Indian Space Capabilities

[GLOBAL HAWK]

Good news!!!

Mick Ficke was highly regarded by our professors at UC, I admire him for his achievements

My hero is Niel Armstrong

 

[WarProfessor]

Good news!!!

Mick Ficke was highly regarded by our professors at UC, I admire him for his achievements

My hero is Niel Armstrong

Neil Armstrong? The latest development is the dutch museum moon rock is a piece of petrified wood.

 

[indiatech]

ISRO to replace computers on future satellites


KOCHI: Stung by the finding that the failure of the Chandrayaan was mainly due to the malfunction of onboard computers, the Indian Space Research Organisation has decided to replace the processing units on all future satellites, including two scheduled for immediate launch.


A decision to equip the Oceansat- 2 and GSat-4 with a new bus management unit (BMU) instead of the existing one has already been taken. Currently ISRO uses a standard type of central computer unit in all satellites. This in-house developed system is a time-tested control unit which has flown on many satellites. But following the Chandrayaan fiasco due to poor thermal management, every component was scrutinised and re-evaluated.

Following this a high level decision to re-install the most crucial component was immediately taken.

The urgency was such that the replacement was done on Oceansat while it was waiting to be integrated with the launch vehicle.

(Oceansat-2 will be in orbit by the year end to boost India’s oceanographic studies. This satellite will also aid fishermen by giving them a clear indication of the presence and type of fish at various depths.) Similarly the control unit of GSat-4, a communication satellite, has also been replaced with a new one which features better thermal control facilities. The haste with which the BMUs in both satellites were replaced is further confirmation that Chandrayaan was let down more by internal factors than external temperature vagaries.

Apart from this ISRO has decided to raise the threshold value of all vehicles with immediate effect.

The values of thermvac (thermal and vacuum tests) have been raised four times from the normal practice of testing it under double the temperature and pressure readings in outer space.

A decision to effect certain design changes with a view to ensuring better ventilation of heat generated inside the satellite has also been taken.

With the Chandrayaan failure casting a shadow on the proposed manned mission, ISRO has decided to do three dummy launches of the space capsule in which Indian spacefarers will undertake their voyage. The capsule, being fabricated in Thiruvananthapuram, will be tested for its re-entry dynamics and thermal insulation. Though the capsule and the launch vehicle (GSLVMark III) have already been manrated, the space agency is leaving nothing to chance. "We will do three dummy runs. That will reinforce our confidence," confirmed G Madhavan Nair, ISRO Chairman. He, however, ruled out any experiment using biological specimens (like a monkey). "We don’t want to do that. We’ve a fairly good understanding of the challenges that await such a mission.

The three trials are more than enough to evaluate our systems before the actual launch takes place," he said.

 

[SinoIndusFriendship]

Neil Armstrong? The latest development is the dutch museum moon rock is a piece of petrified wood.

Niel Armstrong OPENLY LIED about "landing on the moon".... Man, do I love that video where he is sweating bullets in front of the press conference and he is asked questions like "How was the star system?" and he didn't know how to answer...

Apollo Moon Landing HOAX

 

[EyelessInGaza]

Uh oh.

You're not another moon -landing -was- a -hoax artist are you?

 

[Born In The USA]

Launch campaign apace for lift-off of PSLV–C14


On a mission: ISRO’s Oceansat-2 undergoing pre-launch tests at Sriharikota.

CHENNAI: The launch campaign at the spaceport at Sriharikota is accelerating for the lift-off of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C14), which will put seven satellites in orbit. The launch is most likely to take place on September 23.

While the 960-kg Oceansat-2 is from India, the remaining six, all from abroad, are micro satellites weighing between one and eight kg. They are four Cubesats and two Rubinsats.
‘Fully integrated’

“The four-stage vehicle is fully integrated. We are going through the tests. After the vehicle is fully checked out, we will take in the satellites [that is, the satellites will be married up with the rocket],” said a top Indian Space Research Organisation engineer associated with the mission. It will be a core-alone PSLV version that will inject the satellites into orbit. The sleek, chiselled-looking vehicle does not have the six strap-on motors that surround the first stage in the standard PSLV version.

The vehicle’s fourth stage will fire five satellites, one after another into orbit, akin to the “salvo of rockets issuing from a multi-barrel rocket launcher,” another ISRO engineer said. After Oceansat-2 is slotted into its orbit first, a spring-loaded action would “push the chota fellows out” one after another. The two Rubinsats would not be ejected. They would remain permanently attached to the vehicle’s fourth stage. “The Rubins will not be separated. They will do their work while they are attached to the PSLV’s fourth stage. There will be no problem in that,” he explained.

Oceansat-2 will continue to do the work done by Oceansat-1. It will investigate the interaction between oceans and the atmosphere to facilitate study of climate. It will study the wind above the oceans, and the sea surface temperature. The satellite will help in identifying schools of fish, predicting the state of the sea, keeping a tab on the phytoplankton blooms and studying suspended sediments in water.

S. Satish, Director, Publications and Publications, ISRO, said: “Oceans cover about 70 per cent of the earth’s surface. Considering the importance of oceans as a source of food for humans and their role in shaping the earth’s weather and climate, and their influence on the biological life cycle, study of oceans is cardinal. In this context, the Oceansat-2 mission acquires added significance.”
Study the colour of oceans

One of the payloads of Oceansat-2, called Ocean Colour Monitor, will study the colour of oceans. “This will help in effective fishing,” an ISRO scientist explained. Another payload, scatterometer, will investigate the interaction between the oceans and the atmosphere. In addition, there is a payload from the Italian Space Agency for studying the atmosphere.

The four Cubesats are from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, Technical University of Berlin and University of Wurzburg, both in Germany, and Istanbul Technical University. These Cubesats weigh one kg each. The two Rubinsats, weighing eight kg each, are from Luxembourg and Germany. All the six will test advanced satellite and application technologies.

ISRO created a record in April 2008 when another PSLV core-alone version billeted home 10 satellites including India’s Cartosat-2A

The Hindu : Front Page : Launch campaign apace for lift-off of PSLV–C14

 

[ratolz]

India to launch Oceansat-2 on Sep 23: ISRO


BANGALORE: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch Oceansat-2 satellite, which would help identify potential fishing zones and in

coastal zone studies, on September 23 in a mission that would have European flavour.

The 970-KG spacecraft would set-off by the home-grown Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota spaceport on the east coast, where preparations for the launch are in full swing.

"Oceansat-2 is tentatively scheduled to be launched at around noon on September 23," S Satish, spokesperson of Bangalore-headquartered ISRO, said.

ISRO officials said the launch is expected at 11.56 AM on that day.

The satellite is intended for identification of potential fishing zones, sea state forecasting, coastal zone studies and providing inputs for weather forecasting and climate studies.

It is an in-orbit replacement to Oceansat-1, launched by ISRO in May 1999 and was used to study physical and biological aspects of oceanography.

"Data from Oceansat-1 (which has completed ten years of service) was widely used by fishermen," ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

Besides ISRO, European space agencies would be keenly looking forward for the missions success as a set of six European nano satellites would ride piggyback and accompany Oceansat-2 on its trip to orbit.

 

[EjazR]

Get to know about space projects here - Hubli - City - NEWS - The Times of India

HUBLI: Want to know more about satellites, rockets, launch vehicles, etc? Then head towards the Mahila Vidya Peet in Vidyanagar here, where a
permanent space exhibition has been set up by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

This is the second such space exhibition in south India, next only to the one in Trivendrum, set up using ISRO's grants. With real-size models and scaled-down models of launch vehicles and satellites, one gets to see here India's achievements in space.

The exhibition, spread on 3,000 sqft hall, was informally opened to the public on Monday. The exhibits include six life-size models of satellite, three launch vehicles, 42 panels and posters of India's space programme. Another set of models, posters, literature and photos is expected shortly.

"The centre has been set up with Rs 5-lakh grants from the ISRO," Mahila Vidya Peet secretary K T Patil told reporters on Tuesday. Explaining how Hubli was chosen for the rare exhibition, Patil credits Rajya Sabha member K Kasturirangan for the same.

He said they had extended invitation to the former ISRO chairman to attend the space exhibitions held at the institute twice (prior to 2008). Somehow he could not make it. But the renowned space scientist made it a point to visit the institute, which also holds the rare distinction as the first Harijan girls' hostel in entire India, sometime later. In February 2008, he visited the institute while he was in the city for a Rotary function.

Moved by the institute's services towards women folk, Kasturirangan announced that he will sanction Rs 25 lakh from his MPLAD fund towards constructing a new building where new courses could be started. He also expressed his willingness to help open a permanent exhibition centre for the institute.

But the college could not receive Rs 25 lakh due to some technical reasons. But Kasturirangan held discussion with the present ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair and ensured the opening of the exhibition.

Patil said the representatives of ISRO, who were in Vidya Peet recently, have trained two physics lecturers of the institute to explain the exhibits to the visitors. "At present, the exhibition will be open to students or other members of the public," he said, adding visitors will be charged a nomial fee of Rs 2.

A separate building to house the exhibits is also being planned. Patil said that they want to invite Nair to inaugurate the new building which would cost Rs 50 lakh.

 

[Born In The USA]

Additional Indian rover on Chandrayaan-II

KOCHI: A small Indian rover, wheeling the country’s hopes on the lunarscape, will travel to the moon on Chandrayaan-II.

This will be in addition to the Russian rover, one of the main payloads on board the second moon mission, making this one of the first missions to carry two robotic payloads on it.

While the Russian rover weighs about 50 kg, the Indian one is smaller and weighs only 15 kg. The Russian rover, which is significantly more advanced and versatile, will carry out all the major explorations while the Indian one will separately undertake chemical analysis and the search for availability of materials on the surface of the moon.

The design is totally indigenous. And a significant part of the rover, including the crucial communication links, is being fabricated in Kerala. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has a twin objective in sending up a desi rover. One aim is to gain experience in robotic payloads but the main idea is to achieve the capability of remotely controlling a system to execute various commands communicated from the Bangalore station. India needs to perfect its deep space communication as the space race is so dependent on effecting transmission of commands to the payloads and reception of data collected by them.

At the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO scientists are working to develop radio frequency transmitters.

These transmitters will travel on the rover, controlling its movement on the moon and directing it to collect samples. The ISRO, however, is not planning to do serious chemical examination on the rover.

Apart from achieving communication prowess, ISRO hopes to learn valuable lessons in soft landing payloads on alien surfaces through the rover experiment.

The Russians have handed over the design and specifications of its rover for fabrication of its traction in association with ISRO using facilities in ITTs like Kharagpur.

The only experience ISRO has in landing payloads is what it gained through the crash-landing of the moon impact probe (MIP) sent on the ill-fated Chandrayaan-I. Since the MIP was intended to crash on the lunar surface and cause dust displacement for understanding of the terrain, not much thought was given to landing techniques.

With ISRO deciding to carry two rovers, the possibility of flying free payloads remains a moot point. In fact, the decision to carry 11 payloads on Chandrayaan- I and whether it affected its thermal management is being actively debated. Scientists feel that had the spacecraft been less congested internal heat could have been more effectively ventilated. This could restrain ISRO from inviting free payloads from other space agencies or universities.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[Screaming Skull]

ISRO preparing for GSAT 4 launch in two months​

Sat, Sep 19

Chennai, Sep 19 (IANS): While the preparations for launch of India's ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat 2 and six other nano satellites Sep 23 is on, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready for the bigger launch slated in the next two months -- that of the communications satellite GSAT 4.

Speaking to IANS over phone from ISRO's launch centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, M.Y.S. Prasad, associate director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre said: 'Preparations are already on for the launch of GSAT 4 -- the communication satellite using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The rocket assembling process has started.'

The first stage of GSLV with four strap-on motors has been assembled and assembling of the second stage is to start soon.

The third stage -- cryogenic stage -- will come from ISRO's Thiruvananthapuram facility, he said.

'GSLV will blast off from the second launch pad with its third stage fitted with an India built cryogenic engine thereby making the country absolutely self reliant in building the bigger rocket,' S. Sathish, ISRO's director of publications and public relations, told IANS over phone from Bangalore.

For all the five earlier GSLV missions, ISRO had used Russian cryogenic engines.

Last December, the indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage engine passed the flight acceptance test with the engine tested for 200 seconds.

The development of cryogenic engines involves mastering materials technology, operating rotary pumps and turbines which run at 42,000 revolutions per minute (RPM).

Weighing around two tonnes, GSAT 4 will carry a multi-beam Ka-band bent pipe and regenerative transponder and navigation payload in C, L1 and L5 bands. The satellite can guide civil and military aircraft.

GSAT 4 will also carry a scientific payload, TAUVEX, comprising three ultra violet band telescopes developed by Tel Aviv University and Israel space agency (ELOP) for surveying a large part of the sky in the 1,400-3,200 A wavelengths.

Meanwhile, ISRO officials are gearing up the next week's PSLV launch carrying the 960 kg Oceansat 2 and six nano satellites totalling around 20 kg.

'We conducted the pre-launch rehearsal -- all activities that have to be carried out ten hours before the actual launch -- starting at 2 a.m. Saturday and completed at 12.30 p.m. Everything went off well,' said Prasad. He said the actual 49-hour countdown process will start Monday 8 a.m. The rocket will fly at 11.51 a.m. Wednesday.

According to Satish, Oceansat 2 will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above the earth.

Prasad added: 'Oceansat 2 will cover the whole earth as the coverage strip will be moving since it is not geostationary satellite. The orbit is designed in such a way that the satellite will cross the Equator at 12 noon near India.'

Along with Oceansat 2, four overseas Cubesats each weighing 1 kg will be ejected from the rocket, while the two Rubinsats each weighing 8 kg will orbit attached to the rocket's fourth stage, he added.

This will be the second time that ISRO will launch a cluster of nano satellites. In 2008 ISRO -- launching its cartography satellite (CARTOSAT-2A) and Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) -- also sent up eight nano satellites and set a world record of maximum number of satellites sent up in a single launch.

'The increased launch of nano satellites from foreign countries is expected to propel Indian universities to follow the footsteps of Anna University to build satellites,' Satish remarked.

Chennai-based Anna University became the first Indian university to build a small satellite Anusat which ISRO launched in April this year.

ISRO preparing for GSAT 4 launch in two months - Yahoo! India News

 

[Screaming Skull]

ISRO starts filling liquid fuel for PSLV rocket​

Chennai, September 21, 2009

Filling of liquid fuel in the second stage of the Rs.70-crore Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket that would carry the Rs.130-crore Oceansat2 — India’s remote sensing satellite — on Wednesday afternoon was progressing smoothly at India’s rocket launch centre in Sriharikota, around 80 km from here.

The PSLV would also carry six other nano satellites. The 51-hour countdown for the sixth flight of PSLV’s core alone version (rocket without its six strap-on motors) started Monday 9 a.m.

Speaking to IANS from Bangalore, S. Satish, director, publications and public relations of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said: “The four-stage rocket uses solid and liquid fuel alternatively. The first and third stages are fired by solid fuel and the third and fourth stages are powered by liquid fuel.”

While the solid fuel is cast ready, the liquid fuel will be filled in the two days preceding the rocket launch.

According to Mr. Satish, filling of the second stage with 41.5 tonnes of fuel will take around 10 hours.

Into the flight, the second stage fuel will burn for 147 seconds developing a maximum thrust of 799 kilo Newton (kN) — a Newton is a measure of force needed to accelerate one kilogram mass at one metre per second squared.

The first stage carrying 139 tonnes of propellant is one of the largest solid propellant boosters in the world and will burn for 101 seconds to develop 4,817 kN.

The third stage uses 7.6 tonnes of solid fuel (112 seconds burning time; thrust 238kN) and the fourth has twin engine configuration with 2.5 tonnes of liquid propellant that will burn for 497 seconds and the thrust will be 14.6kN — both engines put together.

According to Mr. Satish, the rocket will blast off the first launch pad at 11.51 a.m. on Wednesday for its flight during which it would earn an unspecified amount of dollars as the carriage fee from the European owners of six nano satellites, piggy backing on the 960kg Oceansat2.

The Indian satellite will be ejected into a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above the earth and it will cover the whole earth as the coverage strip will be moving.

The orbit is designed in such a way that the satellite will cross the Equator at 12 noon near India.

A global leader in remote sensing data, India has till date launched 15 remote sensing satellites of which nine are still in operation.

Even the Oceansat1 launched in 1999 is in service and will go into oblivion slowly.

According to Mr. Satish, the design life of Oceansat2 is five years and it may outlast that period like its earlier version.

The Hindu : Sci-Tech : ISRO starts filling liquid fuel for PSLV rocket

 

[BSF]

Niel Armstrong OPENLY LIED about "landing on the moon".... Man, do I love that video where he is sweating bullets in front of the press conference and he is asked questions like "How was the star system?" and he didn't know how to answer...

Apollo Moon Landing HOAX

The Terrain mapper camera on board Chandrayaan-1, which had an abrupt end a few days back, has sent the prints of landing site of Apollo 15 and tracks of the lunar rovers used by astronauts to travel on lunar surface, a senior scientist associated with India's lunar mission said during a presentation here.

Here
Not laughing now, are you? !

 

[indiatech]

PSLV C-14 launch tomorrow. Pre launch PICS

 

[indiatech]

OCEANSAT-2 to be launched tomorrow

 

[indiatech]

PSLV C-14 and OCEANSAT-2 tech brochure

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c14/pdf/Oceansat-2-Brochure-1.pdf