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Indian Space Capabilities

From the annual report.
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-Mk III)

GSLV-Mk III is the next generation launch vehicle of ISRO capable of delivering 4 ton class spacecraft to Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).


GSLV-Mk III is a three stage launch vehicle with three propulsion stages and has a lift-off weight of 630 tonnes and a height of 42.4 m. The GSLV-Mk III vehicle configuration is two Solid strap-on boosters Stages (S200), One Liquid Stage (L110) and One Cryogenic Stage (C25). The spacecraft is accommodated in a 5 metre diameter composite payload fairing of 110 m3 volume.

GSLV-Mk III is in the advanced stage of development with the completion of static firing of the S200 solid strap-on motor, stage testing of L110 liquid stage, completion of development tests of the engine subsystems of the C25 cryogenic upper stage and development and qualification tests of major sub-systems.

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CE 20 Thrust Chamber Hot Test
The major development and qualification tests conducted during the year include structural and separation tests of payload fairing, acoustic test of Strap-on Base Shroud, Strap-on Nose Cone and S200 Flex Nozzle Control (FNC) tank, vibration tests of Proto Equipment Bay and Proto Strap-on Nose Cone, ground resonance test for the full vehicle configuration, system level functional test of satellite separation system and hot test of CE 20 thrust chamber. The Critical Design Reviews of S200 solid strap-on motor, L110 liquid stage and avionics systems have been completed.

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L110 Flight Stage for X Mission
An experimental sub-orbital flight (LVM3-X) with passive cryogenic stage is targeted during the third quarter of 2014, to validate the entire vehicle configuration during the complex atmospheric regime of flight including its controllability. Towards this mission, two S200 flight motors, L110 flight stage, avionics packages, flight actuator and control electronics are ready for integration for the experimental flight. The passive cryogenic stage is in the final stages of assembly and integration and the vehicle avionics is undergoing system-level simulations.

Semi-cryogenic Project

The semi-cryogenic Project envisages the design and development of a 2000 kN semi-cryogenic engine for a future heavy-lift Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV) and Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The semi-cryogenic engine uses a combination of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and ISROSENE (propellant-grade kerosene), which are eco-friendly and cost-effective propellants.


Realisation of semi-cryogenic engine involves the development of performance-critical metallic and non-metallic materials and related processing technologies. 23 metallic materials and 6 non-metallic materials have been developed. Characterisation of injector elements and hypergolic slug igniters with different proportion of Tri-ethyl Aluminium and Tri-ethyl Boron has been completed. Sub-scale models of thrust chamber have been realised and ignition trials have been carried out successfully. Single element thrust chamber hot test in stage combustion cycle mode was also conducted successfully.

Establishment of test facilities like Cold Flow Test Facility and Integrated Engine Test Facility are under various stages of realisation. Fabrication drawings are realised for all sub-systems and fabrication of booster turbo-pump and pre-burner subsystem commenced.

Pre Project activities of Human Spaceflight Programme (HSP)

The objective of Human Spaceflight Programme is to undertake a human spaceflight mission to carry a crew of two to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and return them safely to a predefined destination on earth. The programme is proposed to be implemented in defined phases. The pre project activities are progressing with a focus on the development of critical technologies for subsystems such as Crew Module (CM), Environmental control and Life Support System (ECLSS), Crew Escape System, etc., and performance demonstration of major systems through Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) and crew escape system through Pad Abort Test (PAT).


Preliminary design reviews for most of the systems pertaining to CARE for LVM3-X mission and PAT have been completed. Configuration, layout, and structural analysis of Crew Module for CARE mission have been completed. Design of re-entry trajectory for CARE mission corresponding to launch vehicle ascent trajectory has been carried out. Crew Module structure is in advance stage of realisation for flight test in GSLV-MkIII Experimental Mission.

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Human Space flight Programme Crew Module undergoing a test

Functioning of newly developed Head-end Mounted Safe Arm (HMSA) for solid motors in Crew Escape System was successfully demonstrated. A parachute ejection test with Mortar was carried out at Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh wherein sequential deployment of pilot parachute and drogue parachute was demonstrated. As part of deceleration system qualification, main and drogue parachutes, in modified and improved pack cover configuration, was drop tested at ADRDE, Agra. Parachute Reefing Line Cutter [RLC] of main parachute was realised and development tests were also carried out.


Gas analysers for environment monitoring of crew cabin, cabin lighting system with intensity control and MEMS based barometric sensor have been developed. Wind tunnel testing of Scale model of Crew escape system was completed in National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru.

A unique state-of-the-art test facility – Environment Simulation Chamber (ESC) has been realised and commissioned at VSSC for stand-alone and integrated testing of Environmental Control & Life Support System (ECLSS) functional modules and Flight suit systems. A Variable length-to-diameter [L/D] Lithium Hydroxide (LiOH) proto-canister has been realised as part of air re-vitalisation system development. An integrated thermal performance test setup was realised for testing of crew cabin thermal and humidity control system and tests are in progress.

Air Breathing Propulsion Project (ABPP)

Air Breathing (AB) propulsion along with Reusable Launch Vehicle technology is the key for low cost access to Space. Unlike conventional rockets, Air Breathing Propulsion system makes use of atmospheric oxygen for combustion thus resulting in substantial improvement in payload fraction and reduction in overall cost.

ISRO has taken up a systematic R&D programme for demonstrating stable supersonic combustion through a series of ground tests on the Air-Breathing Propulsion Technology. The flight demonstration of this technology is planned with Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV).

Towards Scramjet flight testing, mission studies have been carried out and feasibility established. Qualification and flight model of the Scramjet Engine Avionics Module with High Frequency Data Acquisition Units and its sub-systems were realised. Test and evaluation of these packages for flight were also successfully carried out.

Functional tests of the ignition system of scramjet with different mixture ratios of Gaseous Hydrogen – Gaseous Oxygen were carried out. High pressure gaseous hydrogen flow control module and a module for operating the start valves of Fuel Feed System for scramjet engine flight testing were realised.

The scramjet engine frame assembly for flight and the flow duct segments made out of super alloy Inconel-718 have been realised. Qualification test to demonstrate sliding capability of scramjet engine and vehicle interface was successfully carried out. The Scramjet Characterisation flight is targeted in 2014.

Space Capsule Recovery Experiment–2 (SRE-2)
SRE-2 Project was formed with the main objective of realising a fully recoverable capsule and to provide a platform to conduct microgravity experiments. SRE capsule has four major hardware, namely, Aero Thermo-structure (ATS), Spacecraft platform, Deceleration & Floatation system and Payloads.

ATS base structure has been realised. Six plasma wind tunnel tests were conducted to validate repair scheme of the silica tile. To qualify new elements mounted in the base region of SRE-2, an integrated test of annular deck was successfully completed. Carbon-Carbon cap has been processed as 4D composite through Hot Isostatic Pitch Impregnation and Carbonisation (HIPIC) route. Processing of Carbon-Carbon shell through 2D Pitch Impregnation and Carbonisation route is in progress. Interface design of Carbon-Carbon cap and shell was revisited based on the new thermo-mechanical properties. SiC coated Carbon-Carbon samples have been validated at plasma wind tunnel facility.

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Aerothermo-structure of SRE-2

 
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Communication and Navigation Satellite System

GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A

GSAT-6 is a high power S-band communication satellite.The spacecraft is configured around I-2K bus with a lift-off mass of 2200 kg. It is configured with CxS and SxC transponders. This spacecraft will also provide a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of large unfurlable antenna in satellites, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in future satellite based mobile communication applications. GSAT-6 is planned to be launched by GSLV.

All the subsystems like structure, transmitter package, magnetic torquer, SADA cone, power packages, propulsion elements, and payloads systems have been delivered for the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT). Payload integration and preparation for second phase of disassembled mode of Integrated Satellite Testing (IST) is in progress.

GSAT-6A will be a follow-on satellite planned to be launched by the end of 12th Five Year Plan.
GSAT-16
GSAT-16 is a communication satellite configured around I-3K Extended bus with a lift off mass of 3150 kg and 6500 W power generation capacity with mission life of more than 12 years. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Transponders in Ku and C-band. GSAT-16 is aimed at further augmenting communication services in the country.

Major reviews of GSAT-16 were completed and Mainframe Structure was delivered to AIT. Payload elements and Electrical Systems integration is in progress. Fabrication activities of other subsystems are in progress. The satellite will be launched onboard a procured launcher, the contract for which is in place.
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GSAT-16 structure positioned in clean room

GSAT-15

GSAT-15 is a communication satellite of 3150 kg lift-off and 6500 W power generation capacity. It is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Ku-Band transponders and a two channel GAGAN payload. The satellite will be launched onboard a procured launcher, the contract for which is in place.

Major project reviews, viz., Payload PDR, subsystem and systems CDR, are completed. Mainframe structure is delivered to AIT. Subsystem fabrication activities are in progress.
GSAT-9

GSAT–9 spacecraft, configured to augment the growing need of Ku-band transponders. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Ku band transponders. The spacecraft employs the standard I-2K structure with the power handling capability of around 3000 W, with a lift off mass of 2195 kg. It is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.

Subsystem and spacecraft level CDR are completed. Subsystem fabrication activities are in progress. Payload systems are available. The satellite is planned for launch onboard GSLV.

GSAT-11

GSAT-11 is an advanced communication satellite employing a new class of bus weighing 4000-6000 Kg. The commercial payload includes Ka x Ku-Band Forward Link Transponders and Ku x Ka band Return Link Transponders. Spacecraft configuration, sub system design and interfaces are finalised. Spacecraft level Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has been completed. Activities for the development of structure and subsystem-qualification models are in progress.

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GSAT-11 Deployed Configuration

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS) and is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.

The IRNSS system mainly consists of Space Segment, Ground Segment and User Segment. The space segment consists of a constellation of seven satellites. Three satellites will be located in suitable orbital slots in the geostationary orbit and the remaining four will be located in geosynchronous orbits with the required inclination and equatorial crossings in two different planes. All the satellites of the constellation are being configured identically. The satellites are configured with I-1K Bus to be compatible for launch on-board PSLV.

The Following are the significant milestones in the year towards the realisation of the IRNSS Space Segment:

IRNSS-1A, the first of the 7 satellites of the IRNSS Constellation, was successfully launched onboard PSLV-C22 on July 01, 2013. In Orbit Tests (IOT) of Navigation Payload, Ranging Payload and TT&C transponder have been successfully completed during July 15-31, 2013. IOT committee cleared the IRNSS-1A spacecraft for Navigation activities from August 1, 2013.

IRNSS-1A carries a navigation payload as well as a C-band ranging payload. The navigation payload of IRNSS-1A transmits navigation service signals in L5 band and S-band. A highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite. The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite. IRNSS-1A also carries Corner Cube Retro Reflectors for laser ranging.The spacecraft employs the standard I-1K structure with a power handling capability of around 1660W and a lift off mass of 1425 Kg and is designed for a mission life of around 10 years.


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IRNSS-1A Satellite after its Integration with PSLV-C22

IRNSS-1B
IRNSS-1B satellite is in the advanced stage of fabrication and the spacecraft is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Ground SegmentGround Segment is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the IRNSS constellation. The Ground segment of IRNSS comprises Spacecraft Control Facility, Navigation Centre, Range and Integrity Monitoring Stations, Network Timing Facility, CDMA Ranging Stations, Laser Ranging Service and Data Communication Network.


 
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Meteorological Satellites under Development

INSAT-3DR / 3DS
INSAT–3DR will be a follow-on satellite to INSAT–3D and it is planned to be positioned at 74 deg East longitude in the geostationary orbit. Readiness of spacecraft is planned during June 2015. INSAT-3DS, the ground spare is also under development.


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GISAT-Deployed Configuration

GISAT

GISAT will carry a GEO Imager with multi-spectral (visible, near infra-red and thermal), multi-resolution (50 m to 1.5 km) imaging instruments. GISAT will be placed in the geostationary orbit of 36,000 km height to provide near real time images of large areas of the country, under cloud free conditions, at frequent intervals. That is, selected sector-wise image every 5 minutes and entire Indian landmass image every 30 minutes at 50 m spatial resolution.

Future Earth Observation Missions

Cartosat-2C/2D/2E

Cartosat-2C mission is similar to Cartosat-2A/2B with a few technological enhancements and with the mission objective of providing high resolution scene specific spot imagery. It would carry Panchromatic and Multispectral cameras operating in Time Delay Integration (TDI) mode. The spacecraft is capable of along track and across track steering up to ±45 deg and ±26 deg respectively. The spacecraft is planned to be launched by PSLV into a nominal altitude of 500 km, with a mission life of 5 years. Cartosat-2D and Cartosat-2E will have similar configuration of Cartosat-2C. The readiness of the first satellite is planned during 2015-16.




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Cartosat-2C-structure positioned in clean room

Resourcesat – 2A

Resourcesat-2A, a follow on mission to Resourcesat-2, is intended to provide continuity of data to the users. The configuration is similar to Resourcesat-2 having three-tier imaging capability, with a unique combination of payloads consisting of three solid-state cameras, viz., a high resolution Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor – LISS-IV, a medium resolution Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor – LISS-III and an Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS). The readiness of the satellite is planned during 2015-16.

Satellite Data Acquisition, Products and Services

The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad is the nodal agency for satellite remote sensing data reception, archival, processing and dissemination in the country. NRSC Shadnagar ground station receives data from eleven Indian remote-sensing satellites and two foreign satellites at a station efficiency of 99%.

In order to improve the throughput of data product generation, Integrated Multi-mission Ground Segment for Earth Observation Satellites (IMGEOS) is implemented at NRSC, Shadnagar and the data products are regularly generated at IMGEOS facility, as part of user services. Complete ground station activities, right from payload programming and data acquisition to data product generation and dissemination in multi-mission mode, are automated. With the implementation of IMGEOS, processing capability has increased to 1000 products/day and data product delivery time is reduced to within an hour for emergency needs and 24 hours for normal needs (Standard products). NRSC is also operating a ground station (Svalbard, Norway) near North Pole through KSAT since 2007 for acquiring global data from IRS satellites.

NRSC has also established a ground station for IRS data reception at Bharati, Base Station of National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Antarctica. A polar Earth station has the advantage of visibility of maximum 10-11 satellite passes of polar orbiting satellites facilitating global coverage. During 2013, Data Reception System (DRS) to acquire satellite data and Data Communication System (DCS) and high speed satellite communication link to relay data to NRSC Shadnagar for data processing were established by a team consisting of NRSC and ECIL experts in April 2013 during the 32nd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA).

NRSC is hiring a transponder for services including (a) Raw data transfer using satellite link from Bharti-Antarctica to NRSC Shadnagar (b) Station monitoring & control from Shadnagar (c) Communication link between NRSC - NCAOR (Goa) – Antarctica.


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DRS antenna terminal installation at Antarctica
The station has been made operational for Resourcesat-2 and RISAT-1 satellite data acquisition. Currently, an average 6-7 passes of Resourcesat-2 and 2-3 passes of RISAT-1 are being acquired daily. Automated data acquisition, data transfer chain and data integrated with IMGEOS for product generation were implemented for Cartosat-1, Resourcesat-2, Oceansat-2 and RISAT-1.

In summary, Remote Sensing Satellite data is acquired at (i) Shadnagar (ii) Svalbard & Tromso (iii) Other Indian Ground Stations at INCOIS & DEAL (iV) International Ground Stations - 5 Nos and (iv) Antarctica. The total downlink time in all these station is 1430 Hrs and 48 m.

Satellite Data Dissemination: NRSC, Hyderabad as the national agency, acquires and disseminates all the satellite data within India. As per the Remote Sensing Data Policy (RSDP 2011), all satellite remote sensing data of resolutions up to 1 m is distributed on a non-discriminatory basis and on “as requested basis”; and all data of better than 1 m resolution is screened and cleared by the appropriate agency prior to distribution.

Satellite data dissemination in the financial year 2013-14 was 1,10,575 products. In addition, 9411 products were downloaded directly by the user through user ground stations in India.

Free satellite data download to facilitate academia and research students is also enabled through BHUVAN portal and NRSC Website. Accordingly, select data sets of LISS-3, AWiFS, CartoDEM data with latency period of 2 years and Oceansat-2 (OCM and Scatterometer) data were made available for free downloads from NRSC. OCM GAC data is also made available for eight day cycles.

During the year 2013-14, free downloads through Bhuvan was 94,719 products and Oceansat-2 data through NRSC website was 2,76,492 products, thus making total data dissemination in the year 2013-14 as 4,91,197.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): NRSC is in the process of implementing CRM application s/w (to be an integral part of IMGEOS) to improve operational efficiency, enhance the productivity, enable customer satisfaction & growth strategy. It will also facilitate to improve the business efficiency thereby increasing supply capabilities, discover new customer, analysis of feedback/ complaint, forecast demand, etc. The implementation is planned in the first quarter of 2014.

Online data ordering and product delivery through FTP: Online data ordering facility introduced to non-DOS users since April 2011 has shown increased data orders/ utilisation. FTP product delivery chain has also found good response from the users.

Orbit-wise Scatterometer data is downloaded, processed and the data products are disseminated through National Remote Sensing Centre website within 90 minutes and also through EUMetCast system of EUMETSAT, Darmstadt to the global users within 150 minutes of data acquisition. Further, the scatterometer wind vectors are uploaded to WMO GTS through India Meteorological Department.

The data from three payloads (SAPHIR, SCARAB and ROSA) of Megha-Tropiques satellite are opened to global users from January 15, 2013. Everyday data is being processed and uploaded to NRSC website in near real time.

Bhuvan Services: Bhuvan Geo-portal has entered its fifth year of operations in August 2013. During this period, Bhuvan has grown both in terms of the content and features besides speed and access. The portal had an average of 19,000 visitors per month during the last one year. During the last four years of its operations, Bhuvan has recorded about 9.5 lakh unique visitors, more than 43,000 registered users and about 1.7 lakh downloads. With the addition of applications on Bhuvan and consistent releases, Bhuvan is witnessing approximately 8 million hits every month.

During the year 2013, new versions of Bhuvan-2D, NRSC Open Earth Observation Data Archive (NOEDA) and Disaster Management Information Support have been hosted in the Bhuvan Geo-portal. High resolution Cartosat-1 data (2.5m) for 28 States/ UTs and Cartosat-2 data (1m) for 42 Cities/Towns has been uploaded in Bhuvan for visualisation. Bhuvan can also be accessed through mobile phones. The second edition of pocket Bhuvan (locate and track in Bhuvan mobile) was released on July 2013.

In addition to visualisation, Bhuvan has been providing selected satellite data sets of 23 m and coarser spatial resolution with latency period of 2 years and several information products like CartoDEM, OCM based Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Vegetation Fraction, Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential, Albedo (Visible, Broad Band), IMS-1: Hyper spectral Imager (Radiance and TOA Reflectance) data, etc., as free downloads through NRSC Open Earth Observation Data Archive (NOEDA).

Various thematic layers generated under different national missions are being made available as OGC Web Services. Some of the important updates during the year 2013 include Satellite based monitoring of Irrigation Projects (AIBP) for Central Water Commission, Integration of Land use/ Land cover thematic information on 1:250,000 scale, and Geomorphology and Lineaments on 1:50,000 scale, etc. Disaster specific information is also showcased on Bhuvan. Important activities in the year 2013 include Uttarakhand 2013 Flood (Kedarnath floods and damage assessment). Bhuvan also provides a platform to users to showcase their applications through spatial mashups, from map centric to user centric applications like second edition of Amritsar tourism, agriculture pest/disease surveillance, Himachal Pradesh forests, etc.

Towards supporting damage assessment and restoration activities in Uttarakhand, a multi-institutional initiative on “Mapping the Neighbourhood in Uttarakhand” (MANU) has been initiated by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, primarily to map the extent of devastation and damage in Char-Dham (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath) and Pinder Valley areas, covering about 8000 sq.km. In this programme, it has been decided to use crowd sourcing/collaborative mapping approach for field data collection by the students and teacher community of the hill universities/ institutes, and integrate field data with ISRO’s Bhuvan geo-portal. Bhuvan 3D viewer for MANU has been especially designed for this activity. The data for over 19,000 point locations reporting damage to different kinds of structures, natural resources and land cover landslides, river bank erosion, and points of public interest, are uploaded in the Bhuvan geo-portal so far.

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Mapping the Neighbourhood in Uttarakhand (MANU) in Bhuvan

MOSDAC Services: The new version of Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre (MOSDAC) has been released. Megha-Tropiques & SARAL data products are made available in MOSDAC. Cyclogenesis, a track forecast with Intensity, was released in MOSDAC under Satellite based Cyclone Observations and Real-time Prediction over the Indian Ocean (SCORPIO) page. Web application for generating sea state atlas was released. CALVAL Website providing ground measured data for MeghaTropiques and SARAL also was released.

NRDB Services: Natural Resources Database (NRDB) is a systematic archive of thematic layers generated under various National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) programme, which includes wasteland, Natural Resource Census (NRC), wetland, desertification, National GIS, etc. The number of layers in NRDB is 1353 and the new layers added are 128. The layers are made available as Web Map Services (WMS). The metadata of the NRDB content has been shared with National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

Geophysical and Special Products: During the year 2013, a major thrust has been given for the development of geophysical products. Some of the important products are described hereunder:

  • OCM Global Area Coverage (GAC) Software: Geophysical products require accurate relief corrected images for cloud composite to monitor the vegetation and other geophysical parameters. Automated software was developed to generate relief corrected NDVI, Vegetation Fraction (VF), and Albedo products for the entire globe from Global Area Coverage (GAC) as shown in the following figure. The products were realised at 1 km resolution but posted at 5 km for better accuracy in terms of multi-temporal variability analysis. The OCM (Local Area Coverage and Global Area Coverage) products that are being generated are - (a) National (visibility circle – 1 km resolution; 15 day cycle): NDVI, Vegetation Fraction (VF), Albedo and (b) Global (+/- 70 degLat–5 km resolution; monthly cycle): NDVI, VF, Albedo

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    (a) Global FCC-Ortho image (b): Global NDVI Image (c) Global Albedo product
  • OSCAT: Global Coverage - Virtual Reality: A unique microwave OSCAT (13.5 MHz frequency with 2 day repitivity) 3D-Digital Earth was developed by combining multiple orbit pass data, geometric rectification and mosaicking. This 2.5 km land product is very useful for climate change studies and was made available in the public domain. The OSCAT data draped on Google Earth is shown in the figure
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    OSCAT data draped on Google Earth
  • Geo-rectified RISAT-1 MRS data products: RISAT-1 data processing uses Range-Doppler model to generate standard geo-rectified product with 100 m geo-location accuracy. The Range–Doppler model was replaced with the Rational Polynomial Coefficient (RPC) model (by refining with additional GCPs) to generate
    Ortho-rectified base map for RISAT-1 MRS ground range products as shown in the figure below. The model can be extended to generate 1:25000 and 1:10000 base map products with FRS and HRS data (5 m and 1 m spatial resolution) respectively

  • Figure-6.jpg

    Ortho-rectified base map of RISAT-1 MRS data (1:50000)
  • Radiometric Terrain Correction of RISAT-1 data: Variable terrain height causes both radiometric and geometric distortions within most slant or ground range image products. The SAR backscatter has strong dependency on the slope and aspect of the terrain. Radiometric Terrain Correction (RTC) approach was adopted using slope and aspect parameters of the DEM derived for a given scene and a sample product is shown below

  • Figure-7.jpg

    Left: Level-2 product, Centre: RTC corrected image, Right: Optical
    (LISS-3 ortho) as reference image
Earth Observation System

Space Sciences and Planetary Research

Chandrayaan-2 Mission

Chandrayaan 2, India’s second mission to the Moon, is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission. It consists of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover configuration. It is planned to be launched as a composite stack into the Earth Parking Orbit (EPO) of 170 X 18,500 km by GSLV-Mk II. The Orbiter carries the combined stack up to moon till the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI). The combined stack is then inserted into a lunar orbit of 100 km x 100 km. The Lander is separated from the Orbiter in this orbit.


The Orbiter with scientific payloads will orbit around the moon. The Lander will soft land on the Moon at a specified site and deploy the Rover. The scientific payloads onboard the Orbiter, Lander and Rover are expected to perform mineralogical and elemental studies of the lunar surface.

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Chandrayaan-2 Artisitic View
During 2010, it was agreed that Russian Space Agency ROSCOSMOS would be responsible for lunar Lander and ISRO will be responsible for Orbiter and Rover as well as Launch by GSLV. Later, due to a shift in the programmatic alignment of this mission, it was decided that the Lunar Lander development would be done by ISRO and Chandrayaan-2 will be totally an Indian mission.

The payloads onboard Orbiter and Rover are finalised and the payload development is progressing at various ISRO centres/laboratories. A six wheeled Rover has been realised and initial tests on the Lunar terrain test facility has been carried out. Since the Lander development is a new technology for ISRO, Lander configuration and feasibility study has been carried out for Chandrayaan-2 mission in a GSLV-Mk II vehicle. The Lander payloads are shortlisted for further review. Landing site identification, soft landing strategy, hazard avoidance, preliminary design of lander subsystems, new technologies required for safe and soft landing are being worked out.

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Mobility tests of the Six wheeled Rover on the Lunar Soil Simulant Test Bed under reduced gravity
 
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Amazing reusable spacecraft Dragon from SpaceX.
I hope ISRO's crew module evolves into something like this.

 
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GSAT 11 in 2014-2015..yaay..:yahoo:.40 transponders!!

The 4.5 tonne satellite, GSAT-11, will be launched by 2012 and carry 40 transponders in the Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies, which are 3-6 times more powerful than that used in existing communication satellites.

India has 211 Transponders, how many Pakistan got?
 
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Amazing reusable spacecraft Dragon from SpaceX.
I hope ISRO's crew module evolves into something like this.


ISRO is mulling Private companies to launch PSLVs,Privatization of Indian space sector is happening but not at the scale at which U is doing
 
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Communication and Navigation Satellite System

GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A

GSAT-6 is a high power S-band communication satellite.The spacecraft is configured around I-2K bus with a lift-off mass of 2200 kg. It is configured with CxS and SxC transponders. This spacecraft will also provide a platform for developing technologies such as demonstration of large unfurlable antenna in satellites, handheld ground terminals and network management techniques that could be useful in future satellite based mobile communication applications. GSAT-6 is planned to be launched by GSLV.

All the subsystems like structure, transmitter package, magnetic torquer, SADA cone, power packages, propulsion elements, and payloads systems have been delivered for the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT). Payload integration and preparation for second phase of disassembled mode of Integrated Satellite Testing (IST) is in progress.

GSAT-6A will be a follow-on satellite planned to be launched by the end of 12th Five Year Plan.
GSAT-16
GSAT-16 is a communication satellite configured around I-3K Extended bus with a lift off mass of 3150 kg and 6500 W power generation capacity with mission life of more than 12 years. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Transponders in Ku and C-band. GSAT-16 is aimed at further augmenting communication services in the country.

Major reviews of GSAT-16 were completed and Mainframe Structure was delivered to AIT. Payload elements and Electrical Systems integration is in progress. Fabrication activities of other subsystems are in progress. The satellite will be launched onboard a procured launcher, the contract for which is in place.
GSAT16-STRUCTURE.jpg

GSAT-16 structure positioned in clean room

GSAT-15

GSAT-15 is a communication satellite of 3150 kg lift-off and 6500 W power generation capacity. It is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Ku-Band transponders and a two channel GAGAN payload. The satellite will be launched onboard a procured launcher, the contract for which is in place.

Major project reviews, viz., Payload PDR, subsystem and systems CDR, are completed. Mainframe structure is delivered to AIT. Subsystem fabrication activities are in progress.
GSAT-9

GSAT–9 spacecraft, configured to augment the growing need of Ku-band transponders. The spacecraft's commercial payload includes Ku band transponders. The spacecraft employs the standard I-2K structure with the power handling capability of around 3000 W, with a lift off mass of 2195 kg. It is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.

Subsystem and spacecraft level CDR are completed. Subsystem fabrication activities are in progress. Payload systems are available. The satellite is planned for launch onboard GSLV.

GSAT-11

GSAT-11 is an advanced communication satellite employing a new class of bus weighing 4000-6000 Kg. The commercial payload includes Ka x Ku-Band Forward Link Transponders and Ku x Ka band Return Link Transponders. Spacecraft configuration, sub system design and interfaces are finalised. Spacecraft level Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has been completed. Activities for the development of structure and subsystem-qualification models are in progress.

GSAT-11-DEPLOYED-CONFIGURATION.jpg


GSAT-11 Deployed Configuration

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS) and is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.

The IRNSS system mainly consists of Space Segment, Ground Segment and User Segment. The space segment consists of a constellation of seven satellites. Three satellites will be located in suitable orbital slots in the geostationary orbit and the remaining four will be located in geosynchronous orbits with the required inclination and equatorial crossings in two different planes. All the satellites of the constellation are being configured identically. The satellites are configured with I-1K Bus to be compatible for launch on-board PSLV.

The Following are the significant milestones in the year towards the realisation of the IRNSS Space Segment:

IRNSS-1A, the first of the 7 satellites of the IRNSS Constellation, was successfully launched onboard PSLV-C22 on July 01, 2013. In Orbit Tests (IOT) of Navigation Payload, Ranging Payload and TT&C transponder have been successfully completed during July 15-31, 2013. IOT committee cleared the IRNSS-1A spacecraft for Navigation activities from August 1, 2013.

IRNSS-1A carries a navigation payload as well as a C-band ranging payload. The navigation payload of IRNSS-1A transmits navigation service signals in L5 band and S-band. A highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite. The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite. IRNSS-1A also carries Corner Cube Retro Reflectors for laser ranging.The spacecraft employs the standard I-1K structure with a power handling capability of around 1660W and a lift off mass of 1425 Kg and is designed for a mission life of around 10 years.


IRNSS-Satellite-with-integration.jpg

IRNSS-1A Satellite after its Integration with PSLV-C22

IRNSS-1B
IRNSS-1B satellite is in the advanced stage of fabrication and the spacecraft is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Ground SegmentGround Segment is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the IRNSS constellation. The Ground segment of IRNSS comprises Spacecraft Control Facility, Navigation Centre, Range and Integrity Monitoring Stations, Network Timing Facility, CDMA Ranging Stations, Laser Ranging Service and Data Communication Network.


STILL NO UPDATE ON THE MULTI OBJECT TRACKING RADAR (MOTR)?
 
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How is that possible ?? afaik semi-cryogenic engine is not yet ready .

I don't think it'll happen in 2014.
The semi-cryo is not ready, which will most probably take a few years, and will eventually be replaced by the scramjet which too is not ready.

atv-d01-on-launch-pad.jpg

ATV-D01
 
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