ISRO General News and Updates

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Story of the Week - Indian Space Research Organization
Tele-health services made operational in Kumbh Mela at Ujjain

In compliance with the directive of Telemedicine Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), Govt. of India for setting up the Mobile Telemedicine Van in Kumbh Mela at Ujjain, National Resource Center (NRC), Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) Lucknow took steps to implement this project in collaboration with Development Education Communication Unit (DECU), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmadabad. The Kumbh Mela is being organised from April 22, 2016 to May 21, 2016.

A team from DECU visited NRC, SGPGI Lucknow and tested the feasibility of the satellite connectivity and telemedicine software interoperability between Mobile Telemedicine van, AIIMS Bhopal and NRC. Detailed deliberation and planning were carried out with the Nodal Officer, Telemedicine at AIIMS Bhopal to organise the Telemedicine platform functionality, technical manpower and provision of medical professional towards offering Tele-health services for the pilgrims of Kumbh mela at Ujjain.

All the required formalities were completed and planning was carried out to depute manpower and organise logistics at mela site. Road permit and other requisites were provided by Telemedicine Division, MOHFW and Mobile van reached in Ujjain on April 20, 2016. Government of Madhya Pradesh facilitated the deployment of the Mobile telemedicine van along with satellite antenna in the mela complex in coordination with Zonal Magistrate. The Mobile Telemedicine Van was stationed at Bhukhi Mata Sector, Dutta Akhara area of Simhastha Kumbh near the temporarily established Government Hospital. NRC team visited all sector hospital and created awareness about the potential and services of Telemedicine among the doctors and staff in coordination with Zonal Health Officer of Dutta Akhara zone.

Meeting was held with Simhashta Mela Officer to get support and coordination from the local authorities. A team of ISRO empanelled vendors installed the satellite antenna at identified location on April 21, 2016 night and tested the link with ISRO hub and SGPGI Lucknow. Subsequently, ISRO team visited AIIMS Bhopal and made site operational on the same day. The technical testing with AIIMS Bhopal, SGPGI Lucknow and Mobile Telemedicine van was also carried out successfully. The tele-health services were made operational for the devotees on April 22, 2016. An information flyer in Hindi was distributed among the devotees for creating the awareness.

Highlights :

• Mobile Telemedicine Van was made operational on April 22, 2016.

• Audio visual contents of telemedicine were displayed using LCD projector on rotational basis followed by interaction session.

• Tele-consultation service is being provided from AIIMS Bhopal and SGPGI Lucknow doctors from 9.30AM to 6.00PM. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) using Telemedicine software including vital parameters of the patient like NIBP, Spo2, Spirometery, Blood sugar (diabetes), height and weight etc, is being taken for all the patients visited the Mobile van.

• Live demonstration of the Telemedicine process was explained among the visitors during the daytime. Audio visual contents were displayed using LCD project in the evening. School of Telemedicine and Biomedical Informatics (STBMI), SGPGI Lucknow was connected daily for showing the process to the visitors.

• Hundreds of people are visiting the van and getting benefited on the basic health concerned as well as telemedicine technology. All the visitors filled up the pro-forma prepared by the STBMI for getting knowledge about the profile of the visitors.

• Media professionals were invited to the Mobile Telemedicine van and documents on the benefit of telemedicine technology and public health education were provided towards creating awareness on telemedicine.

Mobile telemedicine Van at Simhastha Kumbh Mela at Ujjain

Distribution of Information flyer in Hindi among the devotees

Interaction with visitors

Telemedicine News as appeared in local newspapers

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Story of the Week - Archive
May 16, 2016 : Tele-health services made operational in Kumbh Mela at Ujjain
May 09, 2016 : Nozzle Testing Laboratories established at VSSC
May 02, 2016 : MENCA observed the evening exosphere of Mars
Apr 25, 2016 : MOSDAC completes a decade of Meteorological and Oceanographic satellite data services to the Nation
Apr 18, 2016 : Indigenous development of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) for Space borne payloads
Apr 11, 2016 : IIST Secures 8th Position in all India Universities Ranking
Apr 05, 2016 : Geo-spatial Technology for Expansion of Sericulture in India

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Bhuvan: India Post, ISRO geo-tag more than 1.5 lakh post offices

[Representational Image] Bhuvan: India Post-ISRO geo-tags more than 1.5 lakh post offices. Picture: A man walks down the staircase of an Indian post office in New Delhi, Oct. 9, 2015.Reuters file

India Post, in collaboration with the state-owned Department of Space, has geo-tagged more than 1.5 lakh post offices, including sub-stations.

The GIS (Geographic Information System) satellite imagery maps along with photographs of the post offices can now be accessed on Bhuvan (the Hindi word for universe) website developed by the country's premier space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Besides the location details, users can also find the office timings and the type of services offered in a particular post office, PTI reported, citing a communication and IT ministry official.

Started in 2009, Bhuvan initially offered only simple display of satellite data and basic GIS functionality. Now, it provides more than 6,000 map-related services, which can be accessed through various applications.

Out of the 1.5 lakh post offices covered so far, around 1.39 lakh are located in rural areas. Interested users can log on to Bhuvan and check out what services the post office near their home [HERE].

India Post is also conducting a pilot programme in 16 cities, wherein a mobile app is being used to monitor the timely clearance of letter boxes, the Communication and IT ministry official said.

IRNSS Space Segment comprises of seven satellites.isro.org

Last month, ISRO had successfully placed the seventh and the last satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) — IRNSS-1G — in space.

It is part of the country's indigenous navigation program — NavIC (Navigation Indian Constellation) — which is said to be on a par with the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia's Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema aka Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), which provide location and time details accurately.

Read more:India's GPS to be called NavIC: PM Modi

Related

• ISRO develops low-cost heart pump using rocket technology
• Cartosat-2C satellite to be India's best 'eyes in the space'
• ISRO's two new space 'parks' will boost private sector partnerships in Indian PSLV missions

 

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ISRO transmitters to locate fishermen in distress zone

VISAKHAPATNAM: IN a bid to help the fishermen in distress at sea, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has collaborated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to distribute numerous Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT) among fishermen as part of its community interaction programme organised here on Sunday.

The ICG is the nodal agency nominated by the Central government to undertake and coordinate the maritime SAR in Indian region, besides providing protection to fishermen in distress as part of its mandated duties.

As part of its strategy to prevent the incidents, the ICG has initiated an ambitious plan to conduct 100 community interaction programmes among fishermen along the Andhra Pradesh coast and educate them on various aspects of their safety at the sea. The ICG authorities have been conducting these programmes in fishing hamlets during the ongoing fishing ban period.

CGDHQ-6 (Coast Guard District Headquarters) operations and plan officer commandant HC Upadhyay said that these community interactions would be used as a platform to educate fishermen about aspects of personal safety, importance of adherence to ban period, operating DATs, maintenance of boats, their role in coastal security mechanism, action required if they are in distress or observe any suspicious activity at sea among others. Pamphlets in Telugu, English and Hindi printed with ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ are being distributed to the fishermen.

How the DAT helps

A Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT) is a low cost transmitter, that when activated, transmits exact position of fishermen in distress.

Prevention is better than cure

SEARCH and Rescue (SAR) operation at sea is not an easy task, especially if it is a small boat in distress. It depends on varied parameters ranging from the state of the sea to last known information and time gap in transmission of distress among others. But what could save the precious time and resources is probably prevention of such incidents.

Educative programmes 100

Community interaction programmes among fishermen planned by the ICG in teh coastal belts

Pamphlets in Telugu, English and Hindi printed with ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ to be distributed to fishermen

Training

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  • Personal safety
  • Importance and adherence to fishing ban Operating DATs
  • Maintenance of boats
  • Role in coastal security
  • Steps to be followed in emergency

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO clarified that we aren't in any competition with SpaceX. So, I want American posters on all forums to stop that bs.

SpaceRace: Indian Agency Notin Race With SpaceX
A day after speculation emerged that the latest technology developed by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) could overtake the Indian space agency in terms of cost-effective rocket launches, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has denied that they are in any competition.

NEW DEHLI (Sputnik) — Speaking to Sputnik News Agency, Dr. K. Sivan, Director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, said the Indian agency is not involved in any kind of "race" with other organizations:

"We are not involved in any race with anybody. We have our own problems to tackle. ISRO has its own domestic requirements which we need to satisfy."

His remarks have come in the wake of a recent experiment by the California-headquartered US firm which came up with a technology for soft-landing a rocket's first stage after its launch. This would enable the reassembling and refueling of the second stage of the rocket into space within a few hours of the first launch.

So far, space agencies across the world largely rely on a new launcher for a re-launch — which contributes significant costs to satellite launches.

The American company SpaceX touted that its concept, if successful, could drastically cut the space-aircraft costs by up to 100 times. Experts have agreed this could be a game-changer in the market for low-cost satellite launches.

ISRO has recently been at the center of attention for majorly cutting the costs of satellite launches though its polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) rockets. But this is likely to change, given SpaceX's latest entry.

 

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India Should Build Its Own Space Station

India should actively get into building its own space station in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as its next space frontier since the time is opportune for this, a retired space scientist has said.

According to M.Y.S. Prasad, who retired as director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC),

India should have long-term strategic goals that will have a cascading technological benefit across several areas.

"It is time to look 10-15 years ahead rather than planning for incremental growth activities. Building our own space station will be beneficial on many counts and would also generate around 15,000 high-skilled jobs," the distinguished scientist, a 2014 recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, told IANS.

Simply put, a space station is a manned satellite in a Low Earth Orbit.

"The future of International Space Station (ISS) is not known post 2025. Then there will only be the Chinese space station in the orbit," Prasad said.

Ruling out the possibility of developed countries coming together again to put up a space station, Prasad said it is an opportune time for India to do that and start planning for it.

"The decision to have a space station will have a positive effect on other connected projects. The plan to have a space station will result in accelerated development of reusable rockets, in-orbit docking systems, manned mission and others," Prasad said.

He said the technology development needed for manned missions to Low Earth Orbit and space stations in Low Earth Orbit will enhance the knowledge and competence of the country's space agency -- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) -- and the industrial capacity of the country.

The research and development (R&D) activities in these areas need the evolution of re-entry technologies, life support systems, safe recovery systems, more reliable launch and spacecraft systems, long-term platforms operating in space for specialised experiments and others, Prasad remarked.

He said India should get into the development of a rocket that can carry 7.5 tonnes into a Geo-stationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) and 10 tonnes into Low Earth Orbit.

FMI, there's an official declaration of a rocket under study capable of lifting 10 tonnes to GTO and 20 tonnes to LEO.
Ask for links if anyone wants.

"Such a rocket will cater to India's needs of launching heavier satellites as well as the space station," Prasad said.

The setting up of a space station will result in the development of orbit-docking technology which countries like the US, Russia and China now possess.

"There can be a possibility of India-China cooperation in the space station sector like the US and Russia joining hands," Prasad said.

According to him, a firm step towards such a long-term goal will be to commit steady budgetary support for the space sector.

Apart from technological development, space stations will enable long-duration manned space missions.

On the strategic side also, space stations will be of immense use.

"Further, instead of launching remote sensing satellites at regular intervals, the space station can act as one," Prasad said.

Agreeing that India should look far as regards space sector goals, former ISRO chairman U.R. Rao told IANS: "Today manned mission is not for prestige. It has become important."

Space agency officials told IANS that the sector got the budgetary support it needed from successive governments.

Earlier India did not look at manned mission and other projects as the cost-benefit ratio was not in favour and hence the focus was on launching communication and remote sensing satellites.

However, former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan offered an alternative instead of India building its own space station.

"India could look at conducting tests at the International Space Station rather than building its own," Radhakrishnan told IANS.

According to him, it is certainly in India's plans to have an Indian presence in the solar system.

"Developing the necessary technology, building and maintaining the space station involve huge financial outlay. Human flight is what ISRO should look at," Radhakrishnan said.

According to Prasad, investment in space technologies cannot be looked in the short-term perspective of cost-benefit ratio.

(Image Credits: Flickr)
Tags:Space stationLow Earth OrbitISROInternational Space StationIndian Space Station

 

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http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/threads/isro-reusable-launch-vehicle.76435/

 

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Update on Astrosat.
AstroSat Support Cell (ASC) has been Set up at IUCAA, Pune

The AstroSat Mission, launched on September 28, 2015, has completed its performance verification and started Science Operations since April 15, 2016. A phase of guaranteed time observations for the instrument teams is currently ongoing. From October 2016 onwards, observatory access will be open to Guest Observers from the Indian science community. Observing time will be awarded on the basis of peer-reviewed proposals.

ISRO, in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune has set up an AstroSat Support Cell (ASC) to facilitate the proposal making process and the use of AstroSat data. The Cell will operate out of IUCAA and will provide resource material, tools, training and help to guest observers. A website has been set up (http://astrosat-ssc.iucaa.in) containing a portal to the AstroSat Proposal Processing System (APPS), Exposure Time and Visibility calculators. The site also provides downloadable proposal assistance tools, instrument response functions, sample data of AstroSat instruments and analysis software.

Activities of the AstroSat Support Cell will include providing long-term support and maintenance of the APPS, running a help desk for proposal and data related queries, and organising workshops to familiarize users with proposal preparation and data analysis techniques. It is planned to hold every year two long duration workshops at IUCAA and several short duration workshops at different parts of the country.

A Memorandum of Understanding between ISRO and IUCAA for the operation of the AstroSat Support Cell has been signed on May 05, 2016.

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PSLV-C30/ASTROSAT MISSION

• Astrosat
• Brochure
• Gallery
• Astrosat Mission Explained - Video
• ASTROSAT Completes 100 days in Orbit
• Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) Payload onboard ASTROSAT made Operational – October 12th, 2015
• Astrosat First Light: CZT Imager Looks at Crab Nebula
• Book on Astrosat Released - Download the Copy
• CZT Imager detects a Gamma-ray Burst
• First Light with the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) for ASTROSAT
• Make your own ASTROSAT Model
• AstroSat Support Cell (ASC) has been Set up at IUCAA, Pune

 

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Update on Mangalyaan:
http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/threads/indian-mission-to-mars.35020/page-41#post-1168118

 

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This Red Star Had Scientists Stumped for Decades. India’s ASTROSAT Solved Puzzle in 7 Months

On September 28th, 2015, amidst much fanfare and excitement, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched India’s very first space observatory: ASTROSAT. The space observatory allows for multi-wavelength observation of various astronomical objects with a single satellite; optical, ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum can be observed through the ASTROSAT.

In less than a year, the Indian space observatory has already impressed the scientific community with its exciting findings and observations, including the gigantic gamma ray burst witnessed by ASTROSAT soon after the window of the telescope was opened. Its latest observation, however, is likely to impress not only the entire nation, but the entire world.

Thanks to the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope on board the space observatory, ASTROSAT has successfully solved a puzzle that had left scientists the world over stumped for decades; the puzzle of the red star in cluster NGC 188.

Image for representation only. Source: Night Sky Info

NGC 188 was discovered in 1831 by astronomer John Herschel. It has the distinction of being both the northernmost and the oldest open star cluster visible from Earth.

Stars that appear red in visible light are believed to be cool stars, while stars that appear bright in UV are believed to hot stars. One star in NGC 188 however, is both: red in visible light, and dazzling in UV, a clear contradiction that has baffled scientists for years.

“Now, with Indian UVIT data, scientists have nailed the problem — it turns out that this star is actually a binary system, of a hot and a cool star,” Biman Nath, an astrophysicist at the Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru told The Deccan Herald.

These observations were recently presented and reviewed at a meeting of the Astronomical Society of India at Srinagar.

Annapurni Subramanian, professor at Indian Institute of Astrophysics says, “The evolutionary process of these 2 systems is being studied based on the data collected by the UVIT and ground-based telescopes. The ASTROSAT would aid in solving many such mysteries in future.”

 

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Access to space observatory from October: ISRO

BENGALURU: Access will be open for guest observers from the Indian science community to Astrosat, the country's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory from October, Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) said.

Observing time will be awarded on the basis of proposals reviewed by peers (or senior academics), it said.

ISRO in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, has set up an Astrosat Support Cell (ASC) to facilitate the proposal making process and the use of AstroSat data.

It said the cell will operate out of IUCAA and will provide resource material, tools, training and help to guest observers. A Memorandum of Understanding between ISRO and IUCAA for the operation of the Astrosat Support Cell was signed on May 5.

ISRO on September 28 last year had successfully launched Astrosat, aimed at undertaking a detailed understanding of the universe, along with six foreign satellites, on board PSLV-C30 from the spaceport at Sriharikota in Andra Pradesh.

A unique feature of Astrosat mission is that it enables the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite.

ISRO said Astrosat has completed its performance verification and started science operations since April 15. A phase of guaranteed time observations for the instrument teams is currently ongoing.

The space agency said activities of the ASC will include providing long-term support and maintenance of the Astrosat Proposal Processing System, running a help desk for proposal and data related queries, and organising workshops to familiarise users with proposal preparation and data analysis techniques.

It is planned to hold two long-duration workshops every year at IUCAA and several short duration workshops at different parts of the country, it added.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO’s achievements that have made India proud

Image courtesy: ISRO Twitter

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to make history as it gears up to launch its first space shuttle on 23 May, 2016, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, making India the fifth country to do so. The fully indigenous launch vehicle, RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Development) was made at a cost of just Rs. 95 crores, and took five years to build. Standing 6.5 m high and weighing 1.75 tons, the shuttle will cross the speed of sound as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. This is the first time that India will launch a spacecraft with delta wings, which will be glided back on to a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The RLV-TD is a scaled down version of the final spacecraft, which can take 10-15 years to become ready.

India’s premier space organisation has a number of feathers in its cap. We take a look at ISRO’s achievements that has made India proud, and the future projects that the space agency has lined up:

Chandrayaan 1: India’s first mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan 1, was launched on 22 October, 2008, using a modified version of the PSLV from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The mission had a 312 days operational period, where it surveyed the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimensional topography. The spacecraft carried a total of 11 instruments free of cost, of which five were Indian and six were from foreign institutes and space agencies. The mission also collected data, which helped NASA detect magmatic water locked under the surface of the Moon.

Mangalyaan: Undoubtedly, one of the most proud moments in the history of the space organisation was the launch of ISRO’s mission to Mars, Mangalyaan. The Mars Orbiter Mission was the first successful attempt by any country to reach the planet, in its first attempt, with ISRO becoming the fourth space agency to reach the planet, after the Soviet Space Programme, NASA, and the European Space Programme. Costing just Rs. 450 crores, it was also the least expensive Mars mission, till date. Launched on 5 November, 2013, the Orbiter entered the Red Planet’s orbit on September 24, 2014, after a 666 million km long journey, and has remained in orbit, collecting vital scientific data, ever since. For its achievement, the Mars mission team won the prestigious 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the science and engineering category.

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS): ISRO launched its seventh, and final satellite, called NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), in April, this year. The launch of the satellite will help India have its own GPS system in place, covering an area of 1,500 kms from Indian boundaries. This makes India one of the five countries with its own navigation system, with an accuracy of better than 20m.

Heaviest commercial mission: In the heaviest commercial mission ever undertaken by it, ISRO launched five British satellites on board the PSLV-C28, from Sriharikota, on 10 July, 2015. Three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites, each weighing 447 kgs, and two auxiliary satellites, were launched.

GSLV MK-III: In December, 2014, ISRO launched the GSLV MK-III, one of its heaviest rockets, weighing 630 tonnes and capable of carrying 4 tonnes. It also carried an Indian made unmanned crew capsule, designed to carry up to three astronauts into space.

Space Capsule Recovery (SRE-I) mission: The Indian experimental spacecraft SRE-I, was launched from Sriharikota on 10 January, 2007. Designed to demonstrate the ability to recover an orbiting space capsule, the SRE-I also tested a number of technologies such as reusable Thermal Protection System, management of communication-blackouts, decerelation and flotation system for water-splash landing, guidance algorithms for ballistic entry, etc. The mission acted as a precursor to a possible future manned mission.

Future plans:

ISRO has a number of plans lined up for the future. Apart from undertaking the development of new launch vehicles and spacecraft, it also has plans to launch Earth Observation Satellites, unmanned missions to near Earth objects, and other planets. Here are some projects that ISRO has planned for the future:

Mission to Venus: After its successful Mars Orbiter launch, India is looking at a mission to Venus to study its atmosphere, along with a certain other asteroid. If funded, the space agency is looking at launching in 2017-18. For its Venus mission, French astrophysicist, Jacques Blamont, has offered to help ISRO with gigantic balloons carrying several instruments, designed to pop in and out of the extremely hot atmosphere of the planet, after being unfettered from the orbiter.

Solar exploration programme: ISRO is also looking at an ambitious solar mission by 2019-20, with the main objective being to study the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), evolution of the coronal magnetic field, etc. Conceptualised by the Advisory Committee for Space Research in January 208, the probe is named Aditya L-1, weighs about 400 kgs, and will be the first India solar mission. While initially the probe was meant to be a Low-Earth Orbiting Satellite, to study the sun’s outer solar corona, it was later enhanced to include a comprehensive solar and space environment observatory to be placed at the Lagrangian point L1, located around 1.5 million kms from the Earth.

Chandrayaan 2: India’s second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-2, is expected to be launched on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MKII) around 2016–2017. It will include an orbiter and land-rover module.

NISAR: A joint project between ISRO and NASA, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar aims to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite. Once developed, the satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency, and will be used to observe and understand the natural processes of the Earth.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/threads/isro-reusable-launch-vehicle.76435/page-7

 

[ezsasa]

ISRO has confirmed that they are going ahead of the launch tomorrow.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO has confirmed that they are going ahead of the launch tomorrow.

At 9:30 AM in morning.
Let me get hands on official report first tonight.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

RLV flown successfully. Go through main thread.

 

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Story of the Week - ISRO

Temporal repetitive mapping of waterbodies across India

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO at Hyderbad monitors the status of all the water bodies in the country using satellite images and provides water spread area information on a fortnightly basis. Images from Indian remote sensing satellites, Resourcesat-2 and RISAT-1 are regularly processed using automated spectral and hierarchical analysis algorithm and to generate spatial water information.

This consists of all surface water features like reservoirs, tanks, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. Due to presence of cloud cover, the daily processed data are time-composited and fortnightly water spread information is made available through Bhuvan Geo-spatial Platform. (To access, visit Bhuvan Thematic Services and select "Water Bodies" under "Select Theme" option).

This water spread layer is used to generate grid-wise (grid size of 5 km x 5 km) water body fraction product for download through Bhuvan Open Data Archive (select “Programmes/Project” under Category, “National Information System for Climate and Environment Studies (NICES)” under Projects, “Terrestrial Science” under Group and “AWiFS: Water Bodies Fraction” under Product). This data is useful in hydrological modelling, drought assessment, surface water dynamics analysis, etc.

The temporal water spread information generated since 2012 is organised in a geo-spatial database in the form of water bodies. This data is published on Bhuvan Geo-Platform under Water Body Information System (WBIS) for visualisation and spatial query. It provides integrated view of water-spread dynamics for more than 12,500 water bodies in the country.

The geo-spatial tool provides:

• Fortnightly water spread area,
• Graphical representation of multi-temporal water spread (since 2012)
• Monthly scenarios for each water body.

It also provides regional water spread scenarios at river basin, river sub basin, district, and state level.

It may be noted that due to presence of cloud, there could be underestimation of the spread in few areas, as optical images cannot penetrate cloud cover. Glacial lakes and water bodies in hilly regions of Himalayas are not part of this database.

Snapshot of Water Spread Area information published in Bhuvan

Snapshot of Water Bodies Fractioninformation available for download

Snapshot showing recent water spread of Tungabhadra reservoir

Regional level temporal water spread dynamics

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Story of the Week - Archive
May 24, 2016 : Temporal repetitive mapping of waterbodies across India
May 16, 2016 : Tele-health services made operational in Kumbh Mela at Ujjain
May 09, 2016 : Nozzle Testing Laboratories established at VSSC
May 02, 2016 : MENCA observed the evening exosphere of Mars
Apr 25, 2016 : MOSDAC completes a decade of Meteorological and Oceanographic satellite data services to the Nation
Apr 18, 2016 : Indigenous development of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) for Space borne payloads
Apr 11, 2016 : IIST Secures 8th Position in all India Universities Ranking

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How India is quietly becoming a space exploration power house
A string of successes by India's space program is placing the south Asian country among the world's space superpowers.

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, South India, on Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. PSLV-C30's mission included the launching of India's space observatory satellite Astrosat, which will send its data to a control center in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.

Arun Sankar/AP

India successfully launched a prototype space shuttle on May 23; a mini, unmanned space vehicle called the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator. The shuttle traveled to an altitude of about 40 miles above Earth's surface, short of the 62-mile barrier between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, before returning to Earth and into the Bay of Bengal.

"In this flight, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance and control, reusable thermal-protection system, and re-entry mission management have beensuccessfully validated," officials from the country's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), reported in an announcement Monday.

The space vehicle launch officially entered the country into the global race to develop a low-cost, reusable space shuttle, a feat considered critical to the feasibility of future space exploration. It also marks yet another recent milestone of India's burgeoning space program, securing the south Asian country's spot among the world's space exploration superpowers.

2013 space budgets
World Economic Forum

"They're not at the level of the Big 4, but they’re pretty darn good," Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, tells The Christian Science Monitor, referencing the world's top four agencies for innovation in space-related technologies: United States, Russia, China, and Europe. The US remains the only country to have sent humans beyond low-Earth orbit to the moon.

He places India in the second tier of space explorers, just behind Japan, a space innovation power and major NASA partner on robotic Mars missions and running of the International Space Station, a science lab orbiting Earth. All other countries are far behind, says Dr. McDowell. These leading space agencies have their own rockets to launch space shuttles, build their own satellites, and are capable of interplanetary flight, he says.

"They have the ambitions and certainly the capability if they put in the money," says McDowell.

Despite ISRO's budget of about $1 billion – 5 percent of NASA's $17.6-billion annual budget – the thrifty agency has unleashed a series of planetary accomplishments in recent years.

In September 2015, it became the first developing country to launch a space-exploration observatory, called Astrosat. It is one-tenth the size of NASA's prodigious Hubble telescope. ISRO had already sent a probe to explore the moon's surface from orbit in 2008, joining an elite club.

Perhaps most strikingly in recent history – and a feat that put India on the space map for casual space observers – was its successful launch in September 2014 of an orbiter to Mars, called Mangalyaan, which is studying the planet's atmosphere.

This made ISRO the fourth agency, after those of the United States, the Soviet Union and European, to reach the Red Planet. And it spent only $75 million to do it, 11 percent of what NASA spent on a similar mission called Maven, as The New York Times reported.

"We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near impossible," India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said of Mangalyaan last year, as the Monitor reported.

The reusable launch vehicle tested on Sunday cost ISRO about $14 million. It will provide lessons to the agency on navigation systems, how the vehicle's materials will handle hypersonic speeds, and atmospheric re-entry. India's competitors still have some time to perfect their reusable launch vehicles, though. ISRO is about15 years away from a fully functioning one, as Smithsonian.com reported.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Bengaluru-based company hands over the 3000th Heat Pipe to ISRO

BENGALURU: A Bengaluru based company contributing to areas of nuclear power, factory automation, engineering construction, space and healthcare announced handing over 3000th Heat Pipe to Padmashree awardee, Dr M Annadurai, director of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to commemorate the long standing relationship with ISRO.

The Heat Pipes which were handed over to ISRO, have been manufactured in the Bommasandra facility of Avasarala Technologies and are used as critical components in Aerospace Applications for spacecraft cooling and temperature stabilization.

TT Mani, managing director and CEO of Avasarala Technologies, said "Today, Avasarala is one of the leading manufacturers of specialized and critical systems and components to Strategic Sectors under Make in India Program. We are extremely happy to receive Dr Annadurai to our facility and equally honoured to hand over our 3000th Heat Pipe to him, endorsing our longstanding association with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)".

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Cabinet apprised of MoU between ISRO and UAE space agency

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet was on Wednesday apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) for cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

"The MoU would result in setting up a Joint Working Group with members from ISRO and UAESA, which will further work out the plan of action including the time frame and the means of implementing this MoU," an official release said.

The cabinet was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Promoting space cooperation between India and UAE was highlighted during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to UAE in August 2015 and also at the 11th meeting of the India-UAE Joint Commission for Economic and Technical Cooperation held at New Delhi in September 2015.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

ISRO wants DTH companies to share transponders on one satellite

Except for Tata Sky and state-owned DD FreeDish, all DTH operators are currently using foreign satellites for uplinking and downlinking signals via Ku-band transponders.

MUMBAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) is toying with the idea of all local direct-to-home ( DTH ) players sharing the transponder capacity on one Indian satellite . For companies operating in the space, this would mean hundreds of crore of upfront cost and they are unsure about the success of such a move.

Except for Tata Sky and state-owned DDFreeDish , all DTH operators in India are currently using foreign satellites for uplinking and downlinking signals via Ku-band transponders. India's space policy allows DTH operators to use only satellites commissioned by the ISRO. In case the ISRO doesn't have sufficient capacity on its satellites, DTH players can use capacity leased by the state-run agency from foreign satellites.

According to a recent report by Hong Kong-headquartered media advocacy group CASBAA , over the last three years, the number of transponders contracted by Indian DTH operators has gone up to 78. Out of this, three-fourths are supplied by foreign satellites as the ISRO hasn't been able to meet the need through domestic launches.

Now the ISRO is considering using one Indian satellite where all DTH players can share transponder capacity. "A note was circulated on the matter of putting all DTH players on one satellite internally sometime back," a source who was consulting with the ISRO told ET.

"ISRO is studying the viability of the proposal. If implemented, the DTH players will have to incur a one-time cost of around Rs 200 per subscriber for realigning or repositioning the dish antenna at the consumer premise," he said. "But look at the—positive side — six DTH players won't have to uplink and downlink the same channels six times. These channels can be shared by all and DTH players can have separate conditional accesses system."

International price for leasing a transponder is around Rs 8-10 crore per transponder per year and DTH companies end up paying Rs 120-140 crore in transponder cost every year. According to sources, ISRO also charges a similar fee.

The space agency didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

"In theory, it looks good but is it executable practically, I am not sure. In longer run, DTH operators may save a lot on transponder fee," an analyst tracking the sector opined. Executives from multiple DTH companies confirmed to ET that they have also heard about the proposal "unofficially", but nothing has been conveyed as of now.

"It will be a nightmare," said a senior executive of a leading DTH firm. "On an average, most of us have over 10 million subscribers. So we will end up spending over Rs 200 crore in just realignment of dishes. It is a big discomfort for subscribers also, which will result in churn to cable."

While ISRO is working on the blueprint, the industry has its concerns. "Had ISRO thought of this 10 years back, it would have been possible. Now there will be issues like whose headend will control the satellite. There will be 5-6 conditional access systems on the transponders and all the activation messages, etc. will be so much data that almost 20-25% bandwidth will be occupied on each transponder by this alone," explained head of another DTH firm.

Anjan Mitra, India representative of CASBAA, said, "The idea that all of Indian broadcasting demand might be met by one (gigantic) satellite or a series of Indian satellites — we haven't heard anything officially about it, though — could turn out to be a pipe dream. In the real world, as the Comptroller and Auditor General reported two years ago, foreign satellites play today and will play in the future too a very significant role in supporting Indian media growth and development."

Mitra added, "CASBAA recommendation in the latest report on satellite capacity availability over India is that Indian policymakers (should) focus on improving the current management system — through measures like longer-contract durations and streamlined bureaucratic procedures — to make better, and more cost-effective, use of the satellite capacity that is already helping Indians create and communicate."

However, it seems that the idea is shaping up into a blueprint as now even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in its latest consultation paper, has suggested infrastructure sharing between operators to ensure optimum utilisation of the available infrastructure.

TRAI feels that infrastructure sharing will result in reduction in capital expenditure as well as operating expenditure.

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Whatever be the economic consequence, I appreciate the step because it pushes out foreign influence.