Indian Space Programme Discussion

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 14 Sep 2015 08:04

I am pretty sure that in the realm of satellite intelligence gathering, Russia has had optical telescopes in orbit. It's just that they were aimed *at* earth and not *away* from it (as does the US). It's a matter of perspective.

Also keep in mind that the US military and intelligence yearly space budget is larger than NASA's. Who knows what Russia is spending on theirs?

These are black art subjects.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 14 Sep 2015 11:39

On ground, satellite transport gets complex - The Hindu

In the business and science of Space, it is apparently not enough if you just keep building better spacecraft and bigger launch vehicles. The Indian Space Research Organisation says it must also keep improving many other less-known but related systems alongside.

Last month, ISRO Satellite Centre literally rolled out its upgraded Satellite Transportation System or STS. It was used to move the 1,650-kg Astrosat, India's upcoming space observatory, by road to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, some 400 km away in Andhra Pradesh.

An ISRO official said today’s STS, loaded with sensors to track the satellite’s health and protect it from road shocks, is a far cry from the wooden crates of the 1970s.

The astronomy spacecraft was assembled at the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). At Sriharikota, it will be sent to space in late September along with six small “piggyback” satellites of three foreign customers.

About a month before the launch, ISAC folds the spacecraft up to safely fit it into a suitable STS. It then sends it off on one of its specially made trucks.

Explaining how the transit process itself is getting increasingly complex, the official said: “Earlier, when we transported satellites, the transit checks were mostly about temperature and vibrations. Over time, we improved the monitoring systems during travel by including many sensors. The container temperature, vibration levels, humidity, contamination are all checked constantly to ensure that the spacecraft is not affected by these outside factors.”

While a normal passenger vehicle takes about eight hours to reach Sriharikota, the spacecraft’s well-guarded convoy travels at a slow 20 to 25 kmph, taking more than 24 hours to reach the launch centre.

A few spacecraft engineers also travel alongside and are constantly in touch with the Bengaluru centre and the SDSC and continuously checking the health of the satellite within the STS.

ISAC’s System Integration Group is now designing the next generation of large STSs. They will take in the four-tonne GSAT-11 and a future six-tonne satellite double the present size and measuring around 12 metres x 5.3m x 4.2m.

The STS is a double-walled, metallic, heat-proof structure built to protect the spacecraft, which has many sensitive electronic and mechanical components, from atmospheric heat, dust, rain, humidity, radiation and changes of pressure. It comes with a suspension cradle and a special platform that keeps vibrations and shocks out.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Sep 2015 12:10

I have seen this transport convoy in person a couple months ago and posted on it. externally it looks like a 20ft container on a ordinary semi-truck, but behind the truck cab there is a AC control room with monitoring panels, a couple chairs . the engineer had opened the door and was looking out, so I got a peek inside as well.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 14 Sep 2015 16:50

"it will be sent to space in late September along with six small “piggyback” satellites of three foreign customers."

Nice! This is news, I had heard of Lapan satellite of Indonesia being a passenger, but not 5 other satellites. So another 7 satellite launch( the 3rd for PSLV) coming up, on Sept 28th. And so far, that date is holding

SriniY · Post by **SriniY** » 14 Sep 2015 19:30

Varoon Shekhar wrote:"it will be sent to space in late September along with six small “piggyback” satellites of three foreign customers."

Nice! This is news, I had heard of Lapan satellite of Indonesia being a passenger, but not 5 other satellites. So another 7 satellite launch( the 3rd for PSLV) coming up, on Sept 28th. And so far, that date is holding

Should probably have some of the satellites from Spire.
http://scroll.in/article/689645/a-silic ... from-space

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 14 Sep 2015 21:24

For the record, upgrade to GMRT

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 949710.cms

SSSalvi · Post by **SSSalvi** » 14 Sep 2015 21:35

Varoon Shekhar wrote:"it will be sent to space in late September along with six small “piggyback” satellites of three foreign customers."

Nice! This is news, I had heard of Lapan satellite of Indonesia being a passenger, but not 5 other satellites. So another 7 satellite launch( the 3rd for PSLV) coming up, on Sept 28th. And so far, that date is holding

???? PSLV (XL) C30 to be launched from 2nd Launchpad with AstroSat-1, LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia), 2 sats NLS (Canada) and 4 sats of Lemur (UK)

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 14 Sep 2015 22:11

Sorry..was confusing with PSLV-HP.

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 14 Sep 2015 22:58

disha wrote: Propulsion Tech
If propulsion technology is the count., then it is again Russia, ESA, NASA, JAXA and ISRO. Chinese do have impressive capacity., but it revolves around the UDMH/NO4. They do not have any solid stage that can be discussed worthwhile. Neither they are ahead of ISRO in cryogenic systems.

The Long March 11 series is their first solid and is supposed to be their equivalent of PSLV/Mu5. Its first launch is for 2016, and payload is currently slated as ~1 ton polar (considering its public released data as "EO satellite launcher at short notice" and published sizes). A full 22 years after the first successful PSLV flight.

Those who

endlessly about chinese taikanauts, chinese heavy launcher et al, don't realize they were a one-trick pony (hypergolic engines) till recently. They were jacking off with their under-powered cryo (YF73 and YF75B series) until YF75D (a brand new design with expander cycle) had heavy inputs from Russia. It still is consider shakey by their own peoples and not much is known other than a few tests. Talk of staged-combustion et al started in the 2000s, with the YF100 series and smacks of an "H&D enhancement effort" than a serious viable, long production engine.

ISRO on the other hand, has an operational staged combustion at this point, a bigger KN gas generator cycle that passed tests and fast closing the final gap for a largish semi-cryo.

vina · Post by **vina** » 15 Sep 2015 15:04

don't realize they were a one-trick pony (hypergolic engines)

Yup. The Chinese Long March series is a huge number of WeakAss engines (same thrust class and same hypergolic propellants), clustered and stacked. The LM2 and LM3 for instance uses a total of 9 WeakAss engines . Four as boosters like the GSLV MK1/2 and 4 clustered in the core, topped with a 2nd stage , which again is a another. Very inefficient and piss poor mass fractions to orbit.

Technology wise, despite all the Long-Schlong measuring contests and posing in front of the Gym mirrors and flexing the muscle, the Chinese are stuck in 1960s, including the bought out and cloned human flight capsule.

vina · Post by **vina** » 15 Sep 2015 15:29

ISRO on the other hand, has an operational staged combustion at this point, a bigger KN gas generator cycle that passed tests and fast closing the final gap for a largish semi-cryo.

ISRO needs to absolutely cluster two of those Kero/LOX engines together and form a 2+2 i.e. 4 MN core, that will be the base offering of around 4 to 5 tons to GTO on a high efficiency 2 stage (1st stage of Kero/LOX topped with a LH2/LOX cryo stage) vehicle. They can add solid boosters around that for heavier lift configs. This is exactly what BE4 etc are doing by clustering two 2MN LCH4/LOX engines together into a a 4 MN core. We should do the same with the Kersosene/LOX core we are developing.

But alas, ISRO seems to be focused on a single 2MN core stage and surrounded by solid boosters. Underwhelming. The high efficiency core is underpowered... Same "mistake" as in GSLV Mk1/2, where the liquids should have been clustered into a high thrust/high efficiency core and the solids as boosters!

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 15 Sep 2015 20:45

SSSalvi wrote: ???? PSLV (XL) C30 to be launched from 2nd Launchpad with AstroSat-1, LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia), 2 sats NLS (Canada) and 4
sats of Lemur (UK)

Excellent, that makes 8 satellites, Astrosat, Lapan + 6 satellites from Canada and the UK.

An 8 satellite launch is a first! There have been 2,3,4,5,7 and 10 sat missions.

Now, please keep the Sept 28th date, or within a week

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 15 Sep 2015 20:52

Re:HLV, never knew they were planning a series. It's certainly good to know. The AVATAR would be tested soon. The human spaceflight may take place by 2018-2020 time period after all most likely on a GSLV mk.3 or a HLV.

Given how much ISRO does, their funding should definitely be increased, they produce a lot of novel technologies as well. There are no plans for space station huh? That'd have been useful for studying biological and chemical mechanism in outer space.

disha · Post by **disha** » 15 Sep 2015 21:50

Until GSLV-MK III is realized., the plans for ULV/HLV are just that plans - since lot of the ULV depends upon the Semi-Cryo Engine SCE 200 and also a lot depends upon the need to go after the 6 ton/10 ton launch capacity. For strategic reasons, the later launch capacity is definitely required.

Now there is discussions of testing the SCE-200 in Russia until ISRO's own testing station comes online. Again ISRO itself has stated that this is "just the beginning"., so expect at least a decade (if not two) before the ULV/HLV comes online. This is assuming the engine is ready and to be tested by say May 2016.

Again Semi-Cryo stage provides the move away from UDMH/NO4 and the "only" advantage it has over the cryo-tech is less volumetric requirements compared to the LOX/LOH stages.

GSLV-MKIII is going to be epochal. Since it will be providing the base on which further launch capacities will be built. For example the clustered vikas stage can be removed and a Semi-Cryo stage can be put in place and the GTO launch capacity goes up by 6 Tons. Now upgrade the Cryogenic Upper Stage from the proposed C25 to say C50 (for example) and the GTO launch capacity goes up to say 10 tons. Introduce two more solid boosters and the launch capacity goes up to 10 tons. That in nutshell is your HLV.*

From the existing GSLV MKIII., remove the solid boosters and target it for SSO (polar) launches and the capacity goes up to say 3 tons. Introduce a Semi-Cryo in this core alone GSLV MKIII and your capacity to SSO goes to 4 tons*. Replace the clustered vikas with a scaled up solid and your costs comes down., and one may even end up seeing a single stage payload on a stick on a rocket to launch some mini-sats in LEO.

*Numbers are illustrative examples only.

The point is., the launcher is now like a configurable Lego toy with tested stages in place where based on the need the launcher is configured. In effect, the engines and stages go into a cookie-cutter manufacturing and assembly line and the launch pads are end results of various assembly lines.

This not just brings the cost down but also increases launch efficiency.

I think ISRO is hedging its bets., it has the cryo-tech and will scale that up. However scaling up the cryo-tech (to reach US Space Shuttle SSME levels) is not easy and in the meantime the semi-cryo stage provides a stop gap measure and takes care of one risk variable., that is any delay in scaling up the cryo stage does not effect the overall launch programmes.

Also ISRO has demonstrated that it can scale up its solid booster tech. Getting a 5 MN 200 tonne booster is no mean achievement.

Newer variants of solid boosters are in the offing., for example boosters based on CL-20 with carbon fibre and graphene can push the ISP of a solid booster way past a semi-cryogenic one. The current issue here is the cost of such nitramine based compounds like CL-20.

Alka, to your point., there is no basis for ISRO/India to get into its own space station. The goal should be to reduce the launch costs. The costs have come down to USD 5k/Kg (only a decade or two back, it was USD 10k/Kg). The costs have to come further down., maybe to USD $1k/Kg. Also sending humans in space should become reliable.

Once ISRO achieves the low cost, high reliable launch to space., it will automatically get a berth in the existing ISS. There is no point in creating another ISS.

For ISRO., getting GSLV MK-III is the key.

Side note: For discerning readers., the Chinese are falling behind. Again they can catch up quickly by sheer determination and will power., but their path to scalability is currently cluttered., they not just need a scaled up cryogenic but more importantly a solid booster!

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 15 Sep 2015 22:06

Alka, to your point., there is no basis for ISRO/India to get into its own space station. The goal should be to reduce the launch costs. The costs have come down to USD 5k/Kg (only a decade or two back, it was USD 10k/Kg). The costs have to come further down., maybe to USD $1k/Kg. Also sending humans in space should become reliable.

Once ISRO achieves the low cost, high reliable launch to space., it will automatically get a berth in the existing ISS. There is no point in creating another ISS.
For ISRO., getting GSLV MK-III is the key.

With western ISS will come unnecessary western politics and bickering. A private ISS, however small it maybe would be more useful for carrying out both civil and military experiments. Plus building our own ISS would give us an important experience that we'd miss if we just move into ISS. Even if it's expensive, it's worth it in my opinion. That, or a permanent moon base. It's a long shot, but it's definitely a goal that ISRO must have by mid 2020s-early 2030s. Especially after the human spaceflight is successful.

Side note: For discerning readers., the Chinese are falling behind. Again they can catch up quickly by sheer determination and will power., but their path to scalability is currently cluttered., they not just need a scaled up cryogenic but more importantly a solid booster!

Who needs determination and will power when you have great hacking skills

. Some documents from ISRO show the HLV would be double the GSLV, standing at 73m, as tall as qutub minar. Gotta dig more into that one.

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 15 Sep 2015 23:58

The 73m tall one is not HLV but the rocket for moon mission. I have seen that in some ppt but don't know if it is fan art or real design from ISRO.

http://isp.justthe80.com/launchers/unif ... ehicle-ulv

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 16 Sep 2015 01:16

BN Suresh was Director at VSSC and later IIST director. If it is sourced from his ppt slides, then it is what ISRO is thinking.

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 16 Sep 2015 01:39

Indeed it was the ULV not HLV, my bad. I saw that exact same slide and hence my questions.

juvva · Post by **juvva** » 16 Sep 2015 14:03

Bheeshma wrote:The 73m tall one is not HLV but the rocket for moon mission. I have seen that in some ppt but don't know if it is fan art or real design from ISRO.

http://isp.justthe80.com/launchers/unif ... ehicle-ulv

I think this is the complete ppt:
http://www.tifr.res.in/~aset/full_text/FT_2009/TIFR.ppt

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 16 Sep 2015 16:50

The launch of PSLV-C30 carrying India's dedicated multi-wavelength astronomical observation satellite ASTROSAT along with six international customer satellites is scheduled at 10:00 am on Monday, September 28, 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR.

And a very detailed write-up in this week's Frontline ( issue also has article on GSLV and interview with ISRO chairman)

http://www.frontline.in/science-and-tec ... epage=true

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 16 Sep 2015 17:49

Discovery Science had a documentary about Chinese space programmes. Quite impressive. It was mentioned again and again that their entire programme is home grown and it is all Chinese technology. I think producers had to toe the official line in order to get rare footage.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 16 Sep 2015 18:22

^ Shameless, typical sledgehammer Chinese drone propaganda.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 16 Sep 2015 18:53

Varoon Shekhar wrote:The launch of PSLV-C30 carrying India's dedicated multi-wavelength astronomical observation satellite ASTROSAT along with six international customer satellites is scheduled at 10:00 am on Monday, September 28, 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR.

And a very detailed write-up in this week's Frontline ( issue also has article on GSLV and interview with ISRO chairman)

http://www.frontline.in/science-and-tec ... epage=true

Thank u Sir, but unable to find GSLV article

direct Link please

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 16 Sep 2015 19:15

"Thank u Sir, but unable to find GSLV article

direct Link please"

Here it is, it's in the same issue, not part of the article on Astrosat.

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/cryo ... epage=true

kit · Post by **kit** » 16 Sep 2015 19:21

The HLV looks and seems impressive ..enough payload to start a lunar station !

kit · Post by **kit** » 16 Sep 2015 19:21

are there any time lines given for a HLV mission

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 16 Sep 2015 19:42

vina wrote:
don't realize they were a one-trick pony (hypergolic engines)
Yup. The Chinese Long March series is a huge number of WeakAss engines (same thrust class and same hypergolic propellants), clustered and stacked. The LM2 and LM3 for instance uses a total of 9 WeakAss engines . Four as boosters like the GSLV MK1/2 and 4 clustered in the core, topped with a 2nd stage , which again is a another. Very inefficient and piss poor mass fractions to orbit.

Technology wise, despite all the Long-Schlong measuring contests and posing in front of the Gym mirrors and flexing the muscle, the Chinese are stuck in 1960s, including the bought out and cloned human flight capsule.

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." - Deng Xiaoping.

Look at the track record of the Chinese space program. They have more satellites than the India space program. They have a manned launch program. They launched a space station, albeit not on the same level as the ISS station. They get half of the world's contracts for launching satellites. They can launch more tons into Geosynchronous orbit than us and has done so numerous times.

Moral of the story? Don't fall into the elitist trap.

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 16 Sep 2015 22:41

^^ There's nothing "elitist" (??) in what Vina said, the chinese launch system capabilities are lagging behind, given their pslv style launcher has only recently arrived. As much as I respect their space program capabilities, a lot of it is retrieved from NASA. Unlike our screw diver folks, china actually demands a direct tech transfer and joint operation, so that gives it a massive boost.

I don't think the number of satellites released is as important as their applications, not sure if china is using them to it's full capacity. It's been 8 years and we still don't see a Chinese flag on the moon, even after spending quite a few million on the tfta launchers with multiple strap on boosters. Sure, it gets the work done but it's not the equivalent of pslv in technological terms.

Vina's tone was condescending but there's nothing elitist in what he/she said. You are using words where they don't belong

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 16 Sep 2015 23:11

Vina is correct. India has laid its foundation on independent tech work. As much as India loves to blame the US for making them do it, India can build on that knowledge.

China uses Soviet tech. No foundation built, just copy and do it again.

shravanp · Post by **shravanp** » 16 Sep 2015 23:39

Varoon Shekhar wrote:"Thank u Sir, but unable to find GSLV article
direct Link please"

Here it is, it's in the same issue, not part of the article on Astrosat.

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/cryo ... epage=true

Thank you saar. Just read that it took them just 33 days to assemble the entire vehicle. How awesome is that!

That ISRO’s launch vehicle engineers were gaining more and more confidence with GSLV-Mk II was apparent when the three-stage GSLV-D6, weighing 416 tonnes and standing 49.1 metres tall, was assembled in just 33 days at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. R. Umamaheswaran, Mission Director, GSLV-D6; P. Kunhikrishnan, Director, SDSC; and S. Somanath, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala, near Thiruvananthapuram, all highlighted the speed with which the massive vehicle was assembled.

disha · Post by **disha** » 17 Sep 2015 00:06

TSJones wrote:Vina is correct. India has laid its foundation on independent tech work. As much as India loves to blame the US for making them do it, India can build on that knowledge.

China uses Soviet tech. No foundation built, just copy and do it again.

And US uses lot of Soviet/Russian tech as well. The only difference between China and US is that China went for short term Honor & Dignity claim unlike US which had already claimed the moon prize and had a large shuttle orbiter in place. So yes., you are correct in stating that China ends up doing lot of copy and repeat.

My angst with US/NASA is that they have stopped being visionaries. Anyway, further discussion can be carried out in a different thread. This is and remains Indian Space Programme discussion.

disha · Post by **disha** » 17 Sep 2015 00:08

Varoon Shekhar wrote:The launch of PSLV-C30 carrying India's dedicated multi-wavelength astronomical observation satellite ASTROSAT along with six international customer satellites is scheduled at 10:00 am on Monday, September 28, 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR.

And a very detailed write-up in this week's Frontline ( issue also has article on GSLV and interview with ISRO chairman)

http://www.frontline.in/science-and-tec ... epage=true

Koti Koti Dhanyavaad!

disha · Post by **disha** » 17 Sep 2015 00:27

Hitesh wrote:
"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." - Deng Xiaoping.

Look at the track record of the Chinese space program. They have more satellites than the India space program. They have a manned launch program. They launched a space station, albeit not on the same level as the ISS station. They get half of the world's contracts for launching satellites. They can launch more tons into Geosynchronous orbit than us and has done so numerous times.

Moral of the story? Don't fall into the elitist trap.

The question is not that your cat can catch a mice. It can!. Can your cat now catch a water buffalo? No. Mine can.

Have to rebutt your questions:

Look at the track record of the Chinese space program. They have more satellites than the India space program.

What kind of satellites? Anybody can launch space junk.

Maybe you do not know this., India has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites in operation.

They have a manned launch program. They launched a space station, albeit not on the same level as the ISS station.

The last controversy on their manned launch program was an air bubble showing up in their photoshopped media material. Did you ever see Hu or Xi waiting for 10-15 minutes, tense and with eyes almost popping out during a critical orbit insertion maneuver? So yes., transparency matters a lot for civilian space programs.

I will leave it up to you to provide info in international space discussion thread on the research that is carried out by Chinese on their space station.

Moral of the story? Don't fall into the elitist trap.

Quoting cliche's is the new cliche now. Humility is fine., but excessive humility to the point of denigrating your own achievements is disastrous.

--------

This whole discussion started when one of the BRFite got hibbie-jibbies on missile length looking at Ukranian "space program". And did a complete whine here which was taken down articulately.

From this emerged some points., and a growing realization that India is standing at a cusp of new era while Chinese by their own H&D issues did a Kalidasa on their own space program.

Now if you are going to compare missile lengths., instead of giving data - give information. If you read my posts you will know what I mean.

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 17 Sep 2015 01:33

Some members here are quite apologetic for the very nation they belong to, self esteem issues perhaps. Anyways, lets steer the discussions back to where it belongs, newest developments in our space programme.

disha · Post by **disha** » 17 Sep 2015 01:59

^^ Once in a while you have to defend the space program. Some thing like all this mars orbiters is fine but what about maal-nutrition will crop up at every launch.
-------

The article from frontline and posted by Varoon'ji is *MUST READ*

http://www.frontline.in/science-and-tec ... epage=true

Some excerpts:

In the mid-1990s it was conceived as just a broadband X-ray astronomy satellite, covering both soft and hard X-ray regions, which itself would have made it state-of-the-art given the nature of other contemporary X-ray satellites. But its final design has evolved to extend the satellite’s reach to higher wavelengths by including the near ultraviolet (NUV), the far ultraviolet (FUV) and the visible as well (Figure 1). And that is where its uniqueness lies, which renders it a potential world-class observatory. More importantly, the performance characteristics of the slew of instruments and detectors that the satellite carries—in terms of angular, energy and timing resolutions—are competitive with, and in some respects better than, not just the currently operating X-ray satellites but some of the planned ones as well. Such a multi-wavelength platform would enable simultaneous observations on a given celestial object and the associated astrophysical phenomena across different wavelengths to gain a total perspective of the dynamics involved.

From conception to realization., Astrosat took 22 years. The toil that went into making that happen can only be stated as jaw-dropping incredible!

And of course workhorse PSLV-XL will have to launch this into a very very very precise equatorial orbit!!

Since GSLV is available., I think AstroSat-II with even bigger and larger instrument (and approaching some 3 tonnes) must be planned and realized. Hopefully from the experience they gained, they can have it orbit'ed by 2019/2020.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 17 Sep 2015 06:53

"From conception to realization., Astrosat took 22 years. The toil that went into making that happen can only be stated as jaw-dropping incredible!"

Yes, it really is incredible, and so heartening and inspiring. It is sure to be a successful launch and mission, and later make some wonderful observations and discoveries in the universe!

Let's see how the Canadian and British media report the matter. Not that it is so important, what the media jerks are saying. But since both these countries are traditionally institutionally anti-India to a fair degree, how and what they relay the news, will show if there's even a slight change in their attitudes. One thing is pretty certain, if the country in question were Japan, South Korea or even China, there would be more effusive reporting, about the wonderful collaboration( there are Canadian and British contributions to the Astrosat payloads) between Canada/Britain and the other country, to explore the 'mysteries of the night sky'. They tend to be more stand offish with India on these issues.

SSSalvi · Post by **SSSalvi** » 17 Sep 2015 07:00

Chinees have a space record on them.

They have created the LARGEST space debris cloud in the world with just a single 'satellite killer' pointed to their own Fengyu satellite.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 17 Sep 2015 07:54

ISRO needs to be funded better as it has proven to be better than world class. India needs heavy lift capability > 10 MT in GTO.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 Sep 2015 08:02

SSSalvi wrote:Chinees have a space record on them.

They have created the LARGEST space debris cloud in the world with just a single 'satellite killer' pointed to their own Fengyu satellite.

Thats the fundamental difference between the chinese communists and the indian republic. The former seem to think everything and anything is ok as long as it benefits them money wise or power wise. Environment, humanity be darned.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Sep 2015 08:44

hopefully their own space station or important satellites wont take a hit from the debris cloud they created.I heard some 10,000 individual pieces are still up there even a grain of sand can be fatal to equipment and humans due to the velocity.

if at all it was important to show their big swinging dick, least they could have done is fire the target sat thrusters one last time into a dead parking orbit like 1500km and hit it there. instead they hit in MEO polar orbit around 800km populated by many other sats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chin ... debris.jpg