Space exploration and technology

[nitesh]

I heard that when putin visited it was about to sign, but under unkil pressure we havent signed this glonass agreement. can anyone throw more lights in it

This might be the actual reason:

http://www.blonnet.com/2010/05/14/stories/2010051454291800.htm

 

[SHASH2K2]

This might be the actual reason:

http://www.blonnet.com/2010/05/14/stories/2010051454291800.htm

its good that we are trying to build our own system.
..=i+

 

[SHASH2K2]

The GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN) is a planned implementation of a regional Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) by the Indian government. It is a system to improve the accuracy of a GNSS receiver by providing reference signals. [1]
The Rs. 7.74 billion (774 crore) project is being implemented in three phases through 2008 by the Airport Authority of India with the help of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) technology and space support. The goal is to provide navigation system for all phases of flight over the Indian airspace and in the adjoining area. It is applicable to safety-to-life operations, and meets the performance requirements of international civil aviation regulatory bodies. The final, operational phase of GAGAN is likely to be completed by May 2011. Gagan is the transliteration of a Hindi/Sanskrit word for the sky.

Technology

To begin implementing an SBAS over the Indian airspace, Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) codes for L1 frequency and L5 frequency were obtained from the United States Air Force and U.S Department of Defense on November 2001 and March 2005.[2]. The system will use eight reference stations located in Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Jammu and Port Blair, and a master control center at Bangalore. U.S. defense contractor Raytheon has stated they will bid to build the system.[3]
[edit]Technology Demonstration

As a part of the programme, a network of 18 total electron content (TEC) monitoring stations were installed at various locations in India to study and analyse the behaviour of the ionosphere over the Indian region. GAGAN's Technology Demonstration System (TDS) signal in space provides a three-metre accuracy as against the requirement of 7.6 metres. Flight inspection of GAGAN signal is being carried out at Kozhikode, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports and the results have been satisfactory so far. To study the ionospheric behavior more effectively over entire Indian Airspace, Indian universities and R&D labs, which are involved in the development of regional based IONO-TROP model for GAGAN, have suggested nine more TEC stations.[2] The AAI's efforts towards implementation of operational SBAS can be viewed as the first step towards introduction of modern CNS/ATM system over Indian airspace [2].
[edit]Technology Integration

GAGAN, after its final operational phase completion, will be compatible with other SBAS systems such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) and will provide seamless air navigation service across regional boundaries. While the ground segment consists of eight reference stations and a master control centre, which will have sub systems such as data communication network, SBAS correction and verification system, operations and maintenance system, performance monitoring display and payload simulator, Indian land uplinking stations will have dish antenna assembly. The space segment will consist of one geo-navigation transponder.
[edit]Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System

The Indian government has stated that it intends to use the experience of creating the GAGAN system to enable the creation of an autonomous regional navigation system called the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) and that it might use the GSAT-4 satellite as a technology demonstration system phase of the proposed navigational system.[4]
[edit]Effective Flight Management System

Flight Management System based on GAGAN will then be poised to save operators time and money by managing climb, descent and engine performance profiles. The FMS will improve the efficiency and flexibility by increasing the use of operator-preferred trajectories. It will improve airport and airspace access in all weather conditions, and the ability to meet the environmental and obstacle clearance constraints. It will also enhance reliability and reduce delays by defining more precise terminal area procedures that feature parallel routes and environmentally optimised airspace corridors.
GAGAN will increase safety by using a three-diemensional approach operation with course guidance to the runway, which will reduce the risk of controlled flight into terrain i.e, an accident whereby an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, inadvertently flies into terrain, an obstacle, or water.
GAGAN will also offer high position accuracies over a wide geographical area like the Indian airspace. These positions accuracies will be simultaneously available to 80 civilian and more than 200 non-civilian airports and airfields and will facilitate an increase in the number of airports to 500 as planned. These position accuracies can be further enhanced with ground based augmentation system.
[edit]Developments

The first GAGAN transmitter was integrated into the GSAT-4 geostationary satellite, and had a goal of being operational in 2008.[5][6] Following a series of delays, GSAT-4 was launched on 15 April 2010, however it failed to reach orbit after the third stage of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.II that was carrying it malfunctioned.[7]

 

[SHASH2K2]

ISRO, Raytheon complete tests for GAGAN Satellite Navigational System

Farnborough: An ambitious satellite-based navigation system being developed by India's space agency ISRO and US defence major Raytheon has successfully completed preliminary tests, a top official of the American company announced said.

The preliminary system acceptance test for the Technology Demonstration System (TDS) of the GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation (Gagan), being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to improve Air Traffic Control, was successful, Raytheon Vice President Andy Zogg told reporters here.

"This test was significant because the Gagan-TDS ground elements supplied by Raytheon were installed and integrated ahead of schedule," he said.

"More importantly, the system functioned properly and exceeded the accuracy requirements."

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to use Gagan to meet the civil aviation industry's growing needs in communications, navigation and surveillance and air traffic management. It will result in greater efficiency and safety in over 100 airports in India.

The Gagan-TDS network monitors Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) signals for errors and then generates correction messages to improve accuracy for users. Once in place, the system can also be used by other modes of transport, including rail, road and maritime traffic.

During the test period, average accuracy of Gagan-TDS was better than one metre horizontally and only slightly more than one metre vertically, thus surpassing the 7.6 metre requirement by a significant margin.

"We are very pleased with the cooperative effort among Raytheon, ISRO and AAI that led to this successful test," said Zogg. "The TDS phase of this programme demonstrated how to successfully deploy a SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System) in India, so all of the participants are better prepared for the next stage of the programme."

ISRO awarded a contract in November 2004 to Raytheon to supply and install the ground-based elements of Gagan. India is investing nearly Rs 110 crore in the project.

The Gagan-TDS is the first phase of the project sponsored by ISRO and AAI to implement a space-based navigation system in Indian airspace. Gagan is one of several systems being deployed around the world as part of an initiative endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to help civil aircraft move to satellite-based signals from ground-based navigation aids.

The technology enhances navigation in all phases of flight, from take-off through landing. Routes are more flexible and efficient, landing safety is increased, and navigation service providers offer better guidance at lower costs.

The Gagan-TDS project consists of an Indian Monitor and Control Centre in Bangalore, an Indian land uplink station also in Bangalore, and eight reference stations distributed across the country.

Raytheon supplied the sub-systems, installed the units in partnership with ISRO and AAI and then integrated the system through data links provided by the Indian agencies.

With the completion of the preliminary system acceptance test, Raytheon will work with ISRO to integrate the ground elements to a geo-synchronous satellite.

After integration, a signal-in-space broadcast of Gagan-TDS messages will be demonstrated.

Raytheon, which clocked sales of $ 21.9 billion in 2005, is a leader in defence electronics, space, Information Technology and special mission aircraft.

 

[venkat]

shash! pardon me for being cynical!!! we claim GAGAN to be Indian, so as not to depend on US NAVSTAR based GPS !!! but again US based Raytheon is involved in the development of an Indian GPS system , They can implant clandestinely some snooping device or selective switch off mechanism ,Jam or performance degrading mechanism during the need of the hour!!!!

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://indiastrategic.in/topstories599.htm


Weaponisation of Space
Should India Join the Race?





New Delhi. The militarisation of outer space – the so-called 'last frontier' and 'ultimate high ground' – happened many decades ago when military satellites began to be deployed for surveillance, communications and navigation. Will the weaponisation of space be an inevitable consequence?




In January 2008, China demonstrated its ability to physically destroy a satellite in space by firing a missile at it. Even though the satellite that had been shot down was an ageing satellite, the act sent a chilling message to the world. Later, the United States proved similar capability.

A headline in the Jane's Defence Weekly a few years ago had stated: "USAF Eyes Relay Mirrors to Extend Range of Lasers". In bold type-face the first paragraph of the news item datelined Washington D.C. had proclaimed ominously: "Highpowered laser weapons are expected to make their operational debut later this decade, according to military planners who say these weapons will revolutionise future battles by giving US forces the ability to hit targets with lethal beams of energy delivered at extreme speed and over great distances." The deployment of weapons systems will turn outer space into a potential battlefield – a platform from which to seek strategic superiority on the ground. Space is fast acquiring the status of the ultimate high ground, a term much revered by military planners and leaders.

Which way is the West led by United States (US) headed? Is it Ronald Reagan's Star Wars programme all over again? Or, is it, as some analysts have dubbed it, the "son of Star Wars"? The plans now underway to utilise high-flying airborne lasers on board modified Boeing 747 aircraft to generate multi-megawatt laser beams that are then reflected by a relay of 5-metre diameter mirrors arrayed in outer space to shoot down nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles during their boost phase, will lead inexorably to the weaponisation of space.

India is also now a major space power with substantial civilian and military stakes in space and must decide whether it wishes to support and join the current race to weaponise space or oppose it.

US Race for Space

According to the Washington Post, in January 2001 the US Air Force Space Command completed a major war-game set in space where "attack satellites and lasers fought computer hackers and space planes in a simulated struggle reflecting the Pentagon's growing belief that the key battles of the 21st century may be fought in space." The exercise called "Schriever 2001" showed that the "ability to project force to and from space can be a powerful deterrent to conflict." The US Army is not far behind and is looking to exploit emerging space technology to deliver "effects-based fires" for manoeuvre on the future battlefield. How exactly they intend to achieve such effects is hazy at present.

The next logical step would inevitably be to develop capabilities to destroy similar systems of the adversary in space including military satellites. US Senator Tom Harkin had said after a 1997 laser test to help the US military understand the vulnerabilities of military satellites that the test was "both unnecessary and provocative." Quite obviously since then, the US military has gradually come to accept space as a future battlefield and a new theatre of operations. The world will soon hear about killer satellites armed with lasers, space mines, electronic jamming systems and logic bombs and viruses that can cripple computer-based command, control, communications and intelligence systems.

The aim will be to destroy satellites or neutralise them temporarily through non-lethal means. These could include lasers to blind imaging satellites and radio-signal jammers, and even chemical means to disable a spacecraft in flight. The fight will undoubtedly also extend to the destruction of enemy ground control facilities, both from the air and from space. Also on the drawing boards is a strategic space bomber that will blast off like a ballistic missile and drop precision-guided munitions from the stratospheric height of up to 100 km on targets deep inside enemy territory. It will be capable of reaching any target anywhere in the world within 30 minutes of takeoff from the continental United States.

The US Department of Defense issued a Directive on Space Policy (July 9, 1999), which declared space as "a medium like the land, sea and air within which military activities shall be conducted." The Year 2000 Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organisation, chaired by Defence Secretary Rumsfeld before he was nominated to head the Pentagon, had warned of a Pearl Harbour in space. In its report, the Committee had said it would be in the national interest to "develop and deploy the means to deter and defend against hostile acts directed at US space assets and against the use of space hostile to US interests."

The US Air Force, eager to rename itself an "aerospace force", launched a new study in 2001 to identify research areas to focus on space control and space access with a view to conducting effective aerospace operations.

Present US efforts focus primarily on enabling the armed forces to control space to leverage the military potential of this vital medium to protect troops and territories and project power abroad. However, it must be noted that US policy planners and space industry officials are now calling for an "overarching strategic plan that would coordinate civil, military and commercial space efforts." The practical realisation of these diabolical capabilities will be extremely destabilising for world peace. Their possession by the US will naturally compel Russia and China and maybe half a dozen other countries to follow suit – leading to a second race for space, after the first one was sparked by the launch of the USSR's Sputnik in the 1950s.

Treaty Violations

After several decades of successful space exploration the commercial exploitation of space has now become a big-ticket business.

Many nations and multinational corporations now have sensory and communications satellites in space. Space is also being used for navigational and positional applications and remote sensing. Over the l a s t 30 years the commercial space market has spun off many military uses and, hence, most militaries the world over have become heavily dependent on the use of space for telecommunications, satellite-based imagery and reconnaissance and navigation. Military leaders and national security analysts in the West are now of the view that space-based weapons are now inescapable.

Plans that are now underway for the military use of space will negate the Outer Space Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 bans the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space. The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, all but unilaterally abrogated now because of the ongoing US programme to develop missile interceptors, enjoins the signatories not to deploy antiballistic missile interceptors in space. The abrogation of these treaties does not augur well for future arms control and disarmament negotiations.

Related Developments

Former Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed serious concern over the increasing militarisation of space and called upon the world community to "redouble its efforts to preserve a peaceful outer space for the sake of future generations."

China had called for a ban on the testing, deployment and use of all weapons, weapons systems and their components in outer space before its anti-satellite test. It had suggested the establishment of a UN committee to draw up a binding international instrument to prevent an arms race in outer space. While China consistently downplays any military application of its own space programme, recent developments including renewed emphasis on manned flights (Project 921) nevertheless indicate the increasing important of space in China's national security planning. Project 921 quite obviously has military connotations.

In Israel, the Air Force has been designated as the lead service for the operational planning and eventual deployment of space assets and related systems and for the expanded military use of space.

India has consistently opposed the military use of space. Addressing an ESCAP-sponsored Space Applications conference in November 1999 at New Delhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had said: "I cannot overemphasise the need for developing space applications for global peace and security. Space must become the newest frontier not for an arms race but for humankind's collaborative and common race for development." At the Space Summit of the Indian Science Congress at Bangalore in early January 2003, then President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam had called for the establishment of an "International Space Force" to ensure that conflict on earth does not spill over into space or harms the space assets of mankind.

Today it sounds like Utopian thinking.

It is difficult to accept the argument of space as an inevitable battlefield. There is no tangible evidence of the development of space-based weapons and strategies by the socalled "rogue states". There is no immediate threat on the horizon and it may be several decades before such a threat actually materialises. Practical weaponisation of space is unlikely till about 2020 at least.

Also, at present, planned spacebased weapons capabilities can be more cheaply and almost equally effectively delivered by land-based weapons platforms. The international community must utilise that time interlude to lead a fight to honour the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 – if at all such a course of action is still practicable. A major step forward would be to seek a general and wideranging ban on weapons in space. As a leading player on the international stage and as a major space power itself, India must play a substantive role in this noble venture.

Famous Cold War analyst Raymond Aron had observed with quiet resignation: "Short of a revolution in the heart of man and the nature of states, by what miracle could interplanetary space be preserved from military use?" When Robert Browning wrote, "Man's reach should exceed his grasp/ otherwise what is heaven for?" he could not have imagined that man will one day attempt to dominate the heavens. Mankind's last frontier must never be allowed to become the last battlefield between nation-states. There is hope yet if the international community makes concerted efforts and public opinion – the second superpower – can be aroused to oppose the militarisation of space.

However, the Indian government must make its own calculations about whether or not the weaponisation of space is inevitable. If it concludes that the West and China are going down that route, it must lose no further time in sanctioning a tri-Service aerospace command and giving it a wide-ranging charter to develop and field Indian weapons in space. This is one field in which no friendly nation or strategic partner will transfer technology to another.

© India Strategic

 

[nandu]

New star forming regions found in Milky Way

Artist's conception of the Milky Way.

NEW DELHI : Astronomers have discovered various unknown regions of our Milky Way galaxy where massive stars are being formed.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has provided important new information about the structure of Milky Way galaxy, and in future it will help astronomers to yield new clues about its composition.

The star-forming regions discovered by the astronomers are called H II regions. In these sites, hydrogen atoms are stripped of their electrons by intense radiation from massive, young stars.

The researchers have used infrared and radio telescopes to find the hidden regions of the Milky Way galaxy.

"We found our targets by using the results of infrared surveys done with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and of surveys done with the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array radio telescope, objects that appear bright in both the Spitzer and Very Large Array images we studied are good candidates for H II regions," Astronomer Loren Anderson of the Astrophysical Laboratory of Marseille in France, who worked on the project said in a NASA press release.

Further analysis of the region will help astronomers to determine the locations of the H II regions. Astronomers have also found concentrations of the regions at the end of the galaxy's central bar and in its spiral arms.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/New-star-forming-regions-found-in-Milky-Way/4024/1/10.html

 

[SHASH2K2]

shash! pardon me for being cynical!!! we claim GAGAN to be Indian, so as not to depend on US NAVSTAR based GPS !!! but again US based Raytheon is involved in the development of an Indian GPS system , They can implant clandestinely some snooping device or selective switch off mechanism ,Jam or performance degrading mechanism during the need of the hour!!!!

Venkat
Point is not that its being developed with help of Americans. If we keep using GPS Americans will be able to track movement of all our planes or other vessels.
It may be developed with USA help but it will be operated by us. designing such a large and sophisticated system is not an easy task.Why not take help of leader in this regard?
Its a great technical feat and later on we can improve it as well. I am also sure that we will have enough security features so that no one can infiltrate it .
It may have military as well as commercial use as well.

 

[nandu]

32 IISc scientists helm Nasa labs

32 IISc scientists helm Nasa labs

BANGALORE: Bangalore may be all about IT moorings, but it hasn't lost out one bit on its Nasa connect: while Isro has traditionally been leading this connect, an IISc alumni study has found that 32 researchers from IISc alone are part of the trailblazing research labs, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center, top Nasa institutions.

JPL, Pasadena, California, launched America's first satellite Explorer-1 into space after it was set up in the 1930s by California Institute of Technology. Today, it has 20 spacecraft of its own and nine instruments. Goddard Centre is the nerve centre of all Nasa space flights.

The study states that of 500 US-based IISc alumni, 32 are in Nasa/JPL doing work as researchers and scientist-managers. Most of them are part of Nasa after Ph.D or postdoctoral work in areas ranging from climate studies to biochemistry to aerospace.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ntists-helm-Nasa-labs/articleshow/5992774.cms

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5970384.cms

India to gear up for 'star wars'

NEW DELHI: India has no option but to get ready for "star wars" in the future, with countries like China working overtime to develop advanced ASAT (anti-satellite) capabilities with "direct-ascent" missiles, hit-to-kill "kinetic" and directed-energy laser weapons.

The defence ministry's spanking new "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap" seems to recognize this overriding necessity, outlining as it does a wide array of high-tech offensive and defensive capabilities Indian armed forces will need over the next 15 years.

Identifying priority areas ranging from space warfare, ballistic missile defence (BMD) and combat drones to electronic warfare, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) defence and submarines equipped with AIP (air-independent propulsion), the roadmap holds that "technological superiority is increasingly going to be the decisive factor in future battles". The 76-page MoD roadmap to "provide the industry with an overview" about military requirements by 2025 does seem ambitious as of now, given the present poor state of the country's defence-industrial production base.

Nevertheless, it gives significant insight into what India plans to acquire in terms of futuristic military capabilities. The roadmap, after all, draws heavily from classified as well as unclassified parts of Army, IAF and Navy doctrines, the still-evolving long-term integrated perspective plan (2012-2027) and DRDO's S&T roadmap, among others. While India is already working in some of these sectors, the roadmap underlines the need to get cracking in the others as well. Ever since China shocked the world with an ASAT weapon test to destroy a satellite in January 2007, alarm bells have been clanging in the Indian defence establishment.

The MoD roadmap, on its part, identifies development of ASAT weapons "for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO (2,000-km altitude above earth's surface) and the higher GEO-synchronous orbits" as a thrust area.

Apart from "EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hardening" of satellite and sensors to protect them against ASAT weapons, it says armed forces want to induct satellite systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in a major way. The uses range from synthetic aperture radar all-weather imagery and precision targeting to automatic target recognition technology and high-speed communication.

Army's need for "directed energy weapons (DEWs)" is also spelled out in the roadmap. These include mobile air defence to engage enemy rockets, missiles, fighters and helicopters, as also DEWs to neutralize UAVs at a distance of 8-10 km. Moreover, precision weapons and dazzlers are needed for swift counter-terrorist operations with minimum collateral damage.

Another thrust area is UAVs, especially armed ones like the American Predator and Reaper drones equipped with Hellfire missiles. "UAVs with advanced sensors and weapons are going to dominate all facets of the future battlefield,"
it says.

 

[nandu]

India & China in Space

India & China in Space

Is there a space race taking place between China and India? Discussions have started flowing after China's Shenzhou-VII successful space walk during Sep 2008 & India's launch of Chandrayaan-1 on 22nd October 2008. With the success of Shenzhou-VII mission, China became the third country after the United States (US) and Russia to walk into space independently. This was China's third manned 'space-ship'. Simultaneously, India also joined the elite club of moon missions with the launch of Chandrayaan-1. With this India has become the third country in Asia to achieve this feat.

While international recognitions of both China and India's space programme have increased considerably, doubts persist in many quarters if they are engaged in a space race among them. In fact, it prompts many to review in a comparative manner the current trends in China and India's 'Space-policy'. This article delves into the pattern of both China's and India's Space engagement from multiple perspective: policy, technological and the factor of transparency.

Political & Policy Perspective

Till the 1980s India's investment in space technologies were found to be higher than China. However, by the turn of this century, China's 'Space- mission' has caught up with India considerably and has made a rapid progress.1 The success of Shenzhou-VII mission, demonstrates that China has overtaken India in the field of human exploration of Space. For China, politically the space walk mission was a matter of national pride and imbued with "political symbolism", given that it came in the wake of China's impressive hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It also signified a concerted Space plan and followed the goals of "scientific development" advocated by President Hu Jintao.2

This approach is reflected in the Chinese White Paper titled China's Space Activities in 2006, which states:

"The aims of China's Space activities are: to explore outer space to meet the demands of economic construction, scientific and technological development, national security and social progress; and to raise the scientific quality of the Chinese people, protect China's national interests and rights, and build up the comprehensive national strength"**.3

In political terms, the Shenzhou-VII mission is a great success for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as well, which will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its ascent to power in 2009. If the party is to preserve its legitimacy at a time of increasing tide of democracy and the fading of communist ideology in China, then a grand project like Shenzhou-VII may certainly be seen as providing a unifying cause.

For India, the success of Chandrayaan-1 is a signal of its reach in outer space and with this, now India has joined an exclusive club of nations including the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan, that have sent missions to moon. More importantly, with this mission, India, for the first time, has demonstrated its capabilities of reaching to the Deep Space (normally 'Deep Space missions ' are the missions where the spacecrafts cover of distance more than one lakh km). Under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India plans to develop various Space technologies from a civilian nationalist perspective. As ISRO puts the objectives of Chandrayaan-1:

""¦to expand knowledge about Earth's only natural satellite — the moon. With well-defined objectives, Chandrayaan-1 mission intends to put an unmanned 'Spacecraft' into an orbit around the moon and to perform remote sensing of our nearest celestial neighbour for about two years using eleven scientific instruments built in India and five other countries.4

In short, Chandrayaan-1 paves the way for India's road for future human space missions to the moon. Objectively, it helps India to achieve three missions: prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both the nearest and the farthest side of the moon; conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface to ascertain the distribution of natural resources on the lunar surface; and search for helium-3, considered among the cleanest fuels known.5 Scientists foresee that ""¦Chandrayaan-1 will hugely boost the confidence of Indians. It would also be a recognition that India has arrived in the Space club and will be a proof that its engineering talent can pull of a complex project of this magnitude."6

While the success of Shenzhou-VII and Chandrayaan-1 remain a 'national pride' for both China and India respectively and highlights the extent of their progress in Space technology, debate continues on the nature of their Space policy. Speculations abound whether these missions signal the beginning of 'future warfare' in this region.

In the case of China, the official position states that the Shenzhou-VII mission is a preliminary exercise towards building a Space Station, may be a smaller version of International Space Station (ISS). The recent success of the Chinese Space missions is expected to fast-track the state's development in 'science and technology'. Chinese officials have tended to promote and highlight these scientific developments from the civilian perspective, while downplaying the military dimensions. State media in China, reported the success of Shenzhou-VII ,as the "most critical step"7 in China's "three-step" Space programme: sending a human into orbit; docking 'Spacecraft' together while forming a small laboratory; and building a large Space Station.8 In fact, Beijing Review reported that the Shenzhou-VII, would lead to the country's next manned Space mission Shenzhou-X ,which is more demanding & aimed at obiter docking technology.9 Apart from the Shenzhou series, the Chinese plan to move forward in research and designing, manufacturing, in creating measurement and control consisting of launch centers for satellites and Spacecrafts, satellite applications and in training a large amount of Space scientists.10 In addition, the key is to enhance the technological capabilities which will lay a foundation for further international co-operation.11

Barring specific scientific aspects, a series of Chinese success ranging from the January 2007, Anti-satellite test (ASAT) to launch moon orbiter Change-I (September 2007) and the recent Space walk mission have compelled many to scrutinize closely its future course in Space. Indeed, given the Chinese military's control over the country's Space programme, the debate over 'China as a Space power' both in civil and military terms continue. This becomes important in the context of Space power, being a pre-condition to leveraging air power in modern warfare. In fact, China's military-centric Space programme has been in the news since January 2000, when it launched its first military communications satellite as a part of the PLA combat-and-control network. Since then, its space efforts have been linked with its military modernisation programme.

In contrast, India's Space policy is essentially civilian in nature. ISRO is in business of Space for 'socio-economic' development. For last few years, ISRO is also exploring the commercial utility of its Space assets. Space technologies inherently being 'dual-use technologies', do offer certain amount of military utility too. However, such utility remains restricted only up to communication and reconnaissance purposes. Under such circumstances, comparison for military utility in regard to India and China's Space programme, is not possible. Particularly, by conducting an 'Anti-satellite test', China has already proved its intention of weaponising Space.

Technological Advancements

The success of Chandrayaan-1 will also help India to cement its position in the commercial satellite launch sector, particularly because with this launch, India has once again proved the worth of its PSLV (Polar satellite launch vehicle). This mission helps ISRO to gather experience in building a hi-tech spacecraft, improved rocketry and more advanced remote navigation technology. The scientific community in India believes that these would facilitate them to compete with better-paying private sector to attract more scientists to India's Space mission.12

On the other hand the launch of Shenzhou-VII, has helped the Chinese to aim for a 'Space Station' in 2020 and a "simple" Space laboratory by 2011. Among its future directives, planning is to launch the Shenzhou-VIII & Shenzhou-IX missions, which will be initially unmanned to test docking technology and then will be implemented as manned missions. The totality of these initiatives revolves around the theme of industrializing 'Space technology' and developing future 'Space research'. All these plans, indicate a Chinese desire to establish its supremacy in 'Space technology' and strategic goal of preparing for possible future 'Space warfare'. It is envisioned also that the planned 'Space Station' is expected to serve as a 'repair base' for Chinese military satellites.

China's Space effort started with the establishment of the 'Missile and Rocket Research Institute' in 1956, and the 'manned space' effort began in the early-1990s. After almost a decade and half, the Chinese endeavour is to become 'self-reliant' and drive 'Space research' activities independently. Its long-term objectives are to establish a strategic balance with the countries like United States and Russia, and to break their monopoly on utilisation of space. The success of Shenzhou project in this context , implies China's progress in 'Space exploration'.

From India's perspective, Chandrayaan-1 is the first part of its planetary road map. ISRO's future mission is to develop — chemical analysis capabilities for future lunar landers, sample return from the Moon, international co-operation on a robotic Mars mission, and the Astrosat observatory system which would be capable of observations from the 'ultraviolet' to high energy X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.13 India has already made a beginning towards achieving the aim of putting humans into Space by successfully launching the 'Space Recovery Capsule Experiment (SRE)'. In fact, India's most reliable workhorse PSLV has put ten satellites, including a recoverable 'Spacecraft' into the orbit just a few months back.

The SRE mission was of far greater importance to India, because, it was for the first time that India tested the reusable launch vehicle technology. The capsule was placed in orbit at an altitude of 625 km and was successfully recovered after 11 days. The last phase of the mission was critical and the indigenously developed re-entry technology proved its worth. This mission has provided precious knowledge about navigation, guidance and control for the re-entry phase (from the outer space to earth's atmosphere). The capsule had an indigenously developed 'thermal protection system', essentially in form of silica tiles, which proved its worth by withstanding extremely high temperatures during re-entry. However, the major ambition of ISRO, is not to continue with such type of a recovery Space capsule as a "drop-down" vehicle, but to put the Spacecraft in outer space with the help of the rocket and then recover it on the runway like an aircraft. On Deep Space front the immediate plan is to work on the Chandrayaan-2 project by 2010-2011, which will be a joint project between India and Russia.14 This plan includes a Lander and a recover to "walk" around the moon's surface and collect samples and data for analysis.

Transparency: A Strategic perspectives

It is important to decipher the strategic implications of China and India's Space programme. Indian scientists argue that Chandrayaan-1 would promote the civilian and technological aspects of its Space initiatives, whereas aerospace experts in China, contend that the success of Shenzhou-VII, is the first of these phases to fast-track the development in science and technology. However, the lack of transparency in China's Space programme in compared to India, prompts many to review its hidden intensions. Whatever perspective the Chinese may wish to portray, its concerted 'Space efforts' in recent times has come under more intense scrutiny, especially after the January 2007s ASAT test, which left a lasting global impact.

This is important, given the context that civilian technological advances could easily be put to military use. In this regard, China's 2006 Defence White Paper suggests that ""¦scientific and technological projects, such as manned Space flights and the Lunar Probe Project, are being carried out"¦combining military and civilian needs and to bring about overall improvements in defense-related science and technology."15

To execute its Space plans, the 11th five-year national plan released on May 10, 2007 sets the platform for achieving various objectives. For instance, the country aims to make a bigger stride in the aerospace industry and particularly, new generation carrier rockets research programmes, are some of its highlights.16 The drive is to develop "dual-use technologies" rather relying on military-centric technologies, thus simultaneously achieving economic development and military modernisation. In this context, its mega-Space plan is reflected in its ever-growing defence spending, which, even according to official statistics, has risen by around 15 percent every year since 1990.

Given the lack of transparency in China's actual defence budget, it's difficult to approximate the exact figure of its investment in Space. But the current five-year plan did indicate for a special allocation in the fields of high-technology, 'IT solutions' and 'Space research'. It suggests on government's approach regarding "non-governmental investment in the Space sector." Following this, the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defence, in China had proposed steps like manned Space flight and lunar exploration along with other major initiatives like a moon orbit to acquire three-dimensional pictures, hard-X ray modulation telescope, research on a solar telescope, etc. Economists estimate that China has already created business opportunities worth 120 billion yuan (US $18 billion) from its Space technology applications. It seems that for economic conditions to remain robust, Space expenditure, whether for military or civil purposes, remains an important factor in China's Space policy. In short, the Chinese endeavor is to defend the strategy of "self-reliance" to drive its military Space activities, which is an important factor in China's military modernization program under current trends.

On the other hand, India dealing with more on the civilian aspect, has increased the 2008 science budget by 16 percent. The Indian government's 2008-09 budget, includes a new fund to attract more meritorious students to science careers, the establishment of three new Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), and a rise in funds for manned Space missions. The total amount of science budget is just over US$6 billion (around 242 billion Indian Rupees), compared with the 2007 figure of US$5 billion. ISRO, in its part received the largest chunk of this year's funds, getting around US$1billion (40,740 million Indian Rupees) — a 23 percent increase from the last year — US$312.5 million (1,250 million Indian Rupees), of which will be used for manned Space missions.

Currently, the aim of the ISRO is to boost the capacity of communication transponders to 500 in five years, driven by demand from users such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), and Bharti Airtel Ltd., and satellite television operators such as STAR TV, owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch and Sun Network. Additional 16 communication satellites will be launched by the ISRO from its homegrown heavier rocket Geo-synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV), to increase the capacity from the current 200 transponders on 11 satellites orbiting 36,000 km above the earth. In this context, the year 2006 saw ISRO, spending an amount of Rs 15,000 crore in the 10th Plan in addition to the non-planned expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore, in developing the GSLV rocket, building heavier satellites with a longer lifespan and preparing for the unmanned mission to the moon, to be launched soon. Among the future objectives, the plan is to launch a series of eight Indian Remote Sensing satellites (IRSs), including those that will help to understand monsoon behaviour, and map urban areas, disaster zones and drought prone districts.17

On a comparative scale, both China and India have a definite and constructive Space plan. India's civilian Space programme makes it today, a credible space power internationally. At the same time, through Shenzhou-VII Space walk mission, China has effectively challenged the supremacy of both the United States and Russia in this 'sector' of Space. However, both India and China lag much behind these 'Space superpowers' in various other Space fields. Both, at the same time have demonstrated that in Asia barring Japan, they have no other competitors in this field. Both the sates, with their intelligent investments in 'Space field' and a clear-cut roadmap ahead of them, have demonstrated to the world, their techno-economical strengths. Few call it, 'Asian Space race' but in reality, this is what a 'soft-power status' is all about.

By Wg Cdr Ajey Lele Dr Jaganath P Panda

http://www.indiandefencereview.com/2010/06/india-china-in-space.html#more-2365

 

[nandu]

cross posting

Anti-Satellite System to Be Part of Indo-US Strategic Dialogue

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna will meet in Washington this week (June 2 and 3) to lay the groundwork for a visit to India that President Obama plans to make in November. This meeting comes on the heels of recent announcements by India's military that it plans to test and deploy an anti-satellite system.

Indian military officials have set a target date to deploy an ambitious anti-satellite system, according to a report released in May by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). The report, titled Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR), states that the "development of ASAT for electronic or physical destruction of satellites in both LEO and Geo – synchronous orbits" can be expected by 2015 .

This is not exactly news, in that the developmental timeline coincides with DRDO comments from years past. What is striking about it—much like most information released from the DRDO regarding its development of anti-satellite systems—is that it blatantly contradicts statements by Indian political leaders that deny any intent by their nation to pursue space weapons. Moreover, target dates for the development of anti-satellite systems by any nation should be considered shocking, particularly given the scrutiny that was paid to nations such as China and the U.S. when they each demonstrated a direct-ascent ability to strike satellites in space .

Historically, U.S. concern over China's potential to deploy a formal ASAT system has been well documented. In 1999 The Cox Report on US National Security with China stated: "The PRC is believed to be developing space-based and ground-based anti-satellite laser weapons ." In a 2008 Congressional hearing before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, it was stated that a Chinese ASAT threat definitely exists, putting many U.S. and allied spacecraft at risk . In January of 2007, many nations, including India, voiced opposition to China's successful shoot-down of its own aging Fengyun (FY-1C ) polar orbit satellite with a kinetic kill vehicle (KKV).

In response to China's action, then-Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "The security and safety of assets in outer space is of crucial importance for global economic and social development. We call upon all States to redouble efforts to strengthen the international legal regime for the peaceful use of outer space. " Then-U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe echoed Mukherjee's comments, stating, "The U.S. believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area ."

The U.S. experienced similar international suspicion and condemnation a year later when it destroyed a reportedly malfunctioning National Reconnaissance Organization (NRO) satellite via a Standard Missile 3 (SM3) launch from aboard the USS Lake Erie. Russia's Defense Ministry responded in a statement: "There is an impression that the United States is trying to use the accident with its satellite to test its national anti-missile defense system's capability to destroy other countries' satellites ."

With all of the attention paid to China's and the United States' anti-satellite capabilities, how has the international community missed continuous, overt claims by Indian military officials that the development and eventual deployment of an ASAT system is on the horizon? If the U.S. and China are subject to international outrage over what the two countries claim were responses to their own malfunctioning satellites, why is India overlooked when it touts that it is developing the same technology for defensive and offensive military applications? Is its technical prowess being underestimated? Does the Indian nation's defiant actions pale in comparison to those of China, Iran and North Korea?

In the spring of 2000, an alarming report entitled "Military Dimensions in the Future of the Indian Presence in Space" caused waves within official circles but drew little international attention (probably due to its lack of availability outside of India). Perhaps most controversial was its suggestion that India could deploy a directed-energy weapon, such as a particle beam weapon, in space by 2010 and also a system referred to as the KALI (kinetic attack loitering interceptor).

The paper's author, Dr. V. Siddhartha, was at the time of the document's publication an officer on special duty in the secretariat of the scientific adviser to the Defense Minister. The paper is testament to, at the very least, a clear interest within the Indian military of deploying not only a space-based laser, but also an ASAT system .

Over the past decade, there has been no shortage of inflammatory comments made by Indian military officials claiming India's intent to weaponize space. There has also been no shortage of contradictions to these statements from India's most senior government officials—oftentimes happening within days of one another. For example, on January 26, 2007, after China's satellite shoot-down, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then-Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a joint press conference where Singh declared; "Our position is similar in that we are not in favor of the weaponization of outer space ."

This was just one day after then-Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Shashi Tyagi stated, "As the reach of our air force is expanding, it has become extremely important that we exploit space, and for it you need space assets ." Actions speak louder than words, and unfortunately the Indian military is acting. How long is the international community going to wait for India's bold claims to materialize?

On January 3rd of 2010 at the 97th Indian Science Congress, Dr. V K Saraswat, director general of India's Defense Research and Development Organization, stated in a televised press conference that India was in the process of developing an ASAT system and that it is "working to ensure space security and protect our satellites." He went on: "At the same time, we are also working on how to deny the enemy access to its space assets"¦India is putting together building blocks of technology that could be used to neutralize enemy satellites." These building blocks, he stated, will be ready between 2012 and 2014.

He added, "With the kill vehicle available and with the propulsion system of Agni-III, that can carry the missile up to 1,000 km altitude, we can reach the orbit in which the satellite is and it is well within our capability ." Testing on an interceptor missile with a range of 120-140 km will begin, he says, in September. All of this evidence points to the fact that, despite claims to the contrary, India is and has been unwavering in its desire to develop a space weapons system that could significantly destabilize the international security environment .

It has been 36 years since India broke trust with the international community with its first nuclear test. In 1998 U.S. sanctions were placed upon the country in response to more nuclear tests. When the Bush Administration lifted the aforementioned sanctions against India in the wake of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, and then progressively loosened export and commerce laws against India, it ignored many events that have taken place historically.

To date, India has not signed on to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) or the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). It is also highly unlikely that India will subscribe to the treaty to Prevent an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS.)

At a time when the international spotlight seems trained on North Korea and Iran, a growing tolerance for India's belligerence in building its nuclear and missile capabilities appears to shield it from similar scrutiny. Geographically, it is also comparable in its potential for volatility; South Asia is a highly volatile region—home to two nuclear weapons states, including India, that fought in multiple wars, the last taking place in 1999. In fact, since the Kargil War, India-Pakistan relations have not moved towards peace and remain highly unstable.

India has stated that it intends to deploy a space weapon by 2015, and a 5,000 km ICBM by 2011 . The Indian nation is currently acquiring missile defense technologies while simultaneously increasing its role as a leading importer and exporter of military technologies that will irreversibly alter the security balance not only in South Asia, but in the Middle East as well.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna will meet in Washington this week to lay the groundwork for a visit to India that President Obama plans to make in November . Isn't it time, at the very least, for the Obama Administration to reassess the US-India policies set by its predecessor?

http://theasiandefence.blogspot.com/

 

[Minghegy]

sounds good, where can I get a India launch schedule?

 

[nandu]

Hints of life found on Saturn's moon: Astronomers

Hints of life found on Saturn's moon: Astronomers

Saturn's moon Titan.

LONDON : Astronomers claim to have found hints of life on Saturn's moon Titan which is much too cold to support even liquid water on its surface.

According to the 'New Scientist', the two potential signatures of life on Titan were found by Cassini spacecraft, but scientists have pointed out that non-biological chemical reactions could also be behind the observations.

Still many feel that exotic life-forms could live in the lakes of liquid methane or ethane that dot the moon's surface and that such microbe could eke out an existence by breathing in hydrogen gas and eating the organic molecule acetylene, creating methane in the process.

This would result in a lack of acetylene on Titan and a depletion of hydrogen close to the moon's surface, where the microbes would live, according to the scientists.

Now, measurements from the Cassini spacecraft have borne out these predictions, hinting that life may be present.

The infrared spectra of Titan's surface taken with the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer of Cassini showed no sign of acetylene, even though ultraviolet sunlight should constantly trigger its production in moon's thick atmosphere.

Cassini measurements also suggest hydrogen is disappearing near Titan's surface, according to a study by Darrell Strobel of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Observations with the spacecraft's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer and its Composite Infrared Spectrometer revealed that hydrogen produced by UV-triggered chemical reactions in the atmosphere is flowing both upwards and off into space as well as down towards the surface.

Yet the hydrogen is not accumulating near the surface, hinting that something may be consuming it there, according to the results.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Hints-of-life-found-on-Saturn’s-moon-Astronomers/4071/1/10.html

 

[plugwater]

Titan: Nasa scientists discover evidence 'that alien life exists on Saturn's moon'

Researchers at the space agency believe they have discovered vital clues that appeared to indicate that primitive aliens could be living on the planet.

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe has analysed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere.

They have discovered that life forms have been breathing in the planet's atmosphere and also feeding on its surface's fuel.

Astronomers claim the moon is generally too cold to support even liquid water on its surface.

The research has been detailed in two separate studies.

The first paper, in the journal Icarus, shows that hydrogen gas flowing throughout the planet's atmosphere disappeared at the surface. This suggested that alien forms could in fact breathe.

The second paper, in the Journal of Geophysical Research, concluded that there was lack of the chemical on the surface.

Scientists were then led to believe it had been possibly consumed by life.

Researchers had expected sunlight interacting with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce acetylene gas. But the Cassini probe did not detect any such gas.

Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at Nasa Ames Research Centre, at Moffett Field, California who led the research, said: "We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth.

"If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."

Professor John Zarnecki, of the Open University, added: "We believe the chemistry is there for life to form. It just needs heat and warmth to kick-start the process.

"In four billion years' time, when the Sun swells into a red giant, it could be paradise on Titan."

They warned, however, that there could be other explanations for the findings.

But taken together, they two indicate two important conditions necessary for methane-based life to exist.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/...e-that-alien-life-exists-on-Saturns-moon.html

 

[plugwater]

India to acquire 'x-band' radars- Can spot a six-inch object from 4,600 km

Seeking better protection against incoming enemy's ballistic missiles and air-borne attacks launched by maverick terrorist organisations, India is to acquire the latest "x-band" radars that have an astonishing 4,600-km range to pick out missiles and airborne objects.

These will allow ground-based handlers to pick out even a six-inch-wide airborne object from that distance and give the option of retaliation. The long range spotting capacity will allow a reaction time that will be six times quicker than the present capacity of India. This will help ramp up the ballistic missile defence capabilities in this "missile-charged" neighbourhood with both China and Pakistan possessing missiles of varied ranges.

The new acquisition will bring cities like Beijing, large parts of South East Asia and also countries in the entire Middle East within India's viewing range. Present Indian capability is the Swordfish radar that can spot objects from 600-800 km away, which is under an upgrade to have a 1,500-km range. This is essentially a derivative of the Israeli Green pine radar that is now produced locally by the DRDO.

The use of long-range radars is immense as they can "acquire" or view a target and are capable of tracking it down, enabling the ground based operator to fire a counter missile and shot down the incoming enemy missile. India has already demonstrated technology to fire a missile and destroy an incoming missile at an altitude of 15 km above the earth and another test to take on the missile at a height of 48 km. The new powerful state-of-the-art technology x-band radar will be the best bet to tackle ICBMs in China's arsenal, sources said while adding that the Chinese missile code-named 'Dongfeng 31', was a proven platform that can fire for 8,000 km. The Pakistani Hatf and Ghauri missiles, essentially hand-me-down versions of Chinese and North Korean missiles, are India-specific.

Each of the new x-band radars is expected to cost close to $600-700 million. Sources said only a one US company has produced such a long-range radar. Israel had requested the US to provide one and got it. This was to provide a defence against any perceived misadventure by Iran. Now India could either tie-up with the US or Israel.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100607/main5.htm

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Thales Team Beats Lockheed for Satellite Job

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575280923067286504.html

Thales Team Beats Lockheed for Satellite Job

Thales SA of France scored a major victory Tuesday over Lockheed Martin Corp., as a Thales-led partnership won a roughly $2.1 billion contract to build a fleet of communications satellites for Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium also plans to spend a total of $800 million to launch the constellation of 72 satellites and for some ground upgrades, but details haven't been announced.

The satellite award gives a significant boost to efforts by Thales to expand both its U.S. commercial and defense businesses. It also is a big blow to Lockheed, which played a major role in manufacturing Iridium's current low-earth-orbit communications network. Lockheed was widely viewed as the Pentagon's preferred provider of the next-generation satellite system, industry officials said. The Pentagon is a major customer of the voice-and-data services supplied by Iridium.

 

[Armand2REP]

France is the world leader in satellite technology, only confirms the position.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/NASA_interplanetary_spacecraft_sets_record_999.html

NASA interplanetary spacecraft sets record

NASA says its ion-propelled Dawn spacecraft -- en route to explore two of the asteroid belt's most massive objects -- has set a record for velocity change.

Officials said the record previously held by NASA's Deep Space 1 -- the first interplanetary spacecraft to use ion propulsion -- fell Saturday when Dawn's accumulated mission acceleration exceeded 4.3 kilometers per second -- 9,600 mph.

The space agency said a spacecraft's change in velocity refers to its ability to change its path through space by using its own rocket engines. To reach its present location in the asteroid belt, NASA said Dawn had to fire its three engines -- one at a time -- for a cumulative total of 620 days. During that time, it used less than 165 kilograms (363 pounds) of xenon propellant.

In one year's time, Dawn's ion propulsion system can increase the spacecraft's speed by 8,850 kilometers per hour (5,500 mph), while consuming the equivalent of only 16 gallons of fuel, NASA said.

Dawn's 3-billion-mile mission includes exploration of asteroid Vesta in 2011 and 2012, and the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015.

Dawn, launched in September 2007, is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

 

[SHASH2K2]

I think it can be merged with this one or vice versa.

http://www.defenceforum.in/forum/showthread.php/10861-Glonass