ISRO News and Updates

Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka could also be incorporated

This is a great idea. Once GSLV becomes routine as well, I assume that will also be left out to private players.

I had a short stint in ISRO during my MCA internship for a software project. Recently got to chat with one of my mentors from there.
I knew it won't bear fruit to ask specific questions, so just tried to take a general sense/mood of how things were going with commercial ventures.
"Going great guns" came the answer. The mentor isn't low in the food chain so I believed it
I have more sources there. People of my age group. Time to establish the links again

Regards,
Virendra

--Cabinet clears Mars mission--

The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) mission to Mars next year.

The project, which comes on the heels of the Chandrayaan mission to the moon, envisages putting a spacecraft in the red planet’s orbit to study its atmosphere, with the help of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

India joins the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and China in undertaking such an effort.
The launch is slated for November next year from Sriharikota. The Space Commission gave its clearance for the mission in December last.
The spacecraft will have a scientific payload of 25 kg and is proposed to be placed in an orbit of 500x80,000 km around the planet.

Why November--

Sources in the ISRO said November was chosen, as the planet would be closest to the earth that time.
The next such opportunity will come only in the summer of 2018.
NASA is also said to be working on a Mars mission in November next year.
The mission is estimated to cost about 450 crore. An initial provision of 125 crore was made in this year’s budget to kick-start the work.


source : www_thehindu.com

Meteorological Satellite

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning to launch a meteorological satellite, INSAT-3D to monitor atmospheric characteristics viz. cloud motion winds, vertical profiles of humidity and temperature, total precipitable water, sea surface temperature over Indian Ocean, outgoing radiation etc. The satellite is scheduled for launch during 2013.

The data obtained from this satellite along with ground based observations would help to derive information about climatic conditions, including rain.

The above information was given by Prime Minister’s Office to the Parliament today.

Press Release

GSAT-10 to be launched on September 29

Published September 24, 2012 | By admin, SOURCE: PTI



India’s communication satellite GSAT-10 would be launched from the Kourou launch base in French Guyana on September 29.

GSAT-10, weighing 3,400kg at lift-off, is the heaviest that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has built and would be the 101st mission for the agency.

An ISRO statement here today said the satellite had been integrated with the Ariane-5 launch vehicle along with co-passenger ASTRA-2F, another communication satellite for Luxembourg-based SES.

The lift-off has been scheduled at 2:48 AM (IST) on September 29, it said, adding, the necessary arrangements were being made for live telecast of the launch on Doordarshan.

About 31 minutes after lift-off, the GSAT-10 would be injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit and later moved to Geostationary Orbit (circular 36,000km above the equator).

The satellite, with a 15-year life-span, is expected to be operational by November, 2012.

The satellite, carrying 30 communication transponders [12 Ku-band, 12 C-band and 6 Extended C-Band] would provide vital augmentation to INSAT/GSAT transponder capacity.

Also, it has a Navigation payload, GAGAN, that would provide improved accuracy of GPS signals to be used by the Airports Authority of India for Civil Aviation requirements.

This is the second satellite in INSAT/GSAT constellation with GAGAN payload after GSAT-8, launched in May 2011, it said.
GSAT-10 to be launched on September 29 | idrw.org

Countdown for launch of GSAT 10 begins

The 11.5 hour countdown for the launch of the communication satellite GSAT-10 from Kourou in French Guiana in South America has just begun. This is unlike the launch by Isro when it does a 51-hour countdown.

The launch of the GSAT-10 is scheduled for 2.48 am (IST) on September 29 aboard the heavy lift launch vehicle Ariane ECA of European space agency Arianespace.

GSAT-10 satellite, which is Isro's 101st space mission, weighs 3,400 kg at the lift off. "It is the heaviest satellite that Isro has built," said Isro sources. GSAT-10 has been integrated with the Ariane-5 launch vehicle along with a 6,000-kg co-passenger communication satellite ASTRA-2F of Luxembourg-based operator SES.

About 31 minutes after lift off, GSAT-10 would be injected in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee (shortest distance from Earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest distance from Earth) of about 36,000 km. From there, the satellite would be moved to geostationary orbit (circular 36,000 km above the equator) using the satellite propulsion system in a three step approach.

After this, the solar panels and antennas would be deployed. In the next few weeks, the payload would be turned on to perform a series of in-orbit tests. The satellite is expected to be operational by November 2012. GSAT-10 satellite will be positioned at 83 deg East orbital location along with INSAT-4A and GSAT-12. "The nominal operational life of GSAT-10 is expected to be 15 years," added the Isro sources.

GSAT-10 satellite, carrying 30 communication transponders (12 Ku-band, 12 C-band and six Extended C-Band) would provide vital augmentation to Insat/GSAT transponder capacity. Also, it has a navigation payload 'GAGAN' that would provide improved accuracy of GPS signals (of better than seven metres) to be used by the Airports Authority of India for Civil Aviation requirements. This is the second satellite in the Insat/GSAT constellation with GAGAN payload after GSAT-8, launched in May 2011.

GSAT-10 will be the 15th ISRO satellite to have chosen the European launcher. Since the launch of the Apple experimental satellite on Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 14 Indian satellites.

Ariane 5 is the only commercial satellite launcher now on the market capable of simultaneously launching two payloads and handling a complete range of missions, from launches of commercial satellites into geostationary orbit, to dedicated launches into special orbits.

Countdown for launch of GSAT 10 begins

Heaviest Indian satellite launched successfully

GSAT-10, India’s advanced communication satellite has been successfully launched early Saturday morning from the French Guiana space-port in Europe.

The satellite was launched on board Ariane-5 ECA which also carried Astra 2F, a communications satellite owned by Luxembourg based SES, the world’s second-largest telecommunications satellite operator by revenue. Airane 5 ECA which uses cryogenic engine is the improved and most powerful version of Ariane 5 range of rocket launchers.

At 3,400 kg at lift-off, GSAT-10 is the heaviest satellite ever built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The satellite which has a design life of 15 years carries 30 communication transponders including 12 Ku-band, 12 C-band and six extended C-band transponders which will immensely help telecommunications, direct-to-home and radio navigation services.
It also carried a navigation payload GAGAN (GPS aided Geo Augmented Navigation) which would provide improved accuracy of GPS signals to be used for providing navigation services to airlines and ships. Incidentally, GSAT-10 will be the second satellite after GSAT-8 to carry the Gagan payload.

Minutes after the launch, ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said the master control facility (MCF) in Hassan, Karnataka said has already taken command and control of the satellite. “By November 2012, we expect to operationalise GSAT-10 and make it available to the user community," said Radhakrishnan who monitored the launch at MC.

GSAT-10 was originally scheduled for a September 22 launch, but was deferred after scientists detected a small glitch -- one gram of dust -- in the upper part of the rocket.

GSAT-10 Project Director TK Anuradha, Additional Secretary of Department of Space, S Srinivasan and Director of ISRO Satellite Centre S K Shivakumar were among key ISRO officials who were present in French Guiana for the launch.

The project cost of GSAT-10 was Rs 750 crore which includes the cost of satellite, launch services and insurance.

Heaviest Indian satellite launched successfully

Excellent move. Don't know how I missed this news!! They should go ahead with this ASAP. I can foresee a time when Indian companies get satellite launches 'outsourced" to them from all over the world. Just like a large percentage of software written today passes through India or Indian hands, a large percentage of space launches will happen from India.

Indian satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit

India’s heaviest communication satellite (GSAT-10) was Wednesday placed in the geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km above the earth, the Indian space agency said.

“The 3.4-tonne satellite was placed in the geosynchronous orbit at 35,734 km apogee (farthest from earth) and 35,585 km perigee (nearest to earth) through the third and final orbit-raising exercise,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement here.

The orbit-raising manueouveres were carried from the master control facility (MCF) of the space agency at Hassan in Karnataka, about 180 km from Bangalore.

The orbital period of the satellite will be 23 hours and 50 minutes.

“The MCF has also deployed the spacecraft’s two solar panels and two reflector antennas after it reached the final orbit at 70.18 east longitude,” ISRO said.

The satellite will soon be moved towards its designated location of 83 degrees east for conducting its communication and navigation payloads (instruments),” it said.

GSAT-10 was launched Sep 29 on board the Ariane-V rocket of the European Space Agency (Arianespace) from its Kourou spaceport in French Guiana and injected into an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit 30 minutes after a smooth lift-off.

The MCF took over the command of the satellite after its injection into the orbit for monitoring its health and the subsequent orbit-raising exercise, which began early Sunday.

GSAT-10 has 30 transponders, including 12 in normal C-band, six in lower extended C-band and 12 Ku-band and a GPS (global positioning system) aided Geo augmented navigation (Gagan) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.

As a two-way device, a transponder receives signals over a range of uplink frequencies and re-transmits them on a different set of downlink frequencies to receivers on earth without changing the content (voice, data or pictures) of the received signals.

The cost of the GSAT-10, including its launch and insurance, is 750 crore ($136 million).

GSAT-10 will augment the communication transponders’ capacity to 198 from 168 in the Indian satellite (INSAT) system.

Incidentally, GSAT-10 is the second satellite after GSAT-8 to carry the Gagan payload for providing navigation services to airlines and ships.

The Ku-band transponder will also help in accurately pointing ground antennas towards the satellite.

With a 15-year life span, GSAT-10 will be positioned at 83 degree east orbital location along with INSAT-4A and GSAT-12.

Indian satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit | idrw.org

Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System [IRNSS]

Armand you are dreaming if you think ESA will be cost competitive when it comes to sat launches in the future.

Well, Vega costs $23.5 million to launch. PSLV cost $17.5 million in 1999. With inflation over 13 years I suspect it is cheaper to launch from Vega.

I think ISRO recently launched a French satellite on board PSLV.

Recently? I thought it was set for 12-12-12 and it is a joint Indo-French satellite named SARAL. France will launch from Kourou India's GSAT-10 because " the satellite weighs 3.4 tonnes which cannot be lifted by any of our vehicles -- PSLV or GSLV."

ISRO to launch Indo-French satellite SARAL on 12-12-12 - Economic Times