Space Tourism … and Much More
ISRO PRESS RELEASE
Chandrayaan-2, India’s second mission to moon, is being targeted for launch during 2013. Chandrayaan-2 will have an orbiter (satellite), a lander and a rover. Chandrayaan-2 is planned to be launched on board Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. While the lander will be provided by Russia, the orbiter and the rover are being built by ISRO.
Continue reading ‘ISRO Finalizes Instruments of Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Mission’
Become risk-sharing partners with us, ISRO tells industry
The Hindu
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) wants the industry, which already accounts for 60 per cent of its budget, to become a risk-sharing partner as the country’s space programme gets bigger and into the fast-track.
Continue reading ‘ISRO Looks to Partner With Industry, Take More Risks’
ROK agrees to India’s space launch use suggestion
Sify News
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday agreed to Indian External Affairs minister S.M.Krishna’s suggestion to launch ROK satellites on Indian launch vehicles.
Continue reading ‘South Korea to Launch Satellites on Indian Rockets As Bilateral Ties Deepen’
GSLV Mark III engine test (Photo: ISRO)
Six weeks after the failure of its first indigenous cryogenic stage, ISRO has named a new director for the propulsion center charged with developing the space agency’s rocket engines, The Hindu reports:
S. Ramakrishnan, Director (Projects), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, has been appointed Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He took charge as Director on Monday. The LPSC has the responsibility of developing rocket stages powered by liquid propellants and cryogenic propellants for ISRO missions…
Ramakrishnan has been chairing an accident investigation committee examining the April 15 failure of the GSLV-D3 mission, which included India’s first indigenous cryogenic upper stage. The stage failed to ignite, causing a communications satellite to fall into the Bay of Bengal. It was a major setback for ISRO, which had been working on cryogenic engine technology for 17 years.
Ramakrishnan, who replaces M.K. Gopinathan Nair as LPSC director, previously served as project director of the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle — MARK III program and mission director for several successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launches.
The Hindu has an interesting story saying that ISRO is in talks with Boeing about joint collaboration work on commercial human spaceflight systems:
Having worked with NASA on the Chandryaan mission, the ISRO is in talks with Boeing, which has a commercial crew development contract with NASA, as a key teammate to initiate the design and development architecture of a commercial transport to and from the International Space Station…
Continue reading ‘ISRO, Boeing in Talks on Human Spaceflight Cooperation’
Russia to develop lander for Chandrayaan-II
The Hindu
Russia will develop a lander that will ferry a rover to explore the moon’s surface as part of the Chandrayaan-II mission, slated for launch in 2013, project director of Chandrayaan-I and II M. Annadurai said on Sunday.
Continue reading ‘India, Russia Teaming Up to Put a Rover on the Moon’
Mockup of India's human spacecraft (Credit: ISRO)
Bangalore: Astronaut Camp launched
Mangalorean.com
The Astronaut Camp, first-of-its-kind outside the US, was launched in Karnataka by a Pune- based company – - ‘Mission Apollo’. The camp, aimed at developing leadership skills along with environment study, space exploration and honing the personalities of young minds to face greater challenges of tomorrow, began yesterday at Dandelli, about 500 km from here.
Continue reading ‘India Catches Astronaut Fever’
GSLV Mark III engine test (Photo: ISRO)
An update on the failure of India’s GSLV-D3 rocket, which crashed into the Bay of Bengal on Thursday after its cryogenic third stage failed:
A preliminary study of flight data by the scientists has determined that the cryogenic stage did indeed ignite but failed to function thereafter as a fuel turbo pump that supplied fuel to the cryogenic engine stopped working just a second after ignition.
Continue reading ‘ISRO: Cryogenic Stage Fired for One Second Before Turbo Pump Failed’
GSLV Mark III engine test (Photo: ISRO)
A bit more on India’s planned April 15 test of an indigenous cryogenic upper stage, which is proceeding along with some controversy:
Later this month, if the Indian space agency’s attempt to launch its largest rocket, the GSLV-D3 with an indigenous cryogenic engine succeeds, then India will join the elite club of five nations in the world to have successfully developed such technology.
For the country’s rocket scientists, the yet-to-be-achieved breakthrough is significant on two fronts–one, they will achieve self reliance and confidence in space technology. Two, India will emerge as a serious player in the $4 billion global satellite launch market.
Continue reading ‘India Prepares to Launch GSLV With New Cryo Engine Amid Controversy’
India developing winged reusable rocket: ISRO
Press Trust of India
India is developing a winged reusable rocket and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has configured a Technology Demonstrator as a first step towards realising it, the space agency said in a report.
Continue reading ‘ISRO Developing Winged Reusable Rocket’
GSLV Mark III engine test (Photo: ISRO)
ISRO PROGRAM UPDATE
Indian Space Research Organisation conducted the static test of its liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle, for 150 seconds at its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facility at Mahendragiri at 16:00 hrs yesterday (March 5, 2010).
While the test was originally targeted for 200 seconds it was stopped at 150 seconds since a deviation in one of the parameters was observed. About 500 important parameters were monitored during the static test. The next static test for 200 seconds will be conducted after analysis of this data.
GSLV Mk III launch vehicle is being developed for launching 4 tonne class of satellites in Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Measuring 17 meters in length and 4 meters in diameter, L110 is an earth storable liquid propellant stage with propellant loading of 110 tonnes. L110 stage uses two high-pressure Vikas engines in a clustered configuration and draws its heritage from the second stage of PSLV and GSLV and strapons of GSLV.
While in PSLV and GSLV, the liquid stage with single engine configuration burns for 150 seconds, the GSLV-MkIII requires burning for 200 seconds in a twin engine configuration.
Mockup of India's human spacecraft (Credit: ISRO)
ISRO budget at Rs 5000 cr; manned mission gets Rs 150 cr
Press Trust of India
India’s human space flight programme got a major boost as the General Budget on Friday proposed a significant allocation to it and also sought increase in funds for setting up an indigenous global positioning system.
The Budget, presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, has allocated Rs 150 crore for the human spaceflight programme under which the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to develop a space vehicle to put a two-member crew in space and get them back safely.
The government has already approved pre-project research and development activities in this regard.
The plan allocation for ISRO has been pegged at Rs 5,000 crore [~$1 billion] as against the revised budgetary estimates of Rs 3,172 crore last year.
Read the full story.
Mockup of India's human spacecraft (Credit: ISRO)
This could be the week that ISRO gets formal approval of its plan to send astronauts into space. Express News Service reports:
The Rs 12,000-crore [$2.6 billion] project is yet to be cleared by the government despite the fact that ISRO has submitted the feasibility report. Officials are hopeful that the government will clear the proposed project in which the space agency intends to put two people into space orbit for seven days.
Continue reading ‘India Nears Decision on Human Spaceflight Program’
International Space Station
Space News has some interesting ISS news from Europe:
The head of the 18-nation European Space Agency (ESA) on Feb. 2 roundly endorsed the new direction U.S. President Barack Obama proposed for NASA, saying a firmer U.S. commitment to the international space station and space-based Earth science would further tighten trans-Atlantic cooperation.
In an interview, ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain also said his agency was ready to propose to NASA and the other space station partners — Russia, Japan and Canada — that China, India and South Korea be invited to join the station partnership.
Continue reading ‘ESA Chief to Propose that China, South Korea and India Join ISS Program’
Mockup of India's human spacecraft (Credit: ISRO)
India plans manned space mission in 2016
AFP
India will launch its first manned space mission in 2016 in a bid to match space pioneers such as Russia and the United States, a top official said Wednesday.
The government had already approved plans for a human space flight project by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and last year gave the go-ahead for funding of around 2.8 billion dollars.
Continue reading ‘India Sets 2016 for First Human Spaceflight’
New Mexico Spaceport Authority Seeks Deputy Director
NMSA PRESS RELEASE
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) is accepting applications for a Deputy Director to oversee the daily operations of Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. This position announcement marks another significant milestone as the historic project transitions from a construction site to an operating spaceport.
The Deputy Director will be responsible for [...]
Wyle to Play Key Role in New FAA Commercial Space Transportation Center
WYLE PRESS RELEASE
Wyle is part of an academic-industry team that has been selected to support a new Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.
The center is a partnership of academia, industry, and government, developed for the purpose of creating a world-class consortium that will address current and future [...]
Space Tourism Insurance Could Be Next Big Growth Area
Space Tourism Sector A Good Opportunity For Insurance Firms
Space Travel
As space tourism matures, it holds tremendous opportunity for insurance companies to offer risk coverage to those on-board, similar to what they do for passengers of airlines, industry officials said.
At an international conference on space business, organised as part of Bengaluru Space Expo 2010, speakers noted [...]
