Friday, October 28, 2011
Indian Space Research Organisation: 'Jugnu' launch marks watershed in Indian space tec...
Indian Space Research Organisation: 'Jugnu' launch marks watershed in Indian space tec...: New Delhi: The successful launch of Jugnu, a loaf-sized nano satellite designed by IIT-Kanpur, on October 12 marks a watershed in Indian...
CRPF ropes in ISRO for GIS data of Naxal-hit areas
With the CRPF seeking the help of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the fight against Naxals, the security personnel in Maoist-affected areas have been provided laptops featuring the GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping data of the regions in the “red corridor”.
According to officials, the CRPF purchased 65 GIS mobile work-stations with “TerraExplorer Pro” software from the Department of Science and Technology and distributed these to units based in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas. The force also distributed 13 high-end work-stations with the software to its personnel in the areas.
“These work-stations contain the complete mapping of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. We have further mapped seven districts in Madhya Pradesh and 14 districts in Bihar. In West Bengal, only East Midnapore has been mapped so far. The satellite imagery for the complete state of West Bengal and three worst-affected districts of Maharashtra — Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Gondia — is underway,” said the CRPF spokesperson.
'Jugnu' launch marks watershed in Indian space technology
New Delhi: The successful launch of Jugnu, a loaf-sized nano satellite designed by IIT-Kanpur, on October 12 marks a watershed in Indian space technology for miniaturisation and an indigenously designed ejection system that ends dependence on imports.
Jugnu, placed into orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C18 (PSLV-C18) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), miniaturises communication capabilities, power source and a control system, comprising the basic functions of a much bigger satellite, into a foot-long package just four inches in height and width, weighing only three kilograms.
IIT-Kanpur designed Jugnu's ejection system, a complex piece of technology that makes space missions possible by separating the satellite from the launch vehicle and placing it in a precise orbit. The mechanism went through dozens of rigorous tests before certification by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as spaceworthy. IIT-Kanpur will be filing a patent through ISRO before dedicating it to the nation.
Ejection systems - or separation mechanism - available with ISRO are meant only for much larger satellites weighing between 100 kg and 1,000 kg, but not for a nanosat like Jugnu, said Nalinaksh Vyas, Jugnu's project leader and professor of mechanical engineering at IIT-Kanpur.
They are usually imported at a cost of Rs 50 lakh ($100,350) apiece, he added.
Vyas said that "there were several challenges in terms of both design development and administrative ones", which were successfully overcome by the enthusiastic band of 50 boys and girls from various engineering and science disciplines of IIT-Kanpur.
Jugnu cast such a spell on students that some of them even shunned tempting job offers at the peak of the IT boom, just to stay with the project, recalls Prof Vyas. Some even quit lucrative jobs to join the team. "Others like Shantanu Agarwal opted for M.Tech after completing B.Tech to be able to continue with the project," added Vyas.
Vyas mentioned Shashank Chintalagiri, a young physicist, as the mainstay of the project who inspired others with his innovativeness and bold approach, fixing problems as and when they arose, besides Preneet from the physics stream, Kshitij Deo (mechanical) and Anant Goyal.
Chintalagiri, elaborating on his experiences as a project member, said:
"A nanosatellite is smaller but has the same kind of functionality as a larger satellite does. We were initially torn between ISRO's 'right way' of doing things and a more practical approach that we could fit in our small size and weight.
"Eventually, we decided to go ahead and design our system, taking cues from other nanosatellites built around the world. When we gave our system a rough shape, only then did we compare it with what ISRO would do on its own satellites and made modifications accordingly.
"We would never have been able to achieve the size reduction we did by blindly following ISRO specifics, and ISRO themselves knew that as well. We were able to combine technology used in daily life . . . with the design principles of space technology," Chintalagiri concluded.
Initially, only three students had volunteered for the project begun in 2008 as part of the IIT-Kanpur Golden Jubliee celebrations, in a bid to foster space research capability among IITians and to develop technology for nanosats. The current lot included first year undergraduates to final year post-graduates and 14 faculty heads from as many disciplines to complete this challenging assignment.
Jugnu has started transmitting a beacon (blinking signal) round the clock all over the earth. Amateur frequency bands will be used for communication so that the 'beacon' can be tracked by amateur HAM (radio operators) around the world.
In fact HAM operators in Japan and the US have already received signals from Jugnu, according to sources in IIT-Kanpur. Messages sent to the satellite from a ground station are "uplinked," while those transmitted from the satellite to Earth are "downlinked." Jugnu operates on 3.5 watts of power and is expected to have a year-long life.
Jugnu will conduct remote sensing to map land use and cover, agriculture, soils, forestry, city planning, archaeological investigations, etc. Jugnu is powered by rechargeable batteries relying on solar panels, provided by ISRO, but the charging circuitry was fabricated by IIT-Kanpur, Vyas said. Normally it takes two hours to fully charge such a battery, lasting from a few hours to a few days, depending on the number of operations attempted for the payloads.
"The primary purpose of Jugnu is to demonstrate to the world as well as to ourselves that we are quite capable of doing this," concluded Chintalagiri.
ISRO launches satellite to probe monsoon and tropical climate
In an effort to understand and study the complex sciences behind the monsoons, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday launched Megha Tropiques, a satellite designed and developed by scientists of India and France. The Rs90 crore satellite, weighing 865 kg was injected into an orbit 886 km away from the earth by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV),ISRO’s trusted workhorse.
Three nano satellites built by SRM University, Chennai, IIT Kanpur and LuxSpace of Luxembourg were also placed into the pre-determined orbits by the four-stage launch vehicle.
Dr K Radhakrishnan, chairman, ISRO, declared the launch a grand success. “The PSLV-C18 has beena grand success. We put all the four satellitesprecisely into thepre-determined orbits,” he announcedimmediately after the launch vehicle was blasted off from the Satish Dhavan Space Centre, Sriharikotta, India’s gateway to the space.
What is unique about the Megha Tropiques is that it will probe the hitherto unexplored aspects of the Monsoon and the tropical climate. “We hope we will be able to make noteworthy changes in the short term and medium range weather forecasts, especially the Monsoon,” Dr Shylesh Naik, secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, told DNA from the Master Control Centre at SDSC. He said a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting would work on the data provided by the Megha Tropiques.
Dr Kasturi Rangan, member Planning Commission and former ISRO boss, who first initiated the proposal to have an exclusive satellite to study the monsoon and the tropical climate said Megha Tropique marked a new era of atmospheric research. “The results will benefit the entire Indian farming operations which is dependent on monsoon. Once we succeed in forecasting the precise characters of the monsoon, the farmers will be able to plan their cropping patterns accordingly,” said Dr Radhakrishnan.
Prof Roddam Narasimha, who will lead the Indian side in pursuing and analyzing the Megha Tropiques data promised the people “exciting sciences”. A senior ISRO scientist said the data collected from Megha Tropiques would be shared with scientists of NASA (USA) and Japanese Space Agency.
“The whole world has been chasing the monsoon for quite some time but it is getting more subtle and mysterious with every passing day,” he said.
Wednesday’s PSLV- C18 mission also put into a low earth orbit three nano satellites.The SRMSAT, a 10 kg nanosatellite built by the students of Chennai based SRM University, will monitor the green house gases, carbon di oxide and the water vapourcontent in theatmosphere. Jugnu, the second nanosatellite was built by the students of IIT Kanpur.VesselSat, a satellite weighing 28.7-kg, built by LuxSpace of Luxembourg was the other passenger in the PSLV. It will be used to locate ships in distress in the high seas.
ISRO promises reliable weather forecasts
AHMEDABAD: If the weatherman says it will rain, it is going to be sunny, goes the popular perception. But, Space Application Center (SAC) at ISRO in Ahmedabad is set to change the mass opinion by giving out more accurate weather forecasts thanks to the recently-launched satellite Megha-Tropiques.
Scientists at SAC will analyze the data relayed by the satellite, making the city a resource centre for information on weather forecasting and climate change along the tropical belt across the world.
Jugnu's successful launch triggers celebrations
KANPUR: It was a historic moment for the students and teachers at IIT-Kanpur when Jugnu, a nano-satellite, was successfully launched into space from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Wednesday. The satellite has been developed by IIT-Kanpur students under the guidance of professor N S Vyas of mechanical engineering department.
At 11 am, ISRO scientists and the team which prepared Jugnu erupted in joy as the satellite was launched.
They started congratulating each other the moment Jugnu got separated from PSLV C-18 launch vehicle at 11.26 am and entered the space.
ISRO may hand over Jugnu control to IITians soon
KANPUR: The communication room of the ground station at IIT-Kanpur which is meant for monitoring and controlling the nano-satellite, Jugnu, is functional but the satellite is being controlled by Indian Space Research Organisation's Bangalore centre at present.
Students associated with Jugnu are busy in tracking the satellite from communication room. They are sacrificing their sleep as Jugnu is visible over Kanpur between 12 midnight and 7 am. It is expected that in the next three days, the students would receive the control from ISRO and then it would be monitored from ground station itself.
GSLV flight with indigenous engine likely in 2012: ISRO
SRIHARIKOTA: The next flight of the geostationary launch vehicle(GSLV) with indigenous cryogenic engine is likely in the second quarter of next year, ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said here on Wednesday.
"We have a major task ahead of us... development and perfection of indigenous cryogenic stage. We are making good progress and we plan to have the next flight of GSLV with indigenous cryogenic engine in the second quarter of 2012," the ISRO chief said.
Before the GSLV launch, ISRO plans to have two more missions of PSLV, Radhakrishnan said after the successful launch of Indo-French satellite Mega-Tropiques and three nano satellites from here. "..we plan to have two more missions of PSLV. One, for launching India's first microwave remote sensing satellite and the other a joint mission of India and France to look at the oceans," he said.
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-10-13/news/30275294_1_gslv-indigenous-cryogenic-heavier-communication-satellitesParliamentary team visits ISRO
BANGALORE, OCT. 19:
A ten-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment and Forests visited the Department of Space headquarters and its satellite assembly facilities on Tuesday, an ISRO release said.
Dr T.Subbarami Reddy, Standing Committee Chairman, was accompanied by three members of the Rajya Sabha and six members of the Lok Sabha.
At ISITE (ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment) the committee members were shown communication satellites GSAT-6, GSAT-7 and GSAT-14 and the meteorology satellite INSAT-3D. The spacecraft are in various stages of fabrication and testing. The team also went around the Compact Antenna Test Facility and the Comprehensive Assembly and Test Vacuum Chamber facilities.
ISRO officials apprised the team of the progress made in space technology and its benefits to the country. It also made a detailed presentation on the activities related to communication satellites, navigation satellites, remote sensing satellites, small satellites and the space science missions undertaken at the ISRO Satellite Centre.
The members inquired about drought monitoring, flood relief, glacier inventory, weather forecasting and prediction of earthquakes.
Dr Reddy in his remarks congratulated ISRO on its achievements, the latest being the launch of Megha-Tropiques and three small satellites on the PSLV-C18 rocket, the release said.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/government-and-policy/article2552315.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economySunday, October 23, 2011
All Satellites
Satellite
|
Launch Date
|
Launch Vehicle
|
Type of Satellite
|
| Jugnu |
12.10.2011
|
PSLV-C18
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| SRMSat |
12.10.2011
|
PSLV-C18
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| Megha-Tropiques |
12.10.2011
|
PSLV-C18
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| GSAT-12 |
15.07.2011
|
PSLV-C17
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| GSAT-8 |
21.05.2011
|
Ariane-5
VA-202 | Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| RESOURCESAT-2 |
20.04.2011
|
PSLV-C16
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| YOUTHSAT |
20.04.2011
|
PSLV-C16
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| GSAT-5P |
25.12.2010
|
GSLV-F06
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| STUDSAT |
12.07.2010
|
PSLV-C15
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| CARTOSAT-2B |
12.07.2010
|
PSLV-C15
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| GSAT-4 |
15.04.2010
|
GSLV-D3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Oceansat-2 |
23.09.2009
|
PSLV-C14
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| ANUSAT |
20.04.2009
|
PSLV-C12
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| RISAT-2 | 20.04.2009 |
PSLV-C12
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Chandrayaan-1 |
22.10.2008
|
PSLV-C11
| Space Mission |
| CARTOSAT - 2A |
28.04.2008
|
PSLV-C9
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| IMS-1 |
28.04.2008
|
PSLV-C9
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-4B |
12.03.2007
|
Ariane-5ECA
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| CARTOSAT - 2 |
10.01.2007
|
PSLV-C7
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| SRE - 1 |
10.01.2007
|
PSLV-C7
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| INSAT-4CR |
02.09.2007
|
GSLV-F04
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-4C |
10.07.2006
|
GSLV-F02
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-4A |
22.12.2005
|
Ariane-5GS
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| HAMSAT |
05.05.2005
|
PSLV-C6
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| CARTOSAT-1 |
05.05.2005
|
PSLV-C6
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| EDUSAT (GSAT-3) |
20.09.2004
|
GSLV-F01
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Resourcesat-1(IRS-P6) |
17.10.2003
|
PSLV-C5
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-3A |
10.04.2003
|
Ariane-5G
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-3E |
28.09.2003
|
Ariane-5G
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| GSAT-2 |
08.05.2003
|
GSLV-D2
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| KALPANA-1(METSAT) |
12.09.2002
|
PSLV-C4
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-3C |
24.01.2002
|
Ariane-42L H10-3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) |
22.10.2001
|
PSLV-C3
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| GSAT-1 |
18.04.2001
|
GSLV-D1
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-3B |
22.03.2000
|
Ariane-5G
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Oceansat(IRS-P4) |
26.05.1999
|
PSLV-C2
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-2E |
03.04.1999
|
Ariane-42P H10-3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-2DT |
January 1998
|
Ariane-44L H10
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| IRS-1D |
29.09.1997
|
PSLV-C1
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-2D |
04.06.1997
|
Ariane-44L H10-3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| IRS-P3 |
21.03.1996
|
PSLV-D3
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| IRS-1C |
28.12.1995
|
Molniya
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-2C |
07.12.1995
|
Ariane-44L H10-3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| IRS-P2 |
15.10.1994
|
PSLV-D2
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2) |
04.05.1994
|
ASLV
| Space Mission |
| IRS-1E |
20.09.1993
|
PSLV-D1
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-2B |
23.07.1993
|
Ariane-44L H10+
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-2A |
10.07.1992
|
Ariane-44L H10
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C) |
20.05.1992
|
ASLV
| Space Mission |
| IRS-1B |
29.08.1991
|
Vostok
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-1D |
12.06.1990
|
Delta 4925
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| INSAT-1C |
21.07.1988
|
Ariane-3
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2) |
13.07.1988
|
ASLV
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| IRS-1A |
17.03.1988
|
Vostok
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1) |
24.03.1987
|
ASLV
| Space Mission |
| INSAT-1B |
30.08.1983
|
Shuttle [PAM-D]
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Rohini (RS-D2) |
17.04.1983
|
SLV-3
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| INSAT-1A |
10.04.1982
|
Delta 3910 PAM-D
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Bhaskara-II |
20.11.1981
|
C-1 Intercosmos
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE) |
19.06.1981
|
Ariane-1(V-3)
| Geo-Stationary Satellite |
| Rohini (RS-D1) |
31.05.1981
|
SLV-3
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Rohini (RS-1) |
18.07.1980
|
SLV-3
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| Rohini Technology Payload (RTP) |
10.08.1979
|
SLV-3
| Experimental / Small Satellite |
| Bhaskara-I |
07.06.1979
|
C-1 Intercosmos
| Earth Observation Satellite |
| Aryabhata |
19.04.1975
|
C-1 Intercosmos
| Experimental / Small Satellite (courtasy: isro.org) |
Experimental and Small Satellites
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Space Missions
Indian space programme encompasses research in areas like astronomy, astrophysics, planetary and earth sciences, atmospheric sciences and theoretical physics. Balloons, sounding rockets, space platforms and ground-based facilities support these research efforts. A series of sounding rockets are available for atmospheric experiments. Several scientific instruments have been flown on satellites especially to direct celestial X-ray and gamma-ray bursts.
Major space missions are Chandrayaan-l and forthcoming Megha - Tropiques. | ||
 |
Launch Date
|
22.10.2008
|
Chandrayaan-1,India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October 22, 2008 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
04.05.1994
|
Second satellite successfully orbited by ASLV. Working even four years after its launch. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
20.05.1992
|
First Indian satellite, launched into a near earth orbit on April 19, 1975, by an Intercosmos rocket of erstwhile USSR. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
24.03.1987
|
| The satellite was launched onboard the first development a flilght of ASLV. It did not reach the orbit. More.. (courtasy: isro.org) | ||
Earth Observation Satellites
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite system was commissioned with the launch of IRS-1A, in 1988. With ten satellites in operation, IRS is the largest civilian remote sensing satellite constellation in the world providing imageries in a variety of spatial resolutions, spectral bands and swaths. The data is used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, drought and flood forecasting, ocean resources and disaster management.
| ||
 | Launch Date | 12.10.2011 |
Megha-Tropiques, a Joint Indo-French Satellite Mission for studying the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropicsMore..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 20.04.2011 |
RESOURCESAT-2 the eighteenth Remote Sensing satellite built by ISRO. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 12.07.2010 |
Cartosat-2B to provide continuity of remote sensing data services to the users of multiple spot scene imageries. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 23.09.2009 |
Oceansat-2 is to provide continuity of operational services of Oceansat (IRS-P4) with enhanced application potential. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 20.04.2009 |
Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-2) is capable of taking earth images in all weather. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
28.04.2008
|
IMS-1, previously referred to as TWSat (Third World Satellite), is a low-cost microsatellite imaging mission of ISRO. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 28.04.2008 |
CARTOSAT - 2A is the thirteenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite series (IRS). More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 10.01.2007 |
The 680 kg CARTOSAT-2, launched by PSLV-C7 on January 10, 2007, is the twelfth in the Indian Remote Sensing. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 05.05.2005 |
CARTOSAT - 1 is the first Indian Remote Sensing Satellite capable of providing in-orbit stereo images. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 17.10.2003 |
RESOURCESAT-1 is the tenth satellite of ISRO in IRS series, intended to not only continue the remote sensing More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 26.05.1999 |
The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES), weighing 1108 kg, was launched on October 22,2001. More..
| ||
 | Launch Date | 26.05.1999 |
"IRS - P4 had an entirely different mission, and its primarily usage was to study the oceans. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
29.09.1997
|
IRS - 1D was launched on September 29, 1997 by PSLV - C1. IRS - 1D, a follow on satellite More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
21.03.1996
|
Remote sensing of earth's natural resources Study of X-ray Astronomy Periodic calibration More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
28.12.1995
|
IRS-1C is India's second generation operational Remote Sensing Satellite. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
15.10.1994
|
First Spacecraft successfully orbited onboard the second developmental flight of PSLV. More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
20.09.1993
|
The mission was not realised due to problems faced by Launch Vehicle. It was the first More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
29.08.1991
|
Improved features compared to its predecessor : gyro referencing for better orientation sensing More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
13.07.1988
|
Carried remote sensing payload of German space agency in addition to Gamma Ray More..
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 |
Launch Date
|
17.03.1988
|
The First Opetaional Remote Sensing Satellite of India. More..
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 |
Launch Date
|
17.04.1983
|
Experimental remote sensing satellite launched by SLV-3 More..
| ||
 |
Launch Date
|
20.11.1981
|
Second experimental remote sensing satellite similar to Bhaskara-1. Provided experience More..
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Launch Date
|
31.05.1981
|
Experimental remote sensing satellite carrying Landmark Tracker payload More..
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 |
Launch Date
|
07.06.1979
|
The First Experimental Remote Sensing Satellite built More..
(courtasy: isro.org)
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