrote:Great news on the RLV-TD. At least they are serious about the timelines. Lot of parallels between ISROs program and the EADS program here.

Will it be launched vertically like the space shuttle ( till half way, when the L-OX has been extracted from the atmosphere)?

Yes, from my internal source an S9 solid booster would be used for vertical lift off which will slant off in the upper atmosphere achieving speed > mach 5 and start collecting Ox and make it to LOX.

This is one of the MOST exciting project and if done properly would propel our strategic and tactical might to one of the best in the world.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 25 Dec 2008 20:17

W2M launch