Tag: indian space research organisation

ISRO’s Aditya-L1 Solar Mission Reaches Destination Within Four-Month Timeframe

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, has reached its destination within the anticipated four-month timeframe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

Launched on September 2 last year, the spacecraft positioned itself at Lagrange Point 1, from where it will undertake a comprehensive study of the Sun, focusing on the solar corona and its influence on space weather.

“India creates yet another landmark. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions,” Modi said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The satellite covered approximately 1.5 million km (930,000mi) over the span of four months, just a fraction of the Earth-Sun distance of 150 million km.

The Lagrange Point, where the satellite is stationed, benefits from gravitational forces that allow objects to remain relatively stationary, reducing fuel consumption for the spacecraft.

Equipped with seven payloads, Aditya-L1 is slated to conduct remote sensing of the Sun and in-situ observations for an estimated five years.

Named after the Hindi word for the Sun, this mission follows ISRO’s recent achievement of being the first country to successfully land on the Moon’s south pole, surpassing Russia’s failed Luna-25 with the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Chandrayaan-3 landed on the unexplored south pole of the Moon in August last year.

Scientists involved in the project aim to gain insights into the impact of solar radiation on the increasing number of satellites in orbit, with a particular focus on phenomena affecting ventures like Elon Musk’s Starlink communications network.

“We definitely need to know more about the Sun, as it controls the space weather,” said Manish Purohit, a former ISRO scientist.

The low earth orbit is going to get “super” crowded over the coming years, said Purohit.

“Satellites are going to become the main stay of all tech on Earth with Quantum implemented, with internet connectivity, disaster warning system, resource utilisation and many more applications,” said Purohit.

Stationing a spacecraft at L1 acts as an early warning system, with roughly one hour advantage, for an upcoming storm from the Sun, he said.

The mission to study the Sun is among a slate of projects ISRO has lined up through the year, key among them its first human space mission and a low-Earth orbit observatory system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, called NISAR.

NISAR will map the entire planet once every 12 days, providing data for understanding changes in ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

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ISRO Successfully Launches PSLV-C55 to Place 2 Satellites in Orbit for Earth Observation

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday successfully launched the PSLV-C55 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and placed two Singaporean satellites for Earth observation into the intended orbit. ISRO chief S Somanath said, “Congratulations PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 Mission – the PSLV has placed both satellites in the intended orbit.”

The launch was completed at 14:19 hours IST, ISRO said.

Talking about the launch he said the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle once again in its 57th flight demonstrated its reliability and suitability for commercial launch.

“This was a mission towards the east direction. and the inclination is 9.9 degrees, very precise. PSLV in its 57th flight has once again demonstrated its high reliability and suitability for the commercial missions of this class,” said the ISRO chief.

“This is the fifth launch in this edition. This rocket launch is being carried out with eight small payloads and we have prayed for the success of this launch,” the ISRO chairman said on Friday when he visited Goddesses Chengalamma Temple in Sullurpeta town of Tirupati district

This launch also has significance as far as the Indian space startup ecosystem is concerned as NSIL’S ( NewSpace India Limited) dedicated commercial rocket carried the two Singapore satellites as main payloads and seven non-separating payloads belonging to ISRO, Indian Institute of Astrophysics and startups Bellatrix and Dhruva Space.

The dedicated commercial mission was conducted through NSIL with TeLEOS-2 as primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite. Both the satellites, which belong to Singapore, weigh about 741 kg and 16 kg, respectively and are intended to be launched into an Eastward low inclination orbit, ISRO said.

The TeLEOS-2 satellite is developed under a partnership between DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering. Once deployed and operational, it will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore. TeLEOS-2 carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload. TeLEOS-2 will be able to provide all-weather day and night coverage, and capable of imaging at 1m full-polarimetric resolution.

The LUMELITE-4 satellite co-developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research of A*STAR and Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) of the National University of Singapore.

LUMELITE4 is an advanced 12U satellite developed for the technological demonstration of the High-Performance Space-borne VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). Using the VDES communication payload, it aims to augment Singapore’s e-navigation maritime safety and benefit the global shipping community.

The mission has the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), where the spent PS4 stage of the launch vehicle would be utilized as an orbital platform to carryout scientific experiments through non-separating payloads. The payloads belong to ISRO/Department of Space, Bellatrix, Dhruva Space, and Indian Institute of Astrophysics, ISRO stated.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it’s first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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ISRO’s Upcoming Experiments for 2023 Includes Dedicated Mission for Sun, Moon

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will turn its focus on science experiments in 2023 with dedicated missions to the Sun — Aditya — and the moon — Chandrayaan-3 — even as the nascent start-up sector is set to soar in the space applications segment. The upcoming year will also witness a series of experiments on India’s maiden human space flight — the Gaganyaan project — with the first uncrewed mission expected in the last quarter of 2023 aimed at validating the performance of the human-rated launch vehicle, orbital module propulsion system and recovery operations.

ISRO further plans to conduct the first runway landing experiment (RLV-LEX) of the reusable launch vehicle early next year from Aeronautical Test Range in Karnataka’s Chitradurga, Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh told Parliament this month.

Indian start-ups that marked their arrival with the sub-orbital flight by Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-S rocket, the first by a private sector company and the launch of Pixxel’s hyperspectral satellites Shakuntala, on SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket in April and Anand onboard ISRO’s PSLV in November.

Skyroot Aerospace, which launched India’s first privately developed rocket in November, plans to put a client satellite in orbit sometime next year, while Agnikul Cosmos, a start-up incubated on the IIT-Madras campus, has also lined up the test flight of its highly customisable Agnibaan rocket.

“We are developing six commercial hyperspectral imagery satellites which will be ready for launch next year,” Awais Ahmed, Pixxel co-founder and CEO, had told PTI.

Ahmed said many more rocket companies around the globe will see their first orbital launches come to fruition which will lead to a rocket-themed game of thrones as they vie for the same set of customers sending satellites into space.

The start-ups are eyeing the huge space applications market in the country, which was earlier the sole domain of ISRO, carving a niche for themselves in the earth imaging sector, developing rockets to launch small satellites, designing cheaper fuels for satellites and even planning to take tourists on a space journey.

“The potential for innovative space applications is immense, especially if established aerospace companies form partnerships with businesses that traditionally haven’t ventured into orbit, e.g. pharmaceutical, agriculture companies,” Chaitanya Dora Surapureddy, Chief Financial Officer, DhruvaSpace, told PTI.

DhruvaSpace had launched two satellites Thybolt 1 & 2 onboard ISRO’s PSLV C-54 mission that demonstrated the ability to conduct amateur satellite communication which will help ham radio operations.

Surapureddy said DhurvaSpace has already bagged its first commercial contract worth Rs 20 crore to build satellites.

“The number of space startups in India has already crossed 100 and these startups have raised funding of more than $245.35 million (roughly Rs. 2,000 crore),” Lt Gen A K Bhatt (retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA) told PTI.

Agnikul also inaugurated its first launchpad and mission control centre at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

In 2022, the industry witnessed some major milestones with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) authorising the space conglomerate formed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited a Rs. 860-crore contract for the commercial development of the next five Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs).

OneWeb also signed up the services of ISRO’s launch vehicle to put 36 satellites in low earth orbit from Sriharikota. A follow-up launch of another 36 satellites is expected next year.

The OneWeb contract for ISRO is learnt to be an outcome of some aggressive bidding by the Indians after the Ukraine conflict knocked off the Russian space launch capabilities off the market.

Chaitanya Giri, space consultant with Research and Information System for Developing Countries likens the aggression in the Indian space sector to the one displayed by Sourav Ganguly’s cricket team.

“Our earlier approach was like Mohammad Azharuddin-led cricket team – very mellow and gentlemanly. The newfound aggression is because of India’s rising geopolitical stature. Also, the Russian market has become a no go due to the Ukraine conflict. So is the Chinese market. Now, it is Advantage India,” Giri told PTI.

He said Indian start-ups should also vie for international contracts and not look at ISRO for business.

“ISRO is not an entity that will sustain business for them. Indian space start-ups, MSMEs and big corporates will have to strike business arrangements amongst each other. These B-2-B arrangements need to grow,” Giri said.

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Vikram S Rocket Launch Window Announced, India’s First Private Rocket Set to Launch Between November 12 and 16

India’s first privately developed rocket – Vikram-S – is set for a launch between November 12 and 16, Hyderabad-based space startup Skyroot Aerospace announced on Tuesday.

The maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, named ‘Prarambh’ (the beginning), will carry three customer payloads and is set for launch from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s launchpad at Sriharikota.

“A launch window between November 12 and 16 has been notified by authorities, the final date being confirmed based on weather conditions,” Skyroot Aerospace CEO and co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana said.

With this mission, Skyroot Aerospace is set to become the first private space company in India to launch a rocket into space, heralding a new era for the space sector which was opened up in 2020 to facilitate private sector participation.

“The Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which would carry three customer payloads and help test and validate the majority of the technologies in the Vikram series of space launch vehicles,” Naga Bharath Daka, Chief Operating Officer of Skyroot Aerospace, said in a statement.

Chandana said Skyroot could build and get the Vikram-S rocket mission-ready in such a short time only because of the invaluable support from ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre).

Skyroot’s launch vehicles are named ‘Vikram’ as a tribute to the founder of the Indian space programme and renowned scientist Vikram Sarabhai.

Based in Hyderabad, Skyroot builds state-of-the-art space launch vehicles for launching commercial satellites to space. It aims to disrupt entry barriers to cost-efficient satellite launch services and space-flight by advancing its mission to make spaceflights affordable, reliable and regular for all, the statement said.

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ISRO Set for Commercial Launch of 36 OneWeb Broadband Satellites Aboard Heaviest Rocket LVM3-M2

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to make its maiden commercial launch of 36 broadband communication satellites on-board the space agency’s heaviest rocket Launch Vehicle LVM3-M2, the countdown for which began early on Saturday at Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The 43.5 metre tall rocket is scheduled to lift off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 12.07am IST on Sunday.

The rocket is dubbed as one of the heaviest for its ability to carry satellites upto 8,000 kilograms.

Sunday’s launch assumes significance as the LVM3-M2 mission is the maiden dedicated commercial mission for NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO.

The mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial arrangement between NewSpace India Ltd and United Kingdom-based Network Access Associates Ltd (OneWeb Ltd), ISRO said.

According to the space agency, the mission would carry the heaviest payloads with 36 satellites of OneWeb becoming the first Indian rocket with a heavy payload of 5,796 kgs.

The launch is also first for LVM-3-M2 to place the satellites in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO-up to 1,200 kilometres above the Earth) unlike Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

ISRO scientists have rechristened the launch vehicle as LVM3-M2 from GSLV-MK III as the newest rocket is capable of launching 4,000 kilograms class of satellites into GTO and 8,000 kgs of payloads into LEO.

The total mass of 36 OneWeb satellites into LEO is about 5,796 kilograms.

GSLV-Mk III had four successful missions in the past, including the Chandrayaan-2.

The LVM3-M2 mission would give a boost to the space agency with the new launch vehicle to place satellites into low earth orbit, along with its trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

LVM3-M2 is a three-stage launch vehicle consisting of two solid propellant S200 strap-ons on its sides and core stage comprising L110 liquid stage and C25 cryogenic stage.

OneWeb Limited, is the UK-based customer for NSIL and it is a global communication network powered from space, enabling internet connectivity for governments and businesses.

The company is implementing a constellation of 648 satellites in the Low Earth Orbit. While 36 satellites would be launched on Sunday, another batch of satellites were expected to be placed in the orbit by early 2023, ISRO said.

Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb.

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Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter’s CLASS Spectrometer Maps Abundance of Sodium for the First Time, ISRO Says

The X-ray spectrometer ‘CLASS’ on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has mapped an abundance of sodium on the moon for the first time, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation. Chandrayaan-1 X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (C1XS) detected sodium from its characteristic line in X-rays which opened up the possibility of mapping the amount of sodium on the moon, ISRO said.

In a recent work published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal Letters’, Chandrayaan-2 mapped the abundance of sodium on the Moon for the very first time using CLASS (Chandrayaan-2 Large Area Soft X-ray Spectrometer), the national space agency said in a statement on Friday.

“Built at the U R Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO in Bengaluru, CLASS provides clean signatures of the sodium line thanks to its high sensitivity and performance,” the statement said.

The study finds that a part of the signal could be arising from a thin veneer of sodium atoms weakly bound to the lunar grains.

These sodium atoms can be nudged out of the surface by solar wind or ultraviolet radiation more easily than if they were part of the lunar minerals. Also shown is a diurnal variation of the surface sodium that would explain the continuous supply of atoms to the exosphere, sustaining it, the statement said.

An interesting aspect that widens the interest in this alkali element is its presence in the wispy atmosphere of the moon, a region so thin that the atoms there rarely meet.

This region, termed an ‘exosphere’, begins at the surface of the moon and extends several thousand kilometres merging into the interplanetary space, the statement noted.

“The new findings from Chandrayaan-2 provide an avenue to study surface-exosphere interaction on the moon which would aid development of similar models for mercury and other airless bodies in our solar system and beyond,” the ISRO said.

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ISRO Looking to Design, Build New Reusable Rocket for Global Market, ISRO Chairman Says

India is reportedly planning to design and build a new reusable rocket for the global market, Department of Space Secretary and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath announced during the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2022 on Monday. The next launch vehicle from ISRO after GSLV Mk III could be a reusable one and it is expected to reduce the cost of launching satellites. The space agency will reportedly work with the space industry, startups and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for the reusable rocket.

As per a report by PTI, during the 7th edition of the Bengaluru Space Expo 2022, ISRO Chairman S Somanath announced the plans to design and build a new reusable rocket. At present, it costs ISRO between $10,000 (roughly Rs. 7,97,800) and $15,000 (roughly Rs. 11,96,800) to put a one-kilogram payload into orbit.

Somanath reportedly said that ISRO would have to reduce it to $5,000 (roughly Rs. 3,98,000) or even $1,000 (roughly Rs. 79,700) per kilogram and that the only way to do so would be to make the rocket reusable. He added that the country doesn’t yet have reusable technology in the launch vehicles sector.

The next Rocket that ISRO builds after the GSLV-MK3 must be reusable, he told PTI. ISRO has been working on various technologies including the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD), he said adding that by combining these new technologies, the space agency would like to join hands with industry, startups and its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to build a new usable rocket.

“I would like to see this (proposal) taking shape in the next few months” he said, adding that the development of post-conscious and production-friendly rocket must happen in the next few years so that the space agency can retire all those operating launch vehicles (in India) at the appropriate time.

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ISRO’s Faces SSLV-D1 Data Loss at Terminal Phase of the Mission, Placed in Wrong Orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday said its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D1) placed satellites into elliptical orbit instead of a circular orbit. Sharing the updates of its satellite launch, ISRO said “SSLV-D1 placed the satellites into 356kx76km elliptical orbit instead of 356km circular orbit. Satellites are no longer usable. The issue is reasonably identified. Failure of a logic to identify a sensor failure and go for a salvage action caused the deviation. A committee would analyse and recommend. With the implementation of the recommendations, ISRO will come back soon with SSLV-D2.”

Earlier in the day, ISRO launched its first new rocket the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D1) carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-02) and a student-made satellite-AzaadiSAT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

To mark the country’s celebrations of “Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, the SSLV, co-passenger satellite called “AzaadiSAT” comprising 75 payloads built by 750 students from 75 rural government schools across India was launched.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Sunday said that both Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D1) carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-02) were injected but the “orbit achieved was less than expected which makes it unstable.”

“All stages performed normal. Both satellites were injected. But the orbit achieved was less than expected which makes it unstable,” the ISRO chief said.

He further said that the SSLV-D1 suffered data loss at the terminal phase of the mission.

“In the terminal phase of the mission, some data loss is occurring. We are analysing the data to conclude the final outcome of the mission with respect to achieving a stable orbit,” Somanath added.

Girls who designed the satellite also witnessed the SSLV-D1 launch. The general public also witnessed the launch from the viewing gallery of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurates IN-SPACe Headquarter in Ahmedabad 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the headquarters of the Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), set up to promote private investment and innovation in the space sector. The government has initiated reforms in the space sector and opened it up for private sector, Modi said, speaking at the inaugural event in Ahmedabad.

“I am hopeful that like in the IT sector, our industry will also take the lead in the global space sector,” he said.

“I want to assure the private sector that reforms in the space sector will continue unabated,” he added.

“Space technology is going to bring in a big revolution in the world in the 21st century,” Modi further said.

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced that the India’s communication satellite GSAT-24 will be launched by Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana on June 22.

“NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DoS), is undertaking GSAT-24 satellite mission as its 1st Demand Driven mission post space reforms”, the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said.

GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite weighing 4,180kg with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs. NSIL has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play, an ISRO statement said.

GSAT-24 satellite, after completing assembly, integration and environmental test, was cleared by PSR (Pre-Shipment Review) committee on May 2.

The satellite and its allied equipment were shipped to Kourou, French Guiana on May 18 using C-17 Globemaster aircraft.

As part of launch campaign activities, the satellite is presently undergoing health/ performance checks at clean room facilities in French Guiana, it was stated.

The France-based satellite launch service Arianespace announced in April that India’s newest space PSU NSIL’s first demand-driven communication satellite for Tata Sky will be launched on June 22. It said the satellites will be launched for two long-standing Arianespace customers – MEASAT, the leading Malaysian satellite operator, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS).

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ISRO, Australian Space Agency Look Forward to Work Together in Future, Review Space Cooperation

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Australian Space Agency (ASA) held a virtual meeting on Tuesday during which they reviewed space cooperation and discussed potential areas of working together. Secretary in the Department of Space (DoS) and ISRO Chairman S Somanath and ASA Head Enrico Palermo steered the discussion from respective sides.

Both leaders expressed happiness over the progress in the ongoing discussion on establishing ISRO’s ground station in Australia to support the Gaganyaan mission.

“They also discussed on other potential areas of working together including Australia’s International Space Investment initiative; establishing ISRO’s ground stations in Australia for satellite data reception and for range and integrity monitoring of NavIC satellites and organising a joint workshop to promote interaction among space entities of both nations”, an ISRO statement said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Dominican Republic to India, David Puig, called on Somanath at ISRO headquarters here on Tuesday.

Puig expressed strong desire to learn from India’s vast experience in harnessing the benefits of space technology for national development through access to satellite data, training and capacity building in space technology applications, according to ISRO.

“ISRO/DoS assured all possible support in capacity building in Dominican Republic through training programmes, joint activities such as small satellites and remote sensing applications”, the statement added.

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