ISRO gears up for launch of 3.3-tonne payload

[DRDO KALI 10000]

Published October 8, 2016
SOURCE: THE HINDU

After the successful accomplishment of the longest flight of its workhorse PSLV late last month, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota is turning to its next generation space vehicle GSLV Mk-III to reach a major milestone soon.

The target is to put into orbit GSAT-19E, an indigenous communication satellite that will weigh about 3.3 tonnes, the heaviest payload to be launched from the Indian spaceport.

However, it will be just a few notches lighter than GSAT-18 (3.5 tonnes) that was sent into space by the European Space Agency from French Guiana on Thursday.

“The satellite assembly and launching process of the GSLV Mk-III are in advanced stages. We are confident that SDSC will make yet another mark among the space-faring nations,” said SDSC Deputy Director M. Badarinarayana Murthy.

On the sidelines of a scientific exhibition organised by the SDSC as part of the World Space Week celebrations at V.R. Siddhartha Engineering College here on Friday, Mr. Murthy told The Hindu that said the target was to take the payload capacity beyond four tonnes in the coming years while concentrating on the launch of Chandrayaan-II, India’s path-breaking lunar probe, in less than two years.

New cryogenic engine

Regarding the launching of GSAT-19E, Mr. Murthy said the GSLV Mk-III hardware was being assembled and other mission control processes were under way. “They have so far been flawless and we are confident of achieving perfection for the December launch,” he asserted.

Mr. Murthy said GSLV Mk-III would have a new cryogenic engine that can take payloads in excess of 4-plus tonnes into space with ease.

Simultaneous work was being done on the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, Mr. Murthy said, adding that extension of the life of Mars Orbiter Mission beyond the initial six-month mission was a major achievement of ISRO.

 

[Hindustani78]

The satellite weights 3.3 tons, and the supporting parts and structures inside the fairing will weight a few hundred kilos.

So for all practical purpose, the GSLV-Mk III will be lifting off with a payload of 3.5 tons.

Its going to be very exciting.

According to ISRO , it would be + 4 tons.

 

[Hindustani78]

Very much possible, probably true.

MIR space station orbital assembly began on February 19, 1986 with the launch of the Proton-K rocket. Four of the six modules which were later added kvant-2 ( 19,640 kg) in 1989, kristall ( 19,640 kg ) in 1990,Spektr (19,640 kg) in 1995 and Priroda (19,700 kg )in 1996).

Already ISRO satellites are in Space and they all can be assembly but as always Indian Establishment will not declare all this.

Start counting all our Satellites and the weight .

 

[sputnik]

Once this successfully delivered, we have our own DF 26 place.

 

[Hindustani78]

The satellite weights 3.3 tons, and the supporting parts and structures inside the fairing will weight a few hundred kilos.

So for all practical purpose, the GSLV-Mk III will be lifting off with a payload of 3.5 tons.

Its going to be very exciting.

GSLV's capability of placing up to 5 tonnes in Low Earth Orbits broadens the scope of payloads from heavy satellites to multiple smaller satellites.

Visually, the RLV-TD is a rocket-aircraft combination measuring about 17 m, whose first stage is a solid propellant booster rocket and the second stage is a 6.5 m long aircraft-like winged structure sitting atop the rocket.

In RLV-TD that is awaiting launch at SHAR, the first stage, weighing about 9 tonnes, is merely the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) flown in the 1980s.

The new developments for RLV-TD include the composite movable fin, flush air data system to measure the surface pressure on the aircraft, onboard computer, high resolution data acquisition system, lithium ion battery, patch antennas and radar altimeter.

As many as 600 engineers from ISRO centres, National Aerospace Laboratories, IITs and Indian Institute of Science were involved in the development of the RLV-TD over a period of eight years

 

[Hindustani78]

I don't understand the point you are trying to make. Why do yo want me to count the weight of our satellites ?

Are you claiming that all our satellites can be linked together to form a Space station ?

Ofcourse , Indian Space programme is advance in reality but we do all the things by keeping up International relations.

Indian Scientists do wonders and if you calculate in how much money we can produce and launch rockets and satellites then you will understand what really Indians are capable of.

 

[Gessler]

@Hindustani78

None of the existing INSAT, IRS or GSAT series satellites have any docking protocols. The satellite bus types that they are all based on are not designed for docking. ISRO is only now developing the software needed to carry out docking operations, which they will experiment with in the future.

Furthermore, what would be the point of joining all the satellites together even if we could? It's not like they are designed to accommodate a human onboard. And the duties they usually do (earth-observation, communications, remote-sensing etc.) are best done by a distributed network of sats operating at different orbital points.

You don't seem to be making much sense here. Help me out.

 

[Hindustani78]

@Hindustani78

None of the existing INSAT, IRS or GSAT series satellites have any docking protocols. The satellite bus types that they are all based on are not designed for docking. ISRO is only now developing the software needed to carry out docking operations, which they will experiment with in the future.

Furthermore, what would be the point of joining all the satellites together even if we could? It's not like they are designed to accommodate a human onboard. And the duties they usually do (earth-observation, communications, remote-sensing etc.) are best done by a distributed network of sats operating at different orbital points.

You don't seem to be making much sense here. Help me out.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/sp...spark-on-horizon-this-year/article8305303.ece
BENGALURU, March 2, 2016
* Space Docking Experiment Mission to dock two small satellites in space

According to M.Y.S. Prasad, who retired as director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), India should have long-term strategic goals that will have a cascading technological benefit across several areas.

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

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

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

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

************

ISRO has developed a low impact peripheral docking system based on the IDSS. The system is configured for small satellites and future adaptations would incorporate a sealed adaptor for manned missions and allow docking for heavier satellites.

*****************

Confirming that experiments on the technology are being done at the Isro Space Application Centre (Isac), Bengaluru, senior scientist TK Anuradha, project director for the GSAT family of satellites, said: "Isro is experimenting on docking, and there's a lot of work going on in this space. She did not, however, elaborate further.

***************

SO you see that GSAT family of satellites do have docking

 

[Gessler]

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/sp...spark-on-horizon-this-year/article8305303.ece
BENGALURU, March 2, 2016
* Space Docking Experiment Mission to dock two small satellites in space

According to M.Y.S. Prasad, who retired as director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), India should have long-term strategic goals that will have a cascading technological benefit across several areas.

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

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

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

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

************

ISRO has developed a low impact peripheral docking system based on the IDSS. The system is configured for small satellites and future adaptations would incorporate a sealed adaptor for manned missions and allow docking for heavier satellites.

...and?

You're not making any point here. I said just now that ISRO is only now developing the technologies for space-docking and planning some experiments in the future - and your link states exactly that.

My question stands: None of ISRO's existing satellites that are in orbit right now are capable of docking. And even if they can (hypothetically), what purpose would it serve to dock 2 satellites together while they would be doing their job more efficiently if they were separate?

Here's your original statement:

Already ISRO satellites are in Space and they all can be assembly but as always Indian Establishment will not declare all this.

Start counting all our Satellites and the weight .

...???

Confirming that experiments on the technology are being done at the Isro Space Application Centre (Isac), Bengaluru, senior scientist TK Anuradha, project director for the GSAT family of satellites, said: "Isro is experimenting on docking, and there's a lot of work going on in this space. She did not, however, elaborate further.

***************

SO you see that GSAT family of satellites do have docking

Umm, no. The same project director does not mean that existing GSATs can be docked.

In all likelihood, one of the satellite buses used for GSAT-series will be used as part of a docking experiment - but this is for the future.

 

[Hindustani78]

...and?

You're not making any point here. I said just now that ISRO is only now developing the technologies for space-docking and planning some experiments in the future - and your link states exactly that.

If you go through Indian Space Research history then you can see by yourself that Indian Establishment is well aware about what we are going to do.

India decided to go to space when Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by the Government of India in 1962. With the visionary Dr Vikram Sarabhai at its helm, INCOSPAR set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Thiruvananthapuram for upper atmospheric research.

Indian Space Research Organisation, formed in 1969.

Dr Sarabhai and Dr Kalam. A photograph from the early stages of the Indian space programme

My question stands: None of ISRO's existing satellites that are in orbit right now are capable of docking. And even if they can (hypothetically), what purpose would it serve to dock 2 satellites together while they would be doing their job more efficiently if they were separate?

Here's your original statement:

Umm, no. The same project director does not mean that existing GSATs can be docked.

In all likelihood, one of the satellite buses used for GSAT-series will be used as part of a docking experiment - but this is for the future.

...???

If you see the history of space stations then you will see that the space stations have been expanded by docking.

ISRO existing GSAT satellites do have docking ports as thier are heavier satellites and in future all the Indian satellites which are not operational and are in orbit will be helpful in making Indian Space station and even this manned mission is part of that only .

Hum Hindustani adivasiyon ko sab maloom hai .