Tag: isro

ISRO Supplies Rocket System to Private Launch Vehicle Agnibaan

The Indian Space Research Orgnisation (ISRO) has for the first time supplied a rocket system to support a private launch vehicle built in the country.

Chennai-based space technology startup Agnikul Cosmos received its first flight termination system (FTS) on November 7 from ISRO, with the support of IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre), a single-window autonomous government agency to promote, permit, and oversee private sector space-based activities.

“The official handing over event happened marking the culmination of multiple rounds of interactions about interfacing, handling and using these systems on Agnikul’s launch vehicle ‘Agnibaan’, the national space agency headquartered here said in a statement on Friday.

“This also marks the first time that a system that has been used for ISRO’s vehicles is being supplied for supporting a private launch vehicle built in India. The package will be used for their fully controlled sub-orbital launcher, scheduled to launch from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota,” it said.

According to Agnikul, Agnibaan is a highly customisable, 2-stage launch vehicle On November 4, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the lead Centre of ISRO for the development of launch vehicles, facilitated the hot testing of a rocket engine developed by Agnikul Cosmos.

VSSC successfully conducted the 15 seconds hot test of Agnilet Engine at its Vertical Test Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Thiruvananthapuram.

The test was carried out as part of an MoU signed between ISRO and Agnikul Cosmos to provide opportunity for Indian space start-ups to use facilities of ISRO through IN-SPACe.

Agnilet is a regeneratively cooled 1.4 kN semi-cryogenic engine using liquid oxygen and aviation turbine fuel as propellants. This engine is realised through state-of-the-art 3D printing technology, it was stated.

“Humbled to announce that we successfully test fired one version of our patented technology based single piece, fully 3d printed, 2nd stage semi cryo engine – Agnilet – at VSSC,” Agnikul had tweeted.

“Besides validating our in-house tech, this is also a huge step for us in understanding how to design, develop & fire rocket engines at a professional level. An unforgettable day for Agnikul!”,

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

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.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to Monitor US Midterm Elections Amid Security Concerns

Nintendo Raises Annual Profit Forecast on Weaker Yen, Sells 6.68 Million Switch Unit in Six Months

Featured video of the day

Nothing Ear (1) vs Nothing Ear (Stick) vs Competition



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Indian Startups Will Soon Launch Space Satellites: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

The Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Monday said the Indian startups would soon launch space satellites as well as satellite constellations and try their rockets.

Speaking at the India Space Conclave here on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Indian Space Association, ISpA, Jitendra Singh said the “revolutionary and out of box decision” of PM Modi to unlock the space sector for private industry in June 2020 changed the very nature of space ecosystem of the country.

The Minister also informed that five PSLVs are being domestically produced by L&T and HAL, while OneWeb is all set to launch their satellites through ISRO and NSIL.

Singh said space reforms have unleashed the innovative potentials of startups and within a short span of time, “from a couple of space start-ups three-four years back, today we have 102 startups working in cutting-edge areas of space debris management, nano-satellite, launch vehicle, ground systems, research etc.”

With the integration of R&D, academia and industry with equal stake, it is safe to say that a Space Revolution led by ISRO along with the private sector and startups is on the horizon, the minister said.

Singh said that the strength and innovative potential of the country’s young and private industrial enterprise will take a lead in the global space technology disruption in times to come. He expressed hope that India’s young technology wizards shall breach new barriers in the field of space technology while they set out to address the limitless opportunities offered by the space domain.

The minister lauded the role of ISpA for marvellously working in developing and forming global linkages for the growth of the Indian space industry in a short span of one year. He said members of ISpA are continuously striving in undertaking policy advocacy and engaging in the reciprocation of knowledge and vision to make India a flag bearer in the sphere of space tech domain.

ISpA is acting as a major contributor toward supplementing the Indian Government’s endeavours to make India acquire a leading position in the arena of commercialised space-based excursions. He said for this ISpA’s role as a commune to deliberate interactions between the key stakeholders becomes a vital and critical one.

The minister hoped that ISpA keeping the motto of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ high will usher in important technological advancements and investments in the country which will eventually create high-skill job opportunities while following the government’s approach to space reforms.

Dwelling on the strategic relevance of space in view of recent global conflicts, Jitendra Singh said space, a dual-use technology domain, is emerging as an important multi-faceted enabler that provides unprecedented reach.

He added that many nations are today focusing on developing their military space capabilities to ensure its safe, secure, and friendly use along with deterrence capability to deny it to adversaries, when necessary.

Singh elaborated that India too has resolved to leverage the strengths of this emerging dimension of warfare, and in fact, the Indian government is undertaking strong and decisive steps towards ensuring Atmanirbharta in the space sector to ensure “our private industrial capability and capacity are effectively energised and channelized to develop cutting-edge solutions which would give India a decisive edge over our others in times to come”.

According to a release, the minister highlighted the constructive role played by ISpA in engaging with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Ministry of Defence and the three services to address their requirements and said that ISpA will play a much deeper role in supporting the capability and capacity-building initiatives of the government in times to come.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Indian Railways Introduce Real-Time Information System to Track Train Movement Timing

Indian Railways is installing a Real-Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on locomotives “for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival and departure or run-through”, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Friday.

“Real Time Train Information System (RTIS), developed in collaboration with ISRO, is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement timing at the stations, including that of arrival & departure or run-through. They get automatically plotted on the control chart of those trains in the Control Office Application (COA) system,” the ministry said.

The Ministry said that RTIS will give mid-section updates with a periodicity of 30 seconds.

“The Train Control can now track the location and speed of RTIS enabled locomotives /train more closely, without any manual intervention,” it said.

RTIS devices have been installed for 2,700 locomotives in 21 electric loco sheds.

As part of Phase-II roll out, 6,000 more locomotives across 50 loco sheds shall be covered by utilising ISRO’s Satcom hub.

“Currently, GPS feed from around 6,500 Locomotives (RTIS and REMMLOT) is being directly fed into the Control Office Application (COA). This has enabled automatic charting of trains and real time information flow to passengers through COA and NTES integration,” the ministry added.

Meanwhile, the newly launched Chatbot of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is getting remarkable response from the train passengers during the beta launch as over 1 billion people have used it, a senior IRCTC official said.

While talking to ANI, the official said that the new conversational and convenient feature to book railway tickets enables customers to interact with the system via voice, chat and click-based system. Additionally, the system requires no passwords and works based on the One Time Password (OTP).

The official also told that the technology is powered by CoRover, a conversational AI Platform which is being used by more than 1 billion users.

“In our constant pursuit to enhance the user experience, leveraging new age technologies, we are today taking a giant leap. Now, passengers can book their train ticket in a conversational manner, leveraging our AI Virtual Assistant, AskDISHA 2.0, powered by CoRover, the Conversational AI platform, used by more than 1 billion users.”

The improved Virtual Assistant, AskDISHA 2.0 has many features like booking tickets, checking PNR status, cancelling tickets, changing boarding station, checking refund status and answering queries like Tatkal timings.

The official further informed that this is a landmark step towards enhancing the passenger experience.

“First time, the users can book ticket without knowing their IRCTC password, it will be possible just with an OTP. AskDISHA 2.0 has also proven to be a very effective instrument and the addition of voice booking and will make it even easier for travellers to plan their trips,” the official added.

The senior official also estimated that at least 25 per cent of clients will be switching to this option in the future.

The new avatar of IRCTC’s Chatbot AskDISHA 2.0, aims to help users get authentic, correct and instant answers to their queries. It will not just save time and enhance the user experience, but will also help them in doing end-to-end real time transactions, the official said.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Skyroot Aerospace Raises $51 Million from Singapore’s GIC: All Details

Skyroot Aerospace on Friday revealed that it had raised $51 millon (roughly Rs. 400 crore) from a Singapore-based investor, according to a report. The startup will reportedly use the funding to build the country’s first private space launch vehicles (SLV), and accelerate the firm’s plans to launch heavy payloads into low-Earth orbit. It is looking to start commercial satellite launches by mid-2023, and has a data and expertise sharing agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as per a report. 

The Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace said on Friday that it had raised $51 million (roughly Rs. 400 crore) from capital investment firm GIC (the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation) which led its latest round of funding, according to a report by Reuters. The firm is reportedly looking to achieve full-fledged commercial satellite launch scale within a year. 

Skyroot Aerospace reportedly wants to begin commercial satellite launches by mid-2023. Its SLV is said to be created from carbon fibre and supports payloads as heavy as 800kg. The firm says it has begun to book slots for launching payloads, as per the report.  

Back in June, the country’s space saw major events in privatisation initiatives. These included ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying payloads of two Indian space sector startups, and the the launch of the first demand-driven satellite ordered by Tata Play, according to PTI. 

An earlier study by the Centre for Development Studies and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology had pegged India’s space economy at $ 5 billion (roughly Rs. 39,860 crore) for the 2020-21 fiscal, as per the report.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Apple in Top 3 Brands Considered for Quality Without Actual Car on Sale, Vehicle Owners’ Survey Shows



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

ISRO Completes LEM Test Ahead of Gaganyaan Project, Launches SPARK Virtual Space Museum: Details

An important milestone in the planned human spaceflight project Gaganyaan was completed on Wednesday with the successful test-firing of the Low Altitude Escape Motor (LEM) of crew escape system from Sriharikota spaceport, space agency ISRO said.

The crew escape system takes away the crew module of Gaganyaan mission in case of any eventuality and rescues the astronauts, the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement.

In case of aborting the mission during the initial phase of flight, the LEM provides the required thrust to the crew escape system to take away the crew module from the launch vehicle, it said.

The main objectives of the static tests are to evaluate motor ballistic parameters, validate motor subsystem performance and confirm the design margins and to validate the integrity of all interfaces, among others, the space agency said.

Meanwhile, the country’s space agency has come up with an innovative idea of showcasing digital content regarding various ISRO missions in an interactive manner. The virtual space museum SPARK was launched by ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday for public use.

“The platform hosts several documents, images and videos related to ISRO launch vehicles, satellites and scientific missions,” the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said in a statement.

Somanath, who is also Secretary in the Department of Space, and and Directors of various ISRO centres appreciated the initiative taken and suggested more “non-sensitive” digital content to be brought on this platform for use by different stakeholders, it said.

“The beta version of the application can be accessed through ISRO website or at spacepark.isro.gov.in,” it was stated.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version