Indian Space Capabilities
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notsuperstitious
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Link pls.
there's some mistakes in the article, india is not sending astronauts to moon, only to space.
Just like Russia and China. the articles states russia / china also sent ppl to moon, they did not.
in any case, hanuz dilli dur ast.
there's some mistakes in the article, india is not sending astronauts to moon, only to space.
Just like Russia and China. the articles states russia / china also sent ppl to moon, they did not.
in any case, hanuz dilli dur ast.
Gabbar
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They never did, this is just poor journalism.
Chanakyaa
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It should have been "put in space" .. a goof .
nitesh
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Discovery of New Microorganisms in the Stratosphere
Three new species of bacteria, which are not found on Earth and which are highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, have been discovered in the upper stratosphere by Indian scientists. One of the new species has been named as Janibacter hoylei, after the Distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the second as Bacillus isronensis recognising the contribution of ISRO in the balloon experiments which led to its discovery and the third as Bacillus aryabhata after India’s celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and also the first satellite of ISRO.
Also:
Aliens in space? ISRO discovers extraterrestrial life
Terrestrial microbes fight to survive at heights where the three species of bacteria have been discovered as ultraviolet rays kill most of them.
So are they really alien? Scientists say they could be mutant forms of earthly bacteria. Tossed into space by exploding volcanoes, they could have evolved to survive in a hostile world.
Three new species of bacteria, which are not found on Earth and which are highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, have been discovered in the upper stratosphere by Indian scientists. One of the new species has been named as Janibacter hoylei, after the Distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the second as Bacillus isronensis recognising the contribution of ISRO in the balloon experiments which led to its discovery and the third as Bacillus aryabhata after India’s celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and also the first satellite of ISRO.
Also:
Aliens in space? ISRO discovers extraterrestrial life
Terrestrial microbes fight to survive at heights where the three species of bacteria have been discovered as ultraviolet rays kill most of them.
So are they really alien? Scientists say they could be mutant forms of earthly bacteria. Tossed into space by exploding volcanoes, they could have evolved to survive in a hostile world.
The Hindu : Front Page : ISRO gearing up to put Israeli satellite in orbit
ISRO gearing up to put Israeli satellite in orbit
T.S. Subramanian
CHENNAI: A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to put in orbit Israeli satellite RISAT in the first week of April.
The vehicle integration has already begun at the spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch campaign is gathering speed. The vehicle, PSLV-C12, will also deploy a mini-satellite called Anusat, built by Anna University, Chennai.
RISAT is a radar-imaging satellite used for remote-sensing. It can take pictures of the earth 24 hours of the day, through rain and cloud.
The satellite has already reached Sriharikota from Israel.
Anusat, an amateur communications satellite weighing 38 kg, was integrated at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, of Anna University.
It is undergoing tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. It will reach Sriharikota soon. Its integration helped the students to get a hands-on experience in understanding the complexities in building a satellite.
This is the second time that the ISRO will be putting in orbit a satellite from Israel. On January 21, 2008, a PSLV deployed in orbit Tecsar, also a radar-imaging, remote-sensing satellite. The launch was executed under a commercial contract between the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Antrix Corporation, the commercial wing of the Department of Space.
Radar images
India may use the radar images from the Israeli RISAT because the integration of Indias own RISAT had been delayed, an ISRO official said. However, another ISRO official said, We do not know the end-user. The Indian version of RISAT will be launched later this year or next year.
The PSLV that will put RISAT and Anusat in orbit in April from Sriharikotas second launch pad is a core-alone version without the six strap-on booster motors that form part of the standard PSLV. The core-alone vehicle weighs 230 tonnes while a normal PSLV weighs 295 tonnes. The PSLV is 44 metres tall.
ISRO gearing up to put Israeli satellite in orbit
T.S. Subramanian
CHENNAI: A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to put in orbit Israeli satellite RISAT in the first week of April.
The vehicle integration has already begun at the spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch campaign is gathering speed. The vehicle, PSLV-C12, will also deploy a mini-satellite called Anusat, built by Anna University, Chennai.
RISAT is a radar-imaging satellite used for remote-sensing. It can take pictures of the earth 24 hours of the day, through rain and cloud.
The satellite has already reached Sriharikota from Israel.Anusat, an amateur communications satellite weighing 38 kg, was integrated at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai, of Anna University.
It is undergoing tests at the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore. It will reach Sriharikota soon. Its integration helped the students to get a hands-on experience in understanding the complexities in building a satellite.
This is the second time that the ISRO will be putting in orbit a satellite from Israel. On January 21, 2008, a PSLV deployed in orbit Tecsar, also a radar-imaging, remote-sensing satellite. The launch was executed under a commercial contract between the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Antrix Corporation, the commercial wing of the Department of Space.
Radar images
India may use the radar images from the Israeli RISAT because the integration of Indias own RISAT had been delayed, an ISRO official said. However, another ISRO official said, We do not know the end-user. The Indian version of RISAT will be launched later this year or next year.
The PSLV that will put RISAT and Anusat in orbit in April from Sriharikotas second launch pad is a core-alone version without the six strap-on booster motors that form part of the standard PSLV. The core-alone vehicle weighs 230 tonnes while a normal PSLV weighs 295 tonnes. The PSLV is 44 metres tall.
nitesh
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http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/891057F482233D216525757F0035CFA6?OpenDocument
India set to launch imaging satellite with Israeli support
Bangalore, Mar 20 (PTI) India is all set to launch a radar imaging satellite (RISAT) built with "substantial inputs" from the Israel aerospace industry from Sriharikota spaceport, an ISRO official said today. Israel has supplied Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which is in fact "heart" of the 1780-kg remote sensing satellite, the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. "Israel has supplied substantial systems," the ISRO official said.
The Israeli "inputs" are seen as a "return gesture" by the Jewish State to New Delhi for launching an Israeli spacecraft Techsar on board India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota last year.
"RISAT is likely to be launched in the first half of April. We are looking at April five or six," the official said.
An active sensor, SAR operates in the microwave range of electromagnetic spectrum and provides the target parameters such as dielectric constant, roughness, and geometry. PTI
India set to launch imaging satellite with Israeli support
Bangalore, Mar 20 (PTI) India is all set to launch a radar imaging satellite (RISAT) built with "substantial inputs" from the Israel aerospace industry from Sriharikota spaceport, an ISRO official said today. Israel has supplied Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which is in fact "heart" of the 1780-kg remote sensing satellite, the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. "Israel has supplied substantial systems," the ISRO official said.
The Israeli "inputs" are seen as a "return gesture" by the Jewish State to New Delhi for launching an Israeli spacecraft Techsar on board India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota last year.
"RISAT is likely to be launched in the first half of April. We are looking at April five or six," the official said.
An active sensor, SAR operates in the microwave range of electromagnetic spectrum and provides the target parameters such as dielectric constant, roughness, and geometry. PTI
Techtree.com India > News > General > India's 1st Student-made Satellite Set for Launch
India's 1st Student-made Satellite Set for Launch
Techtree News Staff, Mar 23, 2009 1306 hrs IST
To take-off in April
E-Mail Print
Coming April, India's student community will get a big morale booster when the country's first student-made satellite will ride into space on the PSLV, (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) along with ISRO's (Indian Space Research Organization) Risat Satellite.
The "Anusat" has been designed by 37 aerospace engineering students with the help of 10 teachers from the Madras Institute of Technology. ISRO, which has been promoting the development of satellites (microsatellites), is finally seeing its efforts bearing fruit with the imminent launch of the Anusat. The idea behind the promotion was to make the students aware of the various factors involved in the design and launch of a satellite. These involved taking in to consideration the thermal management of the satellite, controls, the guidance system, power delivery, and not to mention, the communications part wherein the two-way communication between the satellite and the command centre will be managed.
The satellite will orbit the earth in a low altitude orbit between 600 and 800km. Data from the satellite will be received at the Chennai Tech University and the Pune University.
Anusat has been designed to cater the basic communication purposes. However, the main purpose behind the initiative, apart from the obvious scientific intent, was to give the students a "hands-on" experience in handling complex projects like the design, development and execution of a project of this nature. The program was initiated in 2002 and was ideated by R. Vasagam, the former vice chancellor of Anna University.
Other universities and educational institutions are already in the midst of developing micro satellites. These include the IIT Mumbaui and IIT Kanpur and not to mention, Anna University to which the Madras Institute of Technology is affiliated with.
The launch of the satellite is expected to happen on April 5 or 6.
India's 1st Student-made Satellite Set for Launch
Techtree News Staff, Mar 23, 2009 1306 hrs IST
To take-off in April
E-Mail Print
Coming April, India's student community will get a big morale booster when the country's first student-made satellite will ride into space on the PSLV, (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) along with ISRO's (Indian Space Research Organization) Risat Satellite.
The "Anusat" has been designed by 37 aerospace engineering students with the help of 10 teachers from the Madras Institute of Technology. ISRO, which has been promoting the development of satellites (microsatellites), is finally seeing its efforts bearing fruit with the imminent launch of the Anusat. The idea behind the promotion was to make the students aware of the various factors involved in the design and launch of a satellite. These involved taking in to consideration the thermal management of the satellite, controls, the guidance system, power delivery, and not to mention, the communications part wherein the two-way communication between the satellite and the command centre will be managed.
The satellite will orbit the earth in a low altitude orbit between 600 and 800km. Data from the satellite will be received at the Chennai Tech University and the Pune University.
Anusat has been designed to cater the basic communication purposes. However, the main purpose behind the initiative, apart from the obvious scientific intent, was to give the students a "hands-on" experience in handling complex projects like the design, development and execution of a project of this nature. The program was initiated in 2002 and was ideated by R. Vasagam, the former vice chancellor of Anna University.
Other universities and educational institutions are already in the midst of developing micro satellites. These include the IIT Mumbaui and IIT Kanpur and not to mention, Anna University to which the Madras Institute of Technology is affiliated with.
The launch of the satellite is expected to happen on April 5 or 6.
Indo-French satellite to study tropical areas - The Good Earth - Earth - Health & Science - The Times of India
Indo-French satellite to study tropical areas
24 Mar 2009, 0121 hrs IST, TNN
BANGALORE: Megha-Tropiques, the most advanced and complex tropical weather and climate monitoring satellites, a joint project of ISRO and the
French Space agency CNES, has been scheduled for launch around 2009-10. The satellite is in advanced stage of development.
A three-day international conference on Megha-Tropiques science and applications is underway at ISRO headquarters, being attended by about 40 scientists of international agencies from France, UK, USA, Japan and Brazil besides 180 senior scientists from Indian R&D agencies, universities, etc,. The conference is deliberating various aspects of Megha-Tropiques science and retrieval of various variables over tropical region.
Megha-Tropiques has been conceived primarily to investigate the tropical regions as they receive maximum energy from the Sun that they radiate back into space. The excess energy received in the tropical region is utilized as a thermal engine and provides circulation in the atmosphere and oceans.
This has substantial influence and is strongly linked to hydrological cycle, which immensely influences tropical convective systems. The stored energy through tropical rains is released in the form of latent heat while high humidity and thick clouds strongly affect the radiation budget. The complex processes between solar radiation, water vapour, clouds, precipitation and atmospheric motion determine the life cycle of convective systems and influence Indian monsoon in the tropical region.
Megha-Tropiques will be one of the unique satellites to be launched with multiple sensors in a single satellite and provides highly reliable parameters to understand global tropical weather and climate.
Megha-Tropiques will carry four scientific payloads, of which Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures (MADRAS), is a five frequency nine channel passive microwave radiometer. This instrument will provide estimation of rainfall, water vapour, liquid water, ice and surface wind speed in the systems.
Indo-French satellite to study tropical areas
24 Mar 2009, 0121 hrs IST, TNN
BANGALORE: Megha-Tropiques, the most advanced and complex tropical weather and climate monitoring satellites, a joint project of ISRO and the
French Space agency CNES, has been scheduled for launch around 2009-10. The satellite is in advanced stage of development.
A three-day international conference on Megha-Tropiques science and applications is underway at ISRO headquarters, being attended by about 40 scientists of international agencies from France, UK, USA, Japan and Brazil besides 180 senior scientists from Indian R&D agencies, universities, etc,. The conference is deliberating various aspects of Megha-Tropiques science and retrieval of various variables over tropical region.
Megha-Tropiques has been conceived primarily to investigate the tropical regions as they receive maximum energy from the Sun that they radiate back into space. The excess energy received in the tropical region is utilized as a thermal engine and provides circulation in the atmosphere and oceans.
This has substantial influence and is strongly linked to hydrological cycle, which immensely influences tropical convective systems. The stored energy through tropical rains is released in the form of latent heat while high humidity and thick clouds strongly affect the radiation budget. The complex processes between solar radiation, water vapour, clouds, precipitation and atmospheric motion determine the life cycle of convective systems and influence Indian monsoon in the tropical region.
Megha-Tropiques will be one of the unique satellites to be launched with multiple sensors in a single satellite and provides highly reliable parameters to understand global tropical weather and climate.
Megha-Tropiques will carry four scientific payloads, of which Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures (MADRAS), is a five frequency nine channel passive microwave radiometer. This instrument will provide estimation of rainfall, water vapour, liquid water, ice and surface wind speed in the systems.
nitesh
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Terrorism to a whole new level
Madhavan Nair, Kasturirangan were on LeT hitlist
LeT targeted Madhavan, Kasturirangan
Madhavan Nair, Kasturirangan were on LeT hitlist
LeT targeted Madhavan, Kasturirangan
Radar imaging satellite ours, not Israel's, says ISRO Chairman
Radar imaging satellite ours, not Israel's, says ISRO Chairman
Bangalore, Mar 26 (PTI) The Indian Space Research Organisation today asserted that the Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT), expected to be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota spaceport next month, is not an Israeli one.
Denying reports in a section of the press that RISAT is from Israel, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said it is an Indian spacecraft.
Asked if RISAT is an Israeli satellite or an Indian one, the Secretary in the Department of Space said "we don't launch any Israeli satellite. It's an Indian satellite".
On whether Israel has contributed to the satellite, Nair said "no. That many countries contribute, not only Israel. It's our satellite".
Asked if Israel supplied Synthetic Aperture Radar for the satellite, he said "those finer details...We will talk when we make the launch".
He said the exact date for the launch has not been finalised. "It could be within two weeks or so", he said, adding that preparations are in progress at the launch pad.
"May be sometime in the middle of next week, we will fix the exact date", he said. PTI
Radar imaging satellite ours, not Israel's, says ISRO Chairman
Bangalore, Mar 26 (PTI) The Indian Space Research Organisation today asserted that the Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT), expected to be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota spaceport next month, is not an Israeli one.
Denying reports in a section of the press that RISAT is from Israel, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said it is an Indian spacecraft.
Asked if RISAT is an Israeli satellite or an Indian one, the Secretary in the Department of Space said "we don't launch any Israeli satellite. It's an Indian satellite".
On whether Israel has contributed to the satellite, Nair said "no. That many countries contribute, not only Israel. It's our satellite".
Asked if Israel supplied Synthetic Aperture Radar for the satellite, he said "those finer details...We will talk when we make the launch".
He said the exact date for the launch has not been finalised. "It could be within two weeks or so", he said, adding that preparations are in progress at the launch pad.
"May be sometime in the middle of next week, we will fix the exact date", he said. PTI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ntire-surface-of-Moon/articleshow/4320612.cms
Isro hopes to map entire surface of Moon
27 Mar 2009, 0303 hrs IST, TNN
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BANGALORE: Landing a human being on the Moon, increasing the reliability of satellite launch systems, improving communication means in space and
protecting astronauts from radiation -- these are what Madhavan Nair, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) counts as the country's greatest challenges in the future.
Delivering the BMA-HAL J M Shrinagesh Memorial Lecture on Thursday on challenges in space research, Nair said that though launchers had a failure rate of 1%, they could not afford to have even that when it came to putting a man in space.
Terming Chandrayaan as the culmination of four decades of space research, he said that within a year, Isro hoped to complete mapping the entire surface of the Moon.
All programmes in aerospace work with a 5-10% margin, but even a single millimetre error can be fatal to a space programme. The challenge is to innovate on one side and to ensure reliability on the other.
Talking of future challenges in space research, he said that landing on the Moon would be a real challenge. "Astronauts now carry their environment with them. Creating a habitat to survive in space and evolving a protection system to protect against radiation is crucial," he said.
The man capsule is likely to carry three people. "The programme is likely to be complete by 2015, when we can put Man around the Earth. The journey to the Moon is further ahead and we would need to double the capacity of launchers. We hope to touch the Moon by 2020 and beyond," he said. Elaborating on the need for a long-term vision, he added that as per studies, for every rupee spent on research, Rs 1.5 has been returned to the country in benefits.
Isro hopes to map entire surface of Moon
27 Mar 2009, 0303 hrs IST, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
BANGALORE: Landing a human being on the Moon, increasing the reliability of satellite launch systems, improving communication means in space and
protecting astronauts from radiation -- these are what Madhavan Nair, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) counts as the country's greatest challenges in the future.
Delivering the BMA-HAL J M Shrinagesh Memorial Lecture on Thursday on challenges in space research, Nair said that though launchers had a failure rate of 1%, they could not afford to have even that when it came to putting a man in space.
Terming Chandrayaan as the culmination of four decades of space research, he said that within a year, Isro hoped to complete mapping the entire surface of the Moon.
All programmes in aerospace work with a 5-10% margin, but even a single millimetre error can be fatal to a space programme. The challenge is to innovate on one side and to ensure reliability on the other.
Talking of future challenges in space research, he said that landing on the Moon would be a real challenge. "Astronauts now carry their environment with them. Creating a habitat to survive in space and evolving a protection system to protect against radiation is crucial," he said.
The man capsule is likely to carry three people. "The programme is likely to be complete by 2015, when we can put Man around the Earth. The journey to the Moon is further ahead and we would need to double the capacity of launchers. We hope to touch the Moon by 2020 and beyond," he said. Elaborating on the need for a long-term vision, he added that as per studies, for every rupee spent on research, Rs 1.5 has been returned to the country in benefits.
The Hindu : National : An Indian space shuttle takes shape
An Indian space shuttle takes shape
T.S. Subramanian
Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator to fly within a year
CHENNAI: An Indian version of the space shuttle will be test-flown from the spaceport at Sriharikota in a years time. The Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), as it is called, will be a combination rocket-aircraft: the aircraft with a winged body, which is the RLV, will sit vertically on the rocket.
The engineering model of the aircraft is ready at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. The first stage of the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3, flown in the early 1980s, will form the booster rocket. Weighing nine tonnes, it is called S-9.
After it takes off like a rocket, the booster will release the unmanned aircraft, which will go into space. At the end of the mission, the aircraft will land in the sea.
K. Radhakrishnan, Director, VSSC, said in an interview: The next year we expect the prototype of the RLV-TD to be ready for flight-testing. This will be a milestone for ISRO. The RLV will open a new dimension in the launch vehicle technology and transportation system of ISRO.
According to Dr. Radhakrishnan, ground testing of the booster rocket was done at Sriharikota in December 2008.
S. Ramakrishnan, Director (Projects), VSSC, explained how the rocket-aircraft would look: The aircraft will stand over the rocket, nose-tip up, and its tail will be interfaced with the rocket. In other words, the entire RLV will stand vertically on top of the booster. The engineering model of the prototype RLV was ready at the VSSC. It will undergo various structural and load tests, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.
The booster rocket will take the RLV to a specific altitude, release the RLV and fall into the sea. On re-entry into the earths atmosphere, the RLV will land in the sea, to be recovered.
Re-entry, descent and recovery are the three issues which we are trying to understand, Mr. Ramakrishnan said. But in the first trial-flight in 2010, the RLV will not be recovered from sea because it will not be cost-effective to do so. But we will get the data on the re-entry, deceleration and return from the telemetry.
There were several issues that the ISRO was trying to understand in the mission, Dr. Radhakrishnan said. These included the aerodynamics of the RLV, compared to the rocket, and the controllability of the vehicle. The control system must be fast-acting. That is the basic challenge. The digital auto-pilot is important for the ascent phase and the descent phase.
The third important challenge was the heat generated when the RLV re-entered the atmosphere. Dr. Radhakrishnan said: You need to have hot structures [which can withstand the re-entry heat] Today, we have a handle on the materials.
The ISRO had a long way to go before it could build an operational RLV, he said. This is the first TD towards that.
An Indian space shuttle takes shape
T.S. Subramanian
Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator to fly within a year
CHENNAI: An Indian version of the space shuttle will be test-flown from the spaceport at Sriharikota in a years time. The Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), as it is called, will be a combination rocket-aircraft: the aircraft with a winged body, which is the RLV, will sit vertically on the rocket.
The engineering model of the aircraft is ready at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. The first stage of the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3, flown in the early 1980s, will form the booster rocket. Weighing nine tonnes, it is called S-9.
After it takes off like a rocket, the booster will release the unmanned aircraft, which will go into space. At the end of the mission, the aircraft will land in the sea.
K. Radhakrishnan, Director, VSSC, said in an interview: The next year we expect the prototype of the RLV-TD to be ready for flight-testing. This will be a milestone for ISRO. The RLV will open a new dimension in the launch vehicle technology and transportation system of ISRO.
According to Dr. Radhakrishnan, ground testing of the booster rocket was done at Sriharikota in December 2008.
S. Ramakrishnan, Director (Projects), VSSC, explained how the rocket-aircraft would look: The aircraft will stand over the rocket, nose-tip up, and its tail will be interfaced with the rocket. In other words, the entire RLV will stand vertically on top of the booster. The engineering model of the prototype RLV was ready at the VSSC. It will undergo various structural and load tests, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.
The booster rocket will take the RLV to a specific altitude, release the RLV and fall into the sea. On re-entry into the earths atmosphere, the RLV will land in the sea, to be recovered.
Re-entry, descent and recovery are the three issues which we are trying to understand, Mr. Ramakrishnan said. But in the first trial-flight in 2010, the RLV will not be recovered from sea because it will not be cost-effective to do so. But we will get the data on the re-entry, deceleration and return from the telemetry.
There were several issues that the ISRO was trying to understand in the mission, Dr. Radhakrishnan said. These included the aerodynamics of the RLV, compared to the rocket, and the controllability of the vehicle. The control system must be fast-acting. That is the basic challenge. The digital auto-pilot is important for the ascent phase and the descent phase.
The third important challenge was the heat generated when the RLV re-entered the atmosphere. Dr. Radhakrishnan said: You need to have hot structures [which can withstand the re-entry heat] Today, we have a handle on the materials.
The ISRO had a long way to go before it could build an operational RLV, he said. This is the first TD towards that.
India plans to test space shuttle in next 12 months - Telegraph
India plans to test space shuttle in next 12 months
India has developed a space shuttle and plans to launch a prototype into the Earth's orbit in the next 12 months, officials said on Thursday.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Last Updated: 6:36PM BST 02 Apr 2009
The disclosure marks yet another giant leap for India's space programme following last year's successful lunar mission, Chandrayaan 1, and a significant step towards India becoming a major player in space transportation.
It hopes the shuttle will enable India to offer cut-price satellite launches and become a dominant player in the industry. Last night officials said if successful the shuttle may, in time, be used for other transport uses, but its main purpose now is to "reduce the cost of access to space."
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully tested the booster rocket which will fire the shuttle into space in December last year.
The Indian shuttle, currently known by its technical name, Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator will now undergo a number of structure and load tests before it takes its first test flight early next year.
It bears a strong resemblance to the American Challenger shuttle, with a tube-shaped body and triangular wings, and sits vertically, nose up, on top of its launch rocket.
ISRO spokesman Mr S. Satish on Thursday night said that, if successful, the demonstrator would "prove the technology for the development of a space shuttle," but it would be a further four or five years before the country would be ready for a commercial launch.
Next year's test flight, which will be unmanned and remote-controlled, will take off from a test site in southern India, blasting beyond the Earth's atmosphere into space before it re-enters and lands in the Indian Ocean.
The flight will test the aerodynamics of the shuttle, the remote control system and its ability to withstand the heat generated when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.
"The cost of access to space has to be reduced, and this [test-flight] will prove India can build a space shuttle within four or five years," said Mr Satish.
India plans to test space shuttle in next 12 months
India has developed a space shuttle and plans to launch a prototype into the Earth's orbit in the next 12 months, officials said on Thursday.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Last Updated: 6:36PM BST 02 Apr 2009
The disclosure marks yet another giant leap for India's space programme following last year's successful lunar mission, Chandrayaan 1, and a significant step towards India becoming a major player in space transportation.
It hopes the shuttle will enable India to offer cut-price satellite launches and become a dominant player in the industry. Last night officials said if successful the shuttle may, in time, be used for other transport uses, but its main purpose now is to "reduce the cost of access to space."
Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully tested the booster rocket which will fire the shuttle into space in December last year.
The Indian shuttle, currently known by its technical name, Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator will now undergo a number of structure and load tests before it takes its first test flight early next year.
It bears a strong resemblance to the American Challenger shuttle, with a tube-shaped body and triangular wings, and sits vertically, nose up, on top of its launch rocket.
ISRO spokesman Mr S. Satish on Thursday night said that, if successful, the demonstrator would "prove the technology for the development of a space shuttle," but it would be a further four or five years before the country would be ready for a commercial launch.
Next year's test flight, which will be unmanned and remote-controlled, will take off from a test site in southern India, blasting beyond the Earth's atmosphere into space before it re-enters and lands in the Indian Ocean.
The flight will test the aerodynamics of the shuttle, the remote control system and its ability to withstand the heat generated when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.
"The cost of access to space has to be reduced, and this [test-flight] will prove India can build a space shuttle within four or five years," said Mr Satish.
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