[🇮🇳] India's Space Program

[Saif]

Date of Event: Dec 25, 2024 Source : https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/sci-tech/indias-push-for-home-grown-satellite-constellation-gets-30-aspirants

India’s push for home-grown satellite constellation gets 30 aspirants
REUTERS
Published :
Dec 24, 2024 21:39
Updated :
Dec 24, 2024 21:39

A satellite model is placed on a picture of Earth in this illustration taken November 25, 2024. Photo : REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Files

Thirty Indian companies have answered the space regulator’s call to build and operate constellations of Earth observation (EO) satellites in a groundbreaking private-public partnership to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign data for defense, infrastructure management and other critical mapping needs.

“We have received 9 applications ... Each applicant represents a consortium, involving a total of 30 companies,” said Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, or IN-SPACe.

The regulator had sought “expressions of interest” (EoI) in July to build home-grown satellite constellations as part of a broader strategy to monetize the sector and ensure data sovereignty.

India is doubling down on its small satellite and data services market to carve out a leading role in the global commercialization of space. The market for such services, increasingly key for industries ranging from telecoms to climate monitoring, is projected to reach $45 billion by 2030, opens new tab.

The applicants for IN-SPACe’s latest effort in this regard include startups such as Google-backed Pixxel and Baring Private Equity-backed SatSure, as well as larger entities like Tata Group’s Tata Advanced Systems. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Goenka said he expects technical evaluations to be completed by the end of January, after which a tender will be floated to determine the winning bidder.

IN-SPACe’s eligibility criteria include applicants raising or investing at least 850 million rupees ($10 million) in space-related activities, having a valuation of 8.5 billion rupees, or a turnover of 2 billion rupees in the past three years.

They must also set up spacecraft control centres in India or partner with ground station service providers for operational needs.

The government plans to loan up to 3.5 billion to the winner, with private companies expected to cover the remaining costs, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Since opening the sector to private players in February, India has established a 10-billion-rupee venture fund to support space startups.

The country has also unveiled ambitious plans for crewed space exploration and a mission to Venus, but the primary focus remains on fostering commercial ventures and scaling up private sector participation.

India currently sources much of its EO data from foreign companies and agencies like the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

IIFCL Projects Ltd, an advisory arm under the Ministry of Finance, is overseeing the bidding process.​

 

[Dogun18]

V @Vsdoc @Krishna with Flute @Sharma Ji

 

[Krishna with Flute]

ISRO is steadily marching ahead. India already has regional constellation in form of GAGAN , a 7 satellites Constellation . Not at all difficult to have our own constellation. With GSLV MK 3 , a dozen of satellites can be launched in one go.

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Explained: ISRO can now restart its 'CE20' Cryogenic engine in space​

Story by Sidharth MP
• 2d • 4 min read

Explained: ISRO can now restart its 'CE20' Cryogenic engine in space
Recently, the Indian space agency (ISRO) successfully conducted a crucial test that will enable its largest rocket LVM3 to inject satellites into orbits at different altitudes, all in a single mission. This restart capability is made possible due to the development of a 'multi-element ignitor' that can help restart the 'CE-20' Cryogenic engine that sits atop the LVM3 rocket. During this test, both the engine and facility performance were normal, and the required engine performance parameters were achieved as anticipated, ISRO said.

As the final stage of the LVM3 rocket, it is the Cryogenic engine that is responsible for placing satellites into different designated orbits(altitudes) in space. This capability improves the operational flexibility and commercial potential of a rocket.

When ferrying multiple satellites, it is crucial to have the capability to restart the final stage engine. That way, a single rocket can place multiple satellites in different orbits in an efficient manner, thereby avoiding the need for multiple rockets and multiple launches. In this case, ISRO tested only the first element of the multi-element ignitor, while monitoring the health of the other two elements. Eventually, ISRO would be able to perform two or three re-starts of the cryogenic engine.

PSLV has done several missions where it has placed multiple satellites in different orbits. For example, in April 2019, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 47th mission (PSLV-C45), launched EMISAT, the primary satellite and 28 international customer satellites. The primary Satellite was injected into a 749 km orbit, followed by two fourth-stage restarts to achieve a 504 km orbit, where all customer satellites were injected. Subsequently, the fourth stage was restarted again to achieve a 485km orbit to serve as an orbital platform to carry out space-borne experimentation.



Also read: ISRO simulates space conditions for astronauts in 'Habitat-1'. Here's what it is

Significantly, this latest Cryogenic engine restart test was carried out using a specialised test apparatus. Typically, ISRO tests the Cryogenic engine at a High Altitude Test Facility, which simulates space-like vacuum conditions. However, the High Altitude Test is a highly sophisticated process and it has certain technical limitations.

"While the Cryogenic engine is meant to fire in space for 200-300 seconds, we are only able to test fire it for a maximum of 25 seconds at the ISRO High Altitude Test Facility. This 25 seconds is just a fraction of the engine's actual burn time. Therefore, we devised a unique method to test fire the Cryogenic engine for its actual burn time. Known as a Sea Level test, this method is typically unsuitable for testing Cryogenic engines, but we introduced some new techniques that helped us test the Cryogenic engine successfully at normal earth-like conditions," Dr. V. Narayanan, Director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre explained to WION.



We devised a Nozzle Protection System that has paved the way for a cost-effective and less complex procedure for acceptance testing of cryogenic engines.

Also read: Explained: European Space Agency to help India 'see and speak' to Gaganyaan

How ISRO launched 36 satellites using LVM3, before having re-start capability​

In October 2022 and March 2023, the LVM3 performed commercial missions for the private firm OneWeb (now Eutelsat OneWeb), launching 36 satellites during each mission. While ISRO had not developed the Cryogenic engine re-start technology back then, ISRO made use of Cold Gas thrusters to deftly move the Cryogenic stage of the rocket to safely place all satellites in their respective slots.

"The remaining liquid hydrogen in the Cryogenic fuel tank was used to manoeuvre the upper stage in a manner in which we could eject all 36 satellites in their designated orbital slots. This is known as a cold gas thruster because there is no fuel burning involved. This method provides small amounts of thrust that can help achieve minor variations in the orbit and attitude(orientation) of the rocket stage. This is used in some satellites as well, due to its safe and simple operation," Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre explained to WION.


So far, only the SSLV(smallest rocket) and PSLV(workhorse rocket) had the upper stage re-start capability. Now, the LVM3 also has this capability and it goes on to further enhance the commercial potential of our largest rocket, he added.

About the 'CE 20' Cryogenic engine​

A cryogenic engine is among the most efficient and complex rocket propulsion systems. Cryogenic engines typically make use of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2). The former liquefies at -183 degrees Celsius, the latter liquifies at -253 degree Celsius. The complex storage requirements for these super-cooled propellants make cryogenic engines more challenging to design and operate compared to conventional engines.

Also read: India's space agency ISRO launches Proba-3 mission satellites

The indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of ISRO is powering the upper stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle and has been qualified to operate at a thrust level of 19 tonnes.


This engine has successfully powered the upper stage of six LVM3 missions so far. Recently, the engine was qualified for the Gaganyaan mission with a thrust level of 20 tonnes and also to an upgrated thrust level of 22 tonnes for the future C32 stage, towards enhancing the payload capability of the LVM3 launch vehicle.

MSN

 

[Krishna with Flute]

ISRO To Launch Its SpaDeX Mission From Sriharikota On December 30​

20h • 2 min read

ISRO To Launch Its SpaDeX Mission From Sriharikota On December 30
New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its year-end mission, "Space Docking Experiment" (SpaDeX), on Monday at 9:58 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota. The mission will use PSLV-C60.

About The SpaDeX Mission

As per the ISRO, the primary objective of the SpaDeX mission is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit.




"In addition, SpaDeX, because of its small size and mass, is even more challenging due to the finer precision required for the rendezvous and docking maneuvers compared to docking two large spacecraft. This mission will be a forerunner for autonomous docking needed for future lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4 without the support of GNSS from Earth," ISRO said in a statement.

Who Was Vikram Sarabhai? Know All About The Man Behind Indian Space Programme, ISRO

Like all ISRO satellites in low-Earth orbit, both the SpaDeX spacecraft carry a differential GNSS-based Satellite Positioning System (SPS), which provides PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing) solutions for the satellites.

"In SpaDeX, a novel RODP processor is included in the SPS receiver, which allows accurate determination of the relative position and velocity of the Chaser and the Target. By subtracting the carrier phase measurements from the same GNSS satellites in both Chaser and Target SPS receivers, highly accurate relative states of the two satellites are determined. The VHF/UHF transceivers in both satellites aid this process by transferring the GNSS satellite measurements from one satellite to the other. Hardware and software test beds, including closed-loop verifications, were carried out to characterise the RODP performance," the statement said.


Related video: ISRO’s SpaDEX Mission: ISRO’s Space docking mission set for groundbreaking launch (The Economic Times)

 

[Saif]

India successfully launches its first space docking mission

The mission, christened SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment), is a pioneering mission to establish India's capability in orbital docking, a key technology for future human spaceflight, bringing back lunar soil and landing a manned mission on the moon and set up a space station, the national space...

www.thedailystar.net

India successfully launches its first space docking mission

Photo: Courtesy/ISRO

India tonight successfully launched a critical space mission aimed at demonstrating for the first time its ability to join two satellites in space. If successful, this feat would make India the fourth country to possess the technology after the US, Russia, and China.

The mission, christened SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment), is a pioneering mission to establish India's capability in orbital docking, a key technology for future human spaceflight, bringing back lunar soil and landing a manned mission on the moon and set up a space station, the national space agency said.

"PSLV-C60 successfully launches SpaDeX and 24 payloads," Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh tweeted on the microblogging site of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) after the rocket's liftoff from Sriharikota space port in Andhra Pradesh, about 110km from Chennai, at around 10:00pm local time.

Four minutes later, Singh announced "successful separation of SpaDeX satellites" and said it "marks another milestone in India's space journey."

SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of in-space docking using two small spacecraft.

The Spadex mission will see two satellites Chaser and Target align in the same orbit, reduce distance between each other, join and transfer electrical power between them, and then separate. After they separate, payloads on board both the satellites will continue to function for two years.

This technology is essential for India's space ambitions such as Indian on the moon, bringing back sample of soil from moon, the building and operation of India's space station.

In-space docking technology is also essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives.

Through today's mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology after the US, Russia and China, according to ISRO​

 

[Saif]

ISRO says it germinated seed in microgravity conditions in spacecraft

The cowpea seeds were sent on the PS-4 Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4) mission on December 30 and have germinated in the near zero-gravity conditions in just four days and enclosed the surroundings of space

www.thedailystar.net

ISRO says it germinated seed in microgravity conditions in spacecraft

Photo: ISRO

India's space agency today said it has successfully germinated cowpea seeds in microgravity conditions in a craft sent to space.

The cowpea seeds were sent on the PS-4 Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4) mission on December 30 and have germinated in the near zero-gravity conditions in just four days and enclosed the surroundings of space.

The experiment demonstrated progress in understanding how plants grow in space conditions, the Indian Space Research Organisation tweeted.

"Life sprouts in space! VSSC's CROPS (Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies) experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon," said #ISRO #BiologyInSpace.

ISRO Chairman S Somnath told NDTV that the cowpea germination is a maiden attempt to try and understand how life works in space.

The POEM module is carrying two other live biology experiments that will try to grow spinach cells and gut bacteria.

The research involved eight cowpea seeds placed in a regulated closed-box setting with precise temperature control, establishing essential groundwork for agricultural studies beyond the earth, ISRO said.

The system includes high-definition cameras, sensors for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, humidity detectors, temperature monitors and soil moisture measuring devices.

The germination of cowpea seeds offers significant potential for future space expeditions, particularly for extended missions and establishing human settlements on other celestial bodies.​