From our very childhood we were heavily acknowledged by the stories and achievement of the space agencies like NASA and many others. As we are used to think that the “Internet” means google and many other examples are also there. Meanwhile “ISRO” has got a pretty low acknowledgment despite of having a vast contribution in the fields of space research.
Founded back in 1969, In today scenario ISRO is recognized as World’s one of the most leading space organizations by global agencies worldwide. From that very day of establishment till now, ISRO has created a series of milestones and some are still upcoming.
Here are some 5 such milestones of which India will be proud of ISRO.
- The GSLV MKIII
- The Reusable Launch Vehicle –Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD)
- IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System)
- SCE-200
- The Mars Orbiter mission
The GSLV MK III project
It was approved in 2002 and was tasked with achieving the capability to launch a 4-ton class satellite into geostationary orbit by realizing a specially designed rocket. The development program was completed by his three successful flights of the LVM3 X, GSLV Mk III D1 and GSLV MkIII D2. The GSLV MkIII is configured as a three-stage vehicle with two solid seatbelt engines (S200), one liquid core stage (L110) and one high thrust cryogenic stage (C25). His S200 solid fuel motor, which uses 204 tons of solid propellant, is one of the largest solid fuel boosters in the world. The L110 liquid stage uses a twin liquid engine configuration with 115 tons of liquid fuel and the C25 cryogenic upper stage consists of a fully native high thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) with a fuel load of 28 tons. The vehicle has a total length of 43.5 m, a gross takeoff weight of 640 tons and a payload fairing diameter of 5 m.
Characteristics of GSLV Mk III:
• Performance capability of 4.3 ton to GTO
• Payload capability to support 10 ton to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions
• Cost effective performance
• Improved reliability, operability and redundancy management
• Future growth potential of payload with minimal design changes
• To support man rated missions of Indian Space Program
GSLV MK III’s first development flight, GSLV-MK III-D1, succeeded in launching the GSAT-19 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. on June 5, 2017.
GSLV MkIII-D2, succeeded in launching a high-through communication satellite GSAT-29 on November 14, 2018 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota
GSLV MkIII-M1 successfully launched his second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, in India, into Earth Park orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Center SHAR, Sriharikota, on July 22, 2019.
Benefits For India
Unlike the capability of GSLV Mk ll this version of GSLV MK lll is capable to take off with a load of 4-ton satellite to be place on Geosynchronous Orbit or 10 Ton weighting satellite to Low earth orbit which is the double payload capacity of its previous versions. With the achievement of this ISRO can launch its multiple satellite on its single takeoff.
The Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD)
This is one of ISRO’s most technologically advanced projects, providing the basis for a fully reusable rocket that will enable cost-effective access to space. to develop The RLV-TD’s configuration resembles that of an airplane, combining the complexity of a launcher and an airplane. The winged RLV-TD was configured to act as a flight test bed for evaluating various technologies such as hypersonic flight, autonomous landing and powered cruise. In the future, the vehicle will be scaled to become the first stage of India’s reusable two-stage orbital launch vehicle.
The RLV-TD consists of a fuselage (fuselage), nose cap, double delta wings, and two vertical tails. It also features symmetrically positioned active control surfaces called elevons and rudders. This tech demonstrator was boosted to Mach 5 with a conventional solids booster (HS9) designed for low burn rates. The selection of materials such as special alloys, composites and insulation for the development of RLV-TD and the manufacturing of its components is highly complex and requires a highly skilled workforce.
Goals of RLV-TD:
• Hypersonic aerodynamic characterization of wing bodies
• Assessment of autonomous navigation, guidance and control schemes (NGC)
• Integrated flight management
• Evaluation of thermal protection systems
RLV-TD was successfully tested by SDSC Shar Sriharikota on May 23, 2016, validating key technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidelines and controls, reusable insulation systems, and reentry mission management.
Benefits For India
This can be a major game changer in the space exploration programmes for India. As the major challenges that are faced by the counties in their space exploration programmes is cost factor. India can now address this challenge through the development of Reusable Launch Vehicle. This will help India in reducing the cost to a great extent and providing a reliable option in the nation space exploration programs.
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS):
It is an Autonomous Regional Satellite Navigation System being developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). The Indian government approved the project in May 2006 and expected the system to be completed and implemented by 2012. The purpose of this project is to implement an independent native regional navigation system for domestic. IRNSS design requirements call for a position accuracy of less than 20 m across India and within a coverage area of over approximately 1500 km. The system is expected to provide users with real-time, accurate position, velocity and time orders on various platforms, available 24/7 in all weather conditions. IRNSS is being developed in parallel with the GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Satellite Navigation) program, the ISRO SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) version of the overlay system for GNSS signal correction. The first launch of ISRO was conducted on 1st July,2013.
The proposed IRNSS system consists of a constellation of seven satellites and supporting ground segments. Three of the constellation’s satellites are placed in geostationary orbits, and the remaining four are placed in geostationary orbits inclined 29° to the equatorial plane. Such an arrangement means that all seven satellites have constant radio visibility with the Indian control station. ISRO has applied for 24 MHz spectral bandwidth in the L5 band (1164 to 1189 MHz) for IRNSS and a second signal in the S band (2483.5 to 2500 MHz).
Some use of IRNSS are as follows:• Land, sky, sea navigation
• Disaster management
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management
• Integration with mobile phones
• Accurate timing
• Mapping and geodetic data collection
• Support for terrestrial navigation for hikers and travelers
Benefits For India
India will be profitable by the Geo-spatial coverage that will be provide by the IRNSS ranging to 1500 km beyond the India’s political borders. It can be proved beneficial considering India’s military aspects as it can guide infantry patrol in unfamiliar patrol and missile guidance as well. It also has scope of commercial payoffs for India. With this India has taken a leap towards the indigenous development of positioning system thus not entirely relying on the US GPS or Russian Glonass.
SCE-200:
This a proprietary liquid fuel engine that uses liquid oxygen (LOX) to operate in its combustor and a highly sophisticated form of kerosene called RP-1. This engine will be heavily modified against ISRO’s existing launchers, especially his GSLV. The new engine will be tested on the GSLV-MK III by replacing the current L110 stage (powered by the liquid-fueled Vikas engine) with a semi-crystalline SC-200 stage (powered by the new SCE-200 engine). A charge of 200 tons of propellant.
ISRO has completed construction of his SCE-200 engine and is ready to test the semi-cryogenic engine in Ukraine. GSLV-MK III is the heaviest rocket of ISRO so far, but it is incomparable to rockets of the same class around the world. For ISRO to extend its rocket payload capacity into space, the GSLV-MkIII needs to materialize, and the SCE-200 engine is a big step in that direction. Currently, if the L110 core is replaced with a semi -low temperature SC200 stage by 2021, GSLV’s payload capacity may increase by 50 % to 6 tons. SCE-200 does not just drive GSLV-MKIII.
Many future rockets, including integrated rockets (ULV) and reusable rockets (RLVs), depend on the SCE-200 engine. According to S. SOMNATH, the director of the Vikram Sarabai Space Center (VSSC), the semi -low -temperature engine developed by the Liquid Promotion Systems Center, a subsidiary of ISRO, is completely ready for testing in Ukraine. The SCE-200 engine will use kerosene instead of dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as rocket fuel, unlike rockets currently in use in India.
Benefits For India
The SCE-200 that is developed by ISRO can be a major profitable development as this can be introduced onto the GLSV MK lll to have an improvement on its payload capacity. When the currently used L110 core will be replaced with SC200 it will rise the payload takeoff capacity of the GSLV MK lll and can make India profitable in its own ways.
The Mars Orbiter mission:
The Mars Orbiter mission, also known as Mangalyaan, is a spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since September 24, 2014. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 5 November 2013. This is India’s first interplanetary mission and his fourth space agency to reach Mars orbit after Ros cosmos, NASA and the European Space Agency. This makes India the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit and the first country in the world to do so on its first attempt.
The Mars Orbiter mission probe took off on her C25 PSLV rocket from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013. The launch window was approximately 20 days long, starting on October 28, 2013. It launched into Mars orbit on September 24, 2014, after a 298-day transit to Mars. This mission is a “technical demonstration” project to develop technology for the design, planning, management and operation of interplanetary missions. The spacecraft is currently monitored by the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) Spacecraft Control Center in Bengaluru, assisted by the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antenna in Bangalore, Karnataka.
The main goal is to develop the technology needed to design, plan, manage and operate interplanetary missions. This includes the following major tasks:
• Orbital maneuvers to move the spacecraft from an Earth-centered orbit to a Sun-centered orbit and finally into Mars orbit.
• Development of force models and algorithms for trajectory and attitude (orientation) calculation and analysis.
• Navigation at every stage
• Spacecraft maintenance during all phases of the mission
• Meet operational requirements for power, communications, thermal and payload
• Integrate autonomous functions to handle emergencies
For more about this “The Mars Orbiter mission” You Can visit ISRO Official Site
Make India Proud
With this mission India entered into an elite club of the space agencies that entered mars and that too in very first attempt. This will help India in exploration of Mars surface, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere thus taking a leap on the ongoing scientific research on the mars.
