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Indian Space Capabilities

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | Star wars drill in the works

Star wars drill in the works
- Earth station to keep satellites out of line of missile fire
SUJAN DUTTA

Cartosat 2A being launched
New Delhi, June 16: Indian space scientists are setting up an earth station to keep a lookout for missiles fired at Indian satellites and take them out of the line of fire, a senior Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) officer said here today.

Weaponisation of space must be stopped. Both India and China and for that matter USA and Russia should all desist from this stupid arms race in space.

Regards
 
Weaponisation of space must be stopped. Both India and China and for that matter USA and Russia should all desist from this stupid arms race in space.

Regards

I haven't seen India being involved in weaponisation of space so far, although India is readying for the same because its arch rival China is making great foray into space based weapons system and hence it becomes imperative for us to make the provision to have proper defence for the same.

In the meanwhile, the sentence of a article to which you have quoted, it clearly states that radar being made is purly for a defensive purpose and to save our satellite.
 
Weaponisation of space must be stopped. Both India and China and for that matter USA and Russia should all desist from this stupid arms race in space.

Regards

Good point made, agree with you on this. But which countries today have the ASAT capabilities. i dont think india have that.
 
Good point made, agree with you on this. But which countries today have the ASAT capabilities. i dont think india have that.

Developing ASAT is no big deal for any country which has the capability to put a satellite into orbit, that's pretty obvious.

However, China did set a bad precedent by testing its own system. Unfortunately, now the race as begun.
 
The Hindu : Front Page : Satellite to study climate change

Satellite to study climate change

Divya Gandhi
An ISRO initiative with science institutes

I-STAG will collect data on greenhouse gases, aerosols

Bangalore: Few issues have taken the global centre stage as did climate change recently, and images of melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels are now all too ubiquitous to ignore.

But how much do we really know about global warming? What is the quantity of greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane — in our atmosphere? How are they distributed around the world?

Some answers might be brought back by I-STAG, a satellite to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2012, in a unique collaborative initiative with science institutes.


“I-STAG, (Indian Satellite for Aerosol and Gases) is a small satellite, weighing no more than 150 kg and will most likely go as a co-passenger with one of the major launches scheduled for 2012,” R. Sridharan, Programme director, Space Science Office, ISRO, told The Hindu. It will be placed in a low Earth orbit at 600 km.

In its two-year life span, I-STAG will collect data on the quantity and distribution of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, aerosols (suspended particulate matter), ozone, water vapour and the oxides of nitrogen and sulphur so that an estimate can be made on their impact on climate.

“The satellite will have a special focus on the tropics and will monitor the spatial and temporal variation in the amount of these gases to assess their long-term effect on the climate and ecosystem,” said Prof. Sridharan.

The experiments would also attempt to estimate the impact of biomass burning and forest fires on climate.

I-STAG will be developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Science, the Space Physics Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram, the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, and the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory in Tirupati.

“ISRO will put in the seed money of about Rs. 10 crore, and scientists will, through simulations, demonstrate the concepts and also work out the methods for analysing the data,” Prof. Sridharan said.

The three experiments on I-STAG would measure and trace the distribution of greenhouse gases through an infrared spectrometer, and a multiwave radiometer would monitor the distribution and polarisation properties of aerosols.

I-STAG is part of the space organisation’s “small satellites programme” for scientific experiments, said ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair. “The first of the series of small satellite was the Indian Mini Satellite, which flew with CARTOSAT-2A. We are scheduled to launch three more small satellites in the next four years, including I-STAG. These are SENSE, to study the near-space environment; Aditya, to study the solar corona; and YOUTHSAT to measure solar radiation,” he said.

Prof. Sridharan said the science institutes were now preparing the project report for I-STAG in consultation with the satellite group at the ISRO Satellite Centre.
 
» Chandrayaan launch postponed, new date to be announced soon - Thaindian News

Chandrayaan launch postponed, new date to be announced soon

June 26th, 2008 - 9:51 pm ICT by ANI



Bangalore , June 26 (ANI): Chairman of Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair said on Thursday that the Indian pride Moon mission Chandrayaan launch is postponed for certain reasons.

Nair was talking to the media in Bangalore on Thursday on the sidelines of an International conference on Aerospace.

Nonetheless, he asserted that a new date of launch would be announced next month and in all probability, it could be September.

I think it is going to be a unique mission where we will get a total mapping of the moon which does not exist today. We are trying to look for rare elements on the surface of the moon. So this information will help us with further exploration. Launch will be announced next month and September will be the earliest date of launch, said Nair.

This is only preliminary state and we really don’t know if helium is there and at what quantity to exploit. In 2012 we are going to launch the second mission of Chandrayaan, which will go to the moon surface and pick up samples and analyse it. It is going to be a co-operation between Russia and India , Nair added.

Nair also said Chandrayaan was crucial and would provide critical data.

Ever since the first rocket was launched in 1963 from Thumba at Kerala, under the supervision of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the Indian space ventures have made steady progress over the past 45 years.

Chandrayaan-I will be launched atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), India ’s workhorse rocket with a streak of nine consecutive flawless missions.

The spacecraft would be loaded with six instruments including a high-resolution stereo camera capable of imaging objects about 16 feet in diameter.

It will also carry near-infrared and X-ray spectrometers and a laser altimeter to determine the altitude of the lunar craft for spatial coverage of various instruments.

These payloads will enable researchers to ascertain the composition and topography of the lunar surface.

The engineers have also built a 64-pound impactor that will be dropped from the orbiting spacecraft for a suicidal nosedive into the moon.

The probe will relay video imagery, altitude information and spectral data back to Earth through the Chandrayaan mothership, which will be in a lunar orbit 100 kilometres away. (ANI)
 
This seems to be a good move

Wider horizons

ISRO

Wider horizons

T.S. SUBRAMANIAN
The Indian Institute of Space Technology is expected to meet ISRO’s demand for quality manpower to launch its ambitious programmes.

A BUNCH of youngsters dressed in casuals walk out of the low-slung, tile-roofed building located on the shore of the Arabian Sea at Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram. The day’s classes have just ended at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), established by the Department of Space in September 2007, close to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). They belong to the first batch of 138 students (11 of whom are women) who have joined the four-year B.Tech courses in Avionics and Aerospace and the five-year integrated post-graduate programme in Applied Sciences.

Prakhar Agarwal, a tall, bespectacled student from Lucknow, says, “My interest is in aerospace. Nowhere else you can see technology in action when you are studying. Our programme is unique because of its goal. We use space technology for the betterment of humans.” Prateep Basu from Ranchi chips in: “There is a difference between studying in a conventional college and studying in a place that sends up rockets.” Sudha Bendapudi and Megha Garg point out that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) do not offer an undergraduate programme in avionics. “The IIT course deals with aeronautics, that is, flight mechanics. There is not much emphasis on astronautics. The IIST focusses on astronautics,” said Megha.

The IIST is the world’s first space university to offer undergraduate programmes. From this academic year, it will start three post-graduate programmes in areas of specific interest to the ISRO. One student has registered for Ph.D. If things go according to plan, the institute will move to its own spacious campus at Valiamala, 23 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, in September 2009. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone for the campus in July or August.

G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told Frontline on June 21: “We want to build the IIST as a world-class institute that can produce high-quality manpower in space science and technology. It is a unique set-up. Most colleges offer only post-graduate courses. But here, we want to train the students at a young age and expose them to space science and technology so that they become leaders in this area tomorrow.”

Admission to the IIST is through the IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). The IIT-JEE prepares two lists for admission: the main list and an extended list. Candidates whose names figure in the extended list are eligible to join the IIST.

Besides, students from the main list, who are keen on joining the institute can opt for it. About 4,000 students, who have got through the IIT-JEE in this academic year, are expected to register for admission to the 150 seats in the IIST’s undergraduate programmes.

The institute does not charge tuition or other fees and hostel accommodation is totally free of cost. Besides, the students are given Rs.3,000 every semester as book allowance. Students completing the course with a first class will be absorbed into ISRO. They will be asked to sign a bond that they will work for ISRO for five years. If they jump the bond, they will have to pay Rs.10 lakh to the Department of Space.

Quality manpower
Dr. B.N. Suresh, Director of the institute, who recently retired as VSSC Director, said, “We consider the IIST an investment for our ambitious future programme. The idea is to get bright students into the IIST and train them so that they will get plenty of opportunities to work in ISRO.” The IIST will meet ISRO’s demand for quality manpower for its space programmes.

The vision that suffuses the IIST, according to Suresh, is that “it will be a place where technology, research and academics are integrated seamlessly”. “The students are thrilled at the prospect of working in high-end technology areas. We have triggered their initiative by asking them to do their own projects,” he said. For instance, a group of students has designed a rover that can be used for inter-planetary missions. Another group has designed a remote-controlled aircraft.

Another important initiative of the IIST is to expose its students to experiments that have real-life applications. In the last semester, every student did two experiments at the VSSC laboratories. Some students were asked to assemble a gear-box, dissemble it and prepare a report. Another experiment related to the electro-chemical energy system on Chandrayaan-1, the spacecraft that India plans to send to the moon in September. One other related to a Chandrayaan payload.

What motivated the Department of Space to set up the IIST? Despite the best efforts of ISRO, it was unable to recruit high-quality scientists and engineers during the past 10 years. This situation arose mainly because of the prevailing job-market situation wherein engineering/science students preferred to work for software companies. ISRO was unable to attract talent from the IITs, the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other prominent universities. At the same time, the Department of Space had planned several ambitious programmes such as Chandrayaan-1 and 2, a manned mission to space, inter-planetary exploration programmes beyond Chandrayaan, and Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch VehicleMark III.

“All these required high-quality human capital. That is when we came upon the idea of starting our own institute to produce engineers and scientists in space science and technology. That propelled the ISRO Chairman to take the initiative,” Suresh explained.

Moreover, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen about the management of human resource in ISRO. After every successful rocket launch, he would invariably ask the ISRO top brass: “How are you going to manage your human resource? Are you able to get them?” When ISRO’s plan to set up the space institute was conveyed to him, he appreciated the move. The Central government gave the approval to set up the IIST in April 2007.

The IIST has attracted a young and talented corps of 26 academics. C.S. Narayanamurthy, who has a Ph.D. from IIT Madras, was teaching in the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, before he joined the institute. He is now the Head of the Department of Physics. Raju K. George is the Head of the Department of Mathematics. P.S. Robi, who heads the Department of Aerospace Engineering, earlier taught at IIT Guwahati.

The syllabi
They said the syllabi were tailored to meet ISRO’s needs. A high-powered committee headed by Prof. R. Natarajan, former Director of IIT Madras and former Chairman of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), spent 400 man-hours to frame the syllabi. The committee comprised professors from the IITs, the NITs and other institutions. Every department’s board of studies, which consists of teachers from the IITs and ISRO staff, refined the syllabi further.

For instance, the syllabus for B.Tech (Avionics) will cover the entire spectrum of electronics. Students will specialise in digital electronics, control systems, radio frequency systems, computer science and software engineering. The Aerospace programme lays stress on aircraft structure, aerodynamics, flight dynamics, machine dynamics, and so on. The M.Sc. course will focus on astronomy, astrophysics, remote-sensing, planetary science and atmospheric science.

“Students who pass out of the IIST will not require separate training. They can be directly absorbed into any programme of ISRO,” said Suresh.

Prakar Agarwal summed up thus: “When we came here, we were a bunch of students who were fascinated by space science. After we joined the IIST, our horizons have widened and our dreams have started materialising into projects.”
 
now this is a good news in terms of Indian American relationship. I was just watching CNN-IBN and seems like samajwadi party is going to support the deal. Seems like nuclear deal is through

DNA - Money - Indo-US trade to touch $ 100 billion - Daily News & Analysis

Indo-US trade to touch $ 100 billion
PTI
Thursday, July 03, 2008 18:27 IST


MUMBAI: Notwithstanding the impasse in the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the bilateral relations have reached a new high with India gearing itself to launch four US satellites and and the two-way trade expected to more than double to touch $100 billion in the next 3-4 years.
After successful launch of Israeli, German and Canadian satellites from Shriharikota near Chennai, four US satellites are to be launched by Indian launch vehicles. "As part of the collaboration in space technology, four American satellites are to be launched by India in the next two years," the outgoing Consul-General Michael Owen said.

It is not correct to say that Sino-Indian trade is growing rapidly at the cost of Indo-US trade, Owen said. "No doubt Sino-Indian trade is growing fast. Nonetheless Indo-US trade has more than doubled from 20 billion dollars to 42 billion dollars in the last three years," he said.

The bilateral trade doubles every 3-4 years and "our next target is to take to 100 billion dollars," he said.

Regarding defence collaboration with India, he said the American companies are responding to Indian competitive tender for military hardware and fighter aircrafts like F-16 and F-18.

Another exciting thing will be the American companies are going for co-production with the Indian companies, Owen said.

Elaborating on the all time high relations between India and US, he said, there have been a series of agreements in various fields like energy, agriculture, trade, investment and open sky policies which were not there 15 years back.
 
a good read:

India's space programme thrives > IT Examiner > Telecoms

India's space programme thrives - Feature ISRO's reputation goes from strength to strength as it provides telecommunications services globally

Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, once said that there are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation.

Indeed, until recently, India never dreamed of competing with more economically-advanced nations at exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But the space fraternity was always confident about India’s potential in playing a meaningful role nationally and internationally, and now this confidence is bearing fruit, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reaching out to the global market.

About 35 years ago, ISRO was a child among space organisations. However, it’s an entirely different story today. ISRO stands high with its dedicated space research and development programmes that not only help India but also other smaller nations that cannot afford to have a space organisation of their own.

In December 2005, the Indian national satellite (INSAT)-4A was launched by Ariane-5G, the European launch vehicle of Arianespace, and is still ISRO’s latest INSAT series satellite. INSAT- 4A has 12 high-power Ku-band transponders that make it the first satellite to meet the requirements of direct-to-home (DTH) television services, and also carries12 C-band transponders to enhance the INSAT capacity for communication and television services.

The master control facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka monitors and controls INSAT-4A, and utilises the ground stations at Beijing (China), Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada). The ISRO telemetry, tracking and command network (ISTRAC) ground station at Biak in Indonesia also monitors the satellite. The satellite's orbit is precisely determined by continuous ranging from the participating ground stations.

In an interview given to the IT Examiner, ISRO scientific secretary and director, A Bhaskaranarayana, emphasised the importance of ISRO’s two satellite systems - Indian remote sensing satellite systems (IRS) and the INSAT series.

On the telecommunications front, Bhaskaranarayana says that about 210 transponders of the INSAT series of satellites were in orbit. The INSAT applications include broadcasting, communication, meteorological and developmental services such as tele-education and telemedicine. The telemedicine facility has allowed more than 30,000 schools and colleges to become connected, benefiting nearly 300,000 patients.

And there are commercial applications, too. Way back in 1992, the Department of Space (DoS) established its commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, to market and explore the Indian space programme’s products and services in the global arena.

Bhaskaranarayana says that Antrix has made the most of the IRS system and achieved global success, with a business of Rs 10 billion ($231.9 million). He claims that the IRS is the best remote sensing satellite system, with ground stations across 23 nations. The IRS provides services in establishing international ground stations (IGS) and the international reseller network to receive, process and market IRS data products and IRS image processing.

Bhaskaranarayana says that Antrix provided these services only on a commercial or civilian basis, and not for defence purposes. The defence services may use the data, he says, but Antrix doesn’t have any specific services for them.

Antrix recently launched CARTOSAT-2, which offers the facility to receive data products to international users. It has already launched a series of commercial satellites - Kitsat (Korea), Tubsat (DLR - Germany), BIRD (DLR - Germany), PROBA (Verhaert, Belgium), Lapan Tubsat (Indonesia), Pehuensat-1 (Argentina) aboard ISRO's polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) in addition to the dedicated launch of Agile (Italy).

As for future plans, the senior official of ISRO says that remote sensing projects will continue. Keeping in mind the increasing demand of DTH services, ISRO is looking forward to increase the number of transponders from 210 to 500, enhancing internet services and data services in remote places.

The Indian telecoms industry has always owed its success to space technology. Industry players in both the public and private sectors have also played a great role behind the success of INSAT-4A. The DoS has always been the force behind the country’s successful space projects.

With third generation services (3G) knocking at Indian telecom’s door, more and more foreign and global telecom players are likely to join the booming Indian market. Advances in space sciences are vitally necessary to keep pace with the growth of the telecom sector in India, delivering enhanced satellite capacities in power and bandwidth. The DoT has benefited a lot already.

More than 550 telecommunications terminals of various sizes and capabilities are operating in the INSAT telecom network, providing 5,100 two-way speech circuits or equivalent over 166 routes. About 400 earth stations have been implemented over the last few years in the department of telecommunications (DoT) network.

Bhaskaranarayana says it isn't in ISRO's power to prevent the spillover of mobile signals to neighbouring countries. Concerned government authorities like the DoT have to intervene, as the development has to go hand in hand with the security of the country. He adds that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and private players have to draw out a plan to stop signals from spilling over.

The DoS has signed a number of memoranda and agreements with several nations and agencies worldwide, including an agreement with the European Space Agency. Indian space programmes stand high globally, but still have some competitors amongst those nations with dedicated space organisations. Of these, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is notable for its management of space activities for civilian use, and is increasing its cooperation with other countries.

By the end of 2005, China had more than 80 international and domestic telecommunications and broadcasting earth stations, with 34 satellite broadcasting and TV link stations. Dozens of departments and some large corporations have established a total of around 100 satellite specialised communication networks and more than 50,000 very small aperture terminals (VSATs).

China has cooperation deals with smaller countries and agencies with Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission.

Among the other nations involved in bilateral cooperation are Brazil, France, Russia and Ukraine. China and France have been involved in peaceful space exchanges and cooperation. Apart from this, nations like Russia and China have been providing services to the smaller nations, which cannot afford to have dedicated space programmes.
 
PIB Press Release

17:53 IST

The Joint Working Group of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the French Space Agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) met at Goa during July 5-6, 2008 to review the progress of on-going collaborative programmes under the chairmanship of Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO and Dr. Yannick d’Escatha, President, CNES.

The status of Megha Topiques, an Indo-French collaborative satellite project scheduled for launch during 2009 for tropical weather monitoring was presented during the meeting. Megha Tropiques carries four payloads – a Microwave Radiometer, a humidity sounder, a radiation measuring instrument and a Radio occultation sounder for atmospheric studies. During the meeting, an Agreement between ISRO and CNES on the Data Policy for distribution of data received from Megha Tropiques was also signed. This policy enables the global scientific community to have free access to Megha Tropiques data after calibration and evaluation of the payloads by scientists from both the agencies for weather and climate change studies. This data is expected to enhance a better understanding of the tropical weather phenomena including the monsoons.

The meeting also reviewed the status of SARAL, a small satellite mission with payloads from CNES for the study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions which are otherwise not covered by the in-situ measurements. The satellite carries a Ka band altimeter and a payload for reception of ARGO floats deployed all over the world oceans. The altimeter data will provide support in coastal environment studies, estuarine, bathymetry and preparedness towards Tsunami disaster. The periodic data collection over the oceans permits climate assimilations for improved weather forecast.

While reviewing the future collaborative projects, the teams emphasized the need for space-based observations for climate, environment and disaster management. Scientists from ISRO and CNES exchanged ideas for cooperation in conceiving space based systems and methodologies, which lead to a better understanding to tropical weather and climate. The cooperation between the two agencies will also enhance interaction between scientists outside space agencies in India and France and among the global scientific community. It was re-emphasized that technical and scientific strengths of ISRO and CNES would lead to evolving and establishing innovative operational space systems in addressing issues related to the tropical weather and climate. Both the agencies concluded that these efforts should facilitate achieving leadership position in understanding the tropical climate.

The meeting further re-established the relevance of the successful Indo-French cooperation in space activities.

PRA/SKK
 
Weaponisation of space must be stopped. Both India and China and for that matter USA and Russia should all desist from this stupid arms race in space.

Regards

I agree with you AN but what do you do when someone picks up a gun? :sniper:You think about your self defense.:pdf: This example of China shooting down a missile and India developing an Earth Station is a typical example that clearly portrays the reasons why India is more favored by the international community. There are different approaches to achieving power you know and China believes in outright demonstration of it's power whereas India believes in silent buildup.(Even though nothing is hidden) This is my opinion.:coffee:

You are right stealth assassin. Every country that can launch a satellite can shoot it down and even Madhavan Nair had admitted that India is fully capable of developing a missile to shoot down satellites but why?? Why unnecessarily send out a hate message to the world. I reiterate my point here. This is why China is making a different impression in the world than India.

btw-im not anti china :smitten: just commenting on this particular topic
 
a good read:

India's space programme thrives > IT Examiner > Telecoms

India's space programme thrives - Feature ISRO's reputation goes from strength to strength as it provides telecommunications services globally

Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, once said that there are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation.

Indeed, until recently, India never dreamed of competing with more economically-advanced nations at exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But the space fraternity was always confident about India’s potential in playing a meaningful role nationally and internationally, and now this confidence is bearing fruit, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reaching out to the global market.

About 35 years ago, ISRO was a child among space organisations. However, it’s an entirely different story today. ISRO stands high with its dedicated space research and development programmes that not only help India but also other smaller nations that cannot afford to have a space organisation of their own.

In December 2005, the Indian national satellite (INSAT)-4A was launched by Ariane-5G, the European launch vehicle of Arianespace, and is still ISRO’s latest INSAT series satellite. INSAT- 4A has 12 high-power Ku-band transponders that make it the first satellite to meet the requirements of direct-to-home (DTH) television services, and also carries12 C-band transponders to enhance the INSAT capacity for communication and television services.

The master control facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka monitors and controls INSAT-4A, and utilises the ground stations at Beijing (China), Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada). The ISRO telemetry, tracking and command network (ISTRAC) ground station at Biak in Indonesia also monitors the satellite. The satellite's orbit is precisely determined by continuous ranging from the participating ground stations.

In an interview given to the IT Examiner, ISRO scientific secretary and director, A Bhaskaranarayana, emphasised the importance of ISRO’s two satellite systems - Indian remote sensing satellite systems (IRS) and the INSAT series.

On the telecommunications front, Bhaskaranarayana says that about 210 transponders of the INSAT series of satellites were in orbit. The INSAT applications include broadcasting, communication, meteorological and developmental services such as tele-education and telemedicine. The telemedicine facility has allowed more than 30,000 schools and colleges to become connected, benefiting nearly 300,000 patients.

And there are commercial applications, too. Way back in 1992, the Department of Space (DoS) established its commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, to market and explore the Indian space programme’s products and services in the global arena.

Bhaskaranarayana says that Antrix has made the most of the IRS system and achieved global success, with a business of Rs 10 billion ($231.9 million). He claims that the IRS is the best remote sensing satellite system, with ground stations across 23 nations. The IRS provides services in establishing international ground stations (IGS) and the international reseller network to receive, process and market IRS data products and IRS image processing.

Bhaskaranarayana says that Antrix provided these services only on a commercial or civilian basis, and not for defence purposes. The defence services may use the data, he says, but Antrix doesn’t have any specific services for them.

Antrix recently launched CARTOSAT-2, which offers the facility to receive data products to international users. It has already launched a series of commercial satellites - Kitsat (Korea), Tubsat (DLR - Germany), BIRD (DLR - Germany), PROBA (Verhaert, Belgium), Lapan Tubsat (Indonesia), Pehuensat-1 (Argentina) aboard ISRO's polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) in addition to the dedicated launch of Agile (Italy).

As for future plans, the senior official of ISRO says that remote sensing projects will continue. Keeping in mind the increasing demand of DTH services, ISRO is looking forward to increase the number of transponders from 210 to 500, enhancing internet services and data services in remote places.

The Indian telecoms industry has always owed its success to space technology. Industry players in both the public and private sectors have also played a great role behind the success of INSAT-4A. The DoS has always been the force behind the country’s successful space projects.

With third generation services (3G) knocking at Indian telecom’s door, more and more foreign and global telecom players are likely to join the booming Indian market. Advances in space sciences are vitally necessary to keep pace with the growth of the telecom sector in India, delivering enhanced satellite capacities in power and bandwidth. The DoT has benefited a lot already.

More than 550 telecommunications terminals of various sizes and capabilities are operating in the INSAT telecom network, providing 5,100 two-way speech circuits or equivalent over 166 routes. About 400 earth stations have been implemented over the last few years in the department of telecommunications (DoT) network.

Bhaskaranarayana says it isn't in ISRO's power to prevent the spillover of mobile signals to neighbouring countries. Concerned government authorities like the DoT have to intervene, as the development has to go hand in hand with the security of the country. He adds that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and private players have to draw out a plan to stop signals from spilling over.

The DoS has signed a number of memoranda and agreements with several nations and agencies worldwide, including an agreement with the European Space Agency. Indian space programmes stand high globally, but still have some competitors amongst those nations with dedicated space organisations. Of these, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is notable for its management of space activities for civilian use, and is increasing its cooperation with other countries.

By the end of 2005, China had more than 80 international and domestic telecommunications and broadcasting earth stations, with 34 satellite broadcasting and TV link stations. Dozens of departments and some large corporations have established a total of around 100 satellite specialised communication networks and more than 50,000 very small aperture terminals (VSATs).

China has cooperation deals with smaller countries and agencies with Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission.

Among the other nations involved in bilateral cooperation are Brazil, France, Russia and Ukraine. China and France have been involved in peaceful space exchanges and cooperation. Apart from this, nations like Russia and China have been providing services to the smaller nations, which cannot afford to have dedicated space programmes.

Good read indeed Nitesh, thanks for shring! :tup:
 
Weaponisation of space must be stopped. Both India and China and for that matter USA and Russia should all desist from this stupid arms race in space.

Regards

AN, you know that weaponization of space will occur eventually whether we like it or not. With China already starting to flex its muscles in the space arena i am an advocate of India being capable of using offensive power in space.

You never know what might happen in future, say if tomorrow the P-5 put a missile in one of their sats of make a base on the moon, you'l find that they start another one of those NPT like treaties so that the rest will be forbidden to do the same.

Like the nuclear apartheid, it might become space apartheid, and this time round, i'd rather India matches them move for move.
 
ISRO, CNES agree to share climate data with other countries
10 July 2008


Mumbai: India and France will provide scientists from other countries free access to data from their Megha Tropiques satellite, scheduled for launch next year. This was decided at the joint working group of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French Space Agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), which met at Goa on 5 July 6 July to review the progress of on-going collaborative programmes.

During the meeting, under the chairmanship of of Dr G Madhavan Nair, chairman, ISRO and his French couneterpart Dr Yannick d`Escatha, president, CNES, an agreement was signed between ISRO and CNES on the data policy for distribution of data received from Megha Tropiques. This will enables the global scientific community to have free access to Megha Tropiques data after calibration and evaluation of the payloads by scientists from both the agencies for weather and climate change.

This data is expected to enhance a better understanding of the tropical weather phenomena including the monsoons.

The satellite, due for launch in late 2009, is being built and launched by ISRO and has four vital French payloads - a microwave radiometer, a humidity sounder, a radiation measuring instrument and a radio occultation sounder for atmospheric studies.

The meeting also reviewed the status of SARAL, a small satellite mission with payloads from CNES for the study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions which are otherwise not covered by the in-situ measurements. The satellite carries a Ka band altimeter and a payload for reception of ARGO floats deployed all over the world oceans. The altimeter data will provide support in coastal environment studies, estuarine, bathymetry and preparedness towards Tsunami disaster. The periodic data collection over the oceans permits climate assimilations for improved weather forecast.

While reviewing the future collaborative projects, the teams emphasised the need for space-based observations for climate, environment and disaster management. Scientists from ISRO and CNES exchanged ideas for cooperation in conceiving space based systems and methodologies, which lead to a better understanding of tropical weather and climate.

The cooperation between the two agencies will also enhance interaction between scientists outside space agencies in India and France and among the global scientific community. It was re-emphasised that technical and scientific strengths of ISRO and CNES would lead to evolving and establishing innovative operational space systems in addressing issues related to the tropical weather and climate. Both the agencies concluded that these efforts should facilitate achieving leadership position in understanding the tropical climate.

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