India's Moon Exploration Program

angryIndian

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Govt needs to increase ISRO budget. A Saturn V class rocket is needed for a serious and meaningful future space endeavour.
Sadly despite taxing us to death the government is unable to generate sufficient revenues.India's union budget is only 600 billion $ which is grossly insufficient to run a country of 1.4 billion people.A bulk of the money goes towards interest payment,military, salaries and freebies leaving very little for anything else. So don't expect a dramatic increase in space budget.
 

FalconSlayers

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Sadly despite taxing us to death the government is unable to generate sufficient revenues.India's union budget is only 600 billion $ which is grossly insufficient to run a country of 1.4 billion people.A bulk of the money goes towards interest payment,military, salaries and freebies leaving very little for anything else. So don't expect a dramatic increase in space budget.
India's state budgets are even higher which is often ignored.
 

TwinTails

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omaebakabaka

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It will not act as relay, its only job is to enter Mars Atmosphere, slow down using parachute & then release the lander
Watch this video
I was thinking of a different architecture where the host will remain in orbit after ejecting the rentry capsule but that requires a bigger payloads and heavier launch vehicles.
 

omaebakabaka

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Govt needs to increase ISRO budget. A Saturn V class rocket is needed for a serious and meaningful future space endeavour.
No we don't, exploring with the budget we have is good enough as the return is nothing immediate and its long term and to make sure we have continuity on the research side.
Our budget increases needs to go towards getting Sat constellations and expanding Navic and making indigenous more of the components that are critical while expanding payload capacity of launch vehicles towards this purpose.

Current exploration path is satisfactory with Gaganyan, Chandrayan and Aditya.
 

Vamsi

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I was thinking of a different architecture where the host will remain in orbit after ejecting the rentry capsule but that requires a bigger payloads and heavier launch vehicles.
This architecture is what I meant earlier, a data relay orbiter with a Hi Res Camera, Entery Capsule to enclose Lander & Rover, all together will weigh less than 2500 kg, LVM-3SC can inject this stack directly into MTT

Orbiter -1400 Kg
Entry Capsule - 390Kg
Lander -410Kg
Rover -200Kg
Total- 2400Kg

Atlas-V-401 (GTO capability - 4750Kg) directly injected 2450Kg Maven orbiter directly into MTT

So, LVM-3SC (GTO-5500Kg) can directly inject 2500Kg payload into MTT

current LVM-3 cannot do the job, hence LVM-3SC is required, in the absence of SCE-200, Russian RD-191 engine can be used in SC120 stage
 

omaebakabaka

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This architecture is what I meant earlier, a data relay orbiter with a Hi Res Camera, Entery Capsule to enclose Lander & Rover, all together will weigh less than 2500 kg, LVM-3SC can inject this stack directly into MTT

Orbiter -1400 Kg
Entry Capsule - 390Kg
Lander -410Kg
Rover -200Kg
Total- 2400Kg

Atlas-V-401 (GTO capability - 4750Kg) directly injected 2450Kg Maven orbiter directly into MTT

So, LVM-3SC (GTO-5500Kg) can directly inject 2500Kg payload into MTT

current LVM-3 cannot do the job, hence LVM-3SC is required, in the absence of SCE-200, Russian RD-191 engine can be used in SC120 stage
Sorry I have not gone through earlier posts and making you repeat it. With these suggested mass of rover, lander....what would the life of it once deployed? Sorry I am being lazy in doing the research myself, right type of energy source like nuclear may remove that concern but would these mass estimates support it? Also the orbits around these bodies are probably going to be lower orbits with faster decay for the orbiter but probably long enough to study. Partnerships are probably the best means to increase frequency of these things and still confirm to budget demands?
 

Vamsi

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Sorry I have not gone through earlier posts and making you repeat it. With these suggested mass of rover, lander....what would the life of it once deployed? Sorry I am being lazy in doing the research myself, right type of energy source like nuclear may remove that concern but would these mass estimates support it? Also the orbits around these bodies are probably going to be lower orbits with faster decay for the orbiter but probably long enough to study. Partnerships are probably the best means to increase frequency of these things and still confirm to budget demands?
Mars Odyssey weighed 750Kg, it entered Mars orbit in 2001 & is still operational

Opportunity rover weighed 185kg, landed on Jan 2004 & served untill June 2018 ....so theoretically the orbiter,lander & rover with my suggested masses can survive for long time...it all depends on how we design them & the mission management
 
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Master Chief

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The problem is not about rover, but about orbiter, if we include orbiter total payload will weight between 3000-3500kg....& Orbiter is must for this mission, for data relay as well as to create DEMs for lander
Have a separate launch for orbiter..
 

Vamsi

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Why did they do the sky crane maneuver,what is the benefit compared to conventional landing methods.
Rover is very heavy ~ 900Kg, hence
1.Lander will weigh more than the Sky crane
2. Lander might tilt, after landing because of heavy rover, it will damage the rover

So they choose the sky crane
 

RoaringTigerHiddenDragon

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There have been serval SHLV class concepts studied and abandoned since there was no requirement.

That requires a mission. Without a Gemini class 50 tonnes spacecraft on cards, India doesn't have any use of a Saturn V class rocket. Before building a 50 tonne spacecraft, India needs to master landings, interplanetary mission, human spaceflight and rendezvous docking. So, ISRO's need of the hour is a Delta IV Heavy class rocket (which is already under development) and not Saturn V class rocket. That would be thought of after India has maintained a space station for 5 years.

India doesn't need a Saturn V class rocket until 2040.
Some of this tech may now be offered to ISRO now that advanced space agencies know ISRO has started to play in IPL. The more ISRO does, more tech exchanges will happen. So timelines might be shorter.
 

RoaringTigerHiddenDragon

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Sadly despite taxing us to death the government is unable to generate sufficient revenues.India's union budget is only 600 billion $ which is grossly insufficient to run a country of 1.4 billion people.A bulk of the money goes towards interest payment,military, salaries and freebies leaving very little for anything else. So don't expect a dramatic increase in space budget.
There is another $400 billion in state and local budgets. The total budget is around $1 trillion at all levels including PSU and RBI dividends. But the issue is the central government is not able to set aside certain amount of rupees for strategic tech research & development like the Cheenis have done. Even the new NRF budget requires 60% contribution from the private sector which as we know is not happening.
 

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