ISRO General News and Updates

[ladder]

Isro lines up 18 missions over the next 15 months

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has lined up 18missions over the next 15 months. The upcoming launches include Chandrayaan-2, GAGAN (which will improve accuracy of GPS), Astrosat and others. Isro is also planning to launch a spacecraft to study microwave remote sensing along with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

K Radhakrishnan, chairman, Isro said, "No mission in the previous years or the missions in the future were affected because of the accelerated way of working (on MOM). In fact, we have had the accelerated way of working everywhere".

He was responding to a question, on whether Isro has diluted its new launches, because of Mars Oribiter Mission (MOM), which was launched on November 5, after 15 months of preparation.

Isro has 18 missions lined up to March 2015, in 15 months, and there is a clear future direction till 2020. (Refer table below for the launches)

"There's been a quantum jump in other programmes in the last 3-4 years," said Radhakrishnan. Isro has had 82 launches in 35 years, but in the last four years alone there were 27 launches.

"We have not compromised. Each programme will have its own problems like technology or project issue," he said.

Tie-up with NASA

Isro along with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is planning to launch a spacecraft to study microwave remote sensing.

Radhakrishnan said the project is about the study of pulse to know what is not normally visible in cloudy conditions. In remote sensing, depending on the frequency one can identify what's there by depending on the frequency characteristic change. For instance, the 'L' band studies vegetation. Another one, the S band gives another study. Or, the X band gives another feel, he said.

"We have done studies with the C Band. In the project with JPL, we will look at both L and S band," he said.

"The spacecraft will be made by us. There's a very large antenna required which will be a 12 metre diameter antenna. This will be launched by 2019-20. In the second phase, we do the project report preparation. Then, we work on the satellite together, " he said.

He said that in case of Chandrayaan, NASA brought the instruments. In this case, it will be a collaboration and both the agencies will work together. There could be also be collaborations in the areas of lunar exploration, and for exploring the sun and Mars explorations.

"We can have a larger mission. We are able to do that. The next one has to be a more complex mission. We did a joint project of building a satellite with the French called Meghatropique a while ago. We had worked with the French on developing two landers. We have now done a joint study with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)," said Radhakrishnan.

Isro lines up 18 missions over the next 15 months | idrw.org

 

[Abhi9]

ISRO Human Space Flight Program Update: Cabin Environment Simulation System

Antariksh: ISRO Human Space Flight Program Update: Cabin Environment Simulation System

ISRO recently commissioned a new facility called Cabin Environment Simulation System (CESS) under the Human Space Flight Program. CESS will be used for test and evaluation of space modules under regulated environmental conditions that may arise during various phases of manned mission.
CESS consists of a horizontally mounted cylindrical chamber of 2100mm diameter and 1200mm cylindrical length with two torispherical dome enclosures–with opening at one end. It has been designed for maintaining an internal vacuum level of 10-2 m.bar and insulated such that the outside surface temperature remains within 40 deg C when the internal maximum temperature is at 100 deg C. This large main chamber has been provided with a pumping system to maintain any pressure level between 1.3 mbar to 1200 mbar inside the chamber

An ancillary chamber of size 300mm diameter and 300mm (L) is placed inside the CESS on a trolley. It has been designed for an operating pressure of maximum 3 bar, operating temperature of 10 to 80 deg C and a volume of 20 litres.

In-built sensors allow measurement of behaviour of tests modules for wide ranges of pressure, temperature and humidity.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Arianespace to launch India's GSAT-15, GSAT-16 communication satellites

European commercial satellite launch company Arianespace today said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had chosen it to launch its GSAT-15 and GSAT-16 telecommunication satellites.

The two satellites will be launched by Ariane 5 launch vehicles at the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, a press release from Arianespace said. It did not, however, mention the dates of the launches.

The GSAT 15 and GSAT 16 satellites, designed, assembled and integrated by ISRO, will each weigh around 3,150 kg at launch. They will provide C and Ku-band telecommunications services including VSAT transmissions, TV broadcasting and emergency communications.

"We are very proud of being selected by the Indian space agency, and we are particularly honored to continue this partnership that now reaches back over 30 years. Through this new contract, Arianespace clearly shows it ability to offer launch services keyed to customers' specific needs," Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said.

"Furthermore, with these two new satellites, Arianespace has now signed all GTO launch contracts this year for commercial satellites in the three-ton class," he added.

On August 30 this year, Arianespace's Ariane 5-VA 215 launch vehicle had launched India's first dedicated maritime communications satellite, GSAT-7, which will have defence applications also.

ISRO has a long history of launching payloads with Arianespace – dating back to the third mission of an Ariane-series vehicle in 1981. Arianespace has so far launched 17 satellites for ISRO, including INSAT-3D, which was a co-passenger on Ariane Flight VA214 in July this year.

Arianespace to launch India's GSAT-15, GSAT-16 communication satellites | NetIndian

 

[cobra commando]

ISRO's Oceansat-2 Helped Predict Cyclone Haiyan


ISRO's Oceansat-2 Helped Predict Cyclone Haiyan - AA Me, IN

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Isro to launch German, French, British, Canadian satellites

CHENNAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), that got global recognition for its successful launch of a mission to Mars, will now launch German, French, British and Canadaian satellites, a top official said.

"We will be launching EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme) satellite belonging to Germany. The satellite will weigh around 800 kg," Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan told IANS in an interview.

The EnMAP is a hyperspectral satellite that would provide images of the Earth at regular intervals. This apart, ISRO will be launching French satellite SPOT-7 during the first quarter of 2014, Radhakrishnan said.

"There will be four more small foreign satellites that would go along with SPOT-7," he added.

ISRO had launched the SPOT-6 satellite in 2012.

Radhakrishnan said discussions were held with British agencies for launching three satellites each weighing around 300 kg and also to launch a set of Canadian satellites. The idea is to have at least one commercial launch every year using the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Isro chairman said.

According to him, the PSLV rocket's reliability has been underlined once again with the launch of Mars Orbiter in a precise manner despite the challenges.

Queried about the status of Mars Orbiter, he said: "The Orbiter has been raised to around 193,000 km apogee (farthest point from Earth). We are all gearing up for the dawn of Dec 1 when the Orbiter will be injected in trans-Martian orbit."

ISRO has been switching on the various systems and payloads of the Orbiter to check their functionalities and health.

"All the instruments are working normal. The satellite's health is good," Radhakrishnan said.

India launched on November 5 its first inter-planetary mission to Mars with a two-fold objective - technological and scientific. The project outlay was around Rs 450 crore.

The technological objectives include design and realisation of Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform Earth-bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion/capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.

It will also enable deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management and incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.

The scientific mission will be to explore the Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.

Radhakrishnan said the Orbiter will be using around 365 kg on board fuel in the orbit raising activities out of around 850 kg fuel on board.

Comparing the latest Mars mission MAVEN of the US, Radhakrishnan said the American Atlas V rocket has a payload capacity of 13 tonnes to GTO (geo-transfer orbit) while the PSLV-XL capacity is only around 1,300 kg.

"The American satellite, weighing around 2,500 kg, carries payload weighing around 65 kg and around 1,600 kg fuel. Our Orbiter weighing 1,350 kg carries a payload of just 15 kg and fuel of around 850 kg," he added.

What he did not compare is the cost incurred in the both the missions. While India will be spending around $72 million the US mission is budgeted at $671 million.

Radhakrishnan reiterated that the Mars mission proves India's capability to undertake such complex tasks.

Isro to launch German, French, British, Canadian satellites - The Times of India

 

[kseeker]

Isro to launch German, French, British, Canadian satellites - The Times of India

CHENNAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), that got global recognition for its successful launch of a mission to Mars, will now launch German, French, British and Canadaian satellites, a top official said.

"We will be launching EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Programme) satellite belonging to Germany. The satellite will weigh around 800 kg," Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan told IANS in an interview.

The EnMAP is a hyperspectral satellite that would provide images of the Earth at regular intervals. This apart, ISRO will be launching French satellite SPOT-7 during the first quarter of 2014, Radhakrishnan said.

"There will be four more small foreign satellites that would go along with SPOT-7," he added.

ISRO had launched the SPOT-6 satellite in 2012.

Radhakrishnan said discussions were held with British agencies for launching three satellites each weighing around 300 kg and also to launch a set of Canadian satellites. The idea is to have at least one commercial launch every year using the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Isro chairman said.

According to him, the PSLV rocket's reliability has been underlined once again with the launch of Mars Orbiter in a precise manner despite the challenges.

Queried about the status of Mars Orbiter, he said: "The Orbiter has been raised to around 193,000 km apogee (farthest point from Earth). We are all gearing up for the dawn of Dec 1 when the Orbiter will be injected in trans-Martian orbit."

ISRO has been switching on the various systems and payloads of the Orbiter to check their functionalities and health.

"All the instruments are working normal. The satellite's health is good," Radhakrishnan said.

India launched on November 5 its first inter-planetary mission to Mars with a two-fold objective - technological and scientific. The project outlay was around Rs 450 crore.

The technological objectives include design and realisation of Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform Earth-bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion/capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.

It will also enable deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management and incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.

The scientific mission will be to explore the Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.

Radhakrishnan said the Orbiter will be using around 365 kg on board fuel in the orbit raising activities out of around 850 kg fuel on board.

Comparing the latest Mars mission MAVEN of the US, Radhakrishnan said the American Atlas V rocket has a payload capacity of 13 tonnes to GTO (geo-transfer orbit) while the PSLV-XL capacity is only around 1,300 kg.

"The American satellite, weighing around 2,500 kg, carries payload weighing around 65 kg and around 1,600 kg fuel. Our Orbiter weighing 1,350 kg carries a payload of just 15 kg and fuel of around 850 kg," he added.

What he did not compare is the cost incurred in the both the missions. While India will be spending around $72 million the US mission is budgeted at $671 million.

Radhakrishnan reiterated that the Mars mission proves India's capability to undertake such complex tasks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More revenue to :thumb:

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

India's Mars mission outpaces rival China

NEW DELHI - India's first mission to Mars left Earth's orbit early on Sunday, clearing a critical hurdle in its journey to the red planet and overtaking the efforts in space of rival Asian giant China.

The success of the spacecraft, scheduled to orbit Mars by next September, would carry India into a small club, which includes the United States, Europe and Russia, whose probes have orbited or landed on Mars.

India's venture, called Mangalyaan, faces more hurdles on its journey to Mars. Fewer than half of missions to the planet are successful.

"While Mangalyaan takes 1.2 billion dreams to Mars, we wish you sweet dreams!" India's space agency said in a tweet soon after the event, referring to the citizens of the world's second-most populous country.

China, a keen competitor in the space race, has considered the possibility of putting a man on the moon sometime after 2020 and aims to land its first probe on the moon on Monday.

It will deploy a buggy called the "Jade Rabbit" to explore the lunar surface in a mission that will also test its deep space communication technologies.

China's Mars probe rode piggyback on a Russian spacecraft that failed to leave Earth's orbit in November 2011. The spacecraft crumbled in the atmosphere and its fragments fell into the Pacific Ocean.

India's mission showcases the country's cheap technology, encouraging hopes it could capture more of the $304-billion global space market, which includes launching satellites for other countries, analysts say.

"Given its cost-effective technology, India is attractive," said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, an expert on space security at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in Delhi.

India's low-cost Mars mission has a price tag of 4.5 billion rupees ($73 million), just over one-tenth of the cost of NASA's latest mission there, which launched on Nov. 18.

"BIG ACHIEVEMENT"

Homegrown companies - including India's largest infrastructure group Larsen & Toubro, one of its biggest conglomerates, Godrej & Boyce, state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Walchand Nagar Industries - made more than two-thirds of the parts for both the probe and the rocket that launched it on Nov. 5.

India's probe completed six orbits around Earth before Sunday's "slingshot," which set it on a path around the sun to carry it toward Mars. The slingshot requires precise calculations to eliminate the risk of missing the new orbit.

"Getting to Mars is a big achievement," said Mayank Vahia, a professor in the astronomy and astrophysics department of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.

India's space agency will have to make a few mid-course corrections to keep the probe on track. Its next big challenge will be to enter an orbit around Mars next year, a test failed in 2003 by Japan's probe, which suffered electrical faults as it neared the planet.

"You have to slow the spacecraft down once it gets close to Mars, to catch the orbit, but you can't wait until Mars is in the field of view to do it - that's too late," Vahia said.

India launched its space program 50 years ago and developed its own rocket technology after Western powers levied sanctions for a 1974 nuclear weapons test. Five years ago, its Chandrayaan satellite found evidence of water on the moon.

By contrast, India has had mixed results in the aerospace industry. Hindustan Aeronautics has been developing a light combat aircraft since the early 1980s, with no success.

The Mars probe will study the planet's surface and mineral composition, besides sniffing the atmosphere for methane, a chemical strongly tied to life on Earth. NASA mission Curiosity did not find significant amounts of the gas in recent tests.

China is still far from catching up with the established space superpowers, the United States and Russia, which decades ago learned the docking techniques China is only now mastering.

Beijing says its space program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing ways to keep adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.

India's Mars mission outpaces rival China

 

[Ganesh2691]

Mars mission travels beyond earth's sphere of influence

India's maiden mission to Mars has traversed beyond the sphere of influence (SOI) of Earth extending about 9,25,000 km in its 10-month long voyage to the red planet.

The spacecraft crossed the SOI of Earth at around 1:14 am on Wednesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The Mars orbiter spacecraft had slung out of its earth-bound orbit in the early hours of December 1 during the critical 22-minute Trans Mars Injection, a manoeuvre billed as the "mother of all slingshots."

The spacecraft which was in a hyperbolic orbit had escaped from the SOI, after the first step on Sunday in the Mars mission's 680 million-km-
long odyssey to its destination to put on course the country's first ever inter-planetary space rendezvous.

ISRO has planned four mid-course corrections—around December 11, in April, August and on September 14 --in case of any deviation along its path to the Martian orbit before its expected arrival in the orbit of the Red planet in September 2014.

The spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu here.

The Mars mission's success would catapult India into a small club, which included the US, Europe and Russia, whose probes have orbited or landed on Mars.

ISRO's workhorse ISRO's PSLV C 25 had successfully injected the 1,350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter into the orbit around the earth in a textbook launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on November five.

Mars mission travels beyond earth's influence - Hindustan Times

 

[Ganesh2691]

Mars mission travels beyond earth's sphere of influence

India's maiden mission to Mars has traversed beyond the sphere of influence (SOI) of Earth extending about 9,25,000 km in its 10-month long voyage to the red planet.

The spacecraft crossed the SOI of Earth at around 1:14 am on Wednesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The Mars orbiter spacecraft had slung out of its earth-bound orbit in the early hours of December 1 during the critical 22-minute Trans Mars Injection, a manoeuvre billed as the "mother of all slingshots."

The spacecraft which was in a hyperbolic orbit had escaped from the SOI, after the first step on Sunday in the Mars mission's 680 million-km-
long odyssey to its destination to put on course the country's first ever inter-planetary space rendezvous.

ISRO has planned four mid-course corrections—around December 11, in April, August and on September 14 --in case of any deviation along its path to the Martian orbit before its expected arrival in the orbit of the Red planet in September 2014.

The spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu here.

The Mars mission's success would catapult India into a small club, which included the US, Europe and Russia, whose probes have orbited or landed on Mars.

ISRO's workhorse ISRO's PSLV C 25 had successfully injected the 1,350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter into the orbit around the earth in a textbook launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on November five.

Mars mission travels beyond earth's influence - Hindustan Times

 

[cobra commando]

Prof. UR Rao - ISRO the early years

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fiJ1yRrNRO8
In this interview recorded in August 2013 in Bangalore, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Prof. UR Rao reflects on his memories of Vikram Sarabhai, his work on the Pioneer probes whilst at NASA and activities at INSRO during his watch.

 

[cobra commando]

ISRO gearing up for space
capsule recovery experiment


ISRO gearing up for space capsule recovery experiment | idrw.org

 

[CrYsIs]

Basking in the glory of the successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission, India has put its maiden mission to the sun titled Aditya-1 on a more ambitious track. Scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have decided to upgrade the satellite from being a single payload, designed to study the sun's outer layer, to now include five payloads that would study the sun more closely to see how it impacts the earth.


Earlier, Aditya-1 was only supposed to study the fiery solar corona, the sun's outermost region. Now it will be equipped with an ultraviolet imager telescope to observe the whole solar disc so that the scientists can k now things happening on the sun's surface like solar storms, which impact atmosphere on the earth.

Aditya-1 has now been configured as a L1 mission, which means the spacecraft will be placed at a point between the sun and earth where it will remain stable due to earth's gravitational pull. All other satellites orbit the earth but Aditya will be positioned ahead of earth.

After Mars, The Sun is The Limit Now - The New Indian Express

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

GSLV-D5 to lift off on January 5

It will feature an indigenous cryogenic engine in its third stage

The refurbished Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) is getting ready to lift off at 4.18 p.m. on January 5, 2014, from the second launch pad at Sriharikota and it will put the communication satellite GSAT-14 into orbit. The GSLV-D5 will feature an indigenous cryogenic engine in its third, uppermost stage.

"We are moving towards the launch by January 5," said K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "All the four stages of the vehicle have already been integrated. The satellite will be mated with the launch vehicle by December 27," he added.

'All checks completed'
The Mission Readiness Review (MRR) team will meet on December 27 to give the formal clearance for the launch. "By then, everything would have been inspected. All checks on the vehicle would have been completed. Phase III, level I checks have already been done," said Dr. Radhakrishnan.

ISRO is looking forward to this launch because the GSLV-D5 uses an indigenous cryogenic engine and the vehicle suffered a major snag on August 19, 2013 on the day of the launch. About 75 minutes before the lift-off, the liquid fuel in the propellant tank in the rocket's second stage started leaking and rained down on the vehicle, forcing ISRO to call off the launch. Fumes engulfed the first and second stages of the vehicle, causing tense moments.

The leak was blamed on the fuel tank made of aluminium alloy called Afnor 7020 which tended to develop cracks over a period of time. The GSLV-D5 was dismantled and the "restoration process" done under the guidance of K. Narayana, former Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The GSAT-14 communication satellite, which was encapsulated in the heat shield, was preserved and tested periodically.

Since the liquid fuel leaked from the second stage tank made of aluminium alloy Afnor 7020, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, came up with a new second stage with its propellant tank made of aluminium alloy 2219. The four strap-on booster motors were refurbished. The rocket's first stage, which uses solid propellants, has been replaced with a new one. The restored vehicle has new electronic components because the components in the four strap-on motors in the earlier vehicle had become wet from the fuel leak.

'Critical components tested'
"Everything is going perfectly well [for the launch on January 5]," said M.C. Dathan, Director, LPSC, on Saturday evening. "Eighty per cent of the systems in the GSLV-D5, including the four strap-on liquid motors, the second liquid stage and the cryogenic stage are from the LPSC," he said. The GSLV-D5's cryogenic stage had been stored for the past three months-and-a-half. Mr. Dathan added: "The cryogenic stage's critical components and valves have been tested, and found in good condition. There are three levels of checks on the vehicle. Phase III, level I checks have been done. This means all the fluid lines and electrical circuits have been checked. Everything is giving results as expected. We are ready to go ahead with the launch."

The GSLV-D5 is a three-stage, 414-tonne and 49-metre tall vehicle.

GSLV-D5 to lift off on January 5 - The Hindu

 

[cobra commando]

ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration by Cairn India, Tata, ONGC


ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration - Indian Express

 

[Free Karma]

ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration by Cairn India, Tata, ONGC


ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration - Indian Express

Hmmm...10 kms from the Sathish Dhawan space center, kinda scary that it's so close, if something goes wrong during a launch, and lands on the oil rig...

 

[ersakthivel]

‘Friendly nation’ supplied outdated satellite images during Kargil conflict: ex-Army chief | idrw.org

 

[Kyubi]

ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration by Cairn India, Tata, ONGC


ISRO to shift satellite launch boundary for oil exploration - Indian Express

here we go another situation where the government has played in to the hands of Oil and gas majors,

These following excerpts are from the Indian Express report on the said matter

It also raised the investor-friendliness pitch, saying that a denial of permission could lead to litigation and an adverse impact on investment environment in the future.It may also influence exodus of foreign E&P companies from India and a loss of credibility for the Indian government

.
Is this how these oil and gas majors subjugates our government to accept their demands

It found support in finance ministry which said that any other consortium in "similar situation of excusable delay may be processed in a similar manner so that canons of transparency, uniformity and equity are maintained".

Clearly shows petroleum ministry's collusion with these oil and gas cos , also finance ministry's eagerness to fulfill oil cos needs.

 

[cobra commando]

Why India's space exploration could be the next big thing


Why India's space exploration could be the next big thing : North, News - India Today

 

[indiatester]

Welcome To ISRO :: Press Release :: December 31, 2013
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), Indian Air force, Bangalore in March 2009 to carry out i) Basic research/studies on Human Physiological and Psychological requirements for Human Space Flight crew and ii) For augmenting/updating existing facilities at IAM to cater to ISRO's Human Space Flight Programme as a pre project Research & Development activity.

ISRO currently does not have any project on "Man to Moon". The scope of the MOU between ISRO and IAM does not envisage recruitment of crew for ISRO.

 

[mehrotraprince]

ISRO release the road map as 5 year plans