India's Space Sector updates II

[AkashS]

Amit,

Many thanks for those excellent pics. Do you have more pics of the DRDO section, in particular the missiles and those display boards?

Any pictures will do..

Also, what do you think the effect these wind tunnels will have on other DRDO/ISRO projects, does this mean that India will have the ability to design and test various classes of missiles without spending time/effort to find partners abroad?

[harsh1802]

India to launch dedicated military satellite

New Delhi, July 30 (PTI): India is on the threshhold of joining a select band of advanced countries by putting into orbit a dedicated military satellite.

The military-specific reconnaissance satellite CARTOSAT-2A will be launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by the end of this year, ISRO officials said.

The satellite will give India the capability to keep tabs on missile launches in its neighbourhood.

CARTOSAT-2A was earlier programmed to be put into space by the first week of August, but its launch has now been scheduled for mid-September or early October, officials said.

Along with the country's own military satellite, ISRO is also planning to launch an Israeli reconnaissance satellite called POLARIS.

The Israeli satellite will ride piggyback on the 1,100-kg CARTOSAT-2A, and will be the third foreign satellite to be launched by ISRO, sources said.

CARTOSAT-2A will boast of spatial resolution and will be loaded with cameras that can supply advance imagery. It will cater full time to military and intelligence specifications, unlike existing Indian satellite.

Source: The Hindu

[pding]

Originally Posted by harsh1802

India to launch dedicated military satellite



Source: The Hindu

about time...

[Kingmaker]

any updates on the much talked about GSLC Mk-III? when is it supposed to launch its first satellite?

[harsh1802]

Patience my friend....

Btw....nice little interview of Mr. Nair,,,here.

[vlakshmi_n]

Lunar satellite launch in a year: Nair.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/...7080417025.asp

India will launch it’s moon satellite ‘Chandrayan’ within a year, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman Dr G Madhavan Nair said here on Friday.
Speaking to news persons, Dr Nair said the satellite, weighing about 560 kilograms, would be launched by the middle of next year and would be placed in orbit 100 kilometres from the moon.

“The satellite would stay in orbit for two years and carry out a thorough study of the entire surface of the moon. The studies would include terrain mapping and spectrometric study of the minerals.
This would be the first study to cover the entire lunar surface for the intended resolution,’’ he explained.
Nair said the satellite would carry 12 instruments, including 6 from India, 4 from Europe and 2 from the US.

“The construction of the satellite had already started at Bangalore and it would be ready by the end of the year. It would be launched with India’s indigenous launch vehicle PSLV,’’ the ISRO chief said.
Replying to questions, Nair said India’s manned mission to the moon was still ‘’a very long way away’’.

“We will start by putting a man in a capsule in space in 2015. A manned mission to moon will come only beyond 2020,’’ he predicted.

India would be in a position to send a satellite to Mars in six or seven years time. The mission will be scientifically very interesting, Nair said.

Nair said a detailed study was necessary to determine whether the ‘Ram Setu’ (Adam’s Bridge), the ancient structure between India and Sri Lanka was manmade or not.

“Satellite images showed the existence of an almost continuous structure just below the surface of the sea, sometimes barely a few feet, between the two countries. However, the composition of the structure is not known. A thorough investigation will be necessary to find out what it is made of,’’ he opined.

[harsh1802]

Cryogenic stage tested on the ground

Bangalore, Aug. 5 (PTI): The indigenously-developed "cryogenic stage", to be used in India's Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket, was on Saturday tested on the ground for eight minutes at a facility in Tamil Nadu.

"All parameters of the stage and the engine were normal," a release from the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

In October last year, a test was conducted for a short duration of 50 seconds. Yesterday's successful test at the liquid propulsion test facility in Mahendragiri constitutes a "major milestone towards the qualification of the stage," ISRO said.

The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre is the lead facility for the development of a cryogenic upper stage with the involvement of other ISRO centres, including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore and Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. These centres developed various components and systems of the stage, it said.

Several industries in the public and private sectors are also involved in its development.

The indigenous cryogenic engine has successfully completed tests totalling 6,000 seconds as part of its qualification programme.

Yesterday's long duration test has "validated the design, robustness and performance adequacy of the engine and the stage for its use in GSLV," the release said.

Source: The Hindu

[Kingmaker]

In a GSLV flight, the cryogenic stage performs for 12 minutes; they have tested only for 8 minutes this time. So we have to expect some more tests.

[MachuPichu]

Originally Posted by Renault

In a GSLV flight, the cryogenic stage performs for 12 minutes; they have tested only for 8 minutes this time. So we have to expect some more tests.

Some facts about India's space program's size:

India's Space Goals -- Environment, Launch Development
By Frank Sietzen, Jr.
Washington Bureau Chief
posted: 06:00 pm ET
21 July 1999

Remote sensing technology for studies of the Earth's environment and refinement of launch capabilities have been reaffirmed as the top priorities of India's space program, according to that country's Space Office in Washington. Dr. Rajeev Lochan, Counselor for Space, told space.com that his country has approved a $300 million budget for space activities this year and is developing a five year plan to coordinate satellite launches and rocket development.

Lochan said that nearly half of the annual funding level, or 47 percent, will go towards the development of the PSLV and GSLV launch vehicle family. Operational satellites will take another 29 percent, followed by space applications and administrative costs. The PSLV is designed to launch remote sensing satellites, while the GSLV, to be tested next year, will be a commercial launcher for communications satellites. Lochan emphasized that the GSLV will be available for commercial sales once its testing is complete. "We are interested in any and all customers for this new vehicle", he told space.com from the Indian Embassy in Washington. Within the $300 billion annual national budget, space receives about one cent out of every dollar India spends, according to Lochan. By contrast Defense receives 13 cents and education 2 1/4 cents.

Nationally, space accounts for 18,000 workers and an additional 12,000 technologists and scientists. The INSAT and IRS satellite projects will be the top Indian payloads under development during the next half decade. Agricultural monitoring, urban studies, and water resource identification are the top space applications for the programs, Lochan said.


Source: http://www.space.com/news/india.html

[harsh1802]

i did not get the point you are trying to make related to the cryogenic stage story by quoting the previous comment!

[MachuPichu]

Another more recent article:

India Increases Space Budget 24 Percent for 2005-2006

By K.S. JAYARAMAN
Space News Coorespondent
posted: 07 March 2005
11:57 am ET


ws



Wf--1 last question sent to jay. ALSO, JAY SENT IN A BUDGET CHART THAT WOULD MAKE AN EASY AT-A-GLANCE BOX AND TAKE UP A BIT MORE SPACE//allfixed



Wf--??? Sent to jay. LET'S LEAVE IN EDIT FOR NOW

JAY, THE BUDGETS FOR THE PROGRAMS MENTIONED IN YOUR STORY ADD UP TO 17.2 BILLION RUPEES. THE TOTAL BUDGET IS 31.48 BILLION RUPEES. WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE OTHER 14.24 BILLION IN THE OVERALL BUDGET???

India intends to spend 31.48 billion rupees ($722 million) on space activities during its 2005-2006 fiscal year, an increase of roughly 6 billion rupees, or 24 percent, over the previous year, according to budget documents.



"This is a welcome development in a year that will see launch of four Indian satellites and heightened activities in preparation for the Moon mission in 2007," S. Krishnamurthy, spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organisation, said in a telephone interview March 1.



Satellites slated to launch this year include the Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2 imaging satellites, which will be lofted separately aboard Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles, and the Insat 4A and 4B telecommunications satellites, which will launch aboard European Ariane 5 rockets. Included on the Cartosat-2 launch will be an orbit-recovery capsule, Krishnamurthy said.



//JAY, WHAT ARE THE LAUNCHES THIS YEAR AND WHAT ARE THE VEHICLES??--WF//fixed--wf///

India's Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle program, commands the biggest chunk of space funding for the 2005-2006 budget year, which begins April 1, according to budget documents. ISRO is developing a new and more powerful variant of that vehicle dubbed the Mark 3, which will be capable of placing payloads weighing up to 4,000 kilograms into geostationary orbit. Current versions of the vehicle are capable of placing 2,000 kilograms into that orbit.



One of the main drivers of the proposed budget increase is India's planned Gagan navigation system, which will use a series of ground stations and transponder capacity in geostationary orbit to deliver enhanced GPS signals to support aircraft navigation. The latest budget includes 3.5 billion rupees for the Gagan system, which received no significant funding last year. Gagan is expected to begin operating in 2008.



The budget also includes 3.5 billion rupees for an Indian GPS augmentation system called Gagan, which will use ground stations and geostationary satellites to deliver enhanced-accuracy GPS signals to support aircraft navigation. //JAY, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY YOU PEGGED MORE THAN HALF THE BUDGET INCREASE TO GAGAN WHEN THE BUDGET INCLUDED AN EVEN BIGGER PROGRAM IN GSLV. WAS GAGAN INCLUDED IN THE 2004-2005 BUDGET AND IF SO WHAT WAS THE FUNDING LEVEL??--WF//fixed--wf//// The Gagan system is expected to begin operations around 2008.

Another new//IS THIS A NEW PROGRAM??--WF//ok/ program in the budget is a successor to India's Oceansat-1 marine remote sensing satellite, which was launched in 1999. The proposed budget includes 500 million rupees for Oceansat-2 and the program is in the approval process, with a planned launch in 2006 or 2007 aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, Krishnamurthi said.

///WHEN IS OCEANSAT-2 SUPPOSED TO LAUNCH??--WF//fixed/

Other highlights of the 2005-2006 budget include:



- 1.26 billion rupees for a radar satellite imaging mission that is slated to launch in 2007 or 2008//IS THERE A LAUNCH DATE FOR THIS??--fixed;



- 1.06 billion rupees for the Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission slated for launch in 2007; and,



- 530 million rupees for the Astrosat astronomy satellite, which is slated for launch in 2007.



Krishnamurthy said the proposed budget also includes 3 billion rupees for space applications, including telemedicine, beaming educational programming via the Edusat satellite launched last year, and natural resource management.



India's parliament will spend March debating the budget proposal. Typically the budgets are approved by the parliament with few changes; proposed allocations for space or science activities are rarely even discussed.



Comments: killugudi@hotmail.com

Source: http://www.space.com/spacenews/archi...ia_030705.html

[MachuPichu]

Originally Posted by harsh1802

i did not get the point you are trying to make related to the cryogenic stage story!

No points...just posting articles.

MP

[ajay_ijn]

//JAY, WHAT ARE THE LAUNCHES THIS YEAR AND WHAT ARE THE VEHICLES??--WF//fixed--wf///

August - PSLV-C9 - Cartosat-2A; Polaris; CanX-2; AAU-Cubsat 2; Cute-1.7; APD-2; Compass-1; Delfi-C3; SEEDS-2
September - GSLV Mk-1(2) (C-1) - Insat 4-CR
October - PSLV-C10 (PSLV-CA) - Oceansat-2

2008

February/March - PSLV-XL - Chandrayaan+MIP
April/May - GSLV Mk-1(2) (C-2) - G-Sat 4 (Healthsat)+Tauvex-2
July/August - PSLV - RI-Sat 1
September/October - GSLV Mk-2 (D-3) - Insat 3-D
--------------------------
The Schedule often changes.

[ajay_ijn]

Originally Posted by Renault

any updates on the much talked about GSLC Mk-III? when is it supposed to launch its first satellite?

That will be in 2009 or in 2010.

[Kingmaker]

Originally Posted by ajay_ijn

August - PSLV-C9 - Cartosat-2A; Polaris; CanX-2; AAU-Cubsat 2; Cute-1.7; APD-2; Compass-1; Delfi-C3; SEEDS-2
September - GSLV Mk-1(2) (C-1) - Insat 4-CR
October - PSLV-C10 (PSLV-CA) - Oceansat-2

2008

February/March - PSLV-XL - Chandrayaan+MIP
April/May - GSLV Mk-1(2) (C-2) - G-Sat 4 (Healthsat)+Tauvex-2
July/August - PSLV - RI-Sat 1
September/October - GSLV Mk-2 (D-3) - Insat 3-D
--------------------------
The Schedule often changes.

I read here (http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/forum...943&mid=163896) that the PSLV C9 launch has been postponed to september.

[luvBlore]

Bangalore to host Asia-Pacific Space Agency meeting
Bangalore, Aug. 8 (PTI): Indian Space Research Organisation will be hosting the 14th Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum meeting (APRSAF-14) here in November.

Ahead of this meet and also as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Space Age, a "water rocket making and launching event" will be held here for the students of Asia-Pacific countries, an ISRO release said.

[harsh1802]

ISRO to build nano-satellite platform

Bangalore, Aug. 9 (PTI): India's space agency will next year launch a special platform to put into space miniature satellites catering to the needs of developing countries and the domestic scientific community, its chief said on Wednesday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing a 100-kg "satellite bus" as demand has picked up for launching nano-satellites, its Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

"We are trying to look at a small platform which can take up scientific experiments or may even be used for various cluster formations and things like that," Nair said.

"So from that angle, a 100-kg bus is being developed. We are going to launch it for the first time next year."

Source: The Hindu

[harsh1802]

INSAT-4CR launch between Aug 31 and Sep 8

BANGALORE: The INSAT-4CR communication satellite will be launched from the Indian space agency's Sriharikota spaceport between August 31 and September eight, sources said on Wednesday.

INSAT-4CR is similar to INSAT-4C, which was lost during the unsuccessful launch of the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in July last year.

"INSAT-4CR, which has a mission life of 10 years, is expected to be launched between August 31 and September eight," a source in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

Like INSAT-4C, INSAT-4CR has 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide direct-to-home (DTH) television services, facilitate video picture transmission (VPT) and digital satellite news gathering.

"Preparations (for the launch of INSAT-4CR) are already in progress," ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told PTI.

"We will be carrying a satellite similar to the one we lost last year."

The Failure Analysis Committee (FAC) set up to probe the failure of the GSLV-F02 mission concluded that its primary cause was the sudden loss of thrust in one of four liquid propellant strap-on stages immediately after lift-off.

With only three strap-on stages working, there was a significant reduction in control capability.

ISRO has taken action to implement all recommendations made by the FAC.

"That (launch of INSAT-4CR) is one of the challenging tasks, especially in the aftermath of the last debacle. We have to make sure that (the next mission) succeeds," Nair said.

Source: Economics Times

[Kingmaker]

Keeping my fingers crossed for this launch. I just hope they insure the launch this time.

[Sridhar]

The insurance premium will be very high for this launch, particularly given the last failure, and will probably not be worth it. ISRO has a good track record of bouncing back from setbacks and I expect this launch to go well.