Indian Space Capabilities

[Cheetah786]

malaymishra123 question is would the Russians will be willing to give that kind of tech to India if she is moving more and more towards USA?

 

[KENT]

malaymishra123 question is would the Russians will be willing to give that kind of tech to India if she is moving more and more towards USA?

offcouse, why not? Since some turbulence that was created between INDO-RUSSIAN relationship on account of India' close up towards US, does't mean such minor turbulence will created any patches in Indo-Russian relationship. In spite of nucler deal with US, India has entered with russian some of other multibillion topnotch projects like PAK-FA,MTA, Nucler plant in southern India, all other host of Infrastructure projects.

 

[ahussains]

What ever is the realtions between india russia and US its a healty devlopment there because so far US is dominating in the space some one or some joint devlopment is not a bad idea..

 

[Vinod2070]

IIRC, the Russians were not convinced of the efficacy of the space shuttle concept. They experimented with it, found it to be not economical and abandoned it. May be I am wrong here but I read something along these lines.

Wonder what has changed now to revive the interest!

 

[ahussains]

So far Energiya is the most powerfull rocket in the world from last 20 years when it was devloped

Development
Work on the Energia/Buran system began in 1976 after the decision was made to cancel the unsuccessful N1 rocket. The cancelled N1 rocket-based Manned Lunar Launch Facilities and Infrastructure were used for Energia (notably the huge horizontal assembly building) - just as NASA reused infrastructure designed for the Saturn V in the Space Shuttle program. Energia also replaced the "Vulkan" concept, which was a design based on the Proton rocket and using the same toxic hypergolic fuels, but much larger and more powerful. The "Vulkan" designation was later on given to a variation of the Energia which has eight boosters and multiple stages.


First launch
The Energia was first test-launched 15 May 1987 21:30 with Polyus (UKSS military payload), where the Energia itself functioned well, but the Polyus did not reach orbit due to a mishap of its own attitude control system after separation from Energia.


Second launch
The only other flight to orbit has been the successful mission in which the unmanned Shuttle Buran was brought to orbit, in 1988. Both the Energia and Buran programs were designed to maintain strategic parity between the two superpowers.


Discontinuation
Production of Energia rockets ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Buran shuttle project. Ever since, there have been persistent rumors of the renewal of production, but given the current political realities, that is highly unlikely. While the Energia is no longer in production, the Zenit boosters are still in production and in use. The four strap-on liquid-fuel boosters, which burned kerosene and liquid oxygen, were the basis of the Zenit rocket which used the same engines. The engine is the RD-170: a powerful, modern, and efficient design. It is still used on the Baikonur Cosmodrome-launched Zenit and on the Sea Launch floating launch platform system, which is built around the Zenit. A half sized derivative of the engine, the RD-180, powers Lockheed Martin's Atlas V, one of the two new U.S. EELV rockets (the other being the Boeing Delta IV). The quarter size derivate of the engine, the RD-190 would be used in the Russian Angara rocket.

Variants

Three major variants were planned after the original configuration, each with vastly different payloads.


Energia M
The Energia M was the smallest design configuration. The number of Zenit boosters was reduced from four to two, and instead of four RD-0120 engines in the core, it had only one. It was designed to replace the Proton rocket, but lost the 1993 competition to the Angara rocket.


Energia II ("Uragan")
Main article: Energia II
Energia II, named "Uragan" ("Hurricane" in Russian), was a rocket planned to be fully reusable and would be able to land on a conventional airfield. Unlike the Energia, which was planned to be semi-reusable (like that of the U.S. Space Shuttle), the "Uragan" design would have allowed the complete recovery of all Buran/Energia elements, like that of the original totally reusable Orbiter/Booster concept of the U.S. Shuttle. The Energia II core would be capable of re-entering and gliding to a landing, presumably using technology developed for the Buran.


Vulkan-Hercules
The final unflown configuration was also the largest. With eight Zenit booster rockets and an Energia-M core as the upper stage of it, the "Vulkan" (which was interestingly the same name of another Soviet heavy lift rocket that was cancelled years earlier) or "Hercules" (which is the same name designated to the N-1 rockets) configuration could have launched up to 175 tonnes into orbit.


Energia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[KENT]

The collabration might likely to furnish India's space capability dramatically, since India have already undertaken Successful space recovery capasule.

 

[Contrarian]

IIRC, the Russians were not convinced of the efficacy of the space shuttle concept. They experimented with it, found it to be not economical and abandoned it. May be I am wrong here but I read something along these lines.

Wonder what has changed now to revive the interest!

India is going to experiment with the space shuttle concept with or without the Russians. We have already testesd the reentry technology, it would just take more time, if ISRO did it alone.

It would be more economical for both and there would be risk sharing if they made it or researched it together.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The Indian missile programme apparently has been concluded and wound up.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080107/jsp/frontpage/story_8760934.jsp

 

[Contrarian]

ISRO planning to launch satellite to study the sun

Divya Gandhi

100-kg ‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun

Bangalore: In the midst of the buzz about Chandrayaan, the moon mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a satellite to study the sun.

‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun. This fiery region has temperatures of over one million degrees, with raging solar winds that reach a velocity of up to 1000 km a second. The satellite will carry as its payload an advanced solar coronagraph.

“Aditya will be a small satellite weighing 100 kg, placed most likely in a near-earth orbit of 600 km,” said G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO. “The satellite is intended to study one of the most fundamental problems of coronal heating, and other phenomena that take place in the magnetosphere. “This will be one of the first projects scheduled in a road map formulated by the Advisory Committee for Space Research, said Mr. Nair.

Beyond being a research exercise, Aditya has a unique practical application: to protect ISRO’s satellites from the vagaries of solar phenomena, said R. Sridharan, Programme Director, Space Science Office, ISRO.

“The sun’s corona is highly active, releasing energy during solar flares in the form of bursts — manifesting as geomagnetic storms on earth. These associated charged particles can distort the earth’s magnetic field, and have a huge bearing on near-earth space where our satellites are located,” he explained.

The launch of Aditya will coincide with a ‘solar maximum’ a phase of high solar dynamism, which will occur in 2012, said Prof. Sridharan.

“The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity — we crossed the solar minimum in 2006,” he said. The coronagraph will study the solar corona through an artificial eclipse that will prevent sunlight from directly entering the instrument, revealing to the telescope only the halo of the corona.

The advisory committee has constituted a national-level study group to work out the optimum configuration for the coronagraph, among other parameters.

The study group comprises individuals from the ISRO Satellite Centre, Udaipur Solar Observatory, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, and several universities, said Prof. Sridharan. Their report will be out by May, and the project finalised by the end of 2008, he added. The projected cost of the satellite is approximately Rs. 50 crore.

“We want to cut costs by avoiding a dedicated launch. With ISRO’s multiple launching capability, Aditya could go as a co-passenger in one of the many launches scheduled for the next four years,” said Prof. Sridharan. “The cost of the instrument can also be reduced by nearly a factor of 10 by using screened industrial grade components. We do not need this satellite for more than two years — it would have gathered an enormous amount of data in this span of time.”

The Hindu : Front Page : ISRO planning to launch satellite to study the sun

 

[Contrarian]

DRDO plans satellite-based coastal surveillance system

M. Somasekhar

Tenali (AP), Feb. 6 India is planning to establish a satellite-based coastal surveillance system to monitor and guard its long coastline extending beyond 7,500 km.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has prepared a blueprint for the system and has made some headway in developing the ingredients for it, according to Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller (R&D).

The major national project to be launched soon would require a dedicated satellite, which would be fabricated. It has to be placed in the geostationary orbit, where India’s Insat series are operating and beaming communication, television, meteorological and other imagery to meet the country’s demands, Dr Pillai told Business Line here.

The satellite would be something on the lines of the Oceansat of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The total cost of the project is being worked out and it would be a reality in the next 4-5 years, said the top DRDO scientist and Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Aerospace.

Dr Pillai, who was here to receive the 16th Dr Y. Nayudamma Award and deliver the lecture, said the surveillance system was important for the country because the vast coastline needs to be continuously monitored and key assets have to be protected.

The Kochi-based Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory, under the DRDO, would be the nodal lab to implement the ambitious project.

A major feature of the system would be the installation of sea bed arrays in critical locations. They will throw up information that would be captured by the satellite. This information is relayed to a Central Control Centre. A string of smaller centre’s in different regions would also be linked for sharing the data, he said.

The ISRO has on its own put in place a satellite-based system to help fisherfolk in distress on the sea, be it due to rough sea conditions, sudden health problems etc. They are installing a receiver on fisherfolk boat, which continuously tracks their location and relays distress signals, by the pressing of the button onboard to a Central hub.

The Hindu Business Line : DRDO plans satellite-based coastal surveillance system

 

[KENT]

Clear sign of gearing up towards Network Centering warfare as well as a very needed move towards foiling Piracy, Terror activities over the Indian coastline.

 

[Flintlock]

Mission water on moon
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Bangalore, Feb. 27: A US team yesterday visited an Indian Space Research Organisation facility where American equipment is being integrated into Chandrayaan-1 to look for water and ice on the moon.

The Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (miniSAR) will help India’s first lunar mission establish whether the permanently shadowed regions of the moon’s poles have water in any form.

The miniSAR has been developed by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University, and the Naval Air Warfare Centre. The delegation was headed by Ken Ulman, the executive of Howard County in Maryland, where the APL is one of the largest private sector employers.

US space agency Nasa is expected to pay Isro at least $10 million for carrying the miniSAR and tracking its probes, officials said.

“The moon is believed to be very dry, but recent discoveries suggest the existence of water and ice in its polar regions, which are never illuminated by the sun,” a scientist said.

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Mission water on moon

 

[Sam Dhanraj]

India seeks Russia's help in space pilot training
18:46 | 25/ 03/ 2008



NEW DELHI, March 25 (RIA Novosti) - India is considering sending one of its citizens into space on board a Russian spacecraft to acquire the skills necessary for future manned space missions, an Indian space source told RIA Novosti.

"India would like to have one of its astronauts trained in Russia and send him into space on board the Soyuz spacecraft," said a senior researcher from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

He said ISRO had been in talks on the issue with the Russian Federal Space Agency and "received a positive response."

India has been successfully developing its space program in recent years, regularly launching satellites using its own booster rockets.

India is planning to launch its first space shuttle in 2014.

The vehicle would be launched by India's successful Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-Mk II) - a three-stage rocket with solid, liquid and cryo stages. The GSLV can place 2,200 kg into geostationary transfer orbit.

India sent its first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, into space with the Soviet Intercosmos program aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft on April 2, 1984.

RIA Novosti - World - India seeks Russia's help in space pilot training

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Lets see who would be the second Indian after Rakesh Sharma..

 

[Malang]

India plans 70 space missions in five years

India plans to undertake 70 space missions in five years, a nearly three-fold jump from the previous half-decade, as it seeks to address requirements and develop new technologies to meet future needs.

"We have proposed something like 70 missions totally (in the 11th plan (April one 2007 to March 31, 2012) compared to about 26 missions in the tenth plan period," Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, G Madhavan Nair, told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

The proposed missions have a "good mix" of both INSAT class satellites as well as remote sensing ones, he said.

Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space, indicated that the aim is to address requirements of the area of communication transponders and work in the fields of microwave remote sensing, hyper spectral and other new technologies of the future.

"Future developments will be towards the manned space mission and reusable satellites and Ka-band satellites," he added.

The 2008-09 annual budget for the Space Department has gone upto Rs 4,072 crore, a 25 per cent increase over the previous financial year, ISRO officials said.

India plans 70 space missions in five years- ET Cetera-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

 

[Malang]

ISRO comes out with Manned Mission plan

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed to have chalked out plan for India’s manned mission lined up for 2015 on Friday.

Chairman of ISRO, Dr D G Madhavan Nair told media persons, “We have now finalised the project report on the manned mission. The report is going to the Government.

The Government will have to review and take a decision soon.”

He said that the report will be submitted to Space Commission by next week, which will give its recommendation on the total cost of project.

Dr Nair further explained the stratagem and said that the organisation has now clarity in the framework they have reached upon finally, he also discussed about the technologies to be assessed, facilities to be established and the agencies to involve in this project.

This report is another indication of India’s preparedness to undertake the manned mission and through its various satellites India has proved that it has the maturity to go ahead with the plan.

ISRO has also surveyed since 2003 to scrutinise the technological challenges of a manned spaceflight, some of the facilities required are available in the country however many areas have to be developed to give a thrust to the mission. Earlier, preliminary cost has been pegged at Rs 10,000 crore by ISRO, spread over a period of 8 years.

This indigenous manned space exploration is planned for 2014-15 and ISRO has already setup a Deep Space Network in Byalalu village near Bangalore. Indian Deep Space Network comprises primarily of two powerful dish antennas measuring 32-metre and 18-metre diameter to track all its future space missions. A third antenna measuring 11-meter diameter will be also erected for ASTROSAT mission.

India is also set to enter the moon exploration club by sending its first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1 by July 2008.If the mission goes as planned, ISRO would be the sixth space agency in the world, after the Soviet Union, NASA, Japan, European Space Agency and China.

India has evolved as a prominent nation in the field of space sciences and this manned mission to come up will boost the morale of our nation.

ISRO comes out with Manned Mission plan