India’s mission to Mars ‘cheaper than Hollywood hit Gravity’

[Chanakya's_Chant]

India’s mission to Mars ‘cheaper than Hollywood hit Gravity’

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has hailed his country as the world’s pioneer in low-cost space exploration

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks after the successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23) in Sriharikota, India Photo: AP​

By Dean Nelson, New Delhi
3:21PM BST 30 Jun 2014

India has declared itself the world’s leader in cheap space exploration after its prime minister claimed its Mars mission will cost less than the Oscar-winning science-fiction thriller Gravity.

Narendra Modi, the prime minister, made his claim today at the launch of India’s latest rocket to put a French satellite into the Earth’s orbit.

It is the fifth successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launch and Mr Modi used the occasion to assert India’s claim to be the world’s cheapest producer of rocket launchers and pitch for a larger slice of the £180 million per year space market.

India has scored significant successes in space exploration in recent years. Despite some glitches, its 2008 Chandrayaan lunar mission discovered sources of water on the Moon and its Mangalyaan Mars orbiter was launched without a hitch in November last year.

Malgalyaan, which was also launched on a PSLV rocket, is expected to reach the red planet in September this year, where it will test the atmosphere for methane and hydrogen gases.

That mission will cost £45 million compared with the £58 million budget for the British-made space thriller Gravity, which starred Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

Its cost is less than one-thirtieth of the cost of the American Mars mission Curiosity, which was launched in 2011 on a budget of £1.56 billion.

India has now launched 67 satellites to become one of six countries leading the field, he said. Its advantage, however, is the frugal approach to engineering which had made it the leader on cost.

He paid tribute to India’s home-grown scientists who had worked with meagre resources. “It has been a journey of many constraints and resource limitations. I have seen photographs of rocket cones being transported on bicycles. Our first satellite, Aryabhatta, was made in industrial sheds in Bangalore”, he said.

Mr Modi said India’s success had “deep historical roots” in the work of its Vedic scientists and claimed some of them had conceived of “flying objects long before others”.

He appeared to be referring to the controversial claim of a 19th century pandit that an ancient Hindu sage had revealed to him the existence of rockets several thousand years ago in a dream. In drawings, the ’Shakuna Vimana’ appears to be a submarine-like flying object with propellers and flapping wings. Indian scientists in Bangalore later dismissed the claims.

Though frugal by Western standards, India’s space programme has been criticised by social activists who believe a country which is home to one-third of the world’s poorest people should spend the money instead on health, education and food.

Mr Modi, however, said satellite technology would open new opportunities for the poor, connect the most remote families to the rest of the country and bring education and health care to their children.

He called on India’s space scientists and officials to widen its applications and held out the prospect of greater co-operation with regional neighbours to share satellite data to monitor natural resources and cyclones.

Phillipe Ghesquiers of Airbus Space and Defense Systems, the company whose satellite was launched today, said its Indian launch may be repeated.

“We got a precise orbit and the lift off was on time and we will come back to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)”, he said.

Source:- India’s mission to Mars ‘cheaper than Hollywood hit Gravity’ - Telegraph

 

[waz]

Yeah you guys keep on doing that, while we drop some nukes on you.

Not needed and a moderator will delete that post.

As for the post. The comparisons are somewhat naive. The United States does not have as great opportunity cost regarding the diverting of resources as India i.e. poverty rates and so forth.

Regardless, India is to be congratulated on its progress.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Not needed and a moderator will delete that post.

As for the post. The comparisons are somewhat naive. The United States does not have as great opportunity cost regarding the diverting of resources as India i.e. poverty rates and so forth.

Regardless, India is to be congratulated on its progress.

This is monumental for us Indians. Imagine how the Americans felt when they first landed on moon. This is a landmark work for Indian scientists and I am filled with pride, just as the 1960s Americans were filled with pride as Armstrong made his stride. Sure, America had plenty of issues in 1969 - Vietnam war, civil rights, inflation, unemployment. But, those negative news could wait another day. It was time to enjoy the moon.

 

[SAMEET]

Not needed and a moderator will delete that post.

As for the post. The comparisons are somewhat naive. The United States does not have as great opportunity cost regarding the diverting of resources as India i.e. poverty rates and so forth.

Regardless, India is to be congratulated on its progress.

this was supression of free speech !!!!!

 

[karan21]

Modi needs to grow some balls and declare human space flight mission as a mission of national importance. Scientists at ISRO are literally crying for this. The government is scared of populist backlash. If Modi is a decisive leader, its time to show it. Give us a JFK moment. Tell India that yes we will go the space, moon and further than that.

 

[livingdead]

GSLV is real deal, how many times you want congratulation for same PSLV?

 

[indoPunjabi]

I like modi's speech in English. First I thought he was reading from a paper but later found out there was no paper in his hand. brilliant speech modi ji

 

[AugenBlick]

These are the things that make India....

 

[Contrarian]

As for the post. The comparisons are somewhat naive. The United States does not have as great opportunity cost regarding the diverting of resources as India i.e. poverty rates and so forth.

Regardless, India is to be congratulated on its progress.

This is what you get when you spend money smartly.

When Modi quipped that India's Mars mission cost less than the Hollywood movie 'Gravity', what was left unsaid was that Antrix Corporation, ISRO's space commerce company has been making more money every year. Antrix increased its revenue from Rs 1,300 crore in 2012-13 to about Rs 1,600 in 2013-14.

Antrix chairman and managing director V S Hegde has forecast a 15% increase in revenue the next fiscal year.
While the international rates for satellite launches hover around $15,000 (Rs 9 lakh) to $20,000 (Rs 12 lakh) a kg, Antrix had charged the Italian Space Agency $29,000 per kg to launch its 352kg satellite Agile on board PSLV-C8 in 2007 because of the orbit and inclination specifications.

India figures out science of rocket dollars - The Times of India

*changed 'govt' to 'ISRO' for better clarity to non Indians.

 

[Bhasad Singh Mundi]

Modi needs to grow some balls and declare human space flight mission as a mission of national importance. Scientists at ISRO are literally crying for this. The government is scared of populist backlash. If Modi is a decisive leader, its time to show it. Give us a JFK moment. Tell India that yes we will go the space, moon and further than that.

Human space program is already on and it has a budget. Required tech is getting developed and you will see launch of crew module and it return in Aug. So sit tight and njoy the show.

 

[Gautam]

Coz we dont have Sandra Bullock in our Mars Mission.