AEB PR – The two emerging powers need to define forms and fields of cooperation in space. The full awareness of this growing need was clear during a meeting of  Ambassador of India, BS Prakash, the President of the Brazilian Space Agency, Professor Marco Antonio Raupp, on Tuesday.

Outline was agreed by the end of the year, the concrete fields of cooperation to be effective, based on mutual interests and participation of companies from both countries. It was also agreed to devote special attention to the program in future meetings Satellite IBSA forum approved by India, Brazil and South Africa. The technical characteristics of these satellites have begun to be developed.

A visit by President Rousseff to India is expected, in principle, for next February. The main commitment now assumed by the President of AEB and Ambassador of India is preparing a proposal that meets the real needs of both countries in areas such as earth observation, satellite telecommunications, and preparation of highly qualified human resources in the space.

The Ambassador Dr. BS Prakash presented Marco Antonio Raupp with the book “India 2020 – A Vision for the New Millennium” , by the renowned Indian scientists APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan. The book has a valid reference as an epigraph for the occasion: “If those who think they have something to achieve a firm and well defined, they shall they make what they think and even how they think.”

Attending the hearing were: Dr. Vinod K. Sachdeva, Minister Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of India; Dr. GK Rayalu, Indian researcher who has worked for many years at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE); Dr. Himilcon Castro Carvalho, Director of Space Policy and Strategic Investments ( DPEI) of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB); and Professor José Montserrat Filho, Chief Advisor for International Cooperation (IAC) of the AEB.

Dr Hegde, an expert in remote sensing applications, has over three decades of experience in ISRO, and has contributed immensely in the areas of Earth Observation, Disaster Management Support and Societal Development Programmes.

Dr Hegde holds a Post Graduate degree in Applied Geology from Karnatak University and Doctorate in Environmental Science from Bangalore University.

Dr Hegde was the Scientific Secretary of ISRO. He is also Vice-President of the International Astronautical Federation.

Shri V Koteswara Rao, Outstanding Scientist and Director of Laboratory for Electro Optic Systems (LEOS), a unit of ISRO, has been appointed as the Scientific Secretary of ISRO. Shri Koteswara Rao has held several important positions in ISRO. He was the Project Director of Astrosat satellite.

Shri Koteswara Rao holds post graduate degree in Instrumentation and Control Systems from JNTU College of Engineering, Kakinada. He has made significant contribution in the design and development of satellite sensor systems of ISRO.

Shri Rao is a Member of International Academy of Astronautics and the Executive Secretary of the Astronautical Society of India.

Editor’s Note:  Hegde’s appointment comes in the wake of the Antrix-Devas Multimedia controversy, after which the Indian government decided that it was not a good idea for the chairman of ISRO to also head up the Antrix commercial arm. Thus, a separate chairman has been appointed and a new board is being established.

The selection of a scientist to head up a commercial unit is an interesting decision. He certainly understands the technical side of things, but I don’t see much in his background on the business end. Ideally, you would want to have a leader who understands both.

I also wonder whether the government should have brought someone in from outside of ISRO to provide more of a separation. Given how dominant ISRO is in Indian aerospace, it’s a good question as to how many viable candidates there would have been outside the space agency.

Among the key takeaways:

• Engineers are investigating several possible causes for why ISRO’s first cryogenic upper stage failed on a GSLV launch in April 2010;
• The complexity of the investigation has pushed the next cryogenic engine test back to March 2012, about a year later than officials originally hoped;
• A GSLV rocket failed on Christmas Day because the Russian supplied cryogenic engine was not built to dimensions specified in documentation, causing a protective shroud to give way and snap vital connectors;
• The Chandrayaan-II lunar probe, set for launch around 2013, is being delayed not only because of problems with cryogenic upper stage technology but also due to Russia’s decision to reduce its contribution to the joint program;
• ISRO is aiming for greater transparency and a more arms-length relationship with Antrix, its commercial arm.

Mastering cyrogenic engine technology and making GSLV reliable are two key priorities. Although ISRO has had great success with its smaller PSLV rocket, the GSLV is central to India’s plans to launch commercial communications satellites and astronauts into orbit.

The GSLV has a very poor record since it was introduced a decade ago. It has  been launched only seven times in 10 years, with two successes, four failures, and one partial success. Two of the four failures occurred last year.

The small number of flights over such a long period of time creates challenges. Rockets typically need to be launched dozens of times before their reliability is understood. A low flight rate is not very good for keeping the teams that build and launch a rocket sharp.

The other problem is that each rocket is a brand new, unique vehicle, one that incorporates upgrades that ISRO has been introducing over the past decade. Introducing changes to a complex system that is still being matured can solve some problems but create others.

Radhakrishnan says that practice is continuing:

“There are also changes in the whole GSLV vehicle per se. From 1.5-tonne payloads, we’ve now reached about 2.2-tonne payloads. The biggest change effected is the size of the heat shield [a protective sheath that also determines the size of communication satellites to be put into orbit] and the materials we use for it. We’ve gone from 3.5m heat shields to 4m, and use composites [such as plastic fibre] instead of metal. For GSLV Mark-3, we may have to use 5m shields.”

In short, it doesn’t seem that ISRO hasn’t been able to settle on a single GSLV design, launch the vehicle enough to make it reliable, and then introduce changes only after the rocket’s flight performance is fully understood.

Radhakrishnan was asked about ISRO’s recent failures, and his answer is interesting:

Relative to the number of failed satellite launches, does Isro have greater success compared with international agencies?

There are two things: on-ground tests and eventual flight tests. Each country has its own philosophy. Russia is very conservative; America less so. I can’t really say where India is on that scale, but we have our own approach, too, that we have debated since our space programme began. Our main endeavour is to get as many parameters tested in static (ground) tests, because each of these tests involves a lot of time, money and effort. Russia also does a lot of ground tests. That said, however, between 1957 (when the so-called space age began) and 2010, there have totally been 320 failures across nations, and there’s no constant success-failure ratio (across nations).

ISRO clearly needs to do more ground testing before it loses any more satellites. But, it also needs to fly more often. And all of that is costly.

Read the full interview.

“One possibility is to have a human being (Indian) flown in Soyuz (Russian rocket) or some other system. “It’s like paying the money, getting into it, conduct a small experiment and come back. That’s one part of it,” he said.

Another model is to make a crew module indigenously and use a man-rate vehicle (rocket) of a foreign space agency, and the third option for India is to develop the rocket and associated technologies on its own and undertake the mission.

“All these things are there. The question is how much technology you will earn, what benefit you will get out of it (in case of collaboration). One has to weigh it because you (India) must have a long-term programme for it (human space flights). We are not doing for the sake of doing it (the human space flight mission) actually,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said….

Asked if ISRO would initiate discussions with US and Russian space agencies for possible collaboration, he said, “All these discussions will take place,” and added that the entire space community is generally interested in such programmes (internationally).

Read the full story.

“It is the performance that matters. The organisation has been performing consistently and the scam has not really affected our grit and determination to that level,” Kasturirangan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for over nine years, told IANS.

Ah…yeah. About that first part….

PSLV Launch
Christmas Day, 2010

And eight months earlier….

Well, he did say consistency. So, I guess that is true, actually….

The former ISRO chairman is clearly hoping that future missions will be more consistently successful to further burnish the agency’s image.

“ISRO has so many missions coming up, and all of them are expected to take us higher. One should not go by what is reported in certain circles,” Kasturirangan said.

Good luck with that.

Gary Locke

A scheduled meeting between ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke was canceled by the Indian side due to the ongoing Devas Multimedia controversy:

The scheduled meeting between Locke and Radhakrishnan was to take place in Bangalore last week where the commerce secretary also visited the air show. With Isro finally out of the US “entities list”, the meeting was to explore commercial cooperation including satellite launches and other applications.

But with Isro’s commercial arm Antrix precisely in the middle of a controversy surrounding allegations that it sold space-segment airwaves cheaply to Devas Multimedia and the Prime Minister’s Office under opposition fire, Radhakrishnan did not keep his date with Locke. He was busy putting together the government’s defence….

The Devas deal is of interest to the US as well with Columbia Capital being a partner in the project. Devas is contesting the government’s intent to cancel the deal that would see the firm deliver wi-fi services through a portable device. The abrogation of contract is seen as a serious issue having a bearing on business confidence of US firms, sources said.

Locke was in India last week leading a 24-company trade mission that included Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The U.S. recently lifted high-tech trade sanctions against ISRO and other Indian organizations and companies, opening the way for cooperation in a broad range of areas.

In 2005, ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix, signed a contract that gave Devas Multimedia 90 percent of the S-band capacity on two satellites that the Indian space agency is building. Critics say the agreement is a sweetheart deal for a politically-connected company involving extremely valuable spectrum. The Indian government, which denies the charges, say it wants to cancel the deal because the scarce S-band spectrum is needed for security and defense purposes.

ISRO announces new moon mission with US’ Jet Propulsion Lab
DNA

The Space Commission, India’s apex space policy body, today gave ISRO the go-ahead to partner with JPL, which has sent missions to Mars and Venus, for the project names ‘Moon Rise’ which could be launched by NASA.

ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited proposals under its New Frontiers Programme announced in 2009.

As per the cooperation agreement, ISRO will send a satellite to orbit around the moon to transmit data to earth from rover JPL plans to send to the lunar surface.

As part of the project, JPL plans to drop a robotic lander into a basin at the moon’s south pole to return lunar rocks back to Earth for study.

The mission, if selected, would be launched in 2016.

Read the full story.

Editor’s Note: I found this paper about the proposed mission. The mission summary reads:

MoonRise will land in the interior of the SPA Basin at a location determined by analysis of existing orbital data and selected using criteria for science and mission safety. MoonRise will document the geologic context of the landing site with descent imaging and high resolution and multi-spectral surface imaging, and will sieve a volume of soil near the lander to collect thousands of rock fragments. The regolith, well mixed from impact processes, is expected to yield small rock fragments that represent a broad area of the SPA Basin interior. The main lithologic components are impact generated rocks from the basin formation and from the formation of other large impact craters and basins within SPA. Sample materials will be returned to Earth for mineralogical, chemical, and petrologic analyses, and isotopic age determinations in state-of-the-art laboratories. Following a preliminary examination by the MoonRise science team at the Curatorial Facility at Johnson Space Center, MoonRise samples will be made available for allocation to – and study by – the scientific community worldwide.

The Lunar Networks blog also has a detailed overview.

Boeing's CST-100 crew transport. (Credit: Boeing)

Boeing probes international market for human spacecraft
Spaceflight Now

Boeing is weighing international sales of its CST-100 commercial crew spacecraft if NASA selects the firm to continue development of the capsule, a company official said Wednesday…

“There’s an interesting opportunity that we’re just starting to flesh out,” [John] Elbon said Wednesday. “The spacecraft that we’re designing is rocket-agnostic. It would be possible to sell this like a commercial airplane to countries who perhaps have a launch vehicle who would like to launch it in their own country.”

…Senior Boeing officials are in India this week as part of a trade delegation led by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Boeing and other U.S. defense companies were previously kept out of the burgeoning Indian market by export restrictions, but the federal government is lifting the embargo for the the Defense Research and Development Organization and the Indian Space Research Organization….

Indian officials have not publicly discussed purchasing the CST-100 spacecraft directly from Boeing for human missions.

Elbon said Wednesday that Boeing has not had any “serious dialogue” with potential international customers, and the company is “just starting to look” at the possibility of making turnkey deals with other countries.

Read the full story.

Editor’s Note: So far, Boeing has talked about working with India on supplying components and systems for ISRO’s planned human spaceflight effort.

On Thursday, ISRO issued a background note explaining its deal with a private company concerning S-band Internet services. The 2005 no-bid deal between ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix, and Devas Multimedia, has come under severe criticism and charges of corruption. The government has established a “High Power Review Committee” to look at the deal.

The background note is reproduced in full after the break.

Background Note on Agreement between M/s. ANTRIX Corporation and M/s DEVAS Multimedia Pvt. Ltd regarding lease of space segment capacity in SBand spectrum on ISRO’s Satellites GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A

Background

ISRO has a constellation of geo-stationary satellites which provide various services to the country such as telecommunication, television, radio broadcasting as well as various societal applications such as medicine and education. These services are delivered to the customers through transponders that are located on the satellite. These transponders receive and transmit signals using different types of frequency bands that are designated as C-band, extended C-band, Kuband and Ka-band. S-band is another such frequency band.

There is a difference between terrestrial spectrum as allocated by the Department of Telecommunications for users on the ground and the issue of lease of transponders on satellites which require frequency to operate. The Department of Space is responsible for building, launching and operating satellites in the designated orbits. It leases transponders to customers, whether government or private. These are, for example, Doordarshan or DTH operators in the private sector like TV channels.

The frequency spectrum in the bands required for the satellites are allotted to Department of Space by the Department of Telecommunications based on assignments given by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

S-band

The S-band frequency spectrum has been in use for the INSAT series since 1983 for broadcasting (for Doordarshan) and later for mobile satellite services. In the 90s the ITU started allocating a segment of S-band for mobile satellite service and land mobiles. The S-band spectrum has acquired prominence in recent years because of the growth of mobile phone services and evolution of the concept of digital multimedia via satellites.

S-Band needs to be utilized in the best national interest both because it is needed for strategic and societal communications and also for conventional communications where the attenuation loss in Ku-band is not acceptable and due to overcrowding in space of C and extended C-band.

World over, including in India, S-band spectrum is shared between terrestrial and space services. Because of the nation-wide reach of satellites, and the limited reach of terrestrial service providers, it is in the country’s interest to use space based S-band.

Further, there is an onus on the country to which a particular slot is allocated by ITU to fill that slot with an appropriate satellite within a specified time. Based on approved allocations by the Department of Telecommunications, Department of Space holds 80 MHz of S-Band spectrum in 3 orbital locations and
70 MHz in 4 orbital locations (operable only at one location at a time) at locations designated by the ITU for India.

Agreement between ANTRIX and DEVAS

Antrix signed an MOU in March 2003 with M/S Forge Advisors, USA to explore opportunities in digital multi-media services. Later, Forge Advisors, USA established an Indian company called DEVAS Multimedia Pvt. Ltd.

The Antrix board on December 24, 2004 approved the Draft agreement between ANTRIX and DEVAS and the agreement was signed on January 28, 2005. This agreement together with the option exercised by DEVAS in June, 2007 provides for leasing of 90% of the space segment capacity by ANTRIX to DEVAS on two satellites for 12 years. This would amount to 70 MHZ at one of the three locations.

The Agreement provides for an up-front capacity reservation fee of US$ 20 million per Satellite and annual lease charges starting at US$ 9 million per satellite. The amount payable by DEVAS is US$ 300 million over a period of 12 years. There are also penalty charges to be paid by ANTRIX in case of late delivery of Satellite or performance failures/service interruptions.

To operationalise this agreement, ANTRIX committed to development and launch of two satellites by ISRO referred to as Primary Satellite-1 (PS-1) and Primary Satellite-2 (PS-2) in the agreement.

DEVAS has so far made a payment of Rs.58.37 crores as upfront capacity reservation fee for the two satellites.

Status of ANTRIX Corporation

ANTRIX Corporation Limited was incorporated as a private limited company owned by Government of India, in September 1992 as a Marketing arm of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for promotion and commercial exploitation of space products, technical consultancy services and transfer of technologies developed by ISRO. Another major objective is to facilitate development of space related industrial capabilities in India.

Chairman ISRO/Secretary, Department of Space is the Chairman of the ANTRIX Board that has six Directors from ISRO and Department of Space and three external Directors, i.e. Shri Ratan Tata, Shri J.N. Godrej and Shri P. Ravindra Reddy (Managing Director, MTAR Technologies Limited).

Actions taken by Department of Space

In December 2005, the Union Cabinet approved building of the GSAT-6 satellite at a cost of Rs. 269 crores, following the approval given by the Space Commission in May 2005.

In October 2009, the Space Commission approved building of the GSAT-6A satellite at a cost of Rs. 147 crores under the Commission’s delegated powers. The launch cost of the Satellites was Rs.350 crores.

The proposals of the Department in both cases did not make any reference to their utilization for the ANTRIX-DEVAS agreement. Accordingly, the Government of India is under no obligation to utilize these satellites for the ANTRIX-DEVAS contract.

On receipt of complaints on the implementation of the Agreement, Chairman ISRO/Secretary, Department of Space set up a Committee in December 2009 chaired by Dr. B.N. Suresh (a former Member of Space Commission). This Committee was mandated to review and examine the legal, commercial, procedural and technical aspects of the ANTRIX-DEVAS Agreement.

Separately, the growth in the requirements for strategic and societal imperatives also became evident. The circumstances since 2005 have undergone a sea change. The last few years have seen a tremendous demand for allocation of space based spectrum, including for the S-band. This includes the needs of defence, paramilitary forces, railways and other societal applications, all of which are dependent on S-band.

It was also observed that the agreement was approved only at the level of the ANTRIX Board and the Department thought it prudent and essential to place the matter before the Space Commission.

Based on consultations with the Ministry of Law & Justice and Department of Telecommunications, the Department of Space recommended annulment of the agreement to the Space Commission.

Directions of the Space Commission

The Space Commission in its meeting in 2 July 2010 considered the matter. It, inter alia, noted specifically that the Commission was being apprised on this contractual arrangement for the first time. After deliberations, it gave the following directions:

i) Department, in view of priority to be given to nation’s strategic requirements including societal ones may take actions necessary and instruct ANTRIX to annul the ANTRIX-DEVAS contract.

ii) Department may revive the INSAT Coordination Committee mechanism.

iii) Department may evolve a revised utilization plan for GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A satellites, taking into account the strategic and societal imperatives of the country.

iv) Department may also review the working of ANTRIX and restructure it appropriately. Commission agreed to Chairman’s suggestion that this could be done by a Committee chaired by Member (Finance), Space Commission. He will take assistance of DOS Administration, as and when required.

v) Department shall take necessary internal actions on the report to be submitted by Additional Secretary, DOS on Suresh Committee Report and issues arising from therein, and keep the Commission apprised of the same.

Termination provisions

Article 7 of the ANTRIX-DEVAS Agreement provides for termination of agreement. Clause (c) provides for termination for convenience by ANTRIX, and reads as follows:

“ANTRIX may terminate this agreement in the event ANTRIX is unable to obtain the necessary frequency and orbit slot coordination required for operating PS-1 on or before the completion of the pre-shipment review of PS-1. In the event of such termination, ANTRIX shall immediately reimburse DEVAS all the Upfront Capacity Reservation Fees and corresponding service taxes received by ANTRIX till that date. Upon such termination, neither party shall have any further obligation to the other party under this agreement nor be liable to pay any sum as compensation or damages (by whatever name called).”

The satellites, PS-1 and PS-2 are still being developed by ISRO and have not yet been launched. No transponders have been given on lease to ANTRIX or DEVAS.

The Government of India has taken no decision on allocation of space segment using S-Band spectrum to ANTRIX or DEVAS.

Follow up action by the Department of Space

The Department sought legal advice from the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Additional Solicitor General, which were given as follows.

As per Article 3(c) of the Agreement, ANTRIX shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary Governmental and regulatory approvals relating to the orbit slot and frequency clearance. However, it does not mean that orbit slot shall be compulsorily given to ANTRIX by ISRO/Government. The Central Government/ISRO is not duty bound to provide orbit slot to ANTRIX for commercial activities, especially when there are strategic requirements. The Ministry of Law and Justice opined that as per Article 7(c) of the Agreement, ANTRIX may terminate the Agreement in the event it is unable to obtain necessary orbit slot.

Therefore, the Government in exercise of its sovereign power and function may take a policy decision to the effect that due to strategic requirements, it would not be able to provide orbit slot in S-band for operating PS-1 to ANTRIX for commercial activities. In that event, ANTRIX in terms of Article 7(c) read with Article 11dealing with Force Majeure may terminate the Agreement and inform DEVAS accordingly. However, on such termination ANTRIX shall be required to reimburse DEVAS all the Upfront Capacity Reservation Fees and corresponding service taxes received by ANTRIX till that date.

Additional Solicitor General also opined that the annulment should be done through a policy decision taken at the level of Government of India, acting in its Sovereign capacity.

Accordingly, the Department has prepared a Draft Note for submission to the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Note is under circulation for comments of the concerned Ministries – Law & Justice, Telecom, Finance, Defence, Home Affairs and MEA, and will be placed soon before the CCS for a decision by the Government of India.

C&AG’s comments

In its official clarification on February 7, 2011 to media reports, the C&AG has stated the following. The audit of certain activities of the Department of Space is under way. Very preliminary queries have been raised which are yet to be replied by the Department of Space. Since the audit is at very preliminary stage, it can by no stretch of imagination, be concluded that information as given the media reports are findings of the C&AG.

Establishment of a High Powered Review Committee

The Government has constituted a High Powered Review Committee with the following mandate:

1. (i) To review the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the Agreement between ANTRIX and M/s. Devas Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. taking into account the report of internal review conducted by the Department of Space;

(ii) To suggest corrective measures;

(iii) To fix responsibility for lapses, if any; and

2. In the light of the above, to review the adequacy of procedures and approval processes followed by ANTRIX, ISRO and Department of Space, and to suggest improvements and changes, taking into account the review mandated by the Space Commission at its 2 July 2010 meeting.

The Committee has been directed to submit its recommendations to the Prime Minister as Minister-in-charge within one month.

The Committee Members are:

(i) Shri B. K. Chaturvedi, Member Planning Commission and former Cabinet Secretary

(ii) Prof. Roddam Narasimha, Member Space Commission

ISRO is in deep trouble over an insider deal it made involving to allocate valuable S-band spectrum to capabilities with a well-connected media company. The furor over the controversy has been growing daily as critics and government officials spar over details and responsibility.

The 2005 deal between Devas Multimedia and ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix, involves the space agency building two S-band satellites, GSAT 6 and GSAT 6A, and the company leasing 90 percent of capacity getting use of them to deliver Internet services. ISRO did not actually allocate S-band spectrum to the company, but provided capacity on the satellites to use the spectrum. The scarce S-band spectrum was provided to deal was made with Devas with no competitive bidding. Devas includes two former high-ranking ISRO officials.

Critics have attacked the no-bid deal as having cost the government millions of dollars while benefiting a well-connected company. They view it as yet another example of the deep corruption afflicting the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Officials from ISRO and Singh’s government have been scrambling to explain the agreement and their actions concerning it since the scandal broke wide open. Officials have various issued statements and clarifications, few of which seem to address directly the corruption charges hanging over the deal. There are conflicting claims about who did what, and who knew what and when.

Citing recent terrorist attacks, officials have said the government needs the S-band spectrum for emergency purposes. This consideration, they claim, is driving their ongoing effort to cancel the agreement. A decision is expected soon:

Sources said a recommendation to annul the deal will be accepted by the Union Cabinet next week. Sources said a cornered prime minister has asked officials to put the issue on the agenda of the Cabinet as early as next week to deflect rising criticism on a matter concerning a department directly under his control and having huge financial implications.

ISRO officials have said that the process of terminating the contract is complicated and time consuming. It could be quite costly as well:

The contract has many penalty clauses including $20 million as “upfront capacity reservation fee,” $9 million on annual lease fee (which Devas would have to pay to Isro had it hired the transponders on-board the satellite) and delayed delivery penalty of $5 million. Devas was to use the GSAT transponders for 12 years.

But how much Isro would actually have to be pay would depend on the legal stand Devas Multimedia takes after analysing the controversy and the actual progress made in the GSAT 6 project, sources said.

The penalty may include the possible revenue loss, which Devas anticipated from the satellite-based services it planned to launch using the high-power spot-beam in the S-band such as satellite-based internet access. The taxes and service charges Devas has paid so far may be added too.

There seems to be great surprise that such a scandal is taking place at the widely respected ISRO, which is a symbol of India’s high-tech prowess and global rise. The space agency’s achievements in space are a source of great national pride.

I’m not sure why they are surprised. The space agency is not particularly open or candid about its taxpayer-funded work. During the Chandrayaan-1 mission, ISRO went to great lengths to downplay problems with the lunar probe. For example, the agency doubled the spacecraft’s orbit claiming that all work at the lower altitude had been completed. This was false; the real reason was a major system failure that made the spacecraft difficult to control at its original altitude. This news didn’t become public until two months later.

One hopes that the outcome of this scandal is that ISRO operates more responsibly in the future, and that it is more accountable to the people for whom it work.

Boeing is looking to partner with ISRO on its human spaceflight program:

Aerospace behemoth Boeing plans to make the most of opportunities tossed up by removal of technology embargo with offers to partner Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in major projects.

The aerospace major has picked two key projects—the advanced medium combat aircraft (ACMA) being designed by DRDO and human space programme of ISRO—as ones with potential for partnership in future.

“We believe that DRDO is looking for international partners in design and development of AMCA, so we are keen to join hands. With our legacy in space exploration design, development and integration, we believe that we can provide value-added assistance to the human space flight programme.

“The areas of potential cooperation include Launch Escape System (LES), Vehicle Health Monitoring System and Abort Triggers (VHMSAT), Life Support System, Crew Accommodations and other areas such as reusable space systems and composite cryogenic tanks,” Dr Vivek Lall, Vice President, Boeing Defense, Space & Security – India, told Deccan Chronicle.

Boeing execs are in India this week as part of a 24-company U.S. government trade mission led by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. The U.S. recently lifted sanctions against ISRO, DRDO and a number of Indian companies that have blocked trade and cooperation in a number of areas. Lockheed Martin is also among the companies participating in the trade mission.

Read the full story.

Gary Locke

Following the removal of sanctions against ISRO and other Indian Organizations, Commerce Department Secretary Gary Locke is leading a six-day trade mission to the subcontinent that begins on Feb. 6. Executives from Boeing and Lockheed Martin are among representatives from 24-high tech companies who will accompany the secretary. Boeing has expressed interest in supplying technologies for India’s planned human spaceflight program.

COMMERCE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE
Jan. 14, 2011

Twenty-four U.S. businesses will join Commerce Secretary Gary Locke for a business development mission to India on February 6-11.  The businesses joining the trade mission are based in 13 states across the country and more than half of them are small- and medium-sized companies.

The delegation, which also includes senior officials from the Export-Import Bank (EX-IM) and the Trade Development Agency (TDA), will make stops in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, where Locke will highlight export opportunities for U.S. businesses in the advanced industrial sectors, of civil-nuclear trade, defense and security, civil aviation, and information and communication technologies. Locke accompanied President Obama to India in November, where they witnessed more than $10 billion in business deals between U.S. companies and Indian private sector and government entities, supporting 50,000 American jobs.

“Exports are leading the U.S. economic recovery, spurring future economic growth and creating jobs in America,” Locke said. “The business leaders joining me on this mission see the great potential to sell their goods and services to India, helping drive innovation and create jobs in both countries.”

The India business development mission will help build on the exporting success U.S. companies had 2010 – up 17 percent compared to the same period in 2009. It will be Locke’s second trade mission as Commerce Secretary; in May, he led a clean energy business development mission to China and Indonesia.

Exports represent a critical part of the economy and are a key component of the Obama administration’s efforts to spur new job creation. One year ago, President Obama outlined his National Export Initiative (NEI), which seeks to double exports by 2015, in support of several million new U.S. jobs. The NEI enhances the U.S. government’s trade promotion efforts, increases credit to businesses – especially small- and medium-sized businesses – looking to export, and continues to improve efforts to remove trade barriers for U.S. companies in foreign markets.

The Department of Commerce, through the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), leads the administration’s trade promotion efforts. The TPCC provides a platform for the Secretary of Commerce to advance a government-wide agenda on trade promotion and to directly engage the heads of the other TPCC agencies.

Commerce’s International Trade Administration helps American companies export their products and services around the world, utilizing some 1,500 U.S. Commercial Service staff stationed in 77 countries across the globe. Last year, the U.S. Commercial Service helped facilitate billions of dollars in U.S. export sales, supporting jobs across the country.

The delegation includes:

ABSi Corporation, Rockville, MD

Aero Controls, Inc., Auburn, WA

Curtiss-Wright Flow Control, Brea, CA

Exelon Nuclear Partners, Kennett Square, PA

FLIR Systems, Inc., Wilsonville, OR

Fluidic Energy, Scottsdale, AZ

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Inc., Wilmington, NC

Intuit Inc., Mountain View, CA

Kent Displays, Kent, OH

Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc., Leonia, NJ

Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD

nLIGHT Corporation, Vancouver, WA

North Star Aerospace, Inc., Auburn, WA

NuScale Power, Inc., Portland, OR

Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh, WI

Palantir Technologies, Palo Alto, CA

Pelican Products, Inc., Torrance, CA

Rajant Corporation, Malvern, PA

Rapiscan Systems Inc., Torrance, CA

The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, MA

Transco Products, Inc., Chicago, IL

VeriSign, Inc., Dulles, VA

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Monroeville, PA

Visit the Commerce Department’s India trade mission website at http://trade.gov/indiamission2011/index.asp for updates on the trade mission.

The United States’ drive to create jobs at home under economic pressure has trumped its sanctions regime. In a clear sign that the technology denial strategy towards India is drawing to a close, US commerce secretary Gary Locke will visit Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO), the Department of Atomic Energy, and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India during his visit to India next week in an effort to drive up American exports and signal closer strategic ties with India.

Locke will also hold a town hall style event with students focused on innovation and the knowledge economy at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and visit the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities in Bangalore “to see firsthand how US partnerships with HAL are contributing to India’s aviation industry and generating high value jobs in both countries,” the US commerce department and The White House announced in a statement detailing his schedule in India….

Locke’s five-day visit begins February 6 with a raft of bilateral meetings in New Delhi, including talks with his Indian counterpart Anand Sharma, civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

He will then go to Bangalore to attend the Aero India show where the US pavilion will have its largest presence to date and will be the largest foreign presence at the show. Locke will be joined by US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer, Vice Admiral Bill Landay III, director of the defense security cooperation agency, and Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of political-military affairs at the US state department.

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Missile makers BrahMos Aerospace will manufacture the cryogenic engine once the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) perfects the technology, said a senior official Sunday.

The company is also hoping to induct its supersonic cruise missile into the Indian Air Force and develop hypersonic missile in six years’ time, chief executive and managing director A.Sivathanu Pillai told reporters here.

“The ISRO is developing the cryogenic engine to power its GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle) rockets. Once ISRO perfects the technology, we will make the engine as the space agency has asked us to do it,” Pillai said.

BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) that holds 50.5 percent stake and Military Industrial Consortium/MPO Machinostroyenia of Russia holding the remaining stake. According to Pillai, $300 million has gone into the venture.

About the hypersonic missile that would have a speed of Mach 7 – or seven times the speed of sound – he said: “The basic technology is being developed. It will take around six years to come out with a missile.”

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Fulfilling a promise made by President Barack Obama in November, the US has removed nine Indian space and defence-related companies from the so-called Entity List to drive hi-tech trade and forge closer strategic ties with India.

The companies removed from the export control list for sensitive items, which triggers export-licence requirements on goods that normally don’t require a licence, include subsidiaries of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The restrictions have been in place since India tested nuclear weapons in 1998. The move by the commerce department described as the “first steps” to implement the export control policy initiatives announced by Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Nov 8 comes ahead of a visit to New Delhi Feb 6 of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who is leading 24 US businesses on a high-tech trade mission to India….

“The perception of onerous US export controls certainly has been a hindrance to high-technology trade over the years,” a US administration official told reporters on a conference call. “So our goal was to remove India from the categories within those dual-use regulations that connote countries as proliferation concerns.” Two major changes, which will go into effect Tuesday, will begin the process of putting export controls for India “on a normalised footing”, the official said.

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