India's big leap in space biz

Mail Today – 14 hours ago

With the successful launch of an Indo- French bird, along with a bunch of six foreign satellites, on Monday, the Indian space agency reaffirmed its growing clout in the global launch market for small- tomedium weight satellites.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PLSV) mission accomplished from the Satish Dhawan Spaceport in Sriharikota was challenging as it involved injection of one primary and six auxiliary satellites into their respective orbits one after another.

While it was fuelled by less propellant than usual because the combined weight of satellites — 760 kg — was lower than that carried in earlier missions, additional technology of ' dual launch adapter' was deployed for sequential injection of satellites into the space. One of the satellites — Britishmade STRaND- 1 — carries a smartphone to space in order to study its performance in harsh space environment.

ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C20

ISRO on Monday launched the Indo-French satellite named 'SARAL', aimed at oceanographic studies, and six foreign mini and micro satellites onboard its workhorse rocket PSLV C-20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota. The rocket was launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 6.01 pm. President Pranab Mukherjee was also present at the mega launch. This is the 23rd mission of PSLV, which has an impeccable record of 21 consecutive successful flights.

The launch was originally scheduled for the rhythmic date of 12- 12- 12 in December last, but the date was not approved by the Launch Authorisation Board. Monday's lift- off was textbook- like, but for the departure of five minutes from the scheduled time of 5.56 pm.

The change was due to last minute analysis to avoid any possible collision with near- Earth objects with any of the satellites, officials said. The presence of President Pranab Mukherjee to witness the launch came as an additional booster to the space agency, which is now preparing for the big ticket inter- planetary mission to Mars later this year.

Describing the mission as a " remarkable launch", Mukherjee said " PSLV has now become a household name in India." The launch capability of ISRO, he said, was now recognised all over the world. The SARAL satellite launched on Monday is the second Indo- French space mission in two years. Megha- Tropiques was launched by PSLV in October 2011. SARAL is an environmental satellite, designed to monitor oceans for changes like sea level rise, seasonal forecasting and migration of animals. Its payloads have been jointly developed by ISRO and French space agency, CNES.

WAY TO GO

While PSLV is the workhorse of Indian space programme, India is yet to fully master launch capability for heavier satellites. It has developed the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with its upper stage propelled by a cryogenic engine initially imported from Russia. GSLV can launch communication satellites weighing up to 500 kg. The indigenously- developed cryogenic engine is undergoing ground testing and its experimental flight is likely to take place later this year.

A 'SMART' MOVE

One of the satellites injected into space by PSLV on Monday carries a smartphone to space. The satellite, STRanD- 1, made by the UK- based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, is claimed to be the first smartphone- operated satellite in space.

At the heart of the cubical satellite is a Google Nexus One smartphone with an Android operating system. A smartphone, the company says, incorporate several key features needed for a satellite such as cameras, radio links, accelerometers and high performance computer processors. It has everything except a solar panels and propulsion.

The satellite will use a number of apps to collect data, while a high- speed Linux- based computer developed by the company will take care of the satellite. In the second phase, the firm plans to test capabilities of a number of standard smartphone components for a space environment.

"A smartphone on a satellite like this has never been launched before but our tests have been pretty thorough, subjecting the phone to oven and freezer temperatures, to a vacuum and blasting it with radiation," pointed out Dr Chris Bridges, lead engineer of the project.

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2013. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

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