Indian Space Capabilities

[Contrarian]

India to Host International Space Meet in September 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Friday, August 3, 2007
Source: Indian Space Research Organisation

India has the unique opportunity to host the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC-2007) during September 24-28, 2007 at Hyderabad. Hailed as one of the prestigious meets of the world's astronautical community, IAC is organised every year jointly by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and International Institute of Space Law (IISL). Astronautical Society of India (ASI) and Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO will be hosting this event in India. ISRO and ASI are active members of IAF and over the years, ISRO/ASI scientists have played a significant role in the activities of IAF, IAA and IISL. Mr G Madhavan Nair, who is the Chairman of ISRO and President of ASI, is also the Vice President of the Scientific Activities of IAA.

By electing India to host the 58th Session of IAC, the world space community has recognised the country's significant achievements in space science and technology and their benefits to humankind. It is also significant that India is hosting the IAC in the year 2007 which marks the 50th anniversary of the first launch of Russian Sputnik-1 in 1957 that heralded the space age. The last time that India hosted the IAC was in 1988 in Bangalore.

A Planning Committee, Chaired by Dr B N Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, with senior scientists and administrators of ISRO as members, has been specially constituted to organise this international event at Hyderabad.

Several other sub-committees to coordinate the technical programme, preparation of the venue and organisation of the exhibition have also been constituted.

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, in his message has said "on behalf of the Pearl City of Hyderabad, it gives me an enormous pleasure in welcoming the delegates to the 58th International Astronautical Congress". He added that Hyderabad is one of the most distinctive and historic Indian cities that provide a fine blend of the old world charm and its distilled flavor with the exuberant energy and passion of the Generation next.

In his message on the holding the IAC 2007 at Hyderabad, Mr James V Zimmerman, the President of the IAF has said that India has, for many years, been pursuing a wide range of space applications programme and the theme of the Hyderabad Congress "Touching Humanity: Space for Improving the Quality of Life" will enable the space community to focus on the growing use of space to improve the lives of humankind. He added that the congress will also provide an opportunity to discuss many robotic and human space exploration activities to expand our knowledge of the universe.

Mr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, has said that Hyderabad is the hub of information, aero-space and bio-technology pursuits in India and also encompasses many landmarks to portray its ancient history and cultural heritage. He has further said that the delegates to IAC 2007 will have an opportunity to experience India's rich tradition and culture.

More than 2,500 delegates including eminent leaders, professionals and industrialists engaged in space science, technology and applications from all over the world will be participating in IAC 2007. The important aspects of the congress include:

* Technical Sessions, where about 1,300 selected technical papers covering topics on Space Science, Space Technology, Infrastructure, Space Applications and Interaction with Society will be presented

* Plenary Event and Highlight Lectures, where chiefs of Space agencies will deliberate on their accomplishments and future plans apart from interacting with participants. Invited eminent astronauts and space scientists will deliver the talks

* UN/IAF Workshop on "Space Technology for Sustainable Development :Towards Food Security" will be organised prior to the Congress

* Academy Day of IAA on 23rd September

* The finals of Moot Court Competition organised by International Institute of Space Law (IISL) will be judged by Judges of the International Court of Justice

* Student Session wherein about 250 selected students from across the world will participate and share their views on Space related issues

* International Space Exhibition displaying the latest in technology and products from various space agencies, entrepreneurs, industries and others

A demonstration on space systems based telemedicine linking hospitals between India and Europe is also planned as part of open Plenary Event on the last day.

The Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) - India's largest and the most technologically advanced convention facility has been selected as the venue for organising the IAC 2007. The spacious HITEX Exhibition Complex will be the venue for the international space exhibition. The website www.iac2007.org provides details about the Congress including Registration of delegates, exhibition participants and press.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=23167

 

[Contrarian]

Reusable rocket launch by 2010: ISRO chief

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair on Monday told journalists that the country would launch a reusable rocket by 2010.

Dr. Nair said scientists have designed a “demonstrator” to measure parameters of the vehicle and the work was on. A facility to study aerodynamics and related matters was coming up in Thiruvananthapuram.

ISRO was also concentrating on a Mars mission, which could take place in 2012. “We have thrown this idea to the scientific community. They are coming out with some proposals and suggestions,” Dr. Nair said.

He was speaking at Vidhana Soudha after the launch of the EduSat programme for 102 Government Colleges.http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/14/stories/2007081455441500.htm

 

[mustang]

Got to admit that from what i read above the indain space capabilities seem pretty good ...
good to see that all funds r not going into the milatary's poctects ...

 

[Neo]

India will send astronaut into space by 2015: ISRO chief​

NAGPUR: India will send an astronaut into space on one of its own rockets by 2015 and embark on a manned mission to the moon by 2020, the country's space agency chief said on Friday.

Before sending an astronaut to the moon, the country will send the Chandrayaan-I satellite to the moon next year, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Madhavan Nair said.

"India will be launching Chandrayaan-I by mid-next year for carrying out scientific experiments on the moon," he said after inaugurating an information and communication technology gallery at the Raman Science centre.

The satellite with a payload of 560 kg will carry instruments to study the moon's surface. It will be launched on the PSLV rocket around August next year, Nair said.

Chandrayaan-I will orbit the moon and take visuals and photographs of its surface. It will remain in orbit for two years and this will be first experiment of its kind by ISRO as part of the planned lunar mission, he said.

Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go into space but he travelled on a Russian rocket.

Nair also said the ISRO has acquired the capability to commercially launch satellites for other countries. A UN organisation is working to minimise debris in space and exploring ways to get rid of this problem, he said. Nair lauded Maharashtra's role in using tele-medicine and tele-education technology.

India will send astronaut into space by 2015: ISRO chief-India-The Times of India

 

[Contrarian]

ISRO prepares for GSLV-F04 launch


BANGALORE: India is set to launch on Sunday a communications satellite that will replace one destroyed last year when the rocket carrying it into space failed.

The 49-metre (1,481-feet) high satellite launch vehicle, or GSLV, will lift the satellite into space at 4:20 pm local time (1050 GMT) from Sriharikota space station, a spokesman for the space agency said.

"The launch is crucial to the extent that the high-powered satellite will augment the country's communication capacity and help meet increasing demand," said the spokesman for Space Research Organisation.

He cited a boom in telecommunications, from facsimile and Internet traffic to satellite television, video transmission and digital satellite newsgathering, whose requirements will be met by the Insat-4CR satellite.

Insat-4CR, weighing 2,130 kilograms (4,686 pounds), is equipped with 12 wideband channels that allow digital transmission on each at the same time by several video and audio networks.

Users sharing a channel benefit from costs that are lower than they would have to pay for use of landlines or earth stations.

The channels, known as transponders, will add to the 200 India already uses for communication and broadcasting purposes.

Sunday's launch will be the fifth for the GSLV, whose predecessor had to be destroyed along with the satellite it was carrying 56 seconds after lift-off in July 2006 when the rocket strayed from its path.

Scientists at the space agency, who blamed a sudden loss of power in one of the rocket's four liquid-propellant motors for the failure, have taken care to ensure the vehicle does not "meet the same fate,".

"The launch campaign is progressing satisfactorily," said a statement posted on ISRO's web site.

"The satellite has already been integrated with the launch vehicle."

India started its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to reduce dependence on overseas agencies.

It carried out the first successful launch of a domestic satellite, which weighed 35 kilograms (77 pounds), by a home-built rocket in 1980.

After using satellites to map natural resources and predict the weather to help farmers and the rural poor in the early days of the programme, it has moved towards commercial exploitation of space technology.

The country's space agency in April launched an Italian satellite for a fee for the first time, and also earns money from telephone companies and broadcasters who use its transponders.

ISRO prepares for GSLV-F04 launch-India-The Times of India

 

[Bushroda]

Indian GSLV carrying new satellite blasts off
Xinhua, China
2007-09-02

NEW DELHI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-FO4 (GSLV) rocket carrying communication satellite INSAT-4CR blasted off from Sriharikota, south India, at 6: 20 p.m. local time Sunday.

The launch of the GSLV carrying INSAT-4CR was scheduled to liftoff at 4:21 p.m. local time. However, it had earlier been stopped several seconds before the blast off due to a "technical snag in parameters related to the launch," India media quoted sources in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as saying.

The rocket was on its designated path, and the performance was reported as normal, the ISRO said, adding that all parameters were functioning well.

The GSLV was to put into orbit INSAT-4CR, which carries 12 high-power Ku-band transponders for direct-to-home television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite newsgathering.

The ISRO scientists say they are extra careful this time to ensure that the vehicle does not meet the same fate of its predecessor, the GSLV-F02, in July 2006, when it had strayed away from its path, forcing them to destroy it, 56 seconds after takeoff.

 

[Bushroda]

INSAT-4CR successfully placed in orbit
2 Sep 2007, 2027 hrs IST,PTI

SRIHARIKOTA: Overcoming technical snags, ISRO on Sunday successfully placed into orbit its latest communication satellite from the spaceport here, giving a major boost Direct-To-Home television services.

In a textbook launch, the rocket GSLV-F04 carrying INSAT-4CR satellite blasted off at 6:21 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, two hours behind schedule after computers put off the launch following unsatisfactory performance of vent valve of the rocket.

The scientists took about one hour 40 minutes to set right the problem and the rocket was cleared for launch at around 6:00 pm.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F04 placed the 2,130 kg satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at an altitude of 248 kms about 17 minutes after the liftoff.

The 49-metre tall launch vehicle, the fifth in the GSLV series, soared into the space carrying the 2130 kg (415 tonne) satellite which was manoeuvred into the orbit using its own propulsion system.

"It has been an excellent performance of the launch vehicle. There have been a number of critical moments on this happy occasion," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief G Madhavan Nair told reporters here.

INSAT-4CR is a replacement of its earlier version INSAT-4C that was destroyed on July 10 last year when the launch vehicle GSLV-F02 crashed 56 seconds after lift-off due to malfunctioning of a strap-on motor.

 

[joey]

This GSLV flied with home designed microprocessor named Vikram, the avionics systems are totally new, there was slight deviation in initial path but closed loop guidance was initiated. The avionics programming needs to mature as it is some sort of centralised avionics system. There was a bit gap in apogee but the HAM motor satellite is exactly there to orient itself in the GTO which carries a whopping 1190 kg of fuel.

Regarding the microprocessor only data we have is here,
http://www.aesitvpm.org/presentations/Kalpana%20Chawla memorial lecture.htm

Meeting the changing complex requirements and obsolescence in technology every three years were real challenges in OBC and test systems area. The fault tolerant On Board computers and test systems underwent tremendous changes based on the technological advances in this area.


We started with 6800 microprocessor based system for ASLV with hot standby redundancy scheme. PSLV uses 68000 based OBC in a cross strapped configuration. GSLV uses 68000 based OBC with 1553 interface for new packages. All these systems used point to point communication. Advanced mission computer with i960 and in house developed Vikram 16-01 has been developed as a 1553 bus based system and validated for all future missions and PSLV/ GSLV. All these OBC configurations are tightly coupled distributed processing systems.


Similarly on the test system side, we used in house developed 8086 systems for ASLV. As the checkout system had to simulate inputs as in flight and also monitor all the outputs, store the outputs, analyse and display, we had to listen to sound of relays to find out whether relay closure command has occurred. Then we went ahead for 4 processor multiprocessing systems using commercially available configurable open systems and value addition in hardware and software for PSLV. Obsolescence was a real problem. We worked with multibus 1, followed by multibus 2 multiprocessing systems. Currently we have operational systems using EISA bus based multiprocessing systems and PCI/ISA bus based distributed processing systems. We are working with Cpci based multiprocessing systems in RTLinux environment.

 

[Contrarian]

ISRO sets up Space Institute

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 : Unmindful of political controversies surrounding its land deal, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today inaugurated its Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, the third such institute in the world.

Addressing the first batch of students after lighting the traditional lamp, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said it would be a world class institute to mould young scientists to meet the growing demand for specialised engineers to fulfil the country's future space programmes.

Stating that the ISRO was facing a manpower crunch, he said the Institute, which was launched in a 'rocket speed,' was a right step in this direction.

There would be 140 students for the B Tech in Space Technology (Avionics and Aerospace Engineering) and Integrated Masters in Applied Science.

A temporary campus had been set up at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here and the students would move to the new campus in the third year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would lay the foundation stone for the new campus shortly.

The ISRO acquired 82 acres near Ponmudi hills, for the purpose from an estate owner. But it became controversial after the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front alleged that Forest Minister Binoy Viswom helped the private person to sell the government land, notified as the Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL), to the ISRO.

Subsequently, the government promised to provide 200 acres land, free of cost to the ISRO to set up the institute.

Welcoming the initiative of the government in this regard, Mr Nair said ''we will not insist that we should get a specific spot.

But what we require is high altitude land for the project. Ponmudi is an ideal place that suits our requirements.'' Referring to the controversy, he said, ''we buy from bolt to rocket engines and follow certain guidelines during the past 30 years. We have followed all such guidelines in the land purchase also.''

--- UNI
@ NewKerala.Com News Channel

 

[Contrarian]

Launch of a technology demonstrator in 2009

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: India is planning to launch a technology demonstrator of a reusable launch vehicle in 2009, according to B.N. Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

“Work is progressing on the technology demonstrator of the reusable launch vehicle and we are planning to have its launch in 2009,” Dr. Suresh said on Thursday at a press conference convened to provide details of the five-day International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will begin here on September 24.

It will be launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s spaceport at Sriharikota. “The technology demonstrator is a precursor to mastering technologies related to the reusable launch vehicles. It will vertically take off, go into the right atmosphere, then fly out of the dense atmosphere … It is basically for testing the hypersonic aerodynamics, the thermal protection system and a host of other technologies,” he said.

The contraption would inject the reusable technology demonstrator into the atmosphere at a high Mach speed. But the technology demonstrator would not be recovered in the first flight.

“There will be no recovery because this is the first flight. But we will receive a lot of data by telemetry.” Dr. Suresh, who is also the co-chairman of the international congress committee and chairman of the national planning committee for organising the IAC 2007 in Hyderabad, said Yong Li Wei, the first Chinese astronaut to go into space in a Chinese space module a few years ago, would take part in the IAC.
The Hindu : National : Launch of a technology demonstrator in 2009

 

[Sam Dhanraj]

India, Russia discuss space cooperation​

Press Trust Of India
Hyderabad, September 27, 2007
First Published: 12:20 IST(27/9/2007)
Last Updated: 12:25 IST(27/9/2007)



India and Russia held discussions in Hyderabad on possibility of cooperation in space exploration, including missions to the moon and Mars.

General Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Federal Space Agency, Russia met Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair on the sidelines of the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in Hyderabad.

"Discussions are on for possible cooperation with ISRO on missions to the moon and Mars," Perminov told PTI.

He said a special meeting of officials of space agencies from the two countries will be held in November to take the discussions forward.

India is launching its lunar mission 'Chandrayaan-I' next year and is expected to announce Chandrayaan-II soon after.

"International scientific community is keen to partner with India in Chandrayaan-II," a senior ISRO official said.

Under the India-Russia joint space programme, the two countries would launch a research satellite constructed by students early next year.

Indian students are building the satellite, called Youth Sat, while Russian students are constructing scientific instruments for the mission, which will study the earth's upper atmosphere.

Under the Indo-Russia joint project CORONAS-PHOTON,the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research will supply a low-energy gamma-ray telescope for a Russian spacecraft that will be launched before mid-2008 to study solar physics.

Discussions were also held to explore the possibility of India launching the Russian GLONASS-M satellites from its GSLV platforms and join Russia in developing the next generation GLONASS-K satellites for the Russian global navigation system.

 

[Sam Dhanraj]

Indian space programmes on demand worldwide: ISRO


Hyderabad, September 27, 2007
First Published: 17:15 IST(27/9/2007)
Last Updated: 20:44 IST(27/9/2007)


Indian space programmes for education, healthcare, management of natural resources and weather forecast and disaster management are in great demand the world over due to their domino effect on living standards, a top Indian space agency official said in Hyderabad on Thursday.

"Nations across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific are making a beeline to seek our expertise and resources for replicating the success of our space programmes and applications.Latin American countries are keen to implement our space programmes in to improve education and healthcare of their people, says Nair.
"Most advanced countries want to collaborate with India in using such space services for their people, while others are trying to copy our models for tele-education, tele-medicine and village resource centres," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairperson G Madhavan Nair told reporters at the 58th International Astronautical Congress held in Hyderabad.

Giving an assessment of the global space agencies of ISRO's impressive achievements in the space arena, Nair said India was not only being counted among them, but was in demand for collaborations in the ongoing programmes for the benefit of humankind and explorations.

"Bilateral meetings with the heads of space agencies from the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and China during the space summit have created a lot of opportunities for partnerships and mutual cooperation in the space missions being undertaken by them as well as us.

"Latin American and African countries are keen to implement our space programmes in improving education and healthcare of their people. Similarly, the Asia-Pacific nations are seeking our expertise in disaster management, flood control, exploration of minerals and identification of ground water resources," Nair pointed out.

In lunar exploration, Japan has offered to share the data from its Kaguya mission and join hands with ISRO for setting up a base on the moon for explorations of other planets in future.

"The US and European space agencies (NASA and ESA) are already onboard our lunar mission (Chandrayaan-1) with their experimental payloads as piggybacks for studying the origin and evolution of the earth's only natural satellite (moon).

"NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and China have also offered to cooperate with us beyond the ISS (international space station) to explore the moon and other planets," Nair affirmed.

Asked whether ISRO would seek NASA's assistance in the proposed manned mission and beyond, Nair said that as in the case of developing capabilities in launch vehicles and satellites, the space agency would have self-reliance in building heavier rockets and spacecraft for future lunar and manned missions into space and possible moon later.

"Experience over the decades, especially during the sanctions period when dual-use technologies were denied, shows it would be prudent to be self-reliant in developing our own capabilities for taking up future missions in space, to the moon, Mars and inter-planetary explorations," Nair asserted.

 

[Sam Dhanraj]

Indigenous Cryogenic Stage Successfully Qualified​

November 15, 2007


ISRO has achieved a significant milestone through the successful test of indigenously developed Cryogenic Stage, to be employed as the upper stage of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The test was conducted for its full flight duration of 720 seconds today (November 15, 2007) at Liquid Propulsion test facility at Mahendragiri, in Tamil Nadu. With this test, the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage has been fully qualified on the ground. The flight stage is getting ready for use in the next mission of GSLV (GSLV-D3) in 2008.

It may be recalled that a ground test for 480 seconds of the complete stage was conducted on August 4, 2007.

The indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) is powered by a regeneratively cooled cryogenic engine, which works on staged combustion cycle developing a thrust of 69.5 kN in vacuum. The other stage systems include insulated propellant tanks, booster pumps, inter-stage structures, fill and drain systems, pressurisation systems, gas bottles, command block, igniters, pyro valves and cold gas orientation and stabilisation system. Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) from the respective tanks are fed by individual booster pumps to the main turbo-pump, which rotates at 39,000 rpm to ensure a high flow rate of 16.5 kg/sec of propellants into the combustion chamber. The main turbine is driven by the hot gas produced in a pre-burner. Thrust control and mixture ratio control are achieved by two independent regulators. LOX and Gaseous Hydrogen (GH2) are ignited by pyrogen type igniters in the pre-burner as well as in the main and steering engines.

Apart from the complexities in the fabrication of stage tanks, structures, engine and its sub-systems and control components, CUS employs special materials like Aluminum, Titanium, Nickel and their alloys, bi-metallic materials and polyimides. Stringent quality control and elaborate safety measures have to be ensured during assembly and integration.

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is the lead centre for the development of Cryogenic Upper Stage with the involvement of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and other ISRO centres as well as several industries, both in public and private sector.

The successful ground test of the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage for the full flight duration has validated the design robustness and performance adequacy for its use in GSLV.


Indigenous Cryogenic Stage Successfully Qualified

 

[Contrarian]

India achieves self-reliance in GSLV technology


Bangalore, Nov 16: India`s efforts to acquire self-sufficiency in Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle technology has received a major boost with the "successful" testing of an indigenously developed cryogenic engine.

The test of the indigenously developed cryogenic engine carried out at the liquid propulsion systems centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu yesterday was successful, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

"With this successful test, India`s GSLV programme has become absolutely self-reliant," Nair said over phone from Thiruvanathapuram today.

"GSLV vehicle has become totally indigenous. GSLV was flying with Russian (cryogenic) stage, (so far). With this indigenous stage, we are on our own," he said.

India so far depended on Russia for providing cryogenic engines for its GSLV vehicles. LPSC is the lead centre for development of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS).

The cryogenic engine is required to launch the geosynchronous satellites that are used in communications. This technology was so far confined to Russia, Europe and the US which used it to launch global commercial satellites.

Nair said the flight stage is getting ready for use in the next mission of GSLV (GSLV-D3) next year. "Flight stage is already under preparation at Mahendragiri. Things are progressing well," he said.

Terming the "successful test" as a significant milestone in India`s space programme, Nair said the country now has a mature technology in cryogenic.

"Concerted efforts (for this achievement) were there in the last ten years. In between, there were problems and failures....That`s a learning curve. With this test, today we have a mature technology in cryogenic."

In the past, GSLV was flown with the stage supplied by Moscow.

"We have four of them (flown with Russian stage). Two more (of Russian stage) are in our stock", Nair said.

Summing up the feelings of the space engineers and scientists over the feat, he said: "they are extremely jubilant, and confident to face future challenges of GSLV-MK III equally well".

The indigenous CUS is powered by a regeneratively cooled cryogenic engine, which works on staged combustion cycle developing a thrust of 69.5 kn in vacuum.

Apart from the complexities in the fabrication of stage tanks, structures, engine and its sub-systems and control component, CUS employs materials such as aluminium, titanium, nickel and their Alloys, bi-metallic materials and polymides, according to Bangalore-headquartered ISRO.

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

 

[Contrarian]

ISRO plans mars adventure, comet flyby

India has drawn up plans to send a spacecraft to Mars [Images] and have flyby missions to comets and asteroids over the next five years.

The Indian Space Research Organisation will also ramp up the number of transponders on its communication satellites to 500 from the current 175 to meet the growing demand in the various sectors.

Government has also proposed to more than double the plan outlay ISRO to Rs 27,305 crore to enable it achieve its ambitious programmes, including facilitating tele-medicine and tele-education services.

The Eleventh Plan has identified building capabilities in space communications and navigation, developing navigational satellite systems, research in satellite communications and self sustenance of INSAT/GSAT systems as major areas of focus.

ISRO is expected to operationalise the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III capable of putting four ton satellites in orbit and develop technologies to recover spacecraft after completion of missions.

India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I will take to the skies on April nine and ISRO has already begun finalising details for a second lunar mission with a possible launch in the next three years.

While Chandrayaan-I will orbit the moon, following mission would be an advanced one with lander and rover for collection and analysis of lunar samples.

The draft plan document also lists advanced space endeavours like mission to Mars, and flyby missions to comets and asteroids as thrust areas for the next five years.