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PolicyBuff: Overcoming odds
By KA Badarinath Dec 19 2014
Tags: Knowledge
Denied any foreign technological assistance, Isro has come a long way
The German aerospace industry denied India access to technology, the US government’s ‘dirty tricks’ played foul, French players spurned advances and the Russian government was bullied into not siding with India.
But all this did not deter or demoralise Indian space scientists from achieving what they considered achievable space technology.
After industrious research spanning over 30 years, Indian space industry has moved to the next level. Today, it has its own proven, effective and modest cryogenic engine that can carry about four tonnes of commercial payload.
The successful testing of geo-synchronous launch vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III on Thursday is a huge commentary on the capability and innovativeness of the Indian space industry that overcame all the obstacles set up by global powers to deny it crucial cryogenic technology and know-how.
The Indian space saga that has unfolded over the past three decades could easily dim the best of Bollywood potboilers or give even the most effective fiction writers a run for their money.
Development of the cryogenic engines that works on liquid fuels to provide huge thrust to heavy rockets is the biggest milestone for India culminating in the GSLV’s latest successful liftoff from the Sriharikota space station.
This could neither have been easy nor possible without hundreds of Indian space scientists putting their brains together, while withstanding global arm-twisting by powers-that-be, and charges of espionage against the country to stymie her rise as the new space super power.
India’s quest for cryogenic technology has not only faced technological challenges, but led to sanctions against the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). At one point, the US made every attempt, including deploying CIA agents, to scuttle the GSLV project.
Faced with denial of technology, India first set up a cryogenic study team in December 1982 to focus on development of an engine. In the early days, however, Isro had to abandon the project and was forced to import the engines from Russia’s Glavkosmos, along with transfer of technology.
Fearing severe competition to its own aerospace industry, the US not only pressurised Russia against the transfer of technology, but intensively campaigned that the cryogenic engines would actually be used by India for its ballistic missiles programme. As a result, though India and Russia signed a pact way back in 1991, nothing much happened for several years, with the US arguing that the pact flouted the missile technology control regime (MTCR).
Eventually, Russia did supply seven ‘untested’ cryogenic engines in phases, while withholding the transfer of technology, designs and diagrams, promised in its $120 million pact. This led Isro to set up its own liquid propulsion systems facility in Tamil Nadu and build its own engine, test it and marry the technology with a rocket carrying heavy payloads.
The indigenous design and delivery of cryogenic engines went through ups and downs, with first, the German company Grieshem backing out from participating in the engine development project.
Even the American giant General Dynamics quoted an exorbitant price to supply an engine to India, before backing off under pressure from the Clinton administration. The French, on their part, while not denying access to cryogenic engines outright, demanded their pound of flesh, and the Germans went a step ahead by refusing to negotiate supply of vital spares, components and heavy engineering equipment.
Left to manage the programme on its own resources, Isro’s indigenously developed cryogenic engine programme culminated in failure in 2010 after two decades of research, tests and correction techniques.
Looked at from today’s perspective, however, all these events were, in a way, blessing in disguise for the Indian space industry. The determination and hard work of Isro’s space scientists have produced results that very few scientific communities across the world can boast of.
After the US, Japan, France, China and Russia, its now India’s turn to flaunt a cryogenic engine of its own and make a presence in the heavy commercial launch industry billed at $300 billion. As in the case of small satellite launches, Isro is destined to carve out a big slice of the market for commercial payload launches into geo-stationary orbit.
The latest launch will also put French commercial launch services companies like Arianespace on leash as Isro has the capability to operate on shoestring budget, and thereby drastically bringing down service cost.
India might still have to wait till 2020 to launch an indigenous manned mission to space, even after successfully executing the complicated re-entry maneuver for the module. At least two years from now, commercial launch of geo-stationary satellites would bring revenues, just as is the case with smaller satellites being placed in space by Isro’s current workhorse, PSLV.
The biggest feather in the cap for Indian space industry till now dominated by Isro is the maturing of private players like the Tatas and Godrej to take on the responsibility of engines and satellites development from research stage itself.
Cryogenic engines definitely are a big leap for Isro. But having its own navigation systems to guide the placing of the satellites and even successfully putting the ‘Mars mission’ in orbit are other major achievements that every Indian needs to be proud of.
While our scientists and technologists deserve a huge applause, the political class too must be commended for not meddling with Isro. The message has gone out loud and clear to the world powers that India has arrived in space industry, with a firm footing and long-term agenda.
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/knowledge/bpolicybuffb-overcoming-odds-709
PolicyBuff: Overcoming odds
By KA Badarinath Dec 19 2014
Tags: Knowledge
Denied any foreign technological assistance, Isro has come a long way
The German aerospace industry denied India access to technology, the US government’s ‘dirty tricks’ played foul, French players spurned advances and the Russian government was bullied into not siding with India.
But all this did not deter or demoralise Indian space scientists from achieving what they considered achievable space technology.
After industrious research spanning over 30 years, Indian space industry has moved to the next level. Today, it has its own proven, effective and modest cryogenic engine that can carry about four tonnes of commercial payload.
The successful testing of geo-synchronous launch vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III on Thursday is a huge commentary on the capability and innovativeness of the Indian space industry that overcame all the obstacles set up by global powers to deny it crucial cryogenic technology and know-how.
The Indian space saga that has unfolded over the past three decades could easily dim the best of Bollywood potboilers or give even the most effective fiction writers a run for their money.
Development of the cryogenic engines that works on liquid fuels to provide huge thrust to heavy rockets is the biggest milestone for India culminating in the GSLV’s latest successful liftoff from the Sriharikota space station.
This could neither have been easy nor possible without hundreds of Indian space scientists putting their brains together, while withstanding global arm-twisting by powers-that-be, and charges of espionage against the country to stymie her rise as the new space super power.
India’s quest for cryogenic technology has not only faced technological challenges, but led to sanctions against the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). At one point, the US made every attempt, including deploying CIA agents, to scuttle the GSLV project.
Faced with denial of technology, India first set up a cryogenic study team in December 1982 to focus on development of an engine. In the early days, however, Isro had to abandon the project and was forced to import the engines from Russia’s Glavkosmos, along with transfer of technology.
Fearing severe competition to its own aerospace industry, the US not only pressurised Russia against the transfer of technology, but intensively campaigned that the cryogenic engines would actually be used by India for its ballistic missiles programme. As a result, though India and Russia signed a pact way back in 1991, nothing much happened for several years, with the US arguing that the pact flouted the missile technology control regime (MTCR).
Eventually, Russia did supply seven ‘untested’ cryogenic engines in phases, while withholding the transfer of technology, designs and diagrams, promised in its $120 million pact. This led Isro to set up its own liquid propulsion systems facility in Tamil Nadu and build its own engine, test it and marry the technology with a rocket carrying heavy payloads.
The indigenous design and delivery of cryogenic engines went through ups and downs, with first, the German company Grieshem backing out from participating in the engine development project.
Even the American giant General Dynamics quoted an exorbitant price to supply an engine to India, before backing off under pressure from the Clinton administration. The French, on their part, while not denying access to cryogenic engines outright, demanded their pound of flesh, and the Germans went a step ahead by refusing to negotiate supply of vital spares, components and heavy engineering equipment.
Left to manage the programme on its own resources, Isro’s indigenously developed cryogenic engine programme culminated in failure in 2010 after two decades of research, tests and correction techniques.
Looked at from today’s perspective, however, all these events were, in a way, blessing in disguise for the Indian space industry. The determination and hard work of Isro’s space scientists have produced results that very few scientific communities across the world can boast of.
After the US, Japan, France, China and Russia, its now India’s turn to flaunt a cryogenic engine of its own and make a presence in the heavy commercial launch industry billed at $300 billion. As in the case of small satellite launches, Isro is destined to carve out a big slice of the market for commercial payload launches into geo-stationary orbit.
The latest launch will also put French commercial launch services companies like Arianespace on leash as Isro has the capability to operate on shoestring budget, and thereby drastically bringing down service cost.
India might still have to wait till 2020 to launch an indigenous manned mission to space, even after successfully executing the complicated re-entry maneuver for the module. At least two years from now, commercial launch of geo-stationary satellites would bring revenues, just as is the case with smaller satellites being placed in space by Isro’s current workhorse, PSLV.
The biggest feather in the cap for Indian space industry till now dominated by Isro is the maturing of private players like the Tatas and Godrej to take on the responsibility of engines and satellites development from research stage itself.
Cryogenic engines definitely are a big leap for Isro. But having its own navigation systems to guide the placing of the satellites and even successfully putting the ‘Mars mission’ in orbit are other major achievements that every Indian needs to be proud of.
While our scientists and technologists deserve a huge applause, the political class too must be commended for not meddling with Isro. The message has gone out loud and clear to the world powers that India has arrived in space industry, with a firm footing and long-term agenda.
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/knowledge/bpolicybuffb-overcoming-odds-709
