Индийский космос

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https://ria.ru/science/20170605/1495862724.html

Индия вывела на орбиту спутник GSAT-19
НЬЮ-ДЕЛИ, 5 июн— РИА Новости, Инсаф Басиров. Индийская организация космических исследований (ISRO) в понедельник успешно вывела на орбиту коммуникационный спутник GSAT-19 при помощи ракеты увеличенной грузоподъемности с криогенной ступенью индийского производства.
Ракета со спутником GSAT-19 массой почти 3,2 тонны стартовала около 17.28 (14.58 мск) с космодрома космического центра имени Сатиша Дхавана на острове Шрихарикота, штат Андхра-Прадеш. Спутник выведен на геопереходную орбиту. Помимо коммуникационного оборудования, на спутнике имеется радиационный спектрометр, при помощи которого будет отслуживаться и изучаться влияние космического излучения на спутники и электрооборудование.
"Мы смогли успешно вывести спутник на орбиту, и я использую эту возможность, чтобы поздравить всю команду, которая неустанно работала несколько десятилетий и, в частности, с 2012 года над этой программой. Большой успех с первой попытки — GSLV Mk III успешно вывела GSAT-19, спутник нового поколения на орбиту", — заявил директор ISRO Киран Кумар после запуска. Трансляция пуска велась в прямом эфире на сайте Индийской организации космических исследований.
Ракета разработана в рамках программы ISRO по увеличению грузоподъемности индийских ракет-носителей. Сейчас ракеты серии GSLV способны вывести на геостационарную орбиту спутники массой около 2,5 тонны. На ракете будет применена криогенная ступень индийской разработки. В феврале текущего года на ракете этой серии уже была испытана криогенная ступень индийского производства.
Изначально пуск планировалось осуществить в мае, но затем сроки были перенесены на июнь. Одной из ключевых особенностей сегодняшнего пуска стал тот факт, что ракеты с увеличенной грузоподъемностью открывают Индии возможность для запуска программ пилотируемых полетов. Тем не менее ранее директор ISRO Киран Кумар заявлял, что хотя ракета типа GSLV-Mk III может "теоретически" использоваться для пилотируемых миссий, пока ISRO не получит окончательного одобрения правительства этой программы, она не будет начинать работу по пилотируемой миссии.
Премьер-министр Нарендра Моди поздравил ученых с успешным завершением миссии.
"Миссия GSLV – MKIII D1/GSAT-19 приблизила Индию к новому поколению ракет-носителей и возможностей наших спутников. Нация гордится!", — написал Моди в своем аккаунте в Twitter.
ISRO планирует в течение года провести еще один запуск данной модели ракеты, на основании результатов которых ISRO будет работать над тем, чтобы перейти к их регулярному использованию. Успешное начало эксплуатации новой ракеты-носителя позволит Индии избавиться от зависимости от других стран при запуске на орбиту грузов, масса которых превышает 2,5 тонны.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/isro-sets-focus-on-pslv-c38-launch-by-june-28/articleshowprint/59058560.cms

Printed from

Isro sets focus on PSLV-C38 launch by June 28

TNN | Jun 8, 2017, 11.17 PM IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the historic launch of the 640 ton, first developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) -Mark III (D1) on June 5, the team of scientists from Isro centres here have set their target to launch its second developmental flight GSLV-Mark III -D2 by Jan 2018 with more payload and higher thrust. Ahead of that, two more GSLV launches and three more PSLV launches are planned including the latest PSLV -C38 on June 28.

...

"The second developmental flight of GSLV-Mk III D2 launch planned in Jan 2018 will have a lift off mass more than 640 ton. Improvisation in vehicle systems is targeted to achieve 500kg more payload than in the D1 launch. The liquid propellant L110 stage will operate at 6 per cent extra thrust throughout the flight duration in the upcoming D2 launch, compared to D1," GSLV MK III Vehicle director J Jayaprakash told TOI.

On the upcoming launches, he said "Before Jan 2018, we are targeting two more GSLVs and three more PSLV launches including the PSLV-C38 planned on June 28".

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) director S Somnath told TOI that the GSV MKIII D1 launch with its human-rated benign features was equipped with a fully indigenous cryogenic engine of 20 ton thrust with 28 ton propellant loading. The cryogenic engine used in this launch has 2.5 times more thrust than the previous cryogenic engine with 12 ton thrust. In the second development flight of GSLV -MK III D2, the systems will be improvised further with higher thrust.

[АниКей]

Селфи-съемка ракеты-монстра восхитила Индию                
                  
                                  
                                          
 Жители Индии восхищены селфи-съемкой самой тяжелой ракеты страны, сообщает «Би-би-си». Бортовая видеосъемка с 640-тонной ракеты-монстра, самой большой в Индии, получила широкое распространение. Первоначально ролик опубликовала Индийская организация космических исследований.
 
 
 © ISRO
 
 
 ISRO часто делится видео о своих миссий. Индийский марсианский орбитальный аппарат имеет свой собственный аккаунт в «Твиттере» и регулярно размещает в нем фотографии Красной планеты.
 Последняя индийская ракета GSLV Mk III-D1 стартовала с площадки в Бенгальском заливе в Шрихарикоте в понедельник.
 

GSLV Mk III-D1/GSAT-19 Mission Galleryhttps://t.co/Svnu5Qan4l pic.twitter.com/FeMSaLpPc5
 — ISRO (@isro) June 5, 2017

Ракета, которую равна по весу 200 слонам или 5 лайнерам, снизит зависимость ISRO от европейского космического транспорта для запуска тяжелых спутников. Она может доставлять груз весом более 3 тонн на высокорасположенную орбиту.
 Эксперты говорят, что ракета даст Индии больше гибкости при запуске различных видов спутников. Но сейчас индийцы просто пребывают в экстазе от того, что ракета делает селфи.

Селфи-съемка ракеты-монстра восхитила Индию

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http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isro-set-to-launch-back-up-satellite/article19090004.ece

ISRO set to launch back-up satellite

T. Nandakumar

Thiruvananthapuram, June 16, 2017 22:35 IST Updated: June 16, 2017 22:46 IST

IRNSS-1A has been hobbled by failure of atomic clocks on board

In an attempt to keep India's regional navigation satellite system fully operational, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch a back-up for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation, that has been hobbled by the failure of the atomic clocks on board.

The PSLV C39 mission, scheduled for late July or early August, will carry the new satellite named IRNSS-1H into orbit, K. Sivan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, told The Hindu.

Спойлер

A priority

Replacing IRNSS-1A became a priority for the ISRO after it was confirmed in January this year that all the three rubidium atomic clocks on board had stopped functioning. The space agency had decided on launching one of the two spare satellites after initial efforts to restart the clocks failed.

First of seven

IRNSS-1A is the first of the seven satellites comprising the Navigation Indian Constellation (NavIC), a multi-purpose satellite-based positioning system, envisaged as India's alternative to the American GPS. NavIC has been designed to support vehicle tracking, fleet management, disaster management and mapping services besides terrestrial, marine and aerial navigation for India and its neighbourhood.

The system became operational in 2016 after the seventh satellite in the series was placed in orbit.

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[zandr]

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/34257/

Индия запускает военную космическую программу

 Индия в ближайшее время готовится запустить в космос военный спутник собственного производства, сообщает Life.
Западные аналитики не исключают, что Индия может создать противоспутниковое оружие, однако власти страны уверяют, что собираются использовать космос исключительно в мирных целях.
По словам экспертов, наличие возможности для запуска противоспутникового оружия может стать козырем Индии в международных переговорах.
А.Ж.

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Проблемы с атомными часами на спутниках IRNSS

Failing clocks in space worry for India's GPS
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/failing-clocks-in-space-worry-for-indias-gps-4721918/

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http://www.isac.gov.in/industry/industry-participation/scroll-image/images/ANTICIPATED_REQUIREMENTS.jpg

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http://www.isro.gov.in/update/18-aug-2017/irnss-signal-space-interface-control-document-icd-ver-11-released

Aug 18, 2017

The IRNSS Signal-in-Space Interface Control Document ICD Ver 1.1 released

The IRNSS Signal-in-Space Interface Control Document (ICD- Ver 1.1) for Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is released to the public to provide the essential information on the IRNSS signal-in-space, to facilitate research & development and aid the commercial use of the IRNSS signals for navigation-based applications". Download the Document
 

...More  on IRNSS Programme

irnss_sps_icd_version1.1.pdf - 2275198 B, 71 стр, релиз от июля 2017 г.

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http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/its-business-as-usual-for-pslv/article19604353.ece

It's business as usual for PSLV
Madhumathi D.S.

BENGALURU, September 01, 2017 21:58 IST
Updated: September 01, 2017 22:05 IST

An unsuccessful launch has not deterred ISRO fr om going ahead with its planned launches.

Planned missions of the PSLV rocket and its big brother GSLV would go on as scheduled in the coming months, according to statements made by ISRO Chairman A.S.Kiran Kumar at Sriharikota after the launch and separately by VSSC Director K.Sivan.

The next PSLV mission is tentatively due in November or December to launch a Cartosat-2 series remote sensing satellite. It may also carry smaller customer satellites.

A GSLV flight may take place later this year to put military communications satellite GSAT-6A to space to support the older GSAT-6. A heavy-lift GSLV Mark III carrying a large communications satellite is also likely in February 2018.

Спойлер

Antrix Corporation, which has signed a series of launch contracts for the PSLV, sees its reliability and market intact as the latest problem would be overcome.

Rakesh Sasibhusan, Chairman and Managing Director of Antrix, said, "Launch mishaps or anomalies are an inevitable part of the space business. Every space agency has these moments."

Antrix currently has firm agreements for launching 16 foreign spacecraft; satellite operators are discussing over a dozen more launches with it, he told The Hindu.

Other commercial launchers (for example, Soyuz, Proton and SpaceX) may have suffered failures and continue to be in demand, he said. The PSLV, popular in the category to lift 5-kg to 800-kg spacecraft to space, remains a reliable vehicle to customers as it has delivered 39 continuous successes over 23 years.

It also operates in a global market segment wh ere such services are not readily available to satellite operators, he said.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/india-to-resume-satellite-launches-by-december/articleshow/60702472.cms

India to resume satellite launches by December

Sep 15, 2017, 09.57 PM IST

Bengaluru, Sep 15 (IANS) India will resume launching satellites in November or December, unfazed by the failure of its rocket in deploying a spare navigation satellite in the Earth's lower orbit on August 31, said a top official on Friday.

"We will resume the launches by November or December, with one of the remote sensing satellites though we are yet to finalise with which," said A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Спойлер

The state-run ..

"We have identified what the problem is and are going through the simulations to make sure what we are concluding is what has exactly happened (heat shield not separating and deploying the satellite in the orbit)," Kumar told reporters on the margins of a space event here.

In a rare mission failure, the space agency's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C39) could not deliver the 1.4-tonne Indian Regional Navigation Satellite (IRNSS-1H) in the orbit as its heat shield did ..

The rocket's heat shield should have separated three minutes after the lift-off, but it failed to. Space scientists at the mission control centre waited for 19 minutes to see if it would separate, and only then declared the mission unsuccessful on August 31 night.

The IRNSS-1H, which was part of the Navigation Indian Constellation (NavIC) as a substitute for IRNSS-1A was to have been deployed 507km above the earth.
 
The Rs 1,420-crore NavIC consists of nine satellites -- ..

Antrix Managing Director S. Rakesh said that as a setback the mission failure was a part and parcel of any space business.

"If I see the nature of its setback, it is not a serious one, it is a small hitch as I see it," asserted Rakesh.

Ruling out even short-term impact on Antrix, Rakesh said there was demand for its services.

"The testings are going on and it should not have any short-term impact on Antrix. Our demands keep coming," added Rakesh.

"Antrix should leverage ISRO's capabilities to boost export of our space products and services and compete with overseas players, which are offering space tourism," added Kumar.

Former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said as a $311-million commercial arm of the Department of Space, Antrix accounted for only 0.123 per cent of the $260-billion global space industry.

"We hope that Antrix can become 1 per cent of the global space sector by 2030," said Radhakrishan at the eve ..

--IANS

fb/bha/qd/dg

(This story has not been edited by economictimes.com and is auto–generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.)

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http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/pyro-devices-to-blame-for-pslv-failure-isro/article19738850.ece

Pyro devices to blame for PSLV failure: ISRO
 
Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram, September 23, 2017 00:00 IST
Upd ated: September 23, 2017 04:57 IST

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has come round to the inference that the PSLV C-39 mission on August 31 was doomed by the failure of the pyro devices that actuate the separation of the heat shield encasing the satellite from the rocket.

Спойлер

A high-level meeting chaired by ISRO chairman A.S.Kiran Kumar held at the VSSC here on Friday came to the conclusion on the failure of the pyro devices. The meeting was informed that simulation exercises were on to ascertain the reason for the malfunctioning of the pyro devices.

'Component isolated'

"We have isolated the component responsible for the failure of the mission but it remains to be established why it failed to function," VSSC Director Dr. K.Sivan said. "We are testing various versions and hope to arrive at a consensus in seven to 10 days". The exercises are expected to help the scientists analyse the failure from various angles.

ISRO had declared the PSLV- C39 mission unsuccessful after the heat shield refused to open and release the IRNSS-1H navigation satellite on board. The failure review committee se t up by ISRO had zeroed in on the electrically-operated pyro devices as the culprit after it was found that the command for separation had gone through but failed to trigger the mechanical process that pops open the heat shield.

Pyro devices use small charges to actuate the release mechanism that forces the fairings apart.

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[zandr]

https://ria.ru/science/20171121/1509242632.html

Индия рассчитывает запустить на орбиту первую ракету частного производства
НЬЮ-ДЕЛИ, 21 ноя – РИА Новости. Индийская организации космических исследований (ISRO) рассчитывает к 2021 году запустить на орбиту первую ракету, полностью построенную частным капиталом, заявил директор ISRO Киран Кумар.
По его словам, для этого будет создано совместное предприятие, учредителями которого станут ISRO и консорциум частных фирм.
"Цель по запуску ракеты-носителя (полностью произведенной частными фирмами) – 20-2021 года. ISRO будет частью совместного предприятия. Ведутся работы по реализации этого механизма", — заявил Кумар изданию Times of India.
До сегодняшнего дня ISRO является единственным производителем ракет-носителей в Индии. С момента первого пуска два десятилетия назад ISRO осуществила 39 успешных миссий. По его словам, в настоящее время на орбите находятся 42 индийских спутника, которые выполняют навигационные, коммуникационные функции и осуществляют наблюдение за поверхностью Земли.
"Мы все еще испытываем недостаток коммуникационных спутников. Поэтому ISRO увеличит частоту запусков с 8-10 до примерно 20, начиная с 2018 года. Мы планируем запустить 60 спутников за следующие пять лет", — добавил он.
В частности, с целью увеличения числа пусков ISRO рассчитывает построить третью стартовую площадку на космодроме космического центра имени Сатиша Дхавана на острове Шрихарикота.

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Ecosystem with Indian Space Industry

Oh sin

Дата загрузки: 6 дек. 2017 г.

(7:44)

Источник: http://www.isac.gov.in/media/video/eco-system.html -->

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/isro-will-resume-sat-launches-only-from-first-week-of-2018/articleshow/61994345.cms

Isro will resume sat launches only from first week of 2018

Surendra Singh | TNN | Dec 9, 2017, 11.02 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch its latest remote sensing satellite of the Cartosat-2 series, along with 28 foreign satellites riding piggy-back, only in the first week of January, a top Isro official said.

Спойлер

Director of Thiruvananthapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), K Sivan clarified that there will be no launch this month and that launch services, which halted after the unsuccessful launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1H on August 31, will "resume in the first week of the new year".

Rakesh Sasibhushan, CMD of Antrix (Isro's commercial arm), told TOI: "The January launch payload will comprise a combination of one Cartosat, 25 nano satellites and three micro-satellites. Finland is the new customer this time. The rest co-passengers are from existing foreign customers. Most of these small satellites are from the US."

The launch of Cartosat-2 by the PSLV C40 rocket is a follow-on mission of the Cartosat-2 series with the primary objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imageries. The satellite, which carries panchromatic and multi-spectral cameras, is capable of delivering high-resolution data.

Sivan said, "After the Cartosat mission, the subsequent launch will be of Gsat-6A that will be lifted off by a GSLV Mk II rocket". "The launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1I, which will replace the first navigation satellite IRNSS-1A, whose three atomic clocks (meant to provide precise locational data) had stopped working last year, is planned in February or March," he said, adding, "Next in line will be the Chandrayaan-2 mission, scheduled for launch in March."

The series of satellite launches scheduled next year is in line with Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar's recent statement to TOI that the space agency is planning to double the number of launches from eight to 10 to 18-20 annually. Kiran Kumar also said that though the space agency currently has "45 satellites in orbit, the country is significantly short of communication satellites. Therefore we have to maximise launches".

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http://www.sac.gov.in/Vyom/index.jsp

IRNSS-1I Payload Flag Off

IRNSS-1I Payload was Flagged Off by Shri. Tapan Misra, Director, SAC on 12/12/2017.

Vyom IRNSS.pdf

Vyom IRNSS.pdf - 3.0 MB, 7 стр, 2017-12-12 09:33:07 UTC

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ISRO plans to develop light-lift rocket to launch small satellites into orbit

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) eyes the development of a new light-lift booster dedicated to launching smaller payloads into space.

According to ISRO, the new rocket will have four stages and will weigh around 100 metric tons. The booster would be capable of launching satellites weighing up to 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms).

India aims to develop such a light-lift rocket with the aim of being more competitive in the launch services market. By employing new booster, ISRO hopes to tap more contracts to send small satellites into space.

"Owing to advancement in technology, the mass of satellites is coming down – including that of communication satellites. A lot of start-ups are building small satellites and they would like to put one in orbit at a lower cost," K. Sivan, Director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) told IANS.

Currently, ISRO utilizes its flagship Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to launch payloads for foreign customers. However, although PSLV is used for a variety of space launches, even its lightest variant – known as PSLV-CA and weighing around 230 metric tons – is unsuitable for launching small spacecraft. In practice, smaller payloads are launched as piggy-backs every time ISRO lifts off bigger satellites atop PSLV rockets.

The proposed new light-lift launcher could also shorten the time needed to fully prepare an orbital mission. Given that it usually takes Indian engineers at least one month to fully assemble one PSLV launch vehicle, the new booster is being designed to be easily assembled in just three days.

So far, India has completed a preliminary design and a feasibility study for the new rocket. According to Sivan, the first such booster would be ready in two years once the project gets the necessary approvals.

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http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2018/jan/02/isros-baby-rocket-to-carry-small-satellites-likely-to-take-off-in-2019-1742052.html

ISRO's baby rocket to carry small satellites, likely to take off in 2019
By Tiki Rajwi  |   Express News Service | Published: 02nd January 2018 01:17 AM |
Last Updated: 02nd January 2018 07:06 AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first of Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) 'baby rockets' in the making is likely to take to the skies in the first half of 2019, top officials of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) said.Though a formal approval for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) project is still awaited, VSSC here at Thumba — ISRO's nodal agency for launch vehicles — has already started work on it, VSSC director K Sivan said. With the global trend of satellites getting more compact, ISRO officials believe there is space for a smaller rocket that caters exclusively to small-size satellites.

 

On the launchpad, the SSLV will stand half as tall as a regular Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and weigh in the neighbourhood of 100 tonnes, Sivan said. "A PSLV weighs over 300 tonnes. The SSLV's weight would be around 100 tonnes and its height, 20-25 metres," he said. The PSLV, often dubbed the reliable workhorse of the ISRO, stands 44 metres tall in comparison.

The SSLV will place small satellites in the Low Earth Orbit — orbits with altitudes up to 2,000 km.
 "We hope to have the first flight of the SSLV in the first half of 2019. Across the globe, satellites are 'shrinking'. Now, small satellites go aboard the PSLV or GSLV as 'piggyback' payloads alongside bigger ones," Sivan said.

Financially, smaller can also mean smarter in the launch vehicle business. The SSLV is designed to be attractive to global customers who look to ISRO to launch their satellites.The mission cost will be roughly one-tenth that of a PSLV mission.ISRO is planning to have the SSLV flying fully on solid fuel, but the technicalities have to be worked out, Sivan said.If things go as planned, the SSLV will be ISRO's smallest launch vehicle. At the other end of the spectrum, the space agency plans to have heavy-lift variants that will eventually replace the current generation of GSLVs.
...

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И для тех, кто предпочитает "литературный" перевод.
http://tass.ru/kosmos/4857576

Индия разрабатывает экономичную малую ракету для вывода на орбиту мини-спутников
НЬЮ-ДЕЛИ, 4 января. /ТАСС/. Индийская организация космических исследований (ISRO) работает над созданием малой ракеты-носителя, которая будет использоваться для вывода на орбиту небольших спутников. Об этом сообщил государственный министр, курирующий атомную энергетику и космос Индии, Джитендра Сингх в ответ на запрос нижней палаты парламента.
"ISRO работает над разработкой малогабаритной ракеты-носителя (SSLV) исключительно для вывода небольших спутников, - указал он. - Ожидается, что SSLV, которая в разы снизит стоимость запуска спутников на конкурентном рынке космических услуг, будет готова к эксплуатации в 2019 году".
Министр отметил, что во всем мире сейчас наблюдается тенденция к уменьшению веса и размеров спутников, поэтому необходимость в небольшой и экономичной ракете-носителе очевидна. "Когда в феврале прошлого года ISRO запустила одновременно рекордные 104 спутника, за исключением Cartosat-2, все они были небольшими", - напомнил он.
По словам К. Сивана, директора Космического центра им. Викрама Сарабхаи, который принимает участие в разработке SSLV, эта ракета будет втрое легче и вдвое короче основной ракеты-носителя Индии - PSLV. "Вес SSLV будет составлять около 100 тонн, а ее высота - 20-25 метров, она сможет выводить небольшие спутники на низких орбитах до 2 тыс. км, - заявил он. - Мы надеемся провести ее первый запуск в первой половине 2019 года, причем стоимость запуска будет в десять раз ниже, чем у PSLV".
PSLV (англ. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - "ракета-носитель для вывода спутников на полярную орбиту"  )  - индийская одноразовая ракета космического назначения была разработана ISRO в начале 1980-х. В ее создании принимали участие Космический центр им. Викрама Сарабхаи (Тривандрум, шт. Керала) и Центр жидкостных ракетных систем (Тируванантапурам, шт. Керала).
Первоначально носитель создавался для запуска спутников дистанционного зондирования Земли. В настоящее время с помощью PSLV в космос могут выводиться различные космические аппараты, в том числе навигационные спутники и межпланетные аппараты. Кроме того, ракета используется для коммерческих запусков иностранных малых спутников. PSLV может выводить на орбиту как один, так и несколько аппаратов.

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http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/jan/21/gsat-11-could-be-last-indian-satellite-to-be-launched-by-a-foreign-rocket-1760269.html

 Published: 21st January 2018

CHENNAI: If things pan out as intended, the 5.7-tonne GSAT-11 will be most probably the last heavy Indian satellite to be launched by a foreign space agency, according to K. Sivan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The GSAT-11 communication satellite will be launched by Arianespace's Ariane rocket soon.

"We are working on a dual concept: Increasing the carrying capacity of our heaviest rocket -- the 640-tonne Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk III (GSLV Mk III) to six tonnes -- while producing high throughput and lower weight communication satellites," said Sivan.

He said nearly 60 per cent of the satellite weight consists of onboard chemical fuel and by opting for electric power for manoeuvring in space the mass of the satellite will be reduced.

The Indian space agency had tried electric propulsion in its GSAT 9 satellite.

At present, the GSLV Mk III rocket has a carrying capacity of four tonnes. The Indian space agency is working on increasing GSLV Mk III's carrying capacity to six tonnes.

"Now most of the satellites will be contained to four-six tonnes," Sivan said.

According to Sivan, the capacity enhancement is not restricted to GSLV Mk III alone but also to other rockets as it would bring down the overall launch cost.

But that doesn't mean ISRO would freeze development of higher payload rockets.

"We have the capability to design and build over six-tonne payload rockets. We will start designing for bigger rockets," Sivan remarked.

"Our major objectives are to increase the production of rockets so as to increase the number of satellite launches; enhance our rocket's capability; look at reduction of rocket production cost; develop and realise the small rocket with a carrying capacity of 500 kg and also realise reusable launch vehicle/rocket," Sivan remarked.

According to him, to increase the production of rockets, the space agency is looking at transferring the technology for making Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket to industries.

"We are working out the methodologies like joint venture for that purpose," Sivan said.

That apart, ISRO is also open for transferring the technologies developed by it to the private sector for commercialisation and wider use.

"For instance, we will be transferring the technology for making lithium-ion battery that could be used to power automobiles," Sivan added.

Sivan said ISRO is also focusing on developing a reusable launch vehicle that involves a lot of new technologies and the Scramjet engine which in turn would reduce costs.

According to him, the first half of 2018 will be busy with the launch of Chandrayaan II (moon mission), GSAT 6A and a navigation satellite as the replacement for the first of the seven navigation satellites.
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Интересная статья. Столько планов на будущее

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https://www.deccanchronicle.com/science/science/270118/isro-readying-for-a-number-of-launches.html

ISRO readying for a number of launches

DECCAN CHRONICLE.
Published Jan 27, 2018, 1:53 am IST
Updated Jan 27, 2018, 1:53 am IST

Nellore: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to launch three GSLV missions and two PSLV missions in the next few months from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shar, Sriharikota in SPSR Nellore district.

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The series of launches will be from the second launch pad with GSLV F-08 carrying a communication satellite GSAT-6A on board and it will be followed by GSLV-F10/Chandrayaan II Mission and GSLV Mk III-D2 with communication satellite GSAT-29.

Chandrayaan II is likely to be launched in April this year. In between PSLV-C41 will be launched with IRNSS-1I and PSLV-C42 will be launched from first launch pad. The satellite going with PSLV-C42 is yet to be decided. IRNSS-1i satellite is a replacement for the failed IRNSS-1H satellite which got struck inside the fourth stage of PSLV-C39 launched on August 31 last year.

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Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shar, P. Kunhi Krishnan saidd this while speaking to media persons in the sidelines of Republic Day Celebrations at Shar on Friday.

According to him, infrastructure development has been taken up in a big way at Shar to increase the number launchings to 26 per annum in future.

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The second Vehicle Assembly Building is coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 630 crore and it will be ready within four months. Similarly PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 475 crore and the works are likely to be completed by next year.

The augmentation of Solid Motor Production (ASMP) facility is in progress and ISRO is spending Rs 630 Cr on the project and it will be ready by next year.

Mr Kunhi Krishnan said Shar will be fully equipped to launch 15 rockets from first launch pad and 11 from second launch pad after the completion of all the ongoing going development projects probably before the end of 2019.

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