SPACE NEWS INDIA-2010
Here is a complete list of News makers of Indian Space Achievements in this previous year(2010). Included rocket launching, satellite launching and other experiments. Make the most from these data for further clarifications/doubts mail us at info@civilspedia.com.
January 15, 2010
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre(VSSC) Conducted a Series of Sounding Rocket Launches to Study the Annular Solar Eclipse
The longest annular solar eclipse of this millennium occurred on January 15, 2010. The eclipse was well visible in the southern parts of the country. On this unique occasion, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram successfully launched a total of eleven Rohini series of indigenous Sounding Rockets from TERLS(Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station), Thumba and Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, to investigate the effects of the solar eclipse on the atmosphere. All the payloads (scientific instruments) of the rockets were developed in-house by VSSC.
Also on January 14, 2010, two Rohini sounding rockets of the type RH 300 Mk II were launched at 12:20 pm and 1:05 pm respectively. This was followed by two RH 200 launches at 1:07 pm and 3 pm. Following the same pattern, another four launches were carried out on 15th Jan. Later, one more sounding rocket of RH 300 Mk II type was launched at 4 pm on 15th Jan. Two larger Rohini rockets of the series RH 560 MK II were also launched from SDSC, one each on 14th & 15th Jan, which had a peak altitude of 548 km.
At around IST 1:14 pm, the eclipse passed close to TERLS with 91% obscuration. The obscuration of Sun during the eclipse was about 11 min 08 sec. The maximum obscuration occurred around 1:15 pm. All the sounding rocket launches were conducted to study the effects of the annular solar eclipse on the atmospheric structure and dynamics.
Many scientifically interesting phenomena occur in the diurnal equatorial atmosphere. Equatorial Electrojet (EEJ), Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) and Equatorial Temperature and Wind Anomaly (ETWA) are examples of such phenomena. When solar eclipse occurs, there will be a sudden cut-off of solar radiation. This cut-off will affect the atmospheric structure and dynamics and there will be a large reduction in ionization and temperature. Todays eclipse offered a unique opportunity to scientists to investigate the effects of fast varying solar flux on the photochemistry and electrodynamics of the different atmospheric regions, especially the equatorial mesopause and ionosphere-thermosphere regions.
The main payload instruments that flew in the sounding rockets during these experiments are:
- Langmuir Probes and Electric Field Probes to study the characteristics of E-region plasma waves and generation process associated with sub-meter waves in relation to plasma temperature.
- Trimethyl Aluminum Experiment (TMA) to derive neutral winds using TMA trails, ground based photography and a chain of magnetometers.
- Electron density and Neutral Wind (ENWi) Probe consisting of a velocity probe and a Langmuir probe, for measurement of ionospheric E-region neutral winds, electron density and irregularity strength.
- Earths Atmospheric Composition Explorer (EACE) - to make very fast measurements on the neutral atmospheric composition. The measurements were taken in a scanning mode during the ascent and descent of the rocket flights during and after the eclipse.
- Chaff Experiment to investigate the temperature and horizontal wind perturbations in the middle atmosphere.
Results of these experiments will coordinate ground-based eclipse observations with in situ space measurements. Interpretation of eclipse data together with space data is expected to give new insights to the earlier eclipse observations.
This was the first ISRO effort to realise sounding rocket systems for a record 11 flights during a short period of two days from TERLS and SDSC.
January 24, 2010
Successful static testing of Solid Propellant Booster Rocket Stage S200 for GSLV Mk III Launch Vehicle
Indian Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the static test of its largest solid booster S200 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota on January 24, 2010. The successful test of S200 makes it the third largest solid booster in the world, next to the RSRM solid booster of Space Shuttle and P230 solid booster of ARIANE-5. The S200 solid booster will form the strap-on stage for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-Mk III) which is under advanced stage of development for launching 4 ton class of communication satellites.
S200 solid booster contains 200 tonnes of solid propellant in three segments. The motor measures 22 meter long and 3.2 meter in diameter. The design, development and successful realisation of S200 solid booster were a pure indigenous effort involving Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and Satish Shawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota with the participation of Indian Industries. The S200 solid booster derived its heritage from the solid boosters developed earlier for the ISRO launch vehicle programme. The preparation and casting of S200 solid booster segments were carried out at the newly established Solid Propellant Plant (SPP) at SDSC, Sriharikota.
During the test, the S200 booster was fired for 130 seconds and generated a peak thrust of about 500 tonnes. The performance of the booster was exactly as predicted. Nearly 600 health parameters were monitored during the test and the initial data indicates normal performance.
The successful test of S200 is a major milestone in the solid rocket motor programme of ISRO and a vital step in the development of GSLV Mk III.
March 02, 2010
Mini-SAR on Chandrayaan-1 finds ice deposits at moon's North pole
Analysis of data obtained by the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) onboard Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has provided evidence for the presence of ice deposits near the moon's North pole. The Mini-SAR instrument found more than 40 small craters (2-15 km in diameter) with sub-surface water ice located at their base. The interior of these craters is in permanent sun shadow.
Prof. Paul Spudis, Principal Investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment said "The new discoveries by Chandrayaan-1 and other lunar missions show that the moon is an even more interesting and attractive scientific, exploration and operational destination than people had previously thought."
The Mini-SAR mapped the moon's permanently shadowed polar craters that are not visible from Earth. The radar uses the polarisation properties of reflected radio waves to characterise surface properties. Results from the mapping showed deposits having radar characteristics similar to ice. The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments, Moon Mineralogy Mapper and Mini-SAR on Chandrayaan-1 and NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon.
The Mini-SAR's findings have just been published in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters authored by scientists from 13 agencies from USA and India, including Prof. J. N. Goswami, Principal Scientist, Chandrayaan-1 from Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad and Dr M. Chakrabarty of Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. The new findings add to the growing scientific understanding of the multiple forms of water on the moon.
Mini-SAR and Moon Mineralogy Mapper are two of the 11 instruments on Chandrayaan-1, which was launched on October 22, 2008, and began orbiting the moon on November 8, 2008. The Applied Physics Laboratory, USA performed the final integration and testing on Mini-SAR. It was developed and built by the Naval Air Warfare Center and several other commercial and government agencies in USA.
March 03, 2010
Successful flight testing of advanced sounding rocket
Indian Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the flight testing of its new generation high performance sounding rocket on March 3, 2010 at 08.30 Hrs, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR.
Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV-D01), weighing 3 tonnes at lift-off is the heaviest sounding rocket ever developed by ISRO. It carried a passive scramjet engine combustor module as a test bed for demonstration of Air- Breathing propulsion technology.
During the flight, the vehicle successfully dwelled for 7 seconds in the desired conditions of Mach number (6 + 0.5) and dynamic pressure (80 + 35 kPa). These conditions are required for a stable ignition of active scramjet engine combustor module planned in the next flight of ATV.
The successful flight testing of ATV-D01 is a step ahead towards the advanced technology initiative taken up by ISRO in the area of Air- Breathing propulsion.
March 05, 2010
Static testing of L110 liquid core stage of GSLV- MkIII launch vehicle conducted
Indian Space Research Organisation conducted the static test of its liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle, for 150 seconds at its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facility at Mahendragiri at 16:00 hrs on March 5, 2010.
While the test was originally targeted for 200 seconds it was stopped at 150 seconds since a deviation in one of the parameters was observed. About 500 important parameters were monitored during the static test. The next static test for 200 seconds will be conducted after analysis of this data.
GSLV Mk III launch vehicle is being developed for launching 4 tonne class of satellites in Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Measuring 17 meters in length and 4 meters in diameter, L110 is an earth storable liquid propellant stage with propellant loading of 110 tonnes. L110 stage uses two high-pressure Vikas engines in a clustered configuration and draws its heritage from the second stage of PSLV and GSLV and strapons of GSLV.
While in PSLV and GSLV, the liquid stage with single engine configuration burns for 150 seconds, the GSLV-MkIII requires burning for 200 seconds in a twin engine configuration.
April 15, 2010
Flight testing of the Indigenous Cryogenic Stage in GSLV-D3 Mission not successful
The flight-testing of the indigenous Cryogenic Engine and the Stage conducted in the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-D3 on April 15, 2010 was not successful.
GSLV-D3 vehicle lifted off as planned at 16:27 hrs after a countdown procedure lasting for 29 hours. The countdown went off as planned. GSLV-D3 vehicle performance was normal up to the end of the second stage (GS2) till 293 seconds.
Afterwards, the Cryogenic Stage was to ignite and burn for about 720 seconds to provide the necessary velocity to inject GSAT-4 Satellite into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. It is yet to be ascertained whether the cryogenic engine did ignite. The vehicle was seen tumbling, lost altitude and finally splashed down in the sea.
Detailed analysis of the flight data is being carried out to find out the exact reasons for the failure and take corrective measures to realise the next flight test of the indigenous Cryogenic Engine and Stage within the next one year.
April 29, 2010
Launch of PSLV-C15 Rescheduled
The launch of ISRO`s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) fixed for May 9, 2010 has been rescheduled. A marginal drop in the pressure in second stage of the vehicle was noticed during the mandatory checks carried out on the PSLV-C15 vehicle. The new date for the launch of PSLV-C15 mission will be decided after preliminary results of the analysis are obtained.
PSLV-C15 is planned to launch India`s Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite ALSAT-2A, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and STUDSAT, a satellite built by students from academic institutions in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
May 14, 2010
ANTRIX, ISRO bags Globe Sustainability Research Award
ANTRIX Corporation Ltd., ISRO has been conferred with the most prestigious Globe Sustainability Research Award 2010 by the Globe Forum, Stockholm, Sweden (Video). Globe award is an international award founded by Globe Forum, with the purpose of fostering sustainable development in the society. The award was conferred on ANTRIX for its outstanding contribution to improve sustainable livelihoods amongst rural poor while reducing their vulnerability to climate risks. ANTRIX, ISRO demonstrated the use of space technology and Information Technology (IT) solutions to effectively reach out to grassroots through Sujala Watershed development programme in Karnataka which was implemented during 2002-09 in five districts.
The Chairman of the Jury that selected Antrix Corporation for this prestigious award, Prof Mohan Munasinghe, Winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2007 and Vice-Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), opined that ANTRIX Corporation Ltd., fully deserved the Globe Sustainability Award for its exceptional contribution through innovative use of space technology for Watershed development in India, which has yielded significant benefits with respect to all the three aspects of sustainable development economic, social and environmental.
At a function organised on May 14, 2010 at Antariksh Bhavan, the headquarters of ISRO, senior state government officials including present and previous commissioners of the Watershed Development Department, Government of Karnataka involved in SUJALA project were felicitated by Dr K Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO/ Secretary, Department of Space and Shri S V Ranganath, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka.
June 02, 2010
Shri S Ramakrishnan takes over as Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram
Shri S Ramakrishnan, Distinguished Scientist of ISRO and hitherto Director (Projects), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, assumed the office of Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Thiruvananthapuram on May 31, 2010. He took over the charge from Shri. MKG Nair, the outgoing Director.
Shri Ramakrishnan has made significant contribution to the launch vehicle technology in the country starting from the very first SLV-3 project. After obtaining M. Tech degree from IIT, Chennai, Shri Ramakrishnan joined VSSC in 1972. His first assignment was in SLV-3 Project, wherein he was responsible for the design and development of Reaction Control Systems. He played a key role in the development of PSLV and was responsible for development of liquid propulsion stages and their interfacing with vehicle and launch operations.
Under his leadership as Project Director, PSLV Continuation programme (PSLV-C1 to C4), operationalisation of PSLV and enhancing the payload capability from 900 kg to 1500 kg was accomplished. As Project Director, GSLV Mark III, Shri Ramakrishnan steered the Project during the crucial phase of design, engineering and realisation of first-off hardware for development test.
As Director (Projects) at VSSC and Chairman, Project Management Council, he provided technical guidance and programmatic direction to ISRO Launch Vehicle Projects as well as new developmental activities.
Shri Ramakrishnan played a lead role in the formulation of Indian Human Spaceflight (HSP) project and completion of system concept reviews.
Shri Ramakrishnan is the recipient of many prestigious awards including ISRO Performance Excellence Award during 2006 in recognition of his contribution to Indian Space Programme in the area of satellite launch vehicles, Astronautical Society of India award for contributions to Rockets and Related Technologies development and Dr. Biren Roy award from Aeronautical Society of India in recognition of his role in the operationalisation of PSLV launches and entering into commercial launch services. Government of India conferred Shri Ramakrishnan with Padmashree during 2003.
July 07, 2010
RH 200 Rocket with Students Payload flies from Thumba
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) witnessed another major event - the Technology Demonstrator Flight of the advanced sounding rocket RH 200 from its launch station at Thumba. The rocket was successfully launched at 15:50 hrs on July 7, 2010 and achieved its intended altitude of 60 km in 2 minutes.
ISRO has always encouraged students from universities to become partners for payload development. Towards this, students from Vellore Institute of Technology University (VITU), were being guided by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre to develop a part of the payload as a co-passenger in the RH200 technology demonstrator flight. The students payload comprised of tri-axial accelerometers, power switching module and safe arm relay unit matching the requirements of RH 200 rocket. The tri-axial accelerometer can monitor accelerations in all three directions. The power-switching module is for the power control of the payload. The faculty and students of VITU has taken keen interest during the development and test activities of these payloads at various work centres.
The students of the Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST) are also progressing well in their attempt to make the first indigenous students rocket with the support of the experts from VSSC. In its continued endeavour to handhold the student community, ISRO has included a picosatellite designed by undergraduate students across India, in its forthcoming PSLV-C15 mission. The major objective of this project is to provide hands-on experience in frontier areas of Space technology such as the design, fabrication and realization of a space mission at a reduced cost.
After the successful flight of the Advanced Technology Vehicle ATV D01, this is a major step to demonstrate the performance of super capacitors in flight pyro systems activation. The flight successfully tested the super capacitor developed by VSSC.
So far TERLS has recorded 2291 flights of sounding rockets and this is the 395th flight of RH 200 rocket. During January, 2010 the RH 200 along with RH 300 MkII and RH 560 MkII rockets made a history with first ever sounding rocket launch campaign with six flights in a day and five flights within a span of 3 hrs 40 minutes from TERLS and within a minimum 2 minutes between flights and tracking two rockets one after the other using the same radar in two minutes time gap. These deployments were for studying solar eclipse effects on atmospheric regions.
July 09, 2010
GSLV-D3 Failure Analysis Report
The third developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) conducted on April 15, 2010 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, primarily for the flight testing of indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), could not accomplish the mission objectives. Consequently, ISRO had instituted a two-tier process to carry out an in-depth analysis of the flight performance, identify the causes of failure and recommend corrective measures.
The Failure Analysis Committee comprising multi-disciplinary experts completed the analysis and its findings were further reviewed by a National Group of Eminent Experts. These reviews have brought out that:
Following a smooth countdown, the lift-off took place at 1627 hrs (IST) as planned. All four liquid strap-on stages (L40), solid core stage (S139), liquid second stage (GS2) functioned normally.
The vehicle performance was normal up to the burn-out of GS-2, that is, 293 seconds from lift-off. Altitude, velocity, flight path angle and acceleration profile closely followed the pre-flight predictions. All onboard real time decision-based events were as expected and as per pre-flight simulations.
The navigation, guidance and control systems using indigenous onboard computer Vikram 1601 as well as the advanced telemetry system functioned flawlessly. The composite payload fairing of 4 metre diameter inducted first time in this flight, also performed as expected. Performance of all other systems like engine gimbal control systems and stage auxiliary systems was normal.
The initial conditions required for the start of the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) were attained as expected and the CUS start sequence got initiated as planned at 294.06 seconds from lift-off.
Ignition of the CUS Main Engine and two Steering Engines have been confirmed as normal, as observed from the vehicle acceleration and different parameters of CUS measured during the flight. Vehicle acceleration was comparable with that of earlier GSLV flights up to 2.2 seconds from start of CUS. However, the thrust build up did not progress as expected due to non-availability of liquid hydrogen (LH2) supply to the thrust chamber of the Main Engine.
The above failure is attributed to the anomalous stopping of Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP). The start-up of FBTP was normal. It reached a maximum speed of 34,800 rpm and continued to function as predicted after the start of CUS. However, the speed of FBTP started dipping after 0.9 seconds and it stopped within the next 0.6 seconds.
Two plausible scenarios have been identified for the failure of FBTP, namely, (a) gripping at one of the seal location and seizure of rotor and (b) rupture of turbine casing caused probably due to excessive pressure rise and thermal stresses. A series of confirmatory ground tests are planned.
After incorporating necessary corrective measures, the flight testing of Indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage on GSLV is targeted within a year.
In the meantime, the next two GSLVs would fly with the available Russian Cryogenic Stages.
July 12, 2010
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) successfully launches CARTOSAT - 2B Satellite
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), on July 12, 2010, successfully launched CARTOSAT - 2B from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of PSLV-C15 was the sixteenth consecutive successful flight of PSLV.
After a smooth countdown of 51 hrs the vehicle lifted-off from the First Launch Pad at the opening of the launch window at 09.22 hrs (IST). After about 20 minutes of flight time, India`s advanced remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT - 2B along with four auxiliary satellites was successfully injected into its circular orbit of 637 km with an orbital inclination of 98.1o.
The preliminary flight data indicates that all major flight events involving stage ignition and burnouts, performance of solid and liquid stages, indigenously developed advanced mission computers and telemetry systems were exactly as predicted.
PSLV - C15 in its flight, in addition to CARTOSAT - 2B, carried four auxiliary satellites namely STUDSAT a pico-satellite weighing less than 1 kg, built jointly by students from a consortium of seven engineering colleges form Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and ALSAT-2A, a micro-satellite from Algerian Space Agency.
July 21, 2010
CARTOSAT-2B Sending High Quality Imagery
The CARTOSAT-2B satellite, which was successfully launched by PSLV-C15 on July 12, 2010, into a polar sun-synchronous orbit, is working satisfactorily. The initial phase of operations of the satellite has been successfully completed. The camera has been switched on, and images of high quality are being received.
August 30, 2010
Payloads for Chandrayaan-2 Mission Finalised
Chandrayaan2, India's second mission to moon, is being targeted for launch during 2013. Chandrayaan2 will have an orbiter (satellite), a lander and a rover. Chandrayaan-2 is planned to be launched onboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. While the lander will be provided by Russia, the orbiter and the rover are being built by ISRO.
The payloads to be flown onboard Chandrayaan2 (orbiter and rover) have been finalised by a National committee of experts drawn from ISRO centres, academic institutions and R & D laboratories and Chaired by Prof U R Rao, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Space Sciences (ADCOS) and former Chairman of ISRO.
The committee, after detailed deliberations and considering the mission requirements, weight and power available for scientific payloads, has recommended five payloads to be flown on the orbiter of which three are new and two are improved versions of the payloads flown earlier on Chandrayaan1 orbiter. The committee has also recommended two scientific payloads on the rover of Chandrayaan 2. Inclusion of additional payloads, if possible within the mission constraints, will be considered at a later date following a detailed review.
The five recommended payloads of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter are as follows:
- Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) from ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore and Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad for mapping the major elements present on the lunar surface.
- L and S band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad for probing the first few tens of meters of the lunar surface for the presence of different constituents including water ice. SAR is expected to provide further evidence confirming the presence of water ice below the shadowed regions of the moon.
- Imaging IR Spectrometer (IIRS) from SAC, Ahmedabad for the mapping of lunar surface over a wide wavelength range for the study of minerals, water molecules and hydroxyl present.
- Neutral Mass Spectrometer (ChACE2) from Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), Thiruvananthapuram to carry out a detailed study of the lunar exosphere.
- Terrain Mapping Camera2 (TMC2) from SAC, Ahmedabad for preparing a three-dimensional map essential for studying the lunar mineralogy and geology.
The two scientific payloads on Chandrayaan-2 rover are:
- Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) from Laboratory for Electro Optic Systems (LEOS), Bangalore
- Alpha Particle Induced X ray Spectroscope (APIXS) from PRL, Ahmedabad.
Both the instruments are expected to carry out elemental analysis of the lunar surface near the landing site.
Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft weighs about 2,650 kg at lift-off of which the orbiter weight is about 1,400 kg and lander weight is about 1,250 kg. Development of the subsystems of the orbiter and the rover is in progress at ISRO centres in Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Ahmedabad.
September 08, 2010
Successful Static Testing of L 110 Liquid Core Stage of GSLV - Mk III
Indian Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the second static testing of its liquid core stage (L110) of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk -III) for 200 seconds at its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facility at Mahendragiri on September 8, 2010 at 15:50 hrs.
L110 is one of the heaviest earth storable liquid stages ever developed by ISRO. L110 stage had two high pressure Vikas engines in a clustered configuration. Nearly 500 health parameters were monitored during the test and the initial data acquired indicates its normal performance. This successful test of L110 for its full flight duration of 200 seconds, is a major mile stone in the earth storable liquid rocket programme of ISRO and a significant step forward in the development of GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle.
It may be recalled that GSLV-Mk III, which is currently under advanced stage of development uses two solid strap on boosters (S200), L-110 liquid stage and a cryogenic upper stage C-25.
November 27, 2010
Antrix/ISRO and EADS Astrium built commercial communication satellite launched successfully
An advanced communication satellite HYLAS (Highly Adaptable Satellite) built by ISRO on a commercial basis in partnership with EADS-Astrium of Europe, was successfully launched on November 27, 2010 at 00.09 hours Indian Standard Time (IST) by the European Ariane-5 V198 launch vehicle. The launch took place from the Guyana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guyana.
35 minutes after its lift-off, HYLAS separated from Ariane-5 launch vehicle after reaching its intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka successfully received radio signals transmitted by HYLAS and the satellite's health is normal.
HYLAS satellite developed for Avanti Communications, UK consists of ten high power transponders that use eight in Ka and two in Ku band frequencies. The satellite is designed to deliver high-speed broadband services through its spot beams over Europe. The satellite is expected to be operated from 33.5 deg. W longitude for European coverage.
The contract for building of satellite was won in the year 2006 after competing along other leading manufacturers of USA and Europe through the strategic alliance worked out between Antrix/ISRO and M/s. EADS Astrium of France. The alliance was formed to jointly develop communication satellites with ISRO platforms and Astrium payloads and market them internationally.
Astrium had the responsibility for overall program management and delivery of the communications payload and Antrix/ISRO provided the satellite bus and also performed the satellite integration and testing at ISRO's facility in Bangalore. HYLAS satellite weighing 2541 kg at lift-off is the heaviest satellite built by ISRO for I-2K bus capable of operating for over 15 years mission life as demanded by the customer. The satellite's solar panels generate a maximum of about 3200 Watts of power.
Antrix/ISRO is also responsible for the post launch operations of HYLAS, which are being conducted from the Master Control Facility, Hassan. The operations include firing of the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in three phases to place the satellite in geostationary orbit. The first firing of LAM is scheduled for the early hours of November 28, 2010.
November 30, 2010
HYLAS Satellite Reaches Geostationary Orbit
HYLAS (Highly Adaptable Satellite), which was launched successfully on November 27, 2010 by the European Ariane-5 V198 launch vehicle, has reached the geostationary orbit.
It may be recalled that the HYLAS, the satellite jointly built by ISRO/Antrix and EADS/Astrium of Europe for Avanti communications of U.K. was initially injected into an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 250 km, apogee of 35,906 km and inclination of 1.99o.
ISROs Master Control Facility at Hassan immediately took over the control and command operations of the satellite. The perigee was raised from 250 km to 35,521 km by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of 432 Newton thrust level in three phases on Nov 28th (for 1 hour 19 minutes), on Nov 29th (for 30 minutes) and today (for about 4 minutes).
The HYLAS Satellite, presently in an orbit of 35,521 km (perigee) x 35,800 km (apogee) is in good health and in continuous radio-visibility from Hassan. One of its communication antennas has also been deployed successfully.
December 31, 2010
GSLV F06 Failure-Preliminary findings and Further steps
The performance of the GSLV-F06 flight of December 25, 2010 (with GSAT-5P Satellite onboard) was normal up to 47.5 seconds from lift-off. The events leading to the failure got initiated at 47.8 seconds after lift-off. Soon, the vehicle started developing larger errors in its orientation leading to build-up of higher angle of attack and higher structural loads and consequently vehicle broke up at 53.8 seconds from lift-off (as seen visually as well as from the Radars).
As per the Range safety norms, a destruct command was issued from the ground at 64 seconds after lift-off. The flight was hence terminated in the regime of the First Stage itself.
Soon after this, Dr. Radhakrishnan, the Chairman ISRO constituted a Preliminary Failure Analysis Team under the chairmanship of former Chairman, ISRO Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, to conduct a preliminary analysis of the flight data, along with members of the Launch Authorisation Board, and Mission Readiness Review Committee as well as senior Project functionaries of GSLV Project and Experts.
The finding of the Preliminary Failure Analysis Team is that the primary cause of the failure is the untimely and inadvertent snapping of a group of 10 connectors located at the bottom portion of the Russian Cryogenic Stage. Some of these connectors carry command signals from the onboard computer residing in the Equipment Bay (located near the top of the vehicle) to the control electronics of the four L40 Strap-ons of the First Stage. These connectors are intended to be separated only on issue of a separation command at 292 seconds after lift-off. The premature snapping of these connectors has led to stoppage of continuous flow of control commands to the First Stage control electronics, consequently leading to loss of control and break-up of the vehicle. The exact cause of snapping of the set of connectors, whether due to external forces like vibration, dynamic pressure is to be analysed further and pin-pointed.
Chairman ISRO has now constituted a Failure Analysis Committee to
(i) carry out an in-depth analysis of the flight data of GSLV-F06 as well as the data from the previous six flights of GSLV;
(ii) establish reasons for the failure of GSLV-F06 flight and;
(iii) recommend corrective actions on the GSLV vehicle including the remaining one Russian Cryogenic Stage. The Failure Analysis Committee chaired by Former Chairman ISRO Dr. G. Madhavan Nair has 11 Experts drawn from within ISRO and outside.
Chairman ISRO has also constituted a Programme Review and Strategy Committee to look into
(i) the future of the GSLV Programme and assured launch for INSAT/GSAT Series, INSAT-3D as well as Chandrayaan-2
(ii) realization and operationalisation of indigenous Cryogenic Stage
(iii) strategy for meeting the demands of communication transponders in the immediate future. Dr. K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman ISRO and presently Member of the Planning Commission will be chairing this seven member Committee.
These two Committees have been requested to submit their Reports by the end of January 2011. Subsequently, the Reports of these Committees will be presented to Eminent National Experts including Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prof. M.G.K. Menon, Prof. Yash Pal, Prof. U.R. Rao, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, Dr. R. Chidambaram, and Prof. R. Narasimha.
Further, a Panel chaired by Dr. S.C. Gupta, former member of Space Commission will be guiding and facilitating an internal exercise by Chairman, ISRO, eliciting views from the ISRO community at all levels to gear up for the complex and challenging space missions ahead.
ISRO plans to complete these reviews and internal exercises by end of February, 2011.
NOTE:
Here is a List of all the successful and unsuccessful tests of 2010 collected from various newspapers for students appearing for civil service examinations and other competitive examinations.
0 Leave / View your comment:
Post a Comment