Indian Space News thread.

[Indianfighter]

Israel to launch TauvexII aboard India's GSAT-4

Jerusalem, June 19 (PTI): Israel is likely to launch its 18.2 million USD-worth TauvexII scientific telescope for astronomical research of the galaxies aboard India's GSAT-4 satellite by mid next year.

"A delegation from ISRO recently visited Israel to review the progress in the project, including a short visit by its Chairman, and found that the progress is smooth and the telescope is close to integration stage", Director of Israel Space Agency (ISA), Zvi Kaplan said.

"A crew from El-op, which is supplying the camera and scientists from the Tel Aviv University will meet next month to start the process of integration and to check other technical aspects in the context of the whole system", Kaplan said.

The telescope was designed to be launched aboard a Russian launcher at a cost of 15 million USD and another 3.2 million USD is being spent to adopt it to the Indian launcher, sources at the ISA said.

The launch is a part of the agreement signed between ISA and ISRO for scientific cooperation between the two countries in the field of astronomy in the Ultra-Violet spectrum in December 2003 during the visit of then Science and Technology minister Eliezer Sandberg to India.

The TAUVEX II electro-optical space camera is for scientific exploration and comprises three telescopes for observation in the "ultra-violet" spectrum for astronomical research of the galaxies.

Research activities based on imagery received from the camera will be performed jointly by academic institutions in both India and Israel.

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[Indianfighter]

India gearing up for heaviest satellite launch​

Thursday, June 29, 2006

SRIHARIKOTA: India is set to break new ground in space field in the second week of July with the first-ever launch of an Insat-class satellite, the heaviest till date, for commercial gains from home soil.

Indian Space Research Organization officials are talking about a July 10-15 timeframe for the launch of insat-4C by a geo-synchronous launch vehicle from the spaceport here, giving a boost to direct-to-home television broadcast.

With preparations for the launch being done from the second launch pad, on the East coast of Andhra Pradesh, about 80 kms North of Chennai, It's for the first time that India's space agency is putting into space a two-ton class satellite. Equipped with 12 high-powered KU band transponders, the 2,180 kg spacecraft is designed for a mission life of 10 years.

ISRO officials say launch from a homegrown rocket meant cutting launch costs by one-third, if the same was to be launched from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana by an ariane vehicle; India has to pay 30 to 35 per cent more.

Analysts are also seeing insat-4C as another "cash-cow" for ISRO. All its transponders have been booked well in advance. ISRO is keen to ride the impending boom in the DTH services segment.

The 1950 kg EDUSAT was the first Insat-class satellite launched from home soil. Launched in September 2004, it was mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite-based distance education system.

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[Indianfighter]

Test on GSLV engine successful
Friday, June 30, 2006

PTI

Nagercoil: The liquefied thrust engine for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III, one of India’s most powerful satellite launch rockets, has been successfully tested, ISRO sources said on Thursday.

The test was carried out on Wednesday night by scientists at the Liquid Propulsions Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri near Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu.

Thus far, ISRO had been importing this engine. The successful test would enable India to manufacture its own liquid thrust engine in future and help save precious foreign exchange.

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[Indianfighter]

Satellite launch to rocket India into elite space club​

SRIHARIKOTA (ANDHRA PRADESH): Come mid-July, India will join the elite space club of a handful countries when it launches into space a satellite for the first time from an indigenous launch vehicle on its own soil.

The launch of the INSAT (Indian National Satellite)-4C satellite from the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV Mark-II) at the second launch pad in this space port on the Andhra coast will also "pitchfork India into the global launch vehicle market".

"The proposed launch will be path-breaking in the Indian space saga, as an indigenously built vehicle will be deploying the native satellite, carrying 12 Ku band transponders in the geo-stationary orbit, about 36,000 km from earth," Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) director M Annamalai said at a preview of the launch preparedness.

With the launch of INSAT-4C, India will be the sixth country to have the capability and domain expertise to design, develop and build its own launch vehicles and satellites for deployment in the geosynchronous and polar orbits.

"The other five countries in the elite space club are the US, Russia, Japan, China and the European Space Agency (ESA)."

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[Indianfighter]

Next to French Guiana, SHAR may emerge as the most favoured launch destination
Chitra V. Ramani

Sriharikota: With the past 11 missions being consecutive successes, Sriharikota may soon emerge as the most favoured destination to launch satellites, after French Guiana.

"We are working on a scheme which will facilitate four launches — two Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV) and two Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) — a year. This is the ideal launch frequency," said M. Annamalai, Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Sriharikota, popularly known as SHAR, had more facilities than French Guiana. The Indian spaceport had the capacity to launch commercially. "We are optimising on the cost factor with each mission. This year, with the next PSLV scheduled for September/October, we will be launching a satellite (Lapan) from Indonesia."

World-class launch pad

India was the second best destination for the eastern launch. "French Guiana is five degrees from the equator and SHAR is 13 degrees, which is pretty close. This means the vehicles can take more load. As one moves away from the equator, one has to ensure that the payload in the launch vehicle is not much for, to get into the right orbit, more thrust is required. We are reliable as we have a history of 11 successes. Also, the second launch pad is world-class. It will also prove cost-effective compared to French Guiana," Dr. Annamalai said.

Recovery experiment

Along with the Indonesian satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation is sending the Satellite Recovery Experiment (SRE).

The 650-kg recoverable satellite will be allowed to go into the orbit for 20-30 days. "It is an experiment to study the recovery aspects. The challenge is to ensure that the satellite does not burn out during re-entry," said an ISRO official.
The SRE would try to move the satellite away from the orbit and measure microgravity. "The data will be recovered when the capsule is recovered. The SRE will also test the thermal systems, deceleration system, guidance, etc," he said.

New facilities

For supporting the GSLV Mk III programme, a number of new facilities are being set up at SHAR.

Under the Rs. 2,500-crore programme, a new plant is being set up with state-of-the-art facilities to process heavier class boosters such as an S-200 booster (with 200 tonnes of solid propellant).

The other facilities include a solid stage assembly building, a technical complex, a spacecraft preparation facility for handling 4T class spacecraft, an S-200 hardware storage building, a flight hardware storage building, extension of the rail track from the existing vehicle assembly building to the proposed solid stage assembly building, earth storable and cryo propellant storage and filling systems and propellant servicing facilities.

Officials at SHAR said the range instrumentation system would be augmented with new facilities including radars, optical tracking systems, a mission control centre, real time computers and wind profilers.

"Most of the civil works under the project have been completed. We will have a trial of the booster in a few months. The project cost includes a substantial amount towards infrastructure development," said Dr. Annamalai.

Mk III programme

N. Satyanarayana, Project Director, Mk III, said the programme was slated for takeoff in 2008-09. More than 50 per cent of the works were completed at SHAR. The solid propellant plant was nearing completion. "It will be ready by the end of this year. The trials of propellant production will start soon, probably October onwards."

Industry participation

Over the past few years, SHAR had been encouraging industry participation, Dr. Satyanarayana said.

It had also floated tenders for setting up a few facilities. "ISRO will handle critical operations, while non-critical operations will be outsourced."

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[Indianfighter]

Cryogenic stage to be tested​

T.S. Subramanian

Vikas engine tested at Mahendragiri

CHENNAI: Preparations are on for the testing of an indigenous cryogenic stage by mid-August at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri, in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, said R.V. Perumal, Director, LPSC.

......

More powerful version


The GSLV-Mk III will be a more powerful version of the present GSLV. The first test on an indigenous cryogenic engine was conducted on February 16, 2000 on the foothills of Mahendragiri at the LPSC. Since then, several tests have been done, including a full-duration one for 1,000 seconds.

.........

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[Indianfighter]

INSAT 4C launch unsuccessful

Royden D' Souza

Monday, July 10, 2006 (Sriharikota):

In a big setback for India the launch of the INSAT 4C satellite has been unsuccessful.

It was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh a while back. But shortly after it lifted off, it veered off its projected path, exploding and reportedly falling into the sea.

It was the first satellite being launched from the Indian soil, which is why it would have been a big boost to the space programme.

If it had succeeded, the satellite would have increased capacity for direct-to-home satellite television services, meteorological imaging and digital pictures for improved mapping of the sub-continent.

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I saw the launch at 5:38 pm today. The rocket took off without any problem, but 1 minute after the launch, it veered off its vertical course and then eventually started falling down and exploded.
The director of ISRO stated that, "it was a mishap in the first stage itself". There are speculations that the problem might have been in the strap-on boosters of the GSLV rocket.

 

[Indianfighter]

ISRO gets ready for next launch​

13 Jul, 2006 1128hrs

BANGALORE: Undeterred by the failure of Monday's satellite launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will go ahead with its next scheduled launch later this year and also carry on with its space programmes as planned.

"There is no change in our future launch programmes. As scheduled, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will be launched by this year-end to deploy Cartosat-2, an Indonesian remote-sensing satellite and a space recovery capsule in lower orbits," a top ISRO official said.

Unlike Monday's aborted Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) mission, the PSLV will take off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, off the Andhra coast.

Preparations are under way to assemble the 295-tonne PSLV to carry the three payloads, weighing about 1.3 tonnes collectively.

..........

"We are planning to launch the PSLV between October and December this year. The launch schedule will be decided once we receive the payloads and integrate them with the 44-metre rocket," said the official, whose organisation's rules do not permit his being identified.

"While the 610-kg space recovery capsule will be built at Sriharikota and the 660-kg Cartosat-2 at our satellite centre in Bangalore, the 56-kg Indonesian mini-satellite, christened Lapan TubSat, will be shipped from Jakarta," he said.

The space recovery capsule will perform micro-gravity experiments in space and descend into the earth's atmosphere after 10-20 days in orbit to plunge into the Bay of Bengal for recovery by the Indian Navy. The experiments will enable the Indian space agency to master the re-entry technology and re-useable rockets.

Cartosat-2 is an advanced remote-sensing satellite with a resolution of one metre for imageries and a swath of about 10 km. Its cameras can provide scene-specific spot imageries for cartographic and a host of other applications.

"Our plans to launch INSAT-4B, the second satellite in the INSAT-4 series, from Kourou in French Guiana on board the Ariane vehicle during February or March 2007 also remain unchanged," the official said.

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[Indianfighter]

ISRO bags contracts to build satellites
[ 10 Aug, 2006 1610hrs IST PTI ]

NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has bagged commercial contracts to build two communication satellites for European customers.

Giving the information in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan said ISRO, through its commercial arm ANTRIX Corporation, has bagged the contracts.

ANTRIX, he said, has also entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with EADS Astrium, a leading global satellite manufacturer based in Europe, to jointly manufacture and market communication satellites for the global market.

Launch vehicle: Efforts are being made to indigenously develop technology for making a reusable launch vehicle and studies in the area have already been launched.

As a first step towards realisation of a reusable launch vehicle, a number of studies in the areas of re-entry and recovery of space modules, air-breathing propulsion and winged body hypersonic flight technology demonstration missions have been taken up, Chavan told the House in reply to another query.

The use of reusable launch vehicles is expected to substantially reduce the cost of access to space, he said.

Chavan also said 70 per cent of the ISRO budget is spent on R&D.

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[Indianfighter]

Feasibility of nuclear propulsion for spacecraft under study

"Could be used for long duration inter-planetary missions"

MUMBAI: Scientists are deliberating on the feasibility of nuclear propulsion for spacecraft.

The scientists and engineers of the Department of Space and Department of Atomic Energy are working on the concept, according to the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G. Madhavan Nair.

He indicated this in his address as the chief guest of the graduation function of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Training School here on Thursday.

Later talking to media persons, Dr. Nair said that the conventional fuels used for launching spacecraft were safe and provided the required thrust level, but nuclear fuels could be used in lower orbit thrust for providing the force and drive required for long distance and long duration inter-planetary missions.

"This is a cheap and quick way of doing it,"[/b] he said. Scientists of both the establishments have started exchanging ideas. Another advantage seen is that the spacecraft would not be required to carry large amounts of conventional fuels if a nuclear reactor onboard provides the energy thrusts.

Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said, "what starts as a concept could be a reality."

Moon mission

But this is not the only meeting point between the space and nuclear sciences. The ISRO wants to open another vista of nuclear fuel supply for future power plants. Dr. Nair told the passing out trainee scientific officers of BARC after felicitating the toppers that its moon mission, Chandrayaan-1 scheduled to take off in 2008 for remote sensing of the earth's satellite while orbiting it, would look for helium-3 on the moon. That could be the fuel for futuristic nuclear power plants.

He told reporters that cosmic activities did shower helium-3 on the moon and some of this could have been absorbed and got deposited on it. The Chandrayaan-1 will probe the matter and collect data on the helium-3 deposits.

Dr. Kakodkar said that humans had been dependent on terrestrial resources for meeting their energy needs but time would come to look beyond the earth for getting extras-terrestrial supplies. "These efforts will be in the larger interests of the human civilisation," he said.

Tracking lunar orbital

The BARC and Electronics Corporation of India have fabricated an antenna for tracking the lunar orbital. Dr. Nair said that preparations for the lunar mission were on schedule and right now ISRO and its associate organisations were busy building instruments needed for it.

He said that launching of a polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) — carrying an advanced mapping satellite, Cartosat-2 and an Indonesian satellite — was scheduled to be launched in the second fortnight of October from Sriharikota. The ISRO is expected to try some of the technologies that go in reusable launch vehicles.

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