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ISRO Looking To Build A Design For New Reusable Rocket For Global Market.

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As we know that the expense of reaching into space is a major hindrance in space exploration and other space-related applications. So, a reusable rocket launched by ISRO would prove a great unanimous solution to attain low-cost, trustworthy, and on-demand space access.

India is allegedly forethinking about designing and building a brand-new reusable rocket for the global market, S Somanath, Division of Area Secretary and Indian Area Analysis Organisation in ISRO, announced through the Bangaluru Area Expo (BSX) 2022 on 5 September, Monday. The proximate launch automobile from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) afterward the GSLV Mk III launch could be a reusable one and it is predictable that it will cut back on the expense of launching satellites. The area firm will allegedly work with the area businesses, startups, and New Space India Restricted for the development of the said reusable rocket.

ISRO
Image Source: tosshub.com

During the seventh edition of Bengaluru Space Expo 2022 to support and encourage private space agencies, the chairman of the Indian research Space Organisation, S Somanath, declared his plans to design and develop a new reusable rocket according to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s primary news agency having reach as vast as Railways.

“…all of us want launches to be much cheaper than what we do today,”.

“So, the idea is the next rocket that we are going to build after GSLV Mk III should be a reusable rocket,” Somnath said.

“This is the idea and we are working on that idea. That idea cannot be ISRO’s alone. It has to be an industry’s idea. So, we will have to work with them in designing a new rocket, not only designing it, engineering it, manufacturing it and launching it as a commercial product and operating it in a commercial manner,” he added.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Currently, it costs ISRO about 10,000 USD which is approximately 7,97,800 INR, and 15,000 USD which is about 11,96,800 INR to position a one-kilogram payload into orbit. Somanath apparently said that they can cut it down to up to 5,000 USD (about 3,98,000 INR) and 1,000 USD (about 79,700 INR) per kg and that the one procedure to take action may be to construct the rocket reusable. He also specified that currently, the nation does not possess reusable expertise in the launch autos division.

Indian Space Research Organization has been involved in several different applied sciences together with the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, in order to have a retro-propulsion to land the rocket back on earth, he confirmed adding that by integrating these latest applied sciences, the area firm wants to be a member of palms with industry, startups and its commercial arm NSIL (New Space India Limited) to develop a latest reusable rocket.

“We would like to see such a rocket, a rocket which will be competitive-enough, a rocket that will be cost-conscious, production-friendly which will be built in India but operated globally for the services of the space sector. This should happen in the next few years so that we can retire all those operating launch vehicles (in India) at appropriate time,” he said.

“So, it’s a big shift from what we do today,” he pointed out. “I would like to see this (proposal) taking shape in the next few months.”

Source: www.thehindu.com

ISRO will be working on the Reusable launch vehicle technology demonstration program, also known as the RLVTD series of technology demonstration missions which will reportedly be the first step towards the building of a fully reusable vehicle. A winged Reusable launch rocket is confirmed to act as a flying test bed to evaluate several technologies.

ISRO Navic

Xiaomi To Support Navic Technology In Collaboration With Qualcomm

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The contributions of space research organizations are boundless. The extraordinary inventions, the high-tech spacecraft and most importantly satellites have immense applications in our daily lives. Now, we might not be able to spot a difference they are making, but the big picture depends on them. For example, ISRO and Xiaomi have shaken hands to incorporate NAVIC technology in Xiaomi smartphones.

Without smartphones, we can’t survive even one day. They are a very integral part of our life. And, incorporating the NAVIC technology into something so basic in our daily lives proves how crucial is satellite navigation. Currently, the news of bringing this technology in Xiaomi is crawling all over the internet.

What is NAVIC?

NAVIC stands for Navigation with Indian Constellation. It is the operational name for The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The technology is built by ISRO, our very own space organization to monitor real-time positioning and timing. NAVIC mainly covers the Indian mainland and an extended region of 1,500 km around it.

Global navigation is very important for every nation especially for the army, the aircraft, and the navy as well. During the time of war or any hostile situation, a country to have access to the global navigation satellite system. But, it becomes almost impossible to get access to those data. Hence, to overcome this problem ISRO opened a new satellite navigation center in 2013.

ISRO launched NAVIC mainly for military purposes but recent times have shown an expansion of the service. Before Xiaomi and ISRO collaborated, Qualcomm already incorporated the same technology in some of its Snapdragon chipsets. And, the same is now helping Xiaomi to introduce this technology in their smartphones.

In July 2013, ISRO launched the first satellite of this program. It has an accuracy of 1m in public and 0.1 encrypted. Till now nine satellites have been launched from IRNSS.

Past History of Xiaomi

The company’s smartphone sales have grown exponentially over the years. Though it also sells apps and other software, 90% of the company’s revenue comes from the smartphone sell. This surpasses even the revenue of Apple that comes from its mobiles.

The company has made a breakthrough by coming into a joint venture with both ISRO and Qualcomm. But, let’s have a look into its brief history.

Lei Jun founded the company in April 2010. And, in August 2010 it launched its first product which was an android-based MIUI (MI-User Interface). Around 2011, the company started selling its product in the Asian technological markets. In 2012, another new smartphone came into the market and the company started getting bigger.

It is quite a progress for a new company to incorporate such a high-tech geo-positioning system given the competition in the market. At the end of 2013, Xiaomi became the fifth-largest company in China in terms of mobile phones sale. Currently, Xiaomi is working on launching its new operating system, MIUI 12.

Beijing, China is the base of the company’s headquarters. The company also has many international headquarters and one of them is in Singapore.

Xiaomi and NAVIC

The Chinese smartphone company finally confirms that it will be introducing smartphones having NAVIC technology in it. The technology is mainly used as a geo-positioning system in India and for a distance around it. Qualcomm’s snapdragon mobiles unleashed the true power of this machinery.

After an agreement with ISRO regarding this technology, the efforts given by Xiaomi’s R&D are limitless. Xiaomi has made this announcement better by putting the tag of “made in India”. They want to manufacture mobile phones in India as the technology itself is created in this nation.

Features and Advantages

First time a technology which is developed in India is used in the country for manufacturing as well. NAVIC comprises of seven satellites out of which three orbits over the Indian Ocean (geostationary orbit) and the other four can provide positioning with accuracy better than 20m.

One of the main reasons to apply this technology in smartphones is to navigate locations in very rural areas. Along with precise timing, voice and visual navigation are also provided for the benefit of the drivers. So, in 2020, the release of many Xiaomi smartphones will take place with this feature across multiple price points.

GSAT -30

ISRO Starting The New Decade By Launching GSAT-30 As A Replacement Of INSAT-4a

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India has been creating and breaking its own record when it comes to spacecraft. For a very long time, Indian scientists have dedicated their lives to reach the space. And, for all the space-related activities ISRO is the best research organization of India.

It was ISRO that built India’s first satellite, Aryabhata which was finally launched in 1975. This was the first and one of the biggest successes of ISRO and India. Since then it has come a long way. Recently, ISRO has announced about launching its communication software, GSAT-30. The launch is supposed to take place on 17th January of this year.

The GSAT Series

ISRO designed all the GSAT satellites for the communication purpose of India. GSAT-1, the first of the series was launched on 18th April 2001. The main purpose of the satellite was conducting communication experiments like internet services and compressed digital television transmission. Many other features like the heat pipe radiator panel were also tested in this satellite.

The next in the line was GSAT-2 which mainly operated in S-band and C-band. GSAT-4 was designed for testing a lot of new features. But, the satellite never took off as GSLV-D3 was unable to complete the mission. The same happened to GSAT-5P which was an exclusive satellite for the GSAT series.

GSAT-8, GSAT-10, GSAT-12 are some of the other satellites that were more advanced. The latest GSAT satellite before GSAT-30 was GSAT-31. This was launched in February 2019 and it was configured on ISRO’s enhanced I-2K Bus.

GSAT-30

GSAT-30 is a whole new telecommunication satellite designed by ISRO. The satellite is used as a replacement for the INSAT-4A. But, the preliminary stages of the design are inspired by INSAT. According to ISRO, GSAT-30 will provide enhanced coverage. And, it is one of the main reasons the new satellite is better than INSAT-4A.

Features of GSAT-30

GSAT-30 is designed for improved and efficient spacecraft services. The main coverage that will be provided by this satellite is the Indian mainland and the islands in Ku-band. GSAT-30 will also provide extended coverage in the areas in C-band. It will mainly cover a lot of Asian countries, gulf countries and also Australia.

The weight of the satellite is 3,357 kg. Since GSAT-30 is a communication satellite it is going to enhance television uplink and VSAT services. The satellite is designed in such a way that it is capable of providing information services from the geostationary orbit in C and Ku-band. GSAT-30 has a mission life of fifteen years and it is expected to be a huge success.

Apart from providing television uplink and VSAT services, the satellite will be used extensively for teleport services, DTH television services, digital satellite newsgathering and, many such related applications.

Initial Purpose

Ground-tracking is very essential for every satellite. So, one Ku-band beacon downlink signal is transmitted for GSAT-30. The satellite would orbit EUTELSAT KONNECT. It is a telecommunication satellite for the operator Eutelsat.

Take Off

It is declared by ISRO that the blast-off will take place on 17th January from Ariane Launch Complex, Kourou. It is a French territory located along the north-eastern coast of South America. The time of the take-off is set to 02:35 hrs IST. GSAT-30 is using an Ariane 5 launch vehicle (VA 251) from Guiana Space Centre.

International Relations of ISRO

ISRO has international relations as well as cooperation with many foreign countries. For example, ISRO is carrying out a joint venture with France as the Indo-French Megha-Tropiques Mission. It has also planned a joint venture with NASA as well in 2020.

Organizations like the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites and the European Space Agency have signed various agreements with ISRO.

ISRO has also launched several satellites from foreign grounds. And, maximum of them are communication satellites and launched from Ariane. ISRO has international relations with more than thirty-six countries.

Kailasavadivoo Sivan

Kailasavadivoo Sivan : The Rocket Man of India

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Amongst the innumerable number of successful entrepreneurs, and tech-savvies, there always emerges out a legendary person who creates history and breaks the records. Flourishing in the business world is not a big deal today given that we have developed so much in terms of technology, but how many of us dare launch spaceships and fly into the space to explore the galaxy?

All these sounds very astronomical, especially, for a developing country like India, isn’t it? Particularly, if the person behind the successful Indian space missions is a farmer’s son. A far-fetched dream, it seems like but turned into reality by none other than Kailasavadivoo Sivan, the chairperson of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). Today, because of this Indian scientist, India’s second mission to the moon was successfully launched. Outweighing other developed and superior nations of our world, Sivan is really creating a new era for India.

A Farmer’s Son

Born on 14th April 1957 in a small village called Tarakkanvillai in Kanyakumari district, Sivan belonged to a very poor household. Sivan’s father, Kailasavadivoonadar Sivan, was a farmer, so his family couldn’t afford a very good school for him.

Kailasavadivoo Sivan
Image Source: thehindu.com

He went to a government-sponsored school in his village, and later, went to ST Hindu College in Nagercoil for his graduation. Unable to afford any tuition or proper coaching, Sivan was a self-supported student and turns out, was the first graduate in his family.

After completing his undergraduate degree, he pursued aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. After graduated from there in 1980, he received a master’s degree from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1982. Sivan took one more step forward towards his bright future, and also our nation’s when he completed his PhD from IIT Bombay in 2006. Sivan also received an honorary doctorate in science from Sathyabama University.

Journey to ISRO

Sivan joined ISRO long before completing his PhD, that is, in 1982. Sivan was a part of ISRO’s many projects, but one of the significant projects he participated in was the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project. This was his first project after joining ISRO. Another big project where he made a significant contribution is the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and, later, he became a project director of GSLV. He majorly worked with designing and development of space vehicles for ISRO’s missions.

Sivan is famous all over the nation as ‘Rocket Man’ because he is probably the best-known scientist in India and has a significant contribution in building cryogenic rocket engines. Sivan became the director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center on 1st June 2015, and before that, he served as the director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Center.

On January 2018, Sivan was declared as the ninth chairperson of ISRO after A.S Kiran Kumar.

Sivan’s Contribution to India’s Space Missions

Sivan’s unparallel contribution and untamed determination for the space missions of India led him to launch 104 satellites in one single mission. Had it not been for this devoted scientist, India would be still struggling to launch a successful moon mission for the second time.

Kailasavadivoo Sivan has been working for ISRO for more than three decades now. But, before Sivan became the chairperson of ISRO, he served at many powerful positions like Secretary of Department of Space, Chair of the Space Commission, Deputy Director (ISRO), Project Director (ISRO), and many more.

Today, due to Sivan’s sheer dedication, India is known as the first country in the entire world that is preferred for a soft landing on the moon. ISRO’s biggest mission, after Sivan became the chairperson, Chandrayaan 2 was launched on 22nd July 2019. But this braveheart shattered into pieces when the Lander lost all communications, but still, the mission was 95% successful, only because of this man.

Awards and Achievements

Since 1999, Sivan has been the recipient of many prestigious awards starting with Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr Vikram Sarabhai Research Award. In 2007, he received ISRO merit award, followed by Dr Biren Roy Space Science Award in 2011. In 2019, he was awarded A.P.J Abdul Kalam Award from Tamil Nadu’s government.

Sivan is also a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Aeronautical Society of India.

Personal Life

Kailasavadivoo Sivan is married to Malathi Sivan, and he is the parent to two kids, Siddharth and Sushant Kailasavadivoo Sivan. The family lives in the Bengaluru City of India.

India Successfully Launches GSLV-Mk III; Green Signal to Chandrayaan-2 & Manned Mission

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On Wednesday, the launch of India’s heaviest rocket, the GSLV-Mk III, carrying 3,423 kg communication satellite GSAT-29, from the ISRO’s Sriharikota centre (Satish Dhawan Space Centre), in Andhra Pradesh. The launch took place at 5.08 pm, carrying the GSAT-29 satellite, that has been set into the Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). With the help of the thrusters, the satellite will be placed in Earth’s Geostationary Orbit (GEO). The rocket has proven its ability by putting the satellite into the GTO just within sixteen minutes.

GSAT-29-lifts-off
Image Source: freepressjournal.in

The ISRO chairman K Sivan said, “Today India has achieved a significant milestone. The GSLV Mk III, India’s heaviest launcher, has launched GSAT 29. The launch completed the developmental flights of the rocket.”

The launch of GSLV Mk III is the second developmental flight of the rocket. It carried its first development flight on June 5, 2017, in which it successfully launched a 3,136 kg GSAT-19 satellite (the first heaviest satellite launched from India). ISRO has plans of sending the astronauts to space in the 2022 Gaganyaan mission with the help of the same rocket.

The rocket is 43.4 meters tall and weighs around 640 tonnes, having a capacity of carrying up to four tonnes of weight to space. It is a heavy-lift three-stage rocket. The first stage consists of two solid fuel strap-on engines, at the second stage it has a liquid propellant core, and the third stage is for a cryogenic engine. India is one of the six countries, including the US, Russia, France, Japan and China, to own the cryogenic engine technology.

The GSAT 29 satellite contains the communication transponders to provide communication in remote regions of India, specifically in Jammu Kashmir and the northeast, under the Digital India programme.

A spokesperson from ISRO said. “The GSAT 29 carries Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication transponders intended to meet the communication requirements of users including those in remote areas. In addition, several new technologies such as Q/V-band payload, data transmission through optical communication link will be demonstrated. This will help in realising future advanced satellites.’’

ISRO has been doing amazingly well in its space missions for the past few years, and now it intends to have ten more launches before the new year. And the successful launch of the GSLV Mk III rocket has confirmed the moon mission Chandrayaan 2, that will be carried out in January next year and India’s first human spaceflight programme scheduled for 2022.

India Makes It Big: ISRO Sets World Record By Launching 104 Satellites On A Single Rocket

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Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today made history by creating a world record of setting 104 satellites into the orbit. PSLV-C37, the heaviest PSLV launched Earth-mapping Cartosat 2 series satellite weighing 700 Kg. along with 103 nano satellites belonging to UAE, US, Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland etc. With this successful launch India becomes world’s first country to set more than 100 satellites with a single rocket. Last record was held by Russia when in 2014 it launched 37 satellites in single go.

The PSLV rocket was launched from Srihsarikota space centre in east India. The Cartosat 2 series satellite is capable of taking high resolution pictures and India may use it to keep a watch on neighboring countries like China and Pakistan. For last two decades India has been focusing more on its space research program. ISRO is already working on mission to moon (Chanderyaan) and mission to Mars (Mangalyaan). Mangalyaan, a $74 million mission made India the first country in the world to have successfully launched its mission to Mars on the very first attempt.

For the first time India has used Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) and whole process was completed in 26 minutes. A reusable launch system is capable of launching satellites into space more than once which means it can be used again and again to set satellites in the orbit. In 2016 India successfully launched its own space shuttle and joined the league of few countries in the world to have this capability.

With this feather in cap India seems to take the commercial rocket & space industry by storm.

Video Credit: Doordarshan