Indian Space Capabilities

[CONNAN]

Work apace for GSLV-D3 launch on April 15
T. S. Subramanian

Things are getting set for the lift-off of the GSLV-D3 (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle – Development flight 3) from Sriharikota on April 15 around 4.30 p.m. The three stages of the gigantic vehicle have already been stacked up in the sophisticated Vehicle Assembly Building in the second launch pad on the seashore. It will put in orbit an advanced communication satellite called GSAT-4.

The significance of the mission is that the GSLV will be powered for the first time by India's own cryogenic upper stage. This stage with its engine, electronics and fuel tanks was built at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The previous five GSLV missions from Sriharikota were propelled by the Russian cryogenic engines. Cryogenic engines that use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen at very low temperatures are needed to put heavier, communication satellites in a geosynchronous transfer orbit with an apogee of 36,000 km. and a perigee of 200 km.

“Reviews over”

P.S. Veeraraghavan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, said: “We have done our best. Detailed reviews have been completed. We have taken all steps to ensure that the launch goes all right.”

The VSSC has built GSLV-D3 which is 49 metres tall and weighs 419 tonnes. The 2,200-kg GSAT-4 has been built by the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore.

Mr. Veeraraghavan said three highlights of the GSAT-4 were its communication system in Ka-band; its GAGAN payload which would help in the landing accuracy of commercial aircraft at airports in India; and the satellite's electric propulsion system which would help in correcting the spacecraft's attitude and ensuring a longer life in orbit. (GAGAN stands for GPS-aided Geo-augmented Navigation System. GPS is short for Global Positioning System. The Ka-band will help in relaying more information).

Big breakthrough

The ISRO achieved a big breakthrough in the “exotic” cryogenic technology when it fully qualified its own cryogenic stage with a 720-second full duration test at Mahendragiri on November 15, 2007. ISRO officials said it was not easy to handle liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 260 degrees Celsius; putting them on fire from such low temperatures; and burning the hydrogen in a controlled manner.http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article388761.ece

 

[Chanakyaa]

I cant wait to see the GSLV roaring in the sky.
Great feat for Isro n India.

 

[manish123]

Work apace for GSLV-D3 launch on April 15
T. S. Subramanian

Things are getting set for the lift-off of the GSLV-D3 (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle – Development flight 3) from Sriharikota on April 15 around 4.30 p.m. The three stages of the gigantic vehicle have already been stacked up in the sophisticated Vehicle Assembly Building in the second launch pad on the seashore. It will put in orbit an advanced communication satellite called GSAT-4.

The significance of the mission is that the GSLV will be powered for the first time by India's own cryogenic upper stage. This stage with its engine, electronics and fuel tanks was built at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The previous five GSLV missions from Sriharikota were propelled by the Russian cryogenic engines. Cryogenic engines that use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen at very low temperatures are needed to put heavier, communication satellites in a geosynchronous transfer orbit with an apogee of 36,000 km. and a perigee of 200 km.

“Reviews over”

P.S. Veeraraghavan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, said: “We have done our best. Detailed reviews have been completed. We have taken all steps to ensure that the launch goes all right.”

The VSSC has built GSLV-D3 which is 49 metres tall and weighs 419 tonnes. The 2,200-kg GSAT-4 has been built by the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore.

Mr. Veeraraghavan said three highlights of the GSAT-4 were its communication system in Ka-band; its GAGAN payload which would help in the landing accuracy of commercial aircraft at airports in India; and the satellite's electric propulsion system which would help in correcting the spacecraft's attitude and ensuring a longer life in orbit. (GAGAN stands for GPS-aided Geo-augmented Navigation System. GPS is short for Global Positioning System. The Ka-band will help in relaying more information).

Big breakthrough

The ISRO achieved a big breakthrough in the “exotic” cryogenic technology when it fully qualified its own cryogenic stage with a 720-second full duration test at Mahendragiri on November 15, 2007. ISRO officials said it was not easy to handle liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 260 degrees Celsius; putting them on fire from such low temperatures; and burning the hydrogen in a controlled manner.The Hindu : News : Work apace for GSLV-D3 launch on April 15

Great news for us.

 

[Break the Silence]

good news !!!!

 

[Skies]

Everyday there is a good news for India. Really, it's well going. India is a country to follow in context of technological and economical development.

Incredible India will be Credible India someday by getting success after success.

 

[BJlaowai]

already similar threads running on this.. why one more thread on this topic?

 

[Dark Angel]

The ISRO achieved a big breakthrough in the “exotic” cryogenic technology when it fully qualified its own cryogenic stage with a 720-second full duration test at Mahendragiri on November 15, 2007. ISRO officials said it was not easy to handle liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 260 degrees Celsius; putting them on fire from such low temperatures; and burning the hydrogen in a controlled manner.The Hindu : News : Work apace for GSLV-D3 launch on April 15

Thx for the update

Proud to be an Indian

 

[KS]

Everyday there is a good news for India. Really, it's well going. India is a country to follow in context of technological and economical development.

Incredible India will be Credible India someday by getting success after success.

Good play with words brother...But there is a difference between and Incredible and Uncredible..Hope u get that...

 

[Mirza Jatt]

Great news..waiting for human flight project...will be great achievement.
@KarthicSri - good work.

 

[Break the Silence]

06/04/2010
ISRO’s cryogenic tech will be a game-changer in space
Success of the indigenous cryogenic engine technology will bolster India's attempts to become a full-fledged competitor in the $4 billion global satellite launch services market.

Until now, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has used Russian-made cryogenic engines for putting its satellite launch vehicles into space.

The polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) is used for launching remote sensing satellites into polar orbits and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) for launching communication and meteorological satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

But later this month, if the Indian space agency's attempt to launch its largest rocket, the GSLV-D3 with an indigenous cryogenic engine succeeds, then India will join the elite club of five nations in the world to have successfully developed such technology.

For the country's rocket scientists, the yet-to-be-achieved breakthrough is significant on two fronts--one, they will achieve self reliance and confidence in space technology. Two, India will emerge as a serious player in the $4 billion global satellite launch market.

ISRO spokesperson S Satish says, "An indigenous cryogenic engine will power the GSLV for the first time. This is the maiden flight of a launch vehicle and it will give capability to the country of mastering advanced launch vehicle technology which very few countries have at present."

Till date, the US, France, Japan, Russia and China have developed their own engines for satellite launch vehicles. Confidence levels of ISRO scientists are high as earlier this year, they successfully tested the indigenous cryogenic technology when the engine was tested for the full flight duration of 720 seconds at the liquid propulsion test facility at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. Hour of reckoning is round the corner as the indigenous cryogenic engine now remains to be tested in actual flight.

ISRO's previous GSLV flights carried Russian cryogenic engines procured earlier. In total, seven cryogenic stages were procured from Russia of which five stages have been utilised. The space agency had taken up the indigenous cryogenic engine development programme in 1996 following the technology denial regime in the 1990s. The US had then forced Russia to stop giving India the engine technology.

While the GSLVs with Russian cryogenic engines have been designated as operational rockets after two developmental flights, the one that will go up now is called `developmental flight 3' (GSLV D3) as it will be fired by the ISRO-developed cryogenic engine. The 49-metre-tall rocket will have a lift-off weight of 414 tonne and carry the country's advanced communication satellite GSAT-4. It will carry the communications satellite into the geo-stationary orbit about 36,000 km above the earth.

GSAT-4 will carry a multi-beam Ka-band bent pipe and regenerative transponder and navigation payload in C, L1 and L5 bands. The satellite can guide civil and military aircraft. GSAT4 will also carry a scientific payload, TAUVEX, comprising three ultra violet band telescopes developed by Tel Aviv University and Israel space agency (ELOP) for surveying a large part of the sky .

The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system compared to solid or earth-storable liquid propellant stages due to the use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural problems. According to ISRO officials, the development of the cryogenic engine involves mastering materials technology, which can work at cryogenic temperature. Such a development takes about 10-15 years, so India initially purchased these from Russia, which were used in the previous flights. Key technological challenges faced during the development stage included development of new materials, composite thermal insulation, new fabrication techniques, handling of cryogenic fluids at cryogenic temperatures, realisation of facilities for assembly , integration and testing and associated safety systems.

Today the country has developed this technology, which will be tried out for the first time for the GSLV . The mission will make the country totally self-reliant in all aspects of launch vehicle technology. At a technical level, a cryogenic stage is the upper stage of a rocket that houses a cryogenic engine within it. Cryogenic technology involves the use of super-cooled liquid fuel to launch heavy rockets like the GSLV with the fuel being a mix of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. If the fuel mix is not in the exact proportions, the rocket could explode in geo-synchronous orbit.

Once in flight, the indigenous cryogenic engine is expected to develop a thrust of 73 kilo Newtons (kN) in vacuum with a specific impulse of 454 seconds and provide a payload capability of 2,200 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) for GSLV . The engine works on `staged combustion cycle' with an integrated turbo-pump running at around 42,000 rotations per minute (rpm). It is also equipped with two steering engines developing a thrust of 2 kN each to enable three-axis control of the launch vehicle during the mission. Another unique feature of this engine is the closed loop control of both thrust and mixture ratio, which ensures optimum propellant utilisation for the mission.

Without any doubt, the success of homegrown cryogenic engine technology will bolster the confidence levels of Indian space scientists and engineers as they brace up to launch an average of 10 satellites per year to meet the rising demand for various space applications, including communications and remote sensing. Beginning 2010-11, the Indian space agency is planning to launch 10 satellites per year and has a series of satellites and launch vehicles at various stages of preparation.

Though ISRO was to launch five satellites in 2009-10, it could launch only three -- Oceansat-2, Risat-2 (radar imaging satellite) in association with Israeli Aerospace Industries, and Anusat, a micro-satellite. Oceansat-2 also carried six nano-satellites of foreign countries as additional payloads. The launch of two satellites--GSAT-4 and Cartosat2B--got delayed due to technical complications, one of them being further flight duration tests of 800 seconds (13.3 minutes) conducted for the indigenous cryogenic engine to be used for the first time in the heavy rocket GSLV-D3 (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle).

Later this year, ISRO plans to launch the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLVC15). This will carry Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite, and two micro satellites--Youthsat from Canada and Studsat built by college students from Karnataka.

ISRO uses the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) series for telecommunication, television broadcasting and meteorological services and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites for resources monitoring and management. The space agency is also working on launching a Resourcesat-2, Risat-1 and MegaTropiques in the remote sensing area during the later part of this year. In the communications area, it has lined up three heavy satellites -- GSAT-5 and GSAT-6 from Sriharikota and GSAT8P onboard the Ariane launch vehicle from Korou in French Guayana -- by this year-end or early 2011.

Given that the demand for multiple satellites in communications and remote sensing areas would increase in the coming years, ISRO is currently developing an advanced version of GSLV called GSLV Mark III which is capable of putting a 4 tonne satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. Towards this, ISRO is developing an advanced version of cryogenic engine, which contains 25 tonne of cryogenic fuel.

Nevertheless, it is time of reckoning for India's space scientists as they prepare for their first rendezvous with cryogenic engine technology.

Source: The Financial Express

 

[satishkumarcsc]

Everyday there is a good news for India. Really, it's well going. India is a country to follow in context of technological and economical development.

Incredible India will be Credible India someday by getting success after success.

Actually this helps country like yours and our other neighbours who want to launch a satellite but cannot afford the launch rates. This is what makes this project a dream come true..."Space is for all"

 

[prototype]

how many threads on the same topic

 

[CONNAN]

MODS PLEASE MERGE ANY RELATED THREADS INTO THIS THREAD

THANK YOU

 

[Justin Joseph]

ISRO receives flak for delay in launching Israeli satellite

Bangalore, Apr 6 (PTI)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has come under criticism from promoters of an Israeli astronomical satellite for allegedly delaying its launch and shifting the blame on schedule slippages.

Tauvex comprises three ultra-violet band telescopes developed by Tel Aviv University and Israel space agency (ELOP), with Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics providing the software and science and mission planning.

Its flight date on board an Indian launcher was first supposed to be in late 2005 and has continually slipped.

Tauvex, whose scientific data would be open to all Indian and Israeli scientists, was scheduled to be launched by ISRO's GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle) this month but India's space agency said it would not be part of this mission.

"Yes, it was originally (scheduled to be launched by GSLV this month). But then we are not putting it because it's an astronomy payload. And on review, we found that the signals that we can get from geostationary orbit are far less compared to a lower orbit and sensitivity of the (Tauvex) instrument also had come down", ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said.

"So, we best thought that we will have a mission later", he said.

But promoters of Tauvex, which aims to conduct ultraviolet imaging experiment that will image large parts of the sky in a particular wavelength region, said on condition of anonymity that even if the sensitivity of the instrument had come down, they could have still had "good science" from GSLV orbit.

"Even if sensitivity drops, we could have made up through increased exposure time and observation time", an official behind the Tauvex project said, adding "Once we go to PSLV (lower orbit), our science focus changes. We can still do excellent science with PSLV. We are concerned by the delay".

The Israeli official said the real reason for postponing the Tauvex launch has to do with GSLV boosters which are not powerful enough to carry additional weight.

This month's GSLV carries GSAT-4 experimental communication satellite, weighing 2200 kg.

According to the official, the 80-kg Tauvex was removed after its integration with GSAT-4 because of the "weight problem."

"We are ticked off because actually GSLV booster is not powerful enough (as GSLV already will carry its optimum capability with GSAT-4). It's a problem with GSLV booster," he said.

The Tauvex consists of three equivalent 20-cm UV imaging telescopes with a choice of filters for each telescope. The main purpose of the instrument is to take deep observations of the sky in three bands of ultraviolet.

Tauvex promoters say they always had very difficult time in the past understanding ISRO schedules and have not been kept in the loop regarding when launch would be.
Meanwhile, Indian Principal Investigator of the Tauvex project, Prof Jayant Murthy said, "We believe that we could still have had good science in the geostationary orbit because we could have compensated for our reduced sensitivity by increased observation time".
"We (the Israelis and I) are disappointed by the delay. ISRO has promised us a new launch on a PSLV and we will take advantage of the opportunity to refurbish the instrument. We are still waiting to hear from ISRO what alternative arrangements will be made and are anxious to begin work", he added.

"We have now been sitting in the ISRO clean room under not very controlled conditions for more than two months and are becoming concerned about further damage to the instrument", Murthy added.

Murthy said the payload was first developed as part of a much larger Russian satellite but, when that mission was indefinitely delayed, the Tauvex promoters proposed a secondary launch by ISRO.

"We would focus on regions of the sky near the poles where we will obtain observations of more than one lakh seconds in selected areas", he said.

"In many ways, this complements the GALEX mission of NASA which observes a much larger area of the sky but with only two bands as opposed to our three and the upcoming ASTROSAT mission which can follow-up with better spatial resolution and sensitivity those objects we discover", he said.

ISRO receives flak for delay in launching Israeli satellite

 

[IndianNuke]

Waiting anxiously towards 15th April.

No one can stop us now