Assignment No: 1
Introduction:
Indian Space Research Organization, also termed ISRO is the space agency of India. ISRO is one of the six largest space agencies in the world doing a lot of progress in both vehicle and satellite technology. ISRO's primary objective is to advance Space Technology and use its applications for national benefit. Established in 1969, ISRO superseded Indian National Committee for Space Research( INCOSPAR ). It is under the supervision of Department of Space, Government of India.It is headquartered at Bangalore. ISRO has achieved numerous milestones since its establishment. India's first satellite, Aryabhata, was built by ISRO and launched by the Soviet Union in 1975. Rohini, the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3, was launched in 1980. ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for putting satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits. These rockets have launched numerous communications satellites, earth observation satellites, and, in 2008, Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the Moon. Over the years, ISRO has conducted a variety of operations for both Indian and foreign clients. ISRO's satellite launch capability is mostly provided by indigenous launch vehicles and launch sites. In 2008, ISRO successfully launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, while future plans include indigenous development of GSLV, manned space missions, further lunar exploration, mars exploration and interplanetary probes. ISRO has several field installations as assets, and cooperates with the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral agreements.
History:
Indian space science dates back to the Vedas written around 2000 B.C. Though astronomy of that time was based on spiritual belief's, it became more scientific during the start of first century A.D.Indian astronomers recognized that the stars are the same as the Sun, only farther away which implies that the night sky is full of suns, and that when our Sun goes below the horizon, a thousand suns take its place. This is an incredible scientific leap in thought. The Earth was at this time considered to be spherical, and various astronomers attempted to measure its circumference. In the 5th century, a great Indian astronomer and mathematician named Aryabhatta advanced this heliocentric theory and also discussed his idea that the Sun is the source of moonlight. He also studied how to forecast eclipses (see photo below). His books and others were translated into Latin in the 13th century, and profoundly influenced European mathematicians and astronomers. Several Indian scientists of the 6th century also were the first to advance the idea of gravity. They noticed that a special force keeps objects stuck to the earth, and hypothesized that the same force might be responsible for holding heavenly bodies in their place. The idea pre-dates Newton's conception of gravity by about 1100 years.
Modern space research in India is most visibly traced to the activities of scientist S. K. Mitra who conducted a series of experiments leading to the sounding of the ionosphere by application of ground based radio methods in 1920's Calcutta. Later, Indian scientists like C.V. Raman and Meghnad Saha contributed to scientific
The
Space
Commission
formulates
the
policies
and
oversees
the
implementation of the Indian space program to promote the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefit of the country. DOS implements these programs through, mainly Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), North Eastern-Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC) and Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL). The Antrix Corporation, established in 1992 as a government owned company, markets the space products and services. After the setting of Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) by the Department of Atomic Energy, work on establishing Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) began. From then, ISRO has grown into a big tree frequently sending Rockets and Satellites into the space.
Milestones:
ISRO is both good in Launch Vehicle Technology and Satellite Technology. Profoundly ISRO has developed its technology with help from Russia and USA. India made its first account in space by sending sounding rocket that was launched from TERLS( Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Site ) perform scientific experiments during the sub-orbital flight. in November 21, 1963.A Sounding Rocket is a research rocket that carries instruments to
In
1965,
Space
Science
&
Technology
Centre
(SSTC)
was
established in Thumba. In 1967, Satellite Telecommunication Earth Station was set up at Ahmedabad to monitor the satellites of India. Feb 2, 1968 saw the dedication of TERLS to United Nations. The independence day, the Aug 15, 1969 saw the dawn of new era in Indian space Technology with the formation of Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO ) under the Department of Atomic Energy.
Space Commission and Department of Space was set up (June 1, 1972). ISRO was brought under DOS. From 1972-76, ISRO conducted experiments on Air-borne Remote sensing. After becoming a government organization in April 1, 1975, ISRO launched its first satellite, Aryabhata named after a famous Mathematician and Astronomer. The payload was 360kg and was used for scientific experiments. It was launched from Volgograd Launch Station, Russia. It had an Orbital life of around 17 years. From 1975-76, experiments were conducted on Satellite
Instructional Television.(SITE). In 1977, Satellite Telecommunication Experiments Project (STEP) was carried out to enhance communication within India. In 1979, another satellite named Bhaskara-I was launched for the purpose of Remote Sensing. First experimental launch vehicle, SLV-3 with payload Rohini satellite was tested. The rocket could'nt place the satellite into orbit. But ISRO was partially successful. Rohini Technology Payload was launched again from Indian made
In 1993, first developmental launch of PSLV with IRS-1E failed to place the satellite into orbit. But INSAT-2B was launched from French Guyana. In 1994, ISRO successfully launched PSLV with IRS-P2 onboard into polar synchronous orbit. Also fourth developmental launch of ASLV with SROSS-C2 was done perfectly. In 1995, IRS-1C and INSAT-2C were placed into orbit for remote sensing and telecommunication purposes respectively. In 1996 and 1997, PSLV rockets were used to place IRS-P3 and IRS-1D into orbit. In 1999, PSLV-C2 launched OCEANSAT along with korean satellite KITSAT-3 and German satellite DLR-TUBSAT into orbit from Sriharikota. INSAT-2E was launched into space by Arian from French Guyana. Also Arian placed INSAT-3B into space in 2000. In 2001, ISRO launched PSLV-C3 with satellites TES, BIRD and PROBA and placed them into correct orbits. In 2002, PSLV-C4 placed KALPANA-1 satellite into orbit. The satellite was named after Indian born American Astronaut Dr. Kalpana Chawla. The satellite is exclusively for meteorological purposes. Ariane launched INSAT-3C and INSAT-3A and INSAT-3E into space in 2002 and 2003 respectively. In 2003, ISRO used PSLV-C5 to place RESOURCESAT-1(IRS-P6) from Sriharikota. Also GSLV-D2 placed GSAT-2 into orbit which is a heavy payload. From 2004 to 2013, a lot of satellites both Indian and non-Indian were launched using PSLV and GSLV. Some of the Indian satellites were also launched by Ariane.
Launch Vehicles:
ISRO through lot of experiments and research has created a series of launch vehicles. Launch vehicle technology of ISRO was proved by SLV-3 which proved India its capability. It was a solid propellant rocket which can carry 40kg of payload.
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle(GSLV)-Mark I&II ,is capable of placing INSATII class of satellites (2000 2,500 kg) into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). GSLV is a three stage vehicle GSLV is 49 m tall, with 414 t lift off weight. It has a maximum diameter of 3.4 m at the payload fairing. First stage comprises S125 solid booster with four liquid (L40) strap-ons. Second stage (GS2) is liquid engine and the third stage (GS3) is a cryo stage. The vehicle develops a lift off thrust of 6573 kN. The first flight of GSLV took place from SHAR on April 18, 2001 by launching 1540 kg GSAT-1. It was followed by six more launches , GSLV-D2 on May 8, 2003 (GSAT-2 1825 kg), GSLV-F01 on September 20, 2004 (EDUSAT 1950 kg), GSLVF02 on July 10, 2006, GSLV-F04 on September 2, 2007 (INSAT-4CR 2130 kg), GSLV-D3 on April 15, 2010 and GSLV-F06 on December 25, 2010.
Satellites:
For the past four decades, ISRO has launched 70 satellites for various scientific and technological applications like mobile communications, Direct-toHome services, meteorological observations, telemedicine, tele-education, disaster warning, radio networking, search and rescue operations, remote sensing and scientific studies of the space. ISRO has established two major space systems, the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) series for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services which is Geo-Stationary Satellites, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management which is Earth Observation Satellites. ISRO has launched many Experimental Satellites which are generally small comparing to INSAT or IRS, Space Missions to explore the space and Navigation Satellite to provide accurate position information service to users. The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system which are placed in Geo-stationary orbits is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1983 with commissioning of INSAT-1B, it initiated a major revolution in Indias communications sector and sustained the same later.
Payload Development, Orbit Controls, recovery technology etc. ANUSAT is one of the satellites launched in this category.
ANUSAT (Anna University Satellite) is the first satellite built by an Indian University under the over all guidance of ISRO and will demonstrate the technologies related to message store and forward operations. 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.
Chandrayaan-1:
Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October 22, 2008 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The spacecraft was orbiting around the Moon at a height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic mapping of the Moon. The spacecraft carries 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria. After the successful completion of all the major mission objectives, the orbit has been raised to 200 km during May 2009. Chandrayaan-1, Indias first mission to Moon, was launched with the prime objective of finding traces of water on the lunar surface besides mapping minerals and chemicals on the Moon. Towards this, a host of sophisticated instruments were included in Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, like Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and HyperSpectral Imager (HySI) from ISRO as well as Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) and Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) through NASA to collect relevant data from the lunar surface. During the mission, excellent quality of data from all these instruments has been obtained. While M3 has covered nearly 97% of the lunar surface,
Ground Facilities:
India has established a strong infrastructure for executing its space program. They include facilities for the development of satellites and launch vehicles and their testing; launch infrastructure for sounding rockets and satellite launch vehicles; telemetry, tracking and command network; data reception and processing systems for remote sensing. A number of academic and research institutions as well as industries participate in the Indian Space Programme. Several Indian industries have the expertise to undertake sophisticated jobs required for space systems. SDSC SHAR has the necessary infrastructure for launching satellite into low earth orbit, polar orbit and geostationary transfer orbit. The launch complexes provide complete support for vehicle assembly, fuelling, checkout and launch operations. Apart from these, it has facilities for launching sounding rockets meant for studying the earth's atmosphere. First Launch Pad The individual stages of PSLV or GSLV, their subsystems and the spacecraft are prepared and checked out in separate facilities before they are sent to launch pad for integration A-76-meter tall mobile service tower (MST) facilitates the vertical integration of the vehicle. The foldable working platforms of MST provide access to the vehicle at various elevations. A massive launch pedestal, made up of steel plates, acts as the base on which the vehicle is integrated.
The spacecraft is integrated to the vehicle in a clean room, set up inside the MST. However, in the case of GSLV, the spacecraft is interfaced with the payload adopter and then encapsulated in the heat shield in the preparation facility itself. The encapsulated assembly is moved to the launch pad for integrating with the 3rd stage of GSLV. The umbilical tower houses the feed lines for liquid propellants and high-pressure gases, checkout cables, and chilled air duct for supplying cool air to the satellite and equipment bay.Second Launch Pad: In order to provide redundant facilities for launching the operational PSLVs and GSLVs and also to have quick turn around time for launch, an additional launch pad with associated facilities was constructed. It was designed to accommodate, both the present PSLVs and GSLVs, and also the future launch vehicle configurations such as GSLV-MkIII. As per the integrate, transfer and launch (ITL) concept,based on which the new launch pad and the associated facilities are designed, the entire vehicle is assembled and checked-out on a mobile pedestal in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and then moved in vertical position to the launch pad on a roll track. Other facilities include, Solid Stage Assembly Building (SSAB) connected to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) by a rail track, Technical Complex-2 (TC2), Spacecraft Preparation Facility, Range Instrumentation facilities comprising tracking, telemetry and tele-command systems. ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) provides mission support to low-earth orbit satellites as well as launch vehicle missions. ISTRAC has its headquarters and a multi-mission Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore. It has a network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Sriharikota, Port Blair and Thiruvananthapuram in India besides stations at Mauritius, Bearslake (Russia), Brunei and Biak (Indonesia). ISTRAC activities are organized into network operations, network augmentation, mission operation and spacecraft health monitoring, communications and computers and control centre facilities and development projects. Programme planning and reliability groups support ISTRAC activities. The Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), commissioned during the year 2008, at Byalalu village near Bangalore forms the Ground segment for providing
The Aerial facility has two Beechcraft aircraft to acquire data utilizing various sensors like Aerial cameras, Laser instrument, Synthetic aperture radar and Magnetometer. The aerial facility has carried out number of studies for mapping and infrastructure planning for towns and cities, Cadastral surveys, canal alignment for interlinking of rivers, Digital elevation model (DEM) applications , Mineral targeting etc., It has also carried out international projects in Maldives & Emirates of Dubai. The Decision Support Centre (DSC) is a single window information provider on major natural disasters like Floods, Agricultural Drought, Forest fires, Cyclones, Earthquakes and Landslides. It provides near real time information to State
map/monitor/survey/manage various natural resources of the country under National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) programs. Funded by various user ministries and ISRO/DOS, these programmes have been generating valuable spatial data assets and information solutions. Several areas of application such as Agriculture, Soil, Bio-resources and Environment, Ocean Resources, Water Resources, Rural Development, Urban Development, and Disaster Management etc., which are of direct relevance to the nation are executed by ISRO/DOS centers like National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Space Application Centre (SAC), Regional Remote Sensing Centers (RRSCs), North Eastern - Space Application Centre (NE - SAC) and State Remote Sensing Centers and State/Central Agencies. These centers have sophisticated computer facilities for image analysis and GIS to cater to the users needs and participate actively in areas like disaster management, software development, agro-climatic planning, national drinking water mission, national resources census, large scale mapping, etc, besides taking up projects for various ministries and departments.
Future Missions:
ISRO has planned a lot of missions for the future. Some of which are are follows. Some of the forthcoming satellites are as follows: ASTROSAT: The ASTROSAT project is aimed at design, development, fabrication and launch of an astronomical observatory for studies of cosmic sources. ASTROSAT is envisaged to be a National Observatory which will be available for
processes of Mars upper atmosphere through Deuterium/HydrogenMethane Sensor for MARS (MSM)Detect presence of MethaneMartian Exospheric Composition Explorer (MENCA)Study the neutral composition of the Martian upper atmosphereMARS Colour Camera (MCC)Optical imagingTIR imaging spectrometer (TIS)Map surface composition and mineralogy Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-II): SRE-2 Project was formed with the main objective of realizing a fully recoverable capsule and to provide a platform to conduct micro-gravity experiments. SRE capsule has four major hardware, namely, Aero Thermo-structure (ATS), Spacecraft platform, deceleration and floatation system and payloads. The main objective of SRE II is to realize a fully recoverable capsule and provide a platform to conduct microgravity experiments on Micro-biology, Agriculture, Powder Metallurgy, etc. SRE-2 is proposed to be launched onboard PSLV. Chandrayaan-2: Chandrayaan-2 will be an Indo-Russian Mission. It is an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission to Moon. ISROs capability to soft-land on the lunar surface will be demonstrated with this mission. Chandrayaan-2 is configured as a two module system comprising of an Orbiter Craft module (OC) and a Lander Craft module (LC) carrying the Rover developed by ISRO. Both the modules are interfaced mechanically by an inter module adapter. The Orbiter Craft with payloads onboard will orbit around the moon and perform the objectives of remote sensing the moon. The payloads on the orbiter will conduct mineralogical and elemental studies of the Moons surface. The Lander Craft with scientific payloads will soft land on the lunar surface at a predetermined location on the lunar surface. Payloads for Lander are under finalization. The Rover is released by the Lander Craft and has the mission objective of performing