Indian Space Capabilities

[nitesh]

Not good news
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/...3s=&SEO=&SectionName=zkvyRoWGpmWSxZV2TGM5XQ==

ISRO arm plays favourites


Express News Service
First Published : 02 Jan 2009 08:18:00 AM IST
Last Updated :

BANGALORE: A performance audit of the Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has revealed many irregularities in the functioning of the company, including undue benefits to private companies.

The Express has a copy of the report of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India on the performance of Antrix Corporation Limited, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha in October.

The report highlights the following points: n ACL extended undue benefit to Space TV (Tata Sky) by reducing the rates originally accepted by the customer while entering into a longterm agreement. Due to a reduction in lease charge, there was a recurring loss of revenue of Rs 4.8 crore per annum, whereas revenue of another Rs 5 crore was foregone due to increase in free period by a month.

n The company allowed Reliance Communications Limited to bill for the bandwidth utilised by them instead of the bandwidth allocated to them.

Absence of a deemed supply clause in 16 contracts led to a loss of Rs 27.45 crore in revenue.

n The service charge on foreign transponders was voluntarily reduced by the company, resulting in a recurring loss of Rs 8.3 crore in seven cases. There were delays in recovery of quarterly recurring charges and service.

n Service Tax was not being collected from foreign hired transponders resulting in a likely liability of Rs 16.77 crore to the exchequer. However, service tax was collected from INSAT operations.

n Though the company was set up as the commercial arm of the Department of Space (DOS), several commercial contracts like with Prasar Bharati, New Sky Satellite, Netherlands and INTELSAT were not entrusted to the company.

n ACL’s non-operational revenue (interest earned from deposits in banks) averaged around 50 per cent of the profit after tax during 2002-03 to 2006-07, which suggests that the company was used as a special purpose vehicle for unutilised funds by the DOS.

n Despite having substantial cash balances, ACL had not developed proper procedures to increase its yield from the surplus cash retained by it.

n There were delays in revenue recognition or raising bills and important contractual provisions in respect of performance bank guarantee, surrender or termination of leased capacity were not followed.

n Company-specific guidelines and procedures for investments, personnel and accounts had not been developed even 15 years after the company’s creation in 1992 and despite Government’s clear directive.

n The functional distinction between the company and the DOS was ambiguous since the department’s officers were also executives of the company. Proper delegation of powers consistent with good governance, structure and growth of the company had not been drawn.

n ACL credited the DOS share of revenue to ISRO instead of the Consolidated Fund of India. Remittances were also prompt even though the relevant money was shown as accrued to the DOS in the Accounts. Periodical reconciliation of amounts due and payable to the DOS had not been carried out.

 

[nitesh]

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/india-plans-future-space-missions/406253/

India plans future space missions
ASHOK B SHARMA
Posted: 2009-01-03 19:03:52+05:30 IST
Updated: Jan 03, 2009 at 1903 hrs IST

Shillong: India has planned its future space mission systematically in phases up to the year 2025 with the proposed next unmanned mission to Moon in 2012 to be followed by a similar mission to Mars in 2013 and would sent a man on a space voyage in 2015.

The Chairman of Indian Space Organisation (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair speaking at the 96th Indian Science Congress said that the unmanned Chandrayan-I mission sent to moon on October 22, 2008 had generated enormous data for the global scientific community.

These data would be reviewed in January 2009. The satellite took images of the moon's surface close to a distance of 4 km and captured 35,000 images. Moon impact probe was conducted in November 14, 2008 and the wealth of data generated through the mission would be reviewed in January, 2009.

Though no traces of water, ice or oxygen was found, there were places were traces of iron was detected, he said and added that next mission to moon would pick up more materials and process more data.

Nair said finest of the instruments were deployed in taking the imagery, five of which were indigenous and five other sourced from other countries. Peaks of 2 km height was noticed on moon's surface. He admitted that India's moon mission could be successful due to global cooperation.

He said that ISRO has worked with a small budget of $ one billion as against NASA's budget of 20 billion.

Within a span of four decades ISRO has developed infrastructure for deep space network, payload operations and for processing scientific data.

"We will send a second unmanned mission to moon in 2012 followed by a similar mission to Mars in 2013 and sent a man on space voyage in 2015. ISRO has also drafted Indian Space Mission-2025," said Nair and added that in future space tourism would be a reality.

According to Nair ISRO with improved technology would aim at reducing the cost of its operations. Resuseable launch vehicles (RLV) would be developed in next 10 to 15 years and also heavy left launcher would be developed

ISRO has also developed applications for broadcast, meteorology, communication and for development programmes in the country.

 

[nitesh]

This is becoming exciting

Scientists can extend mission life of Chandrayaan-I- LATEST NEWS-The Economic Times

Scientists can extend mission life of Chandrayaan-I
4 Jan 2009, 1605 hrs IST, PTI

SHILLONG: Scientists can now extend the duration of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I beyond its planned two-year period.

The precise launch and lunar orbit insertion of Chandrayaan-I has given space scientists the leverage to extend the mission life of the spacecraft orbiting the moon at an altitude of 100 km.

"The spacecraft has about 183 kg fuel onboard and we are looking at a two-year plus mission life," S K Shivakumar, Director ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) said at the 96th Indian Science Congress here.

Principal scientists involved in all the 10 experiments onboard the spacecraft are meeting in Bangalore on January 29 to discuss the initial findings of the moon mission.

Orbital manoeuvres need to be carried out on the spacecraft once every 28 days to ensure that it stays in the designated 100 km circular orbit and does not go astray.

"About three kg fuel is used when onboard motors are fired for carrying out the orbital manoeuvre," said Shivakumar, whose team has been monitoring the spacecraft ever since it's launch on October 22 last year.

Chandrayaan-I was launched with an orbital accuracy of five km making India the first country to achieve such a precise maiden mission, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

The Chandrayaan-I mission has been sending "unprecedented" amount of data and scientists are busy analysing it.

 

[nitesh]

Deccan Herald - ISRO working on spacecraft engine

ISRO working on spacecraft engine
From Kalyan Ray,DH News Service,Shillong:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed the first prototype of an ion-propulsion engine that can take unmanned spacecraft to the outer solar system.

Despite initial positive results in this highly ambitious project, ISRO top brass is tight lipped about the development unless they test the technology.
“I can not reveal any technology specifications of the ion-propulsion system unless we test them,” Dr K Radhakrishnan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram told Deccan Herald here on the sidelines of the 96th Indian Science Congress here. Spacecraft propulsion is required to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites to go out of the earth’s gravity and move ahead in deep space.
Bulk of the current genre of spacecraft use chemical fuels for launch. Most satellites also have simple but reliable chemical thrusters for orbital station-keeping.
But there is active research on ion thrusters, which provide electric propulsion. The first successful ion-propulsion engine is a European Space Agency (ESA) payload, SMART-1 that reached the moon in 2004.
In a broad sense, ISRO’s ion-thrusters will use electricity to accelerate ions which left from the rear of the spacecraft (the ions act as the reaction mass). In the process the space craft pushes ahead. Another power source – initially a photovoltaic solar panel – provides the energy.
However, once the ion-propulsion technology is proven, the space agency may even use a miniature nuclear reactor as the electricity source.
ISRO chairman Dr G Madhavan Nair too said at the Science Congress that the “electric propulsion system from the stationary plasma thrusters may pave the way for nuclear propulsion system in future.”
The trials will possibly begin next year with the launch of GSAT-4 payload.
If the technology turns out to be a success, it would help ISRO design probes to explore the at least a portion of the outer solar system involving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and their satellites.

 

[proud_indian]

To play a bigger role in space activities, ISRO is hiring more people and expanding its infrastructure while its commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, is targeting a revenue of Rs 1,000 crore next year. Much of this will come from services like providing Global Positioning System (GPS) applications, direct-to-home (DTH) TV services, telecom, launch of satellites and development of rocket sub-systems.

Over the next few years, ISRO will also be focusing on emerging as a bigger player in the space mission launch market. The area it has an edge over other countries is in its capability to do low-cost launches and development of control and propulsion systems. Last week, ISRO for the first time designed and built a satellite — W2M — for Eutelsat, the European satellite operator, at a cost of $80 million.

“It’s a $130-billion global market with 80% being accounted for by services and $10 billion being spent on satellites and launch vehicle systems. With our successful launches this year, we have built market credibility and demonstrated reliability. The more successful launches we do (with bigger and heavier satellites), the bigger market share we will get,” said KR Sridhara Murthi, managing director, Antrix Corporation.

if isro keep on achieving higher success rate in its commercial space missions (cost effective too like indian IT and BPO industry ) then it will boost india's share in big $ space league by a great margin and will be great beneficial to our forex reserve

 

[nitesh]

ISRO to launch four foreign satellites this year .

Bangalore, Jan 06: Indian Space Research Organisation will launch four foreign satellites this year as it seeks to make further inroads into the international satellite-building and launch services market in 2009.

Two weeks ago, communication satellite, W2M, built by ISRO on a commercial basis in partnership with EADS-Astrium of Europe, was successfully launched by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana.

Managing director of Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of Bangalore-headquartered ISRO, KR Sridhara Murthy, said the Indian space agency is gearing up to launch four satellites of Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Algeria. (These contracts were bagged by ISRO independently and not in partnership with EADS-Astrium).

"We have four commitments for Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Algeria. We want to complete it in 2009," he said. "It (the four spacecraft) is a mix of nano and small satellites".

Contractual obligations bar ISRO from talking about specific launch price but Sridhara Murthy said that the space agency's charge per kg of satellite (to be launched) is around Euro 20,000 per kg, quite cheaper than prevailing International prices.

But, he stressed that the launch price is guided by competition, market conditions and demand-supply scenario.

W2M project was undertaken in the context of an accord between Antrix, to jointly build and deliver the satellite to Eutelsat Communications, a global satellite communications provider based in Paris.

Astrium had the responsibility for overall programme management and delivery of the communications payload and Antrix/ISRO provided the satellite and also performed W2M's integration and testing at ISRO's facilities here.

W2M satellite, weighing 3,463 kg at lift-off, is the heaviest satellite built by ISRO and is capable of operating for over 15 years. The satellite's solar panels generate a maximum of about 7000 Watts of power.

Sridhara Murthy said Antrix and EADS/Astrium are now pursuing three-four satellite-building proposals, similar to their W2M venture. "Discussions are at a reasonably good stage," he said.

"We (Antrix and EADS/Astrium) are looking at various opportunities where people are trying to procure satellites (to be built) in the two to three tonne category which is our capability", he said.

Sridhara Murthy said that in a technologically evolving scenario, ISRO's effort is to make its satellites more power and weight efficient; and pack more payloads without increasing the weight of the satellite.

He noted that while ISRO typically looked at solar panels of its satellites generating a maximum of five kilo watts or six kilo watts of power, in W2M it exceeded seven kilo watts.

Bureau Report

 

[aanshu001]

BANGALORE
: Indian Space Research Organisation will launch four foreign satellites this year as it seeks to make further inroads into the
international satellite-building and launch services market in 2009.

Two weeks ago, communication satellite, W2M, built by ISRO on a commercial basis in partnership with EADS-Astrium of Europe, was successfully launched by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana.

Managing Director of Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of Bangalore-headquartered ISRO, K R Sridhara Murthy, said the Indian space agency is gearing up to launch four satellites of Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Algeria. (These contracts were bagged by ISRO independently and not in partnership with EADS-Astrium).

"We have four commitments for Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Algeria. We want to complete it in 2009," he told PTI in an interview. "It (the four spacecraft) is a mix of nano and small satellites".

Contractual obligations bar ISRO from talking about specific launch price but Sridhara Murthy said that the space agency's charge per kg of satellite (to be launched) is around Euro 20,000 per kg, quite cheaper than prevailing International prices.

But, he stressed that the launch price is guided by competition, market conditions and demand-supply scenario.

W2M project was undertaken in the context of an accord between Antrix, to jointly build and deliver the satellite to Eutelsat Communications, a global satellite communications provider based in Paris.

Astrium had the responsibility for overall programme management and delivery of the communications payload and Antrix/ISRO provided the satellite and also performed W2M's integration and testing at ISRO's facilities here.

W2M satellite, weighing 3,463 kg at lift-off, is the heaviest satellite built by ISRO and is capable of operating for over 15 years. The satellite's solar panels generate a maximum of about 7000 Watts of power.
Sridhara Murthy said Antrix and EADS/Astrium are now pursuing three-four satellite-building proposals, similar to their W2M venture. "Discussions are at a reasonably good stage," he said.

"We (Antrix and EADS/Astrium) are looking at various opportunities where people are trying to procure satellites (to be built) in the two to three tonne category which is our capability", he said.

Sridhara Murthy said in a technologically evolving scenario, ISRO's effort is to make its satellites more power and weight efficient; and pack more payloads without increasing the weight of the satellite.

He noted that while ISRO typically looked at solar panels of its satellites generating a maximum of five kilo watts or six kilo watts of power, in W2M it exceeded seven kilo watts.

Once GSLV-Mk III rocket is operational, ISRO's ability to address launch services market enhances considerably, Sridhara Murthy said.

ISRO officials said GSLV-Mk III is envisaged to launch four tonne satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Its first development flight is expected in 2009-10.

Antrix posted sales of Rs 940 crore in 2007-08 and it is targeting Rs 900 crore to Rs 1,000 crore in the current financial year, he said adding it is unrealistic to aim too high a growth as there is a lot of gloom in the market.

 

[slugger]

@anshu001
please check before posting - reported your post for deletion

 

[aanshu001]

@anshu001
please check before posting - reported your post for deletion

thik hai bhai

 

[nitesh]

Digital Elevation Model of the lunar surface generated using TMC imagery


Finer details of a lunar crater captured by TMC



3D images of different regions of lunar surface captured by TMC. The height of features shown in these images can be grasped when viewed through anaglyph filters.

 

[nitesh]

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/4BEC4ABC628715A0652575370017EC61?OpenDocument

India to launch 'unique' satellite to study distant galaxies



Sagar Kulkarni
Shillong, Jan 7 (PTI) India's space agency along with astronomers from across the country will launch a "unique" satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes.

The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the year, will be the country's first satellite entirely dedicated to astronomy.

Astronomers are excited about the prospects thrown up by the Astrosat which is expected to give India an edge in observing the universe.

"The Astrosat will carry the best ultraviolet telescope ever flown," Dipankar Bhattacharya, a senior astrophysicist with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) told PTI on the sidelines of the 96th Indian Science Congress here.

Besides IUCAA, premier institutions like the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Raman Research Institute and Physical Research Laboratory will also be participating in the Astrosat project which is funded by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The satellite will be a multi-wavelength observatory in space with instruments surveying the sky in ultraviolet, soft x-rays and hard x-rays bands.

Scientists claim that the Astrosat have the best spectroscopic instrument to study hard x-rays which would be 10 times more sensitive than the current instruments on the Integra and Rossini missions. PTI

 

[shchinese]

I don't see any real scientific contribution from India's moon image. the whole surface has been photoed in 3D images with the resolution of 120m/pixel.

a snapshot here:
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/fileftp/2008/11/2008-11-12/U90P4T47D9641F967DT20081112154321.jpg

the whole image data captured during our mission is 1.3Tbytes.

 

[Vinod2070]

I don't see any real scientific contribution from India's moon image. the whole surface has been photoed in 3D images with the resolution of 120m/pixel.

a snapshot here:
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/fileftp/2008/11/2008-11-12/U90P4T47D9641F967DT20081112154321.jpg

the whole image data captured during our mission is 1.3Tbytes.

Just remove the large blinkers from the small eyes and you may well see something.

 

[shchinese]

Just remove the large blinkers from the small eyes and you may well see something.

sure. our satellite has been there for more than 1 year already, and that is a full size satellite. it was lunched by a rocket 10 times more powerful than the India toy. this is what I saw.

I can only see plain nationalism from India's space program.

 

[Vinod2070]

sure. our satellite has been there for more than 1 year already, and that is a full size satellite. it was lunched by a rocket 10 times more powerful than the India toy. this is what I saw.

I can only see plain nationalism from India's space program.

But then you did not follow my advice in the previous post!