Indian Space Capabilities
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The Launch of GSLV-D5 / GSAT-14 Mission
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Indian GSLV successfully returns to Flight after three-year Break
India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle has performed a successful Return to Flight Mission on Sunday, delivering the GSAT-14 Communications Satellite to Geostationary Transfer Orbit. GSLV blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India's East Coast at 10:48 UTC and completed a seemingly flawless 17-minute flight making its orbital delivery.
Marking the first success of the Mk II variant of GSLV, hopes are high that GSLV will finally establish its reliability and assume the role of India's workhorse launcher, opening up access to Geostationary Transfer Orbit without India having to rely on foreign launch providers.
The GSLV D5 launch was a long time in the making since the vehicle's last flight on December 25, 2010 that ended in failure and left GSLV with a mere two successes in seven flights. Following a series of failed launches, the Indian Space Research Organization ordered a thorough review of the launch system to increase its reliability and eliminate possible design flaws that caused a number of failures. Over the course of 2.5 years, GSLV was put through its paces in numerous ground tests, reviews and extensive re-design operations.
The focus of attention was the Indian-built Cryogenic Upper Stage and its engine that had proven troublesome during its two flights. The turbopumps of the ICE (Indian Cryogenic Engine, CE-7.5) were re-designed and the propellant feed system was improved. Also, the interstage interfaces were re-designed and GSLV underwent structural ground testing, and aerodynamic characterization.
The Upper Stage and its engine were put through 35 ground tests and vacuum tests including endurance tests on the engine to ensure the system worked as advertised with the expected reliability.
With re-design and testing complete, ISRO approved the launcher for its next Demonstration Mission on August 19, 2013. Late in the countdown that day, a significant fuel leak on the second stage was observed and the countdown was stopped. It later became clear that the launch would suffer a long delay due to repairs on the vehicle that required de-stacking and because of work force limitations as India's Mars Orbiter Mission had priority in the last months of 2013.
To get ready for the next launch attempt, many components of the GSLV had to be replaced. The leaky second stage was replaced with a new one, the four boosters were refurbished and had their avionics replaced, and the core stage was also replaced by a different unit. The launcher was integrated again in December and officials approved the vehicle for rollout and launch.
Sunday's GSLV launch was preceded by a 29-hour countdown that was initiated at 5:48 UTC on Saturday to prepare the 49-meter tall rocket for flight. During the countdown, the second stage was loaded with 39,400 Kilograms of hypergolic propellants and each of the four boosters was filled with about 42,000kg of hypergolics. Final hands-on work was completed by technicians performing close-outs on the launch vehicle and its service structure.
As part of final countdown operations on Sunday, teams started loading the cryogenic upper stage with 12,800 Kilograms on liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Once reaching flight level, cryogenics were replenished until late in the countdown. Also, the GSLV was put through electrical testing and communication checks were run before the flight software was loaded into the flight computer.
In the final minutes of the countdown, the GSAT-14 payload was switched to internal power and transitioned to flight mode. GSLV also switched to internal power and began propellant tank pressurization as the strap-ons, the second stage and the Cryogenic Upper Stage pressurized their propellant tanks for liftoff. For the final crucial countdown steps, GSLV was handed to onboard control. Computers and launch controllers were closely watching over data coming from the vehicle to ensure all steps were completed properly without any systems problems.
At T-4.8 seconds, the four L40 boosters were commanded to ignite their Vikas 2 engines to allow the engines to build up thrust before S139 ignition. Computers were monitoring engine performance to verify all four powerplants were operational before the launcher was committed to lift off.
S139 ignition and blastoff came on-time at 10:48 UTC and the 414,000-Kilogram GSLV started a short vertical ascent. Lifting off with a thrust of about 800 metric tons, the S139 core stage provided about 61% of that. After a short vertical ascent, the vehicle completed its pitch and roll maneuver to start flying East, headed for a trip across the Indian Ocean on its way to a low-inclination orbit.
Performance of the launcher was nominal throughout the early portion of the flight as the S139 fired to provide extra-thrust to the stack. S139 burnout came at T+1 minute and 47 seconds after the large solid-fueled rocket stage consumed 138,000 kilograms of propellant. The four L40 boosters continued to propel the vehicle, carrying the dead weight of the empty first stage with them.
Each of the L40 boosters was carrying 42,000kg of propellants being 2.1 meters in diameter and 19.7 meters long powered by a single Vikas 2 engine that provided 77,800kg of thrust. Booster shutdown came at T+2:29. Staging between the first and second stage of the GSLV was accomplished in hot-staging mode - igniting the second stage prior to firing the stage separation system to enable the spent first stage to be pushed away by the engine exhaust of the second stage.
Stage separation occurred at T+2:31 and the Vikas 4 of the second stage was continuing to power the vehicle on its way uphill. The second stage of the GSLV is 2.8 meters in diameter and 11.56m long with a liftoff mass of about 45,000kg. It is equipped with a Vikas 4 engine that is optimized for operation in vacuum delivering 81,500kg of thrust over the course of its 158-second burn.
At T+3:46 when the vehicle was 115 Kilometers in altitude and aerodynamic forces could no longer harm the GSAT-14 spacecraft, the protective payload fairing was jettisoned. GSLV D5 used the 3.4-meter fairing while the D6 mission is expected to demonstrate the larger 4-meter fairing to verify the vehicle can cope with the changed aerodynamic load.
The second stage continued to burn until T+4:49 at which point the Vikas engine had done its job and shut down followed three seconds later by stage separation.
The ignition of the Cryogenic Upper Stage at T+4:53 was the moment of truth for many engineers that worked two and a half years to overhaul the CUS design and increase its reliability. The Indian Cryogenic Engine started up as expected and throttled up to about 9,500 Kilograms of thrust for the initial portion of its burn before throttling back to about 7,500kg of thrust. India's first cryogenic stage is 2.8 meters in diameter and 8.7 meters long - equipped with a single fixed main engine and two 2-Kilonewton vernier engines that were gimbaled for vehicle control.
Tensions were high as the third stage performed its long burn that was 12-minutes and 6 seconds in duration. Throughout the burn, the stage showed good performance and was sticking right to its planned ascent trajectory. Shutdown of the cryogenic stage took place as expected and injected the vehicle into the expected orbit.
Just seconds after shutdown, the launch vehicle released the GSAT-14 Communications Satellite that is now on its way to start an eleven-year mission to provide communications services to India. The achieved orbit was 180 by 36,000 Kilometers at an inclination of 19.3 degrees which is very close to the target orbit marking a successful injection and with that, the successful completion of the D5 mission.
The GSLV launcher is planned to take its next step 2014 with the inauguration of the Mk III version that will feature two large solid rocket boosters, a large hypergolic core stage and a 200-Kilonewton cryogenic upper stage. Mk III will be able to deliver payloads of up to 5,000kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
The D6 mission of the GSLV Mk II launch is expected to take place early in 2015 and deliver GSAT-6 to orbit.
GSAT-14 Payload Information
GSAT-14, actually the 13th GSAT spacecraft to fly, is a Communications Satellite developed and built by the Indian Space Research Organization. The satellite is based on the I-2K satellite bus that has been used for a number of ISRO satellites of the 2,000-Kilogram weight-class.
GSAT-14 weighs 2,050kg at liftoff featuring the conventional I-2K bus section with two deployable solar arrays and batteries along with avionics and data handling equipment as well as a propulsion unit and navigation equipment. GSAT-14 is 2 by 2 by 3.6 meters in size featuring a 2-meter and a 2.2-meter shell shaped reflector antennas.
The satellite is equipped with a Liquid Apogee Motor. It provides a thrust of 440 Newtons and uses Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as fuel and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine as oxidizer. The engine operates and an mixture ratio (O/F) of 1.65 and has a nozzle ratio of 160.
The engine’s injector is a co-axial swirl element made of titanium while the thrust chamber is constructed of Columbium alloy that is radiatively cooled. The engine is certified for long firings of up to 3,000 seconds. The Propellants are stored in spherical tanks that are pressurized with Helium.
The satellite payload consists of six Ku-Band and six C-Band transponders that will provide coverage across India. Also, a Ka-Band payload is installed on the vehicle which will transmit signals at 20 and 30 GHz to study the use of Ka-Band for satellite communications with focus on cloud and rain effects on signals. In addition, the GSAT-14 satellite is outfitted with a number of technological experiments for evaluation including fiber optic gyros, an active pixel sun-sensor, round-type bolometers and field programmable gate array based earth sensors. New thermal control materials are used on the satellite for evaluation.
GSAT-14 will be stationed at 75 degrees East in Geostationary Orbit with a life expectancy of 11 years.
Source:GSLV GSAT-14 Launch Updates - SPACEFLIGHT101
India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle has performed a successful Return to Flight Mission on Sunday, delivering the GSAT-14 Communications Satellite to Geostationary Transfer Orbit. GSLV blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India's East Coast at 10:48 UTC and completed a seemingly flawless 17-minute flight making its orbital delivery.
Marking the first success of the Mk II variant of GSLV, hopes are high that GSLV will finally establish its reliability and assume the role of India's workhorse launcher, opening up access to Geostationary Transfer Orbit without India having to rely on foreign launch providers.
The GSLV D5 launch was a long time in the making since the vehicle's last flight on December 25, 2010 that ended in failure and left GSLV with a mere two successes in seven flights. Following a series of failed launches, the Indian Space Research Organization ordered a thorough review of the launch system to increase its reliability and eliminate possible design flaws that caused a number of failures. Over the course of 2.5 years, GSLV was put through its paces in numerous ground tests, reviews and extensive re-design operations.
The focus of attention was the Indian-built Cryogenic Upper Stage and its engine that had proven troublesome during its two flights. The turbopumps of the ICE (Indian Cryogenic Engine, CE-7.5) were re-designed and the propellant feed system was improved. Also, the interstage interfaces were re-designed and GSLV underwent structural ground testing, and aerodynamic characterization.
The Upper Stage and its engine were put through 35 ground tests and vacuum tests including endurance tests on the engine to ensure the system worked as advertised with the expected reliability.
With re-design and testing complete, ISRO approved the launcher for its next Demonstration Mission on August 19, 2013. Late in the countdown that day, a significant fuel leak on the second stage was observed and the countdown was stopped. It later became clear that the launch would suffer a long delay due to repairs on the vehicle that required de-stacking and because of work force limitations as India's Mars Orbiter Mission had priority in the last months of 2013.
To get ready for the next launch attempt, many components of the GSLV had to be replaced. The leaky second stage was replaced with a new one, the four boosters were refurbished and had their avionics replaced, and the core stage was also replaced by a different unit. The launcher was integrated again in December and officials approved the vehicle for rollout and launch.
Sunday's GSLV launch was preceded by a 29-hour countdown that was initiated at 5:48 UTC on Saturday to prepare the 49-meter tall rocket for flight. During the countdown, the second stage was loaded with 39,400 Kilograms of hypergolic propellants and each of the four boosters was filled with about 42,000kg of hypergolics. Final hands-on work was completed by technicians performing close-outs on the launch vehicle and its service structure.
As part of final countdown operations on Sunday, teams started loading the cryogenic upper stage with 12,800 Kilograms on liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Once reaching flight level, cryogenics were replenished until late in the countdown. Also, the GSLV was put through electrical testing and communication checks were run before the flight software was loaded into the flight computer.
In the final minutes of the countdown, the GSAT-14 payload was switched to internal power and transitioned to flight mode. GSLV also switched to internal power and began propellant tank pressurization as the strap-ons, the second stage and the Cryogenic Upper Stage pressurized their propellant tanks for liftoff. For the final crucial countdown steps, GSLV was handed to onboard control. Computers and launch controllers were closely watching over data coming from the vehicle to ensure all steps were completed properly without any systems problems.
At T-4.8 seconds, the four L40 boosters were commanded to ignite their Vikas 2 engines to allow the engines to build up thrust before S139 ignition. Computers were monitoring engine performance to verify all four powerplants were operational before the launcher was committed to lift off.
S139 ignition and blastoff came on-time at 10:48 UTC and the 414,000-Kilogram GSLV started a short vertical ascent. Lifting off with a thrust of about 800 metric tons, the S139 core stage provided about 61% of that. After a short vertical ascent, the vehicle completed its pitch and roll maneuver to start flying East, headed for a trip across the Indian Ocean on its way to a low-inclination orbit.
Performance of the launcher was nominal throughout the early portion of the flight as the S139 fired to provide extra-thrust to the stack. S139 burnout came at T+1 minute and 47 seconds after the large solid-fueled rocket stage consumed 138,000 kilograms of propellant. The four L40 boosters continued to propel the vehicle, carrying the dead weight of the empty first stage with them.
Each of the L40 boosters was carrying 42,000kg of propellants being 2.1 meters in diameter and 19.7 meters long powered by a single Vikas 2 engine that provided 77,800kg of thrust. Booster shutdown came at T+2:29. Staging between the first and second stage of the GSLV was accomplished in hot-staging mode - igniting the second stage prior to firing the stage separation system to enable the spent first stage to be pushed away by the engine exhaust of the second stage.
Stage separation occurred at T+2:31 and the Vikas 4 of the second stage was continuing to power the vehicle on its way uphill. The second stage of the GSLV is 2.8 meters in diameter and 11.56m long with a liftoff mass of about 45,000kg. It is equipped with a Vikas 4 engine that is optimized for operation in vacuum delivering 81,500kg of thrust over the course of its 158-second burn.
At T+3:46 when the vehicle was 115 Kilometers in altitude and aerodynamic forces could no longer harm the GSAT-14 spacecraft, the protective payload fairing was jettisoned. GSLV D5 used the 3.4-meter fairing while the D6 mission is expected to demonstrate the larger 4-meter fairing to verify the vehicle can cope with the changed aerodynamic load.
The second stage continued to burn until T+4:49 at which point the Vikas engine had done its job and shut down followed three seconds later by stage separation.
The ignition of the Cryogenic Upper Stage at T+4:53 was the moment of truth for many engineers that worked two and a half years to overhaul the CUS design and increase its reliability. The Indian Cryogenic Engine started up as expected and throttled up to about 9,500 Kilograms of thrust for the initial portion of its burn before throttling back to about 7,500kg of thrust. India's first cryogenic stage is 2.8 meters in diameter and 8.7 meters long - equipped with a single fixed main engine and two 2-Kilonewton vernier engines that were gimbaled for vehicle control.
Tensions were high as the third stage performed its long burn that was 12-minutes and 6 seconds in duration. Throughout the burn, the stage showed good performance and was sticking right to its planned ascent trajectory. Shutdown of the cryogenic stage took place as expected and injected the vehicle into the expected orbit.
Just seconds after shutdown, the launch vehicle released the GSAT-14 Communications Satellite that is now on its way to start an eleven-year mission to provide communications services to India. The achieved orbit was 180 by 36,000 Kilometers at an inclination of 19.3 degrees which is very close to the target orbit marking a successful injection and with that, the successful completion of the D5 mission.
The GSLV launcher is planned to take its next step 2014 with the inauguration of the Mk III version that will feature two large solid rocket boosters, a large hypergolic core stage and a 200-Kilonewton cryogenic upper stage. Mk III will be able to deliver payloads of up to 5,000kg to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
The D6 mission of the GSLV Mk II launch is expected to take place early in 2015 and deliver GSAT-6 to orbit.
GSAT-14 Payload Information
GSAT-14, actually the 13th GSAT spacecraft to fly, is a Communications Satellite developed and built by the Indian Space Research Organization. The satellite is based on the I-2K satellite bus that has been used for a number of ISRO satellites of the 2,000-Kilogram weight-class.
GSAT-14 weighs 2,050kg at liftoff featuring the conventional I-2K bus section with two deployable solar arrays and batteries along with avionics and data handling equipment as well as a propulsion unit and navigation equipment. GSAT-14 is 2 by 2 by 3.6 meters in size featuring a 2-meter and a 2.2-meter shell shaped reflector antennas.
The satellite is equipped with a Liquid Apogee Motor. It provides a thrust of 440 Newtons and uses Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as fuel and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine as oxidizer. The engine operates and an mixture ratio (O/F) of 1.65 and has a nozzle ratio of 160.
The engine’s injector is a co-axial swirl element made of titanium while the thrust chamber is constructed of Columbium alloy that is radiatively cooled. The engine is certified for long firings of up to 3,000 seconds. The Propellants are stored in spherical tanks that are pressurized with Helium.
The satellite payload consists of six Ku-Band and six C-Band transponders that will provide coverage across India. Also, a Ka-Band payload is installed on the vehicle which will transmit signals at 20 and 30 GHz to study the use of Ka-Band for satellite communications with focus on cloud and rain effects on signals. In addition, the GSAT-14 satellite is outfitted with a number of technological experiments for evaluation including fiber optic gyros, an active pixel sun-sensor, round-type bolometers and field programmable gate array based earth sensors. New thermal control materials are used on the satellite for evaluation.
GSAT-14 will be stationed at 75 degrees East in Geostationary Orbit with a life expectancy of 11 years.
Source:GSLV GSAT-14 Launch Updates - SPACEFLIGHT101
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After 2020 maybe...
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Mission Status: GSLV-D5/GSAT-14 mission
The Second Orbit Raising Maneuver has been SUCCESSFULLY executed from ISRO's Master Control Facility, Hassan... The planned incremental velocity of 824 m/s has been imparted to GSAT-14. The initial data shows the orbit of GSAT-14 as 32,160 km (Perigee) by 35, 742 km Apogee with 0.6 degree inclination.
The Second Orbit Raising Maneuver has been SUCCESSFULLY executed from ISRO's Master Control Facility, Hassan... The planned incremental velocity of 824 m/s has been imparted to GSAT-14. The initial data shows the orbit of GSAT-14 as 32,160 km (Perigee) by 35, 742 km Apogee with 0.6 degree inclination.
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