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Indian Space Capabilities
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ISRO to launch GSLV with cryo engine within an year
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 26 (PTI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a GSLV flight using indigenously developed cryogenic engine within a year after it failed in its attempt to do so earlier, its Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today. "Preparations are on to launch the flight with indigenously developed cryogenic technology within one year," he told reporters here. He said the probe into the failure of GSLV D-3 mission earlier this year was in different stages of progress and some minute details that led to the failure were yet to be identified. Failures were normal in experimental phases, he added. On recently launched PSLV-16, he said the CARTOSAT put into the orbit by the flight was functioning well satisfying all the parameters. With this successful launch, the space agency had been getting a lot of offers from various countries for carrying their payloads, he said. Radhakrishnan said ISRO was also engaged in developing satellites for the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System and it was expected to be completed within two years. He said more PSLV will be launched within the next few months. Radhakrishnan, who arrived here after the successful launch of PSLV 16, was given a reception by the scientists and officials of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he served as Director before becoming the chairman of ISRO.
ISRO to launch GSLV with cryo engine within an year, IBN Live News
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 26 (PTI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a GSLV flight using indigenously developed cryogenic engine within a year after it failed in its attempt to do so earlier, its Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today. "Preparations are on to launch the flight with indigenously developed cryogenic technology within one year," he told reporters here. He said the probe into the failure of GSLV D-3 mission earlier this year was in different stages of progress and some minute details that led to the failure were yet to be identified. Failures were normal in experimental phases, he added. On recently launched PSLV-16, he said the CARTOSAT put into the orbit by the flight was functioning well satisfying all the parameters. With this successful launch, the space agency had been getting a lot of offers from various countries for carrying their payloads, he said. Radhakrishnan said ISRO was also engaged in developing satellites for the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System and it was expected to be completed within two years. He said more PSLV will be launched within the next few months. Radhakrishnan, who arrived here after the successful launch of PSLV 16, was given a reception by the scientists and officials of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he served as Director before becoming the chairman of ISRO.
ISRO to launch GSLV with cryo engine within an year, IBN Live News
sudhir007
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The Hindu : Front Page : Chandrayaan-2 payloads to be decided next month
Bangalore: The mission goal of India's second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, will be clearer next month when a meeting will decide upon the payloads, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) director S.K. Shivakumar, said here on Monday.
A meeting here on August 3 would finalise Chandrayaan-2's scientific instruments, which together would weigh between 30 and 35 kg, said Dr. Shivakumar in a lecture on “Chandrayaan-Deep Space Network,” organised by the Institute of Engineers.
“The payloads are currently going through the process of short-listing,” he said.
Dr. Shivakumar said the probe would “take forward” some of the accomplishments of Chandrayaan-1, which had famously established the presence of water on the moon.
Chandrayaan-2, scheduled for a 2012 launch, would have an Indian-made orbiter and rover (to move on the moon's surface and collect soil samples), and a Russian lander.
Three-dimensional map
The data collected from Chandrayaan-1 continued to be analysed and a three-dimensional map of the lunar surface was being created with information received from the Terrain Mapping Camera, one of its 11 payloads, Dr. Shivakumar said.
Retracing the origins of ISRO's ambitious Indian Deep Space Network established in Byalalu (on the outskirts of Bangalore), Dr. Shivakumar said its giant 32-metre antenna had tracked the European Space Agency's missions to Venus and Mars.
“All calculations show that the antenna will successfully track India's Mars mission,” he added.
Bangalore: The mission goal of India's second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, will be clearer next month when a meeting will decide upon the payloads, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) director S.K. Shivakumar, said here on Monday.
A meeting here on August 3 would finalise Chandrayaan-2's scientific instruments, which together would weigh between 30 and 35 kg, said Dr. Shivakumar in a lecture on “Chandrayaan-Deep Space Network,” organised by the Institute of Engineers.
“The payloads are currently going through the process of short-listing,” he said.
Dr. Shivakumar said the probe would “take forward” some of the accomplishments of Chandrayaan-1, which had famously established the presence of water on the moon.
Chandrayaan-2, scheduled for a 2012 launch, would have an Indian-made orbiter and rover (to move on the moon's surface and collect soil samples), and a Russian lander.
Three-dimensional map
The data collected from Chandrayaan-1 continued to be analysed and a three-dimensional map of the lunar surface was being created with information received from the Terrain Mapping Camera, one of its 11 payloads, Dr. Shivakumar said.
Retracing the origins of ISRO's ambitious Indian Deep Space Network established in Byalalu (on the outskirts of Bangalore), Dr. Shivakumar said its giant 32-metre antenna had tracked the European Space Agency's missions to Venus and Mars.
“All calculations show that the antenna will successfully track India's Mars mission,” he added.
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How APJ Abdul Kalam finished mission impossible
Are leaders born?No. Leadership is all about creativity and learning to grapple with failure and success, as former president APJ Abdul Kalam learnt in the course of becoming a leader of the nations scientific community and later of the nation itself.
Kalam headed the Satellite Launch Vehicle mission when it was first attempted in 1979. The mission failed. Kalam did not have any explaining to do as his boss fielded all the questions at the press conference that ensued. But the next mission in 1980 was bang on, and this time Kalam was allowed to announce it to the world.
A creative leader gives credit to his team when there is success, and when there is failure he absorbs it, Kalam said, recalling his days in the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)while delivering a talk on leadership on the campus of SAP Labs in Whitefield on Friday. The global software applications developer had invited Kalam to speak to its employees and motivate them.
Pointing out the difference between how leadership was perceived a decade back and how it changed later, Kalam said that competitiveness was the key to success and it was important for one to work and succeed with integrity. He said vision, power of travelling to the unexplored depths, management skills, courage, nobility, transparency in action and to work and succeed with integrity were a few concrete qualities that make a leader.
Kalam recalled the best advice he had received when in Isro.
One should not let problem be the captain of ones ship. One should be the captain of the problem and defeat and overcome it.
Asserting that pressure could sometimes create wonders, he recalled how, as an aeronautical engineering student, he had to design a low-level aircraft under a nine-month project. The design he had developed after labouring for seven months was rejected and he was told that if he failed to come up with a successful design in three days his scholarship would be in soup. Kalam and his five batchmates lost their sleep and food for the next three days and came up with another design that was appreciated and accepted. He said the experience taught him how valuable time was, as he could accomplish in three days something for which nine months had been reserved
DNA: Bangalore - How APJ Abdul Kalam finished mission impossible
Are leaders born?No. Leadership is all about creativity and learning to grapple with failure and success, as former president APJ Abdul Kalam learnt in the course of becoming a leader of the nations scientific community and later of the nation itself.
Kalam headed the Satellite Launch Vehicle mission when it was first attempted in 1979. The mission failed. Kalam did not have any explaining to do as his boss fielded all the questions at the press conference that ensued. But the next mission in 1980 was bang on, and this time Kalam was allowed to announce it to the world.
A creative leader gives credit to his team when there is success, and when there is failure he absorbs it, Kalam said, recalling his days in the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)while delivering a talk on leadership on the campus of SAP Labs in Whitefield on Friday. The global software applications developer had invited Kalam to speak to its employees and motivate them.
Pointing out the difference between how leadership was perceived a decade back and how it changed later, Kalam said that competitiveness was the key to success and it was important for one to work and succeed with integrity. He said vision, power of travelling to the unexplored depths, management skills, courage, nobility, transparency in action and to work and succeed with integrity were a few concrete qualities that make a leader.
Kalam recalled the best advice he had received when in Isro.
One should not let problem be the captain of ones ship. One should be the captain of the problem and defeat and overcome it.
Asserting that pressure could sometimes create wonders, he recalled how, as an aeronautical engineering student, he had to design a low-level aircraft under a nine-month project. The design he had developed after labouring for seven months was rejected and he was told that if he failed to come up with a successful design in three days his scholarship would be in soup. Kalam and his five batchmates lost their sleep and food for the next three days and came up with another design that was appreciated and accepted. He said the experience taught him how valuable time was, as he could accomplish in three days something for which nine months had been reserved
DNA: Bangalore - How APJ Abdul Kalam finished mission impossible
ISRO space exhibition at TIST
TocH Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) is organising a three-day exhibition on its campus at Arakkunnam, from August 4 to 6 in association with the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO).
The exhibition on India in Space is being organised by the colleges Science Club. The exhibition will be open for the students of professional colleges, high schools and higher secondary schools and for the general public from 9 AM.
For convenience, security and orderly conduct of the programme, entry for the students from the professional colleges and schools will be allotted time-slots. The last day of the exhibition will be open for the general public.
The exhibition will be a kaleidoscope of various Indian space programmes and milestones, video presentations, cryogenic engines, models and miniatures of Chandrayaan, PSLV, GSLV etc, and many more.
Interactive sessions with the senior scientists of ISRO are also proposed during the three-day programme.
The student Forum for Higher Thinking (FHT) of TIST has arranged talks and debate sessions with the participation of interested students on the subject Independence of India on Space, Science and Technology.
Interested professional colleges and schools can call 0484-2749600, 2748388 before Friday 4 p.m. for registration so that convenient time-slots can be allotted to them. The entry is free.
ISRO space exhibition at TIST | ISRO | TIST | Indian Express
TocH Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) is organising a three-day exhibition on its campus at Arakkunnam, from August 4 to 6 in association with the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO).
The exhibition on India in Space is being organised by the colleges Science Club. The exhibition will be open for the students of professional colleges, high schools and higher secondary schools and for the general public from 9 AM.
For convenience, security and orderly conduct of the programme, entry for the students from the professional colleges and schools will be allotted time-slots. The last day of the exhibition will be open for the general public.
The exhibition will be a kaleidoscope of various Indian space programmes and milestones, video presentations, cryogenic engines, models and miniatures of Chandrayaan, PSLV, GSLV etc, and many more.
Interactive sessions with the senior scientists of ISRO are also proposed during the three-day programme.
The student Forum for Higher Thinking (FHT) of TIST has arranged talks and debate sessions with the participation of interested students on the subject Independence of India on Space, Science and Technology.
Interested professional colleges and schools can call 0484-2749600, 2748388 before Friday 4 p.m. for registration so that convenient time-slots can be allotted to them. The entry is free.
ISRO space exhibition at TIST | ISRO | TIST | Indian Express
sudhir007
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Space services may come under tax net, News - City - Bangalore Mirror,Bangalore Mirror
How about collecting tax for transactions in space, for instance, renting out services 40,000 km above the earth? Well, all eyes will be on Supreme Court’s verdict this month in a case relating to the renting out of satellite services.
The SC will deliver the judgement in a case in which Karnataka is demanding that Antrix Corporation, a commercial arm of ISRO, pay Rs 391 crore for renting its services.
The commercial tax department has asked Antrix to cough up VAT (value added tax) at the rate of 12.5 per cent for services used by the communication channels to uplink or downlink data via satellites, INSAT 3A,3B, 3C and 3E.
Being one of the most high-profile cases fought by the government with none less than Advocate General Ashok Harnahalli representing Karnataka, the SC doesn’t have a precedence: It hasn’t handled such a case before.
In its July 17 order, the tax body has demanded Rs 180 crore as tax from Antrix for the period August 2008 to March 2010.
Earlier, the department had issued a notice to the company demanding Rs 210 crore for the period April 2005 to July 2008 on which the apex court will decide this month.
The state government’s contention is that the agreements between Antrix and its partner firms for the lease of satellite transponders took place in Karnataka. As these services were bought at a price, the department has levied the VAT.
Assistant commissioner of commercial taxes, enforcement wing, Thontadarya who went into the audit of Antrix’s agreement
deals, found the firm had collected satellite segment charges, access fee and royalty charges from the communication channels.
“Leasing of bandwidth in space segment amounts to sale of goods. Since all agreements for leasing out transponders are entered into in Karnataka, it amounts to sale,” says the tax department order.
On the other hand, Antrix seems quite prepared since its agreements have a clause that reads thus,
“The parties hereto agree that if any commercial or service tax leviable by government authority on providing the leased capacity, then all such taxes shall be borne by the customer”.
Antrix’s senior counsel V Sridharan of Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Associates said, “Like telephone companies using telecommunication network to provide service to the customer, Antrix also has a similar operation. Hence, the company is paying service tax. Since there is no transfer of right to use goods, there can be no sales tax involved. Same transaction cannot be subjected to both VAT and service tax.”
How about collecting tax for transactions in space, for instance, renting out services 40,000 km above the earth? Well, all eyes will be on Supreme Court’s verdict this month in a case relating to the renting out of satellite services.
The SC will deliver the judgement in a case in which Karnataka is demanding that Antrix Corporation, a commercial arm of ISRO, pay Rs 391 crore for renting its services.
The commercial tax department has asked Antrix to cough up VAT (value added tax) at the rate of 12.5 per cent for services used by the communication channels to uplink or downlink data via satellites, INSAT 3A,3B, 3C and 3E.
Being one of the most high-profile cases fought by the government with none less than Advocate General Ashok Harnahalli representing Karnataka, the SC doesn’t have a precedence: It hasn’t handled such a case before.
In its July 17 order, the tax body has demanded Rs 180 crore as tax from Antrix for the period August 2008 to March 2010.
Earlier, the department had issued a notice to the company demanding Rs 210 crore for the period April 2005 to July 2008 on which the apex court will decide this month.
The state government’s contention is that the agreements between Antrix and its partner firms for the lease of satellite transponders took place in Karnataka. As these services were bought at a price, the department has levied the VAT.
Assistant commissioner of commercial taxes, enforcement wing, Thontadarya who went into the audit of Antrix’s agreement
deals, found the firm had collected satellite segment charges, access fee and royalty charges from the communication channels.
“Leasing of bandwidth in space segment amounts to sale of goods. Since all agreements for leasing out transponders are entered into in Karnataka, it amounts to sale,” says the tax department order.
On the other hand, Antrix seems quite prepared since its agreements have a clause that reads thus,
“The parties hereto agree that if any commercial or service tax leviable by government authority on providing the leased capacity, then all such taxes shall be borne by the customer”.
Antrix’s senior counsel V Sridharan of Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Associates said, “Like telephone companies using telecommunication network to provide service to the customer, Antrix also has a similar operation. Hence, the company is paying service tax. Since there is no transfer of right to use goods, there can be no sales tax involved. Same transaction cannot be subjected to both VAT and service tax.”
he ISRO has selected Arianespace to launch the organization's GSAT 10 communications satellite. The launch is slated for the first quarter of 2012, using an Ariane 5, and will take place at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport, in Kourou, French Guiana. GSAT 10 will be the 15th ISRO satellite to use the European launcher. Starting with the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date. Arianespace has another Indian satellite in its order book, INSAT 4G (GSAT-8).
GSAT 10 is designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO. Weighing about 3,425 kg. at launch, it has payloads for communications, navigation and broadcasting (DTH). Positioned at 83 degrees East, its primary payload comprises 12 Ku-, 12 C- and 12 Extended C-band transponders. GSAT 10 coverage zone will include the entire Indian sub-continent. The satellite's design life exceeds 15 years.
Arianespace + ISRO... The 15th Is Booked (Launch) : Satnews Publishers
GSAT 10 is designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO. Weighing about 3,425 kg. at launch, it has payloads for communications, navigation and broadcasting (DTH). Positioned at 83 degrees East, its primary payload comprises 12 Ku-, 12 C- and 12 Extended C-band transponders. GSAT 10 coverage zone will include the entire Indian sub-continent. The satellite's design life exceeds 15 years.
Arianespace + ISRO... The 15th Is Booked (Launch) : Satnews Publishers
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The first fallout of our GSLV failure. Ok, move on and try again.he ISRO has selected Arianespace to launch the organization's GSAT 10 communications satellite. The launch is slated for the first quarter of 2012, using an Ariane 5, and will take place at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport, in Kourou, French Guiana. GSAT 10 will be the 15th ISRO satellite to use the European launcher. Starting with the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date. Arianespace has another Indian satellite in its order book, INSAT 4G (GSAT-8).
GSAT 10 is designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO. Weighing about 3,425 kg. at launch, it has payloads for communications, navigation and broadcasting (DTH). Positioned at 83 degrees East, its primary payload comprises 12 Ku-, 12 C- and 12 Extended C-band transponders. GSAT 10 coverage zone will include the entire Indian sub-continent. The satellite's design life exceeds 15 years.
Arianespace + ISRO... The 15th Is Booked (Launch) : Satnews Publishers
PRL announces VSR awards for four scientists
The PRL award for the year will be given to Dr A K Patra from the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki (Andhra Pradesh) for his contributions toward understanding the coupling between middle atmosphere and lower theromsphere processes and elucidating the role of gravity waves in neutral atmosphere dynamics., the release said. Each award carries a medal and cash price of Rs 50,000 and will be presented in a ceremony on August 12 by ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan.
PRL announces VSR awards for four scientists, IBN Live News
The PRL award for the year will be given to Dr A K Patra from the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki (Andhra Pradesh) for his contributions toward understanding the coupling between middle atmosphere and lower theromsphere processes and elucidating the role of gravity waves in neutral atmosphere dynamics., the release said. Each award carries a medal and cash price of Rs 50,000 and will be presented in a ceremony on August 12 by ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan.
PRL announces VSR awards for four scientists, IBN Live News
Choppers
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India to launch satellite-based navigation system GAGAN
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, August 09, 2010First Published: 20:23 IST(9/8/2010)
A satellite-based navigation system to aid air traffic from Southeast Asia to Africa, including over the high seas in the vast region, would be launched tomorrow, placing India into a select group of nations which possess such a sophisticated technology. GAGAN or the GPS Aided Geo Augmented
Navigation to be launched by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel would not only help the civil aviation sector but also help in marine navigation, search and rescue operations, rail and road transport, survey and mapping as well as precision farming.
So far, only the US, Europe and Japan have developed similar capabilities. GAGAN would fill the gap between the European EGNOS and the Japanese MSAS systems to provide seamless air navigation service across regional boundaries, an official spokesperson said.
The system, developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India, would operationalise a satellite-based Indian Flight Information Region in conjunction with all nations from Southeast Asia, Gulf and West Asia and the eastern coast of Africa.
It would be based on a satellite constellation consisting of 24 satellites positioned in six earth-centered orbital planes, she said.
When commissioned, GAGAN is expected to provide civil aeronautical navigation signals consistent with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Panel, as part of the Future Air Navigation System for the aviation sector.
GAGAN would benefit the sector in a major way, including enabling aircraft to fly on direct straight-line routes.
Currently, the planes fly over the land-based radars which are not installed in a straight line. GAGAN would help them navigate on a straight line as it is dependent on satellite route guidance and thus enhance fuel savings.
The system would help in 'precision approach' while landing at all airports in this vast region.
It would not only result in savings on ground-based radar systems, but also improve air traffic capacity through reduced aircraft separation, that is more planes can be accommodated in a limited airspace.
GAGAN would also enhance air-to-air surveillane and provide minimum safe altitude warning, besides facilities for controlled flight into terrain, the absence of which becomes a major cause for aircrashes while landing.
The project involves establishment of 15 Indian Reference Stations, three Indian Navigation Land Uplink Stations, three Indian Mission Control Centers and installation of all associated softwares and communication links.
India to launch satellite-based navigation system GAGAN - Hindustan Times
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, August 09, 2010First Published: 20:23 IST(9/8/2010)
A satellite-based navigation system to aid air traffic from Southeast Asia to Africa, including over the high seas in the vast region, would be launched tomorrow, placing India into a select group of nations which possess such a sophisticated technology. GAGAN or the GPS Aided Geo Augmented
Navigation to be launched by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel would not only help the civil aviation sector but also help in marine navigation, search and rescue operations, rail and road transport, survey and mapping as well as precision farming.
So far, only the US, Europe and Japan have developed similar capabilities. GAGAN would fill the gap between the European EGNOS and the Japanese MSAS systems to provide seamless air navigation service across regional boundaries, an official spokesperson said.
The system, developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India, would operationalise a satellite-based Indian Flight Information Region in conjunction with all nations from Southeast Asia, Gulf and West Asia and the eastern coast of Africa.
It would be based on a satellite constellation consisting of 24 satellites positioned in six earth-centered orbital planes, she said.
When commissioned, GAGAN is expected to provide civil aeronautical navigation signals consistent with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Panel, as part of the Future Air Navigation System for the aviation sector.
GAGAN would benefit the sector in a major way, including enabling aircraft to fly on direct straight-line routes.
Currently, the planes fly over the land-based radars which are not installed in a straight line. GAGAN would help them navigate on a straight line as it is dependent on satellite route guidance and thus enhance fuel savings.
The system would help in 'precision approach' while landing at all airports in this vast region.
It would not only result in savings on ground-based radar systems, but also improve air traffic capacity through reduced aircraft separation, that is more planes can be accommodated in a limited airspace.
GAGAN would also enhance air-to-air surveillane and provide minimum safe altitude warning, besides facilities for controlled flight into terrain, the absence of which becomes a major cause for aircrashes while landing.
The project involves establishment of 15 Indian Reference Stations, three Indian Navigation Land Uplink Stations, three Indian Mission Control Centers and installation of all associated softwares and communication links.
India to launch satellite-based navigation system GAGAN - Hindustan Times
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Hey Everybody i really thank you all for posting all this information
i had started this forum four days ago just out of curiosity...and i have completed it today.. and really it was great having everything from happiness, success stories, sarcasm..etc ..
Thank you to everyone for their posts... and making this forum lovable...keep posting
even to you shchinese...it was good to see your bad jokes...
i had started this forum four days ago just out of curiosity...and i have completed it today.. and really it was great having everything from happiness, success stories, sarcasm..etc ..
Thank you to everyone for their posts... and making this forum lovable...keep posting
even to you shchinese...it was good to see your bad jokes...
jha
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Public interest in space, by the numbers
The media coverage of the recent World Cup has again led to commentators asking why soccer is far and away the number one sport in the world, but not in America. Often, this question leads into a rant about the wrong-headedness of either America or the world in other matters, or the relative merits of various sports. It probably is true that soccer is number one in the world as a whole, and it is definitely not in the US. But, to do an apples-to-apples comparison, how does America compare to other nations, as opposed to the planet as a whole, on soccer enthusiasm?
Soccer popularity by nation is a challenging question; popularity is hard to define, (Participants? People who watch from the stands? On TV?), and good comparative numbers do not seem to exist. National sport popularity is so contentious that a Wikipedia page that attempted to list sport popularity by country has been repeatedly deleted and reinstated. Of the other sources that attempt rank sport popularity by country, most are battlefields for flame wars, or make claims that are impossible to believe (One out of every six people, including infants, toddlers and the aged, play volleyball, on a regular basis?), although some of it could be considered educational. (Who knew that Kilikiti was big in Tuvalu?)
International aspects of space are also in the news, with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s interview on Al Jazeera (see “The real message of a controversial statement”, The Space Review, July 19, 2010), and the White House release of space policy that again highlights international cooperation, both as an instrument for international relations, as well as a necessity for funding future space activities (see “Parsing the policy”, The Space Review, August 2, 2010). This raises the question, how popular is space around the world?
Direct measurement of space popularity is even more challenging than soccer popularity. The spending on space by various national governments could be a proxy for popularity. There are two reasons to adopt this measure. First, at least for the world’s democracies, politicians have to take the popularity of various government efforts into account when spending money, or risk being voted out of office. Authoritarian governments face a different calculus, of course. If a government can get away with criminalizing unrelated men and women holding hands in public, or so restrict access to food that the average citizen’s height is affected, well, it’s probably best to leave places like Iran and North Korea out of this analysis.
The second (and perhaps most important) reason for using government spend on space as a measure of popularity is that someone else has done the heavy lifting of assembling credible comparative data. Euroconsult has released figures for governmental spending on space, combining military and civilian programs for 2009, for the world.
At first glance, this can be read as an argument for American Exceptionalism from just two data points: US governmental spending on space of almost $49 billion versus total world governmental spending of $68 billion. America was thus responsible for about 72% of the worldwide governmental space spending. ESA nations, including national programs as well as ESA contributions, came in at $7.8 billion, for 11.5% of the total. And Russia was at $2.7 billion, just behind Japan.
National space spending by GDP and per capita
Although interesting, this doesn’t get to popularity, as different countries have different levels of resources they can spend on anything, including spaceflight. Using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of available national resources, American space spending was about 0.34% of its $14.3 trillion GDP (which represents about 25% of the world’s total $58 trillion GDP). Other national spending on space compared to GDP includes Russia at 0.23%, India at 0.07%, Japan at 0.06%, and China at 0.04%. Looking at these numbers, one could perhaps infer that the popularity of space in America led to a commitment to space that is 50% greater than Russia’s, and five times as great as India’s, and that India and Japan have roughly equivalent commitments and popularity for space.
Along with differing GDPs, nations also have differing populations, with the combination of China and India alone having about 37% of the world in their borders, while the US has 5%. Calculating government spending per capita on space puts the US at $158, Japan at $24, Russia at $20, China at $1.50, and India at $0.75. The spending of ESA nations present a greater challenge to make comparable to the world, given factors such as the composition of the ESA and the EU are not the same, and the nation where ESA funding comes from and where the money gets spent are not identical. But for ESA members, looking at their contributions to ESA as well as non-ESA space spending, some numbers per capita are $35 for France, $18 for Italy, $14 for Germany, $15 for Sweden, with the English at $6. Using these numbers, it looks like Japan’s commitment to space is more than thirty times as great as India’s, and the American commitment is more than six times greater than the Japanese commitment.
India beyond the numbers
However, either of these measures, by GDP or per capita, miss the issue that comes up in many debates about space spending, that of other competing national needs. As an example, the World Health Organization estimates that 665 million Indians currently defecate in the open (they have no access to toilets). That’s more than twice the entire US population without access to a toilet. Even in the grip of the Cold War, would America have joined the Soviets in a space race without pervasive indoor plumbing, to say nothing of just toilet access?
There are other non-numeric indicators of the popularity of space in India. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, an aerospace engineer widely known as the “Missile Man of India”, was able to use that as a springboard to become president of India, a largely ceremonial position; could any former NASA administrator even have contemplated becoming President—or any other major elected office—based on their space agency experience? And, at the recent International Space Development Conference in Chicago, more students from India were in attendance to present space settlement designs than any other country, including the US.
To return to the numbers, if GDP is adjusted by subtracting out $2.75 a day per person, as a proxy for basic living needs, India’s space spending is world-leading at 1.85% of this adjusted GDP. The US is now at 0.35%, Russia at 0.26%, and China and Japan both come in at 0.06%. And, for the quarter of India’s population (a number roughly equivalent to the US population) that lives below the world poverty standard of $1 a day, $2.75 would be a spectacular boon.
The Indian commitment to space, as evidenced by the people continuing to elect governments that spend the amount of available resources on space in the face of other needs, is spectacular and unmatched in the world. If the rest of the world poured cash into space with even a fraction of that commitment, would you be reading The Space Review in your O’Neill colony home, or glancing at it after buying T-shirts for the kids from a kiosk at Titan’s spaceport, after a diving vacation?
The media coverage of the recent World Cup has again led to commentators asking why soccer is far and away the number one sport in the world, but not in America. Often, this question leads into a rant about the wrong-headedness of either America or the world in other matters, or the relative merits of various sports. It probably is true that soccer is number one in the world as a whole, and it is definitely not in the US. But, to do an apples-to-apples comparison, how does America compare to other nations, as opposed to the planet as a whole, on soccer enthusiasm?
Soccer popularity by nation is a challenging question; popularity is hard to define, (Participants? People who watch from the stands? On TV?), and good comparative numbers do not seem to exist. National sport popularity is so contentious that a Wikipedia page that attempted to list sport popularity by country has been repeatedly deleted and reinstated. Of the other sources that attempt rank sport popularity by country, most are battlefields for flame wars, or make claims that are impossible to believe (One out of every six people, including infants, toddlers and the aged, play volleyball, on a regular basis?), although some of it could be considered educational. (Who knew that Kilikiti was big in Tuvalu?)
International aspects of space are also in the news, with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s interview on Al Jazeera (see “The real message of a controversial statement”, The Space Review, July 19, 2010), and the White House release of space policy that again highlights international cooperation, both as an instrument for international relations, as well as a necessity for funding future space activities (see “Parsing the policy”, The Space Review, August 2, 2010). This raises the question, how popular is space around the world?
Direct measurement of space popularity is even more challenging than soccer popularity. The spending on space by various national governments could be a proxy for popularity. There are two reasons to adopt this measure. First, at least for the world’s democracies, politicians have to take the popularity of various government efforts into account when spending money, or risk being voted out of office. Authoritarian governments face a different calculus, of course. If a government can get away with criminalizing unrelated men and women holding hands in public, or so restrict access to food that the average citizen’s height is affected, well, it’s probably best to leave places like Iran and North Korea out of this analysis.
The second (and perhaps most important) reason for using government spend on space as a measure of popularity is that someone else has done the heavy lifting of assembling credible comparative data. Euroconsult has released figures for governmental spending on space, combining military and civilian programs for 2009, for the world.
At first glance, this can be read as an argument for American Exceptionalism from just two data points: US governmental spending on space of almost $49 billion versus total world governmental spending of $68 billion. America was thus responsible for about 72% of the worldwide governmental space spending. ESA nations, including national programs as well as ESA contributions, came in at $7.8 billion, for 11.5% of the total. And Russia was at $2.7 billion, just behind Japan.
National space spending by GDP and per capita
Although interesting, this doesn’t get to popularity, as different countries have different levels of resources they can spend on anything, including spaceflight. Using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of available national resources, American space spending was about 0.34% of its $14.3 trillion GDP (which represents about 25% of the world’s total $58 trillion GDP). Other national spending on space compared to GDP includes Russia at 0.23%, India at 0.07%, Japan at 0.06%, and China at 0.04%. Looking at these numbers, one could perhaps infer that the popularity of space in America led to a commitment to space that is 50% greater than Russia’s, and five times as great as India’s, and that India and Japan have roughly equivalent commitments and popularity for space.
Along with differing GDPs, nations also have differing populations, with the combination of China and India alone having about 37% of the world in their borders, while the US has 5%. Calculating government spending per capita on space puts the US at $158, Japan at $24, Russia at $20, China at $1.50, and India at $0.75. The spending of ESA nations present a greater challenge to make comparable to the world, given factors such as the composition of the ESA and the EU are not the same, and the nation where ESA funding comes from and where the money gets spent are not identical. But for ESA members, looking at their contributions to ESA as well as non-ESA space spending, some numbers per capita are $35 for France, $18 for Italy, $14 for Germany, $15 for Sweden, with the English at $6. Using these numbers, it looks like Japan’s commitment to space is more than thirty times as great as India’s, and the American commitment is more than six times greater than the Japanese commitment.
India beyond the numbers
However, either of these measures, by GDP or per capita, miss the issue that comes up in many debates about space spending, that of other competing national needs. As an example, the World Health Organization estimates that 665 million Indians currently defecate in the open (they have no access to toilets). That’s more than twice the entire US population without access to a toilet. Even in the grip of the Cold War, would America have joined the Soviets in a space race without pervasive indoor plumbing, to say nothing of just toilet access?
There are other non-numeric indicators of the popularity of space in India. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, an aerospace engineer widely known as the “Missile Man of India”, was able to use that as a springboard to become president of India, a largely ceremonial position; could any former NASA administrator even have contemplated becoming President—or any other major elected office—based on their space agency experience? And, at the recent International Space Development Conference in Chicago, more students from India were in attendance to present space settlement designs than any other country, including the US.
To return to the numbers, if GDP is adjusted by subtracting out $2.75 a day per person, as a proxy for basic living needs, India’s space spending is world-leading at 1.85% of this adjusted GDP. The US is now at 0.35%, Russia at 0.26%, and China and Japan both come in at 0.06%. And, for the quarter of India’s population (a number roughly equivalent to the US population) that lives below the world poverty standard of $1 a day, $2.75 would be a spectacular boon.
The Indian commitment to space, as evidenced by the people continuing to elect governments that spend the amount of available resources on space in the face of other needs, is spectacular and unmatched in the world. If the rest of the world poured cash into space with even a fraction of that commitment, would you be reading The Space Review in your O’Neill colony home, or glancing at it after buying T-shirts for the kids from a kiosk at Titan’s spaceport, after a diving vacation?
jha
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Saral Satellite by 2011
ndia plans to launch SARAL (Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA) satellite to monitor the sea water level. SARAL satellite will carry an Altimeter (ALTIKA) for studying the sea surface heights; and ARGOS payload, which is a satellite based data collection platform.
SARAL satellite is a joint project of Indian Space Research Organisation and the French National Space Agency. The ALTIKA and ARGOS payloads are built and supplied by the French National Space Agency. The satellite building and launching are the responsibilities of Indian Space Research Organisation.
The satellite bus is under fabrication at Indian Space Research Organisation. Integration and testing of the payloads are ongoing at the French National Space Agency. The satellite is likely to be launched in 2011.
This Information was given by Sh.Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions & Parliamentary Affairs in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today.
ndia plans to launch SARAL (Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA) satellite to monitor the sea water level. SARAL satellite will carry an Altimeter (ALTIKA) for studying the sea surface heights; and ARGOS payload, which is a satellite based data collection platform.
SARAL satellite is a joint project of Indian Space Research Organisation and the French National Space Agency. The ALTIKA and ARGOS payloads are built and supplied by the French National Space Agency. The satellite building and launching are the responsibilities of Indian Space Research Organisation.
The satellite bus is under fabrication at Indian Space Research Organisation. Integration and testing of the payloads are ongoing at the French National Space Agency. The satellite is likely to be launched in 2011.
This Information was given by Sh.Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions & Parliamentary Affairs in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today.
Choppers
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Navigation System by ISRO
12:53 IST
Indian Space Research Organisation is developing its own navigation system called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS will have a constellation of 7 satellites and complementary ground infrastructure. The IRNSS system is planned to be made operational by end of 2014. Government has approved the IRNSS project at a total cost of Rs. 1420.00 crores in May 2006 for both space and ground infrastructure.
This Information was given by Sh.Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions & Parliamentary Affairs in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today
12:53 IST
Indian Space Research Organisation is developing its own navigation system called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS will have a constellation of 7 satellites and complementary ground infrastructure. The IRNSS system is planned to be made operational by end of 2014. Government has approved the IRNSS project at a total cost of Rs. 1420.00 crores in May 2006 for both space and ground infrastructure.
This Information was given by Sh.Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions & Parliamentary Affairs in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today
Choppers
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India, Russia squeeze Google Moon racers
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