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April 15, 2010 at 1:23 pm in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804681

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India’s indigenous GSLV D3 rocket fails in mission

India’s quest to achieve total independence in cryogenic engine technology failed on Thursday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV – D3, tumbled into the Bay of Bengal. This happened after the indigenous cryogenic engine ignited on time 304 seconds after the lift-off but the two steering engines of the cryogenic stage appeared not to have ignited.

These two steering engines control the pitch, roll and yaw of the rocket. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation told the ISRO scientists and engineers in the mission control centre that the performance of the vehicle was normal up to the second stage. And it was speeding at a velocity of 4.9 km per second. Indications were that the cryogenic engine ignited. “However, we saw the vehicle tumbling and losing control as the two vernier (steering) engines may not have ignited.

We will put all efforts to ensure that the next flight with the indigenous cryogenic engine takes place within a year”, he said.”

Dr. Radhakrishnan added that ISRO took 18 years to develop this complex cryogenic technology. He said it would have be confirmed whether the cryogenic engine ignited.

Source

April 14, 2010 at 3:46 pm in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2001617

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No ship under Indian Navy’s escort hijacked in Gulf of Aden since Oct 2008

New Delhi, Apr 13 (ANI): No merchant ship under the escort of an Indian Naval warship has been hijacked since 2008 in the Gulf of Aden and more than 15 piracy attempts have been prevented by Indian Naval warships.

INS Betwa with an armed helicopter and Marine Commando team has replaced INS Beas on anti piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden recently. She is the 16th Indian Naval ship to be deployed since Oct 2008, a Ministry of Defence release said.

During this period, Indian Naval ships have safely escorted more than 930 merchant ships of different nationalities, with, over 7780 Indians as crew. These include over 124 Indian flagged merchant ships.

In view of the risk of piracy, most of the merchant vessels now transit through the Gulf of Aden where a large number of warships are deployed.

Only limited number of vessels operate off the East coast of Africa or Somalia. Several Indian Dhows, however, continue to engage in regular trade between Persian Gulf / India and ports on the East coast of Africa and Somalia.

The owners and crew of these dhows are fully aware of the risks and dangers of operating so close to the Somali coast, but they continue to do so probably for commercial considerations.

Pirates do not usually seek ransom from dhow owners, but dhows are attractive vessels for use as “mother ships” to launch further piracy attacks on other merchant vessels.

In addition to India, warships of other countries are also operating in the Gulf of Aden. On an average 16 – 18 warships are deployed in the Gulf of Aden at any given time, which is indicative of the seriousness of the problem of piracy.

As a result, the number of successful piracy attempts in the Gulf of Aden has shown a downward trend, but piracy is spreading away from the Gulf of Aden deeper into the Indian Ocean. Dhows are suitable craft for supporting the pirates at such distances.

It is for this reason that Dhow owners have been repeatedly advised to avoid the piracy prone areas off Somalia. Despite the advisories issued by the DG Shipping, Indian dhows continue to operate in these piracy infested areas, placing at risk the lives of Indian crew onboard.

Though periodic incidents of hijacking of dhows had been reported earlier, in the past few days, there has been a spurt of reports indicating hijackings of Indian dhows off Somalia.

Reports also indicate that most of the dhows have been released safely and only two dhows are still in captivity. This indicates that that the hijackings of the dhows are normally not linked to ransom nor are they life threatening for the hijacked crew.

Not withstanding the presence of a large number of multinational naval forces in the Gulf of Aden, the contribution of the Indian Navy for anti piracy efforts in the region will continue in future. (ANI)

Source

April 12, 2010 at 4:29 pm in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804685

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Chandrayaan-II: PRL proposals under review

Some of the proposals submitted by the city-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) for the Chandrayaan-II mission are under final review by the scientific advisory board of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

PRL Director Prof J N Goswami said on Saturday that the Laboratory has submitted few proposals for the mission, including the ones for rover and orbiter. The launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-II mission is proposed to carry a lander alongwith a motorised rover, besides an orbiter, he added.

After launch, when Chandrayaan-II lands on the lunar surface, the motorised rover will detach from lunar orbiter. The proposed rover shall move on lunar surface to collect rock and soil samples, he said, adding that so far, the scientific advisory body has reviewed around 30 proposals on scientific payloads for the mission.

“The scientific advisory board is considering about 30 proposals on different types of scientific payloads to be carried in Chandrayaan-II and is expected to finalise it in the next few months,” according to a senior PRL scientist.

ISRO expects to launch Chandrayaan-II in 2013. PRL is the basic science research branch of the Organisation.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 12:08 pm in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804687

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India to re-test ballistic missile defence shield

Bangalore: India will conduct afresh the trial of its tactical ballistic missile in June to build a credible defence shield for intercepting and destroying incoming missiles, a top defence scientist said today.

“We will conduct a flight test of the anti-missile system again in June to build the ballistic missile defence shield against incoming medium- or long-range missiles,” Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) director-general VK Saraswat said here.

Admitting that the earlier test conducted on March 15 at the integrated test facility on Wheeler Island off Orissa failed when one of the two rockets involved in the trial deviated off the course, Saraswat said investigation into the incident revealed that the system did not work and the target was missed due to fuel leakage.

“Analysis of the earlier trial revealed that there was a leakage in the target missile leading to system failure. We are rectifying it to ensure the next flight test in June will hit the target and demonstrate our advance capability in developing the missile defence shield against any adversary missile attack,” Saraswat said on the sidelines of an event.

The fresh trial will also be conducted in the endo-atmospheric (within the earth’s atmosphere) region, at an altitude of 100km, and subsequently in the exo-atmospheric (out of the atmosphere) region.

India plans to deploy the first phase of the defence shield by 2012 after completing a series of trials and evaluating their target range.

“As in the previous trial, a target missile will be launched as an incoming missile and intercepted with another missile,” Saraswat, who is also the scientific adviser to the defence minister, said after delivering a keynote address at a convention organised by the Aeronautical Society of India.

The sophisticated ballistic missile defence system is built to thwart any incoming missile from entering the air space of the country.

The state-run DRDO has developed the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system for endo-atmospheric interception and the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for exo-atmospheric interception.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 12:05 pm in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804707

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India developing sub-sonic 1000 km cruise missile

India is developing a sub-sonic 1,000-km range cruise missile ”Nirbhay” which can be used for a ”variety of applications”, a top military scientist said here on Sunday.

The 1000-kg “missile is getting into some shape”, Dr V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation said.

He also said the flight-trial of air-to-air missile ‘Astra’, having a range of 45 to 100 km, is on the cards. Saraswat was delivering the keynote address at a national convention on ‘The Frontiers of Aeronautical Technologies’, organised by the Aeronautical Society of India here.

He said India’s armed forces are looking for long duration loitering missiles which can enter “enemy territory”, search targets such as radars, concentration of assets and “a variety of movements of enemy”, “home-on” the targets and “bang” them.

“We need to develop (loitering missiles)”, he said. Saraswat made a strong push for deploying space-based sensors to keep tab on “adversaries” and gather intelligence via-a-vis defence surveillance.

He said space-based sensors are a must for tracking and detection of movements of enemies. Unless it have space-based sensors, India would not be able to make its ballistic missile defence system a “potent weapon”, the scientist said. India is launching a major programme for surveillance, particularly space-based, in terms of electro-optical payload and synthetic aperture radar. “So, unless we prepare ourselves for future space-based systems, security is going to be a major issue,” he said.

On anti-satellite (ASAT) system, Saraswat said ballistic missile defence has some elements required for ASAT. India has the capability in this area in terms of “kill vehicle”, boosters and radars. But he noted that “some more building blocks are required to be developed”.

However, India has no plans to demonstrate its capability in terms of killing a satellite in orbit — unlike China which undertook such a mission in 2007 –, saying “we don’t believe in that (ASAT programme)”.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 12:03 pm in reply to: The Groshkov Saga- The Final stretch. #2001987

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Conduct of senior naval officer in Gorshkov project under scanner

New Delhi: A senior navy officer, who played a crucial role in the acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov, the Russian aircraft carrier, has been placed under the scanner. Investigators are looking into whether commodore Sukhjinder Singh’s proximity to some Russians was in any way linked to problems associated with the Gorshkov project, including the escalation in cost as well as delays. Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia, and had been stationed there for many years. The commodore was deputed there to supervise the re-fitting and technical requirements.

The probe also focuses on his improper personal conduct.

The carrier has for long been in focus for the quantum jump in its cost — the project cost has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently. In the second week of March, during Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India had — in a controversial move — agreed to pay $2.33 billion for the refitting as against the original $974 million agreed upon in 2004. Singh was posted in Russia until about three years ago, and was probably the senior-most officer there to oversee the Gorshkov project. On his return to Delhi, he was appointed to the crucial post of principal director (aircraft carrier project) looking after the Gorshkov project from the headquarters. All of this underlines Singh’s extensive involvement in the project.

According to the navy, the formal inquiry against Singh, who till some months ago was the principal director of the project, started a few weeks ago. It was ordered after incriminating evidence emerged showing his links to some Russians.

DNA has material to establish the commodore’s involvement in activities which were unbecoming of an officer of his rank and stature.

Confirming the inquiry, a navy spokesperson told DNA, “The IN (Indian Navy) has received information about a senior naval officer who has been involved in an act of loose moral conduct. The navy has instituted an inquiry to establish whether this had any influence on the performance of his official duties. Preliminary indications are that the involvement has been at a personal level.”

A navy source said the inquiry is looking into “all aspects” of Singh’s conduct, including whether his behaviour in Russia and proximity to some Russian individuals has had any “impact on the Gorshkov deal”. The concern is whether those individuals were part of a larger conspiracy of the Russian arms industry.

The Gorshkov project took a bizarre turn when Russians demanded in mid-2008 a massive price hike for the refit, leading to many within the navy and outside to suggest scrapping the entire project. In fact, questions continue to swirl about the logic of price hike. The carrier, which was originally slated to be delivered in 2008, is now only expected in 2012. Again, through it all, Singh has had a crucial role.

A navy source told DNA that “preliminary evidence” indicates that Singh may not have played any significant role in deciding the new price.

However, Singh was a member of the cost negotiation committee (CNC) set up last year to resolve the unprecedented Russian demand for increase in refit cost. According to naval records, Singh sat through the first meeting of the CNC last year. The CNC comprised at least three admirals from the navy, some three joint secretary rank officers and others. Singh was among the junior-most.

“The inquiry is going through the records” of the CNC, sources confirmed. The one man investigation, a formal court of inquiry, would “sum up in the next few days”, they said.

Connections, implications

Project cost of Admiral Gorshkov has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia and had been stationed there for many years Sources in the intelligence set-up said incriminating evidence detailing Singh’s improper conduct was made available to naval authorities, prompting them to start the inquiry

Investigators are also looking at his Russian contacts and if they had any links to the Russian arms industry, as well as if some of those close associations could have influenced his conduct in the Gorshkov deal.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 12:01 pm in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2001991

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Conduct of senior naval officer in Gorshkov project under scanner

New Delhi: A senior navy officer, who played a crucial role in the acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov, the Russian aircraft carrier, has been placed under the scanner. Investigators are looking into whether commodore Sukhjinder Singh’s proximity to some Russians was in any way linked to problems associated with the Gorshkov project, including the escalation in cost as well as delays. Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia, and had been stationed there for many years. The commodore was deputed there to supervise the re-fitting and technical requirements.

The probe also focuses on his improper personal conduct.

The carrier has for long been in focus for the quantum jump in its cost — the project cost has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently. In the second week of March, during Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India had — in a controversial move — agreed to pay $2.33 billion for the refitting as against the original $974 million agreed upon in 2004. Singh was posted in Russia until about three years ago, and was probably the senior-most officer there to oversee the Gorshkov project. On his return to Delhi, he was appointed to the crucial post of principal director (aircraft carrier project) looking after the Gorshkov project from the headquarters. All of this underlines Singh’s extensive involvement in the project.

According to the navy, the formal inquiry against Singh, who till some months ago was the principal director of the project, started a few weeks ago. It was ordered after incriminating evidence emerged showing his links to some Russians.

DNA has material to establish the commodore’s involvement in activities which were unbecoming of an officer of his rank and stature.

Confirming the inquiry, a navy spokesperson told DNA, “The IN (Indian Navy) has received information about a senior naval officer who has been involved in an act of loose moral conduct. The navy has instituted an inquiry to establish whether this had any influence on the performance of his official duties. Preliminary indications are that the involvement has been at a personal level.”

A navy source said the inquiry is looking into “all aspects” of Singh’s conduct, including whether his behaviour in Russia and proximity to some Russian individuals has had any “impact on the Gorshkov deal”. The concern is whether those individuals were part of a larger conspiracy of the Russian arms industry.

The Gorshkov project took a bizarre turn when Russians demanded in mid-2008 a massive price hike for the refit, leading to many within the navy and outside to suggest scrapping the entire project. In fact, questions continue to swirl about the logic of price hike. The carrier, which was originally slated to be delivered in 2008, is now only expected in 2012. Again, through it all, Singh has had a crucial role.

A navy source told DNA that “preliminary evidence” indicates that Singh may not have played any significant role in deciding the new price.

However, Singh was a member of the cost negotiation committee (CNC) set up last year to resolve the unprecedented Russian demand for increase in refit cost. According to naval records, Singh sat through the first meeting of the CNC last year. The CNC comprised at least three admirals from the navy, some three joint secretary rank officers and others. Singh was among the junior-most.

“The inquiry is going through the records” of the CNC, sources confirmed. The one man investigation, a formal court of inquiry, would “sum up in the next few days”, they said.

Connections, implications

Project cost of Admiral Gorshkov has gone up from Rs4,870 crore in 2004 to Rs11,650 crore currently Singh was in charge of the aircraft carrier project in Russia and had been stationed there for many years Sources in the intelligence set-up said incriminating evidence detailing Singh’s improper conduct was made available to naval authorities, prompting them to start the inquiry

Investigators are also looking at his Russian contacts and if they had any links to the Russian arms industry, as well as if some of those close associations could have influenced his conduct in the Gorshkov deal.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 11:59 am in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804709

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Participant

Apr 15 launch to give India its GPS

NEW DELHI: India’s hunt for a satellite-based global positioning system is nearing its end. On April 15, a much-awaited GSLV launch will place in orbit a satellite with navigational features and will be followed by three more which will be part of Geo Augmented Navigational system (GAGAN) aimed at enhancing satellite signals to the levels needed for a GPS programme.

The launch will be the first part of a plan that eventually leads to an Indian regional navigational satellite system which is to be in place by 2014. When fully operational, it will cover the entire Indian landmass with an additional range of 1,500 km.

But first, GAGAN will provide placement accuracy to the levels of 7.5 metres and will be applicable in civil aviation and other sectors including some related to defence. The nomenclature makes it evident that it will “augment” current capacities while a full-fledged GPS will follow later.

“The plan is to enhance signals that get weakened by the atmosphere. GAGAN will have an array of applications and these functions are a part of the capacities of the satellites that will be launched in succession,” MoS in PMO Prithviraj Chavan told TOI. Chavan oversees functioning of the departments of space as well as atomic energy and science and technology.

GAGAN fills a long felt need in India’s space and satellite capabilities. Attempts to be part of systems like the Russian Glonass or the European Space agency’s Galileo have failed due to concerns over absence of military firewalling.

These systems are partly controlled by defence agencies of foreign nations.

Now the enhanced signals will give India an entry to a vital sector. The plans have been long in the making but will now be close to fruition with the GSLV launch. Described as a GPS-aided system, GAGAN will step up the existing signals that are bent, distorted, reflected or weakened by ions in the atmosphere.

Apart from the European and Russian systems, Chinese are developing Compass and US has the GPS. India is not in a position to be part of either. Codenamed GSLV-D3, the three-stage rocket will put in orbit the 2.2-tonne advanced communication and navigation satellite, the GSAT-4, ISRO’s chairman, Dr K Radhakrishnan, told the media on Wednesday.

The navigational aides will better aviation safety and also provide a vital eye in the sky with defence implications that cover ground-based movements and high resolution satellite mapping. This will be used in survey operations aimed at tracking hostile movements and camps. The resolutions will help target systems and aid ground based forces reach objectives in areas difficult to access.

Source

April 12, 2010 at 11:51 am in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2001995

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Carrier-battle-groups-to-add-muscle-to-Navy/articleshow/5785929.cms

The first IAC to come early next year…was supposed to be launched this year.The one year delay does not seem to have effected the commissioning date though.

Posting your link in full…..

Carrier battle groups to add muscle to Navy

NEW DELHI: Nothing projects geostrategic power better than aircraft carriers prowling on high seas. Powerful fighter jets tearing into the skies from a moving airfield, which can travel 600 nautical miles a day, can send shivers down any adversary’s spine. Carrier-battle groups (CBGs) can, after all, rapidly respond across the entire spectrum of operations as ‘‘situation changers’’ in times of crisis. It’s no wonder then that US has as many as 11 CBGs to deploy around the globe, giving it the capability to strike almost anywhere.

India has been making do with a solitary carrier, the 50-year-old INS Viraat, since 1987. But now, with India and Russia finally ending their bitter wrangling over the huge cost escalation in Admiral Gorshkov’s refit, the Navy is steaming towards its aim of deploying two CBGs in Indian Ocean and beyond. ‘‘By 2014-2015, we should have two full-fledged CBGs, with their accompanying fighters and other aircraft, destroyers, frigates and tankers. It will make a huge difference,’’ said Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, talking exclusively to TOI.

The first CBG will be centred around the 44,570-tonne Gorshkov, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, which India will now get in early-2013 under the fresh $2.33 billion deal inked last month. ‘‘We hope to run Vikramaditya for 40 years,’’ said Admiral Verma. The second CBG will be around the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), whose keel was laid at Cochin Shipyard in February 2009. ‘‘There is some delay but it will be launched by first half of 2011. We should get it by 2014,’’ he added. The 45 MiG-29K fighters, contracted from Russia for about $2 billion, will operate both from Vikramaditya and IAC. Incidentally, a 65,000-tonne IAC-II is also on the drawing board. ‘‘It will be much bigger and capable of operating fighters, AEW (airborne early-warning) aircraft, tankers etc,’’ Admiral Verma said.

But for now, Navy’s intention is to ‘‘stretch’’ the operational life of the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, even though it’s left with only 11 of its Sea Harrier jump-jets, till IAC is commissioned. With as many as 40 warships and submarines on order, coupled with a dedicated communication satellite to be launched later this year by Isro, Navy is fast emerging as a true-blue three-dimensional blue-water force.

This is critical since India’s geopolitical interests stretch right from Hormuz Strait down to Malacca Strait. ‘‘Construction of support and escort warships for the CBGs is going well,’’ said Admiral Verma. Under the Rs 8,101 crore Project-17 at Mazagon Docks, for instance, the first of the 5,300-tonne stealth frigate INS Shivalik will be commissioned this month.

‘‘The second (INS Satpura) will be delivered later this year and the third (INS Sahyadri) next year,’’ he said.

April 11, 2010 at 11:45 am in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804710

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Success of cryogenic rocket launch will make India a leader in rocketry

BANGALORE: The indigenously developed cryogenic rocket, scheduled to be launched on Thursday, involves the highest level of technology and its success will make India one of the world leaders in rocketry, according to a top space scientist.

“It’s actually going to be a major milestone, and it’s one of the path-breaking development that we have done,” former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation G Madhavan Nair who has been involved in the project said.

“Without anybody’s assistance, India has really developed the cryogenic technology. We have set our goals and worked for it and we have achieved it. (It’s) Not to show about our strength and things like that,” he said.

The former secretary in the department of space and ex-chairman of the Space Commission said with the select band of countries which had mastered the technology not ready to share technology with India, New Delhi had no option but to go in for indigenous development in the mid-1990s.

In the first half of 1990s, when India sought to acquire cryogenic technology from Russia, the US successfully exerted pressure on Moscow not to part with it.

India subsequently used five of the seven “ready-made” cryogenic stages supplied by Russia in the homegrown GSLV flights.

After one-and-half decades of research and development, India is now set to flight-test the home-made cryogenic stage and engine in the GSLV-D3 flight scheduled to be launched from the Sriharikota spaceport on April 15.

In his tenure as the director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre from 1995-99, India’s efforts towards indigenous development of cryogenic technology took concrete shape and vital infrastructures were built and critical technologies were developed.

Nair, who has accomplished 25 successful missions during his six year tenure as Chairman of ISRO before retirement last year, also echoed the nervousness of ISRO scientists ahead of the ambitious mission.

“….but at the same time, one has to be really concerned about the first flight. Anxiety is there”, he said but added that whatever needs to be done has been done, including qualification tests and various reviews by experts. “We hope that the flight will be alright”.

Nair said development of cryogenic technology was a challenging job. “Our engineers and scientists have toiled and they have really mastered the technology”.

“This is the highest levels of technology in rocket,” Nair said. “So, that way we are mastering that. I think we are becoming one of the world leaders in rocketry,” he said.

Source

April 11, 2010 at 11:41 am in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2002078

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Indian Navy Ship Magar arrives on a Goodwill Visit

The Indian Navy ship “Magar” arrived at the Port of Trincomalee on a goodwill visit today (10th April 2010). On arrival, the ship was warmly received by the Sri Lanka Navy in keeping with naval traditions. Subsequently, the Captain of the ship Commander Simon Mathais paid a courtesy call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area Rear Admiral Jayantha Colombage.

INS Magar, a landing ship tank with a Chetak helicopter on board, is scheduled to stay in Sri Lanka for a few days. Used for amphibious and replenishment operations, the ship measures 125 meters in length and has a displacement of 5700 tons. It carries a crew of 20 officers and 235 sailors on board.

Over 100 SLN Officer under trainees and a number of sailors will embark on board INS Magar for a practical training session on areas ranging from navigation, communication, seamanship, Naval knowledge, damage control and fire fighting. The ship’s crew, as a reciprocative measure, will be accorded a special visit programme arranged by the SLN.

The ship’s visit reflects the cordial friendship that exists between the two friendly Navies and further strengthens the bilateral relations of the two neighbouring nations.

Source

April 11, 2010 at 11:33 am in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804712

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Launch of first satellite for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite system next year

SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) intends to launch the first in a constellation of seven satellites envisaged for the ambitious Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) project, GPS’ Indian counterpart, by the end of next year.

“The subsystems [of the satellite] are under various stages of fabrication at ISRO’s centres. At least four such satellites [each with a life in excess of seven years] are required to make it operational. After launching the first satellite using a PSLV in the last quarter of 2011, periodic launches would take place every six months. Which means by 2014, we would have the IRNSS optimally functional,” said ISRO sources here.

Range of applications

IRNSS, which will have a range of applications including personal navigation, will be India’s answer to the U.S.-operated GPS, Russia’s Glonass, European Space Agency’s under-development Galileo, and China’s emerging constellation, Compass.

“The problem with the existing constellations is that they are controlled by defence agencies in those countries. While Galileo is a pay-to-use system, Compass is military-controlled. On completion, IRNSS will have all-weather, round-the-clock coverage over the Indian landmass with an extended coverage of about 1,500 km around it,” said the sources.

Meanwhile, the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload in GSAT-4 which would be placed into the geosynchronous transfer orbit — before the satellite self-adjusts into its geostationary orbital home at 82 degree east longitude — by the eagerly-awaited April 15 flight of GSLV-D3 with indigenous cryogenic upper stage will provide a position accuracy of better than 7.6 metres required for precision landing of civilian aircraft.

The navigational payload, operating in C, L1 and L5 bands, will form the space segment of GAGAN Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS). “We are planning the launch of GSAT-8, with another GAGAN payload, by this year-end. A third satellite, GSLV 8 or 9, with GAGAN payload would also be launched in succession,” the sources said.

Independent function

GAGAN and IRNSS, once it comes into being, will function independent of each other. The ground segment of GAGAN comprises Indian Reference Stations (INRES) Indian Master Control Centre (INMCC) at Kundanhalli, near Bangalore, and Indian Land Uplink Stations (INLUS). ISRO has already set up eight such reference stations at eight Indian airports in collaboration with Airports Authority of India during the technology demonstration phase of GAGAN and 14 more are in the pipeline.

GAGAN’s user segment consists of SBAS receivers capable of receiving GPS signals and corrections from geostationary satellite.

Source

April 10, 2010 at 5:37 pm in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2002107

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EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: INS Shivalik, India’s First Home-Built Stealth Frigate, Will Be Commissioned End April

Source

April 10, 2010 at 4:55 pm in reply to: Indian Space & Missile Discussion II #1804739

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GSLV-D3 ready for launch on April 15

GSLV-D3 which will lift off on April 15 is seen on the launch pad at Sriharikota on Friday.

CHENNAI: There is an air of expectancy at Sriharikota even as the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) stands gleaming in off-white and grey on the beachside launch pad of the island. It was fitted together at the towering Vehicle Assembly Building and moved to the pad on April 7. The vehicle, 49 metres tall and weighing 419 tonnes, was married up with the satellite GSAT-4 earlier. When the vehicle lifts off at 4.27 p.m. on April 15, it will be a major riposte to the United States’ technology denial tactics.

“Crucial mission”

“The vehicle has been assembled and is ready for the launch,” Mission Director G. Ravindranath told journalists at the spaceport on Friday. He called it “a crucial mission because we are flying our own cryogenic stage for the first time in this flight.” It was “the most reviewed vehicle” and the result of “our efforts of the last 19 years. We started in 1991 and we have reached this stage despite technology denials.”

The entire flight from lift-off will last 1,022 seconds. Of this duration, the indigenous cryogenic engine alone will fire for 720 seconds. At the end of 1,022 seconds, the cryogenic engine will catapult the communication satellite GSAT-4 into the orbit at a velocity of 10.2 km a second. It will be a geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 170 km and an apogee of 36,000 km.

The cryogenic stage was built at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. Cryogenic engines are crucial for putting communication satellites weighing more than two tonnes into a GTO. Cryogenic technology involves the use of liquid oxygen at minus 183 degrees Celsius and liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees Celsius.

Mohammed Muslim, Project Director, Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP), said the cryogenic technology was the most complex one to be developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). “It has taken us 15 years to achieve this. It is normal time for any country and we are the sixth country to acquire this technology [after the U.S., Russia, Europe, Japan and China]. This is a highly guarded technology.” The ISRO had not taken chances with this mission and “the vehicle has been reviewed and checked point by point any number of times,” he said.

The ISRO built the cryogenic engine from scratch after the U.S. pressured Russia in April 1992 and July 1993 into agreeing not to sell cryogenic technology to India. In January 1991, India and the erstwhile Soviet Union had reached an agreement, under which the Soviet space agency, Glavkosmos, would sell cryogenic stages and transfer the cryogenic technology to India.

Goes back on pact

Under U.S. pressure, Russia in July 1993 went back on its agreement to transfer the cryogenic technology. In lieu of the technology, it agreed to sell two additional cryogenic stages to India. The last five flights of the GSLV from Sriharikota were powered by the Russian cryogenic stages. A cryogenic stage includes the engine, propellant tanks, motor casing and wiring.

Mr. Ravindranath said it took the ISRO all these years to develop the cryogenic technology because it had to develop special materials.

(At very low temperatures of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, metals become brittle. The ISRO, therefore, had to develop new alloys, new welding techniques and new types of lubricants).

7-year mission life

Satellite Director M. Nageswara Rao said GSAT-4 would have a mission life of
seven years. One of the payloads would help passenger aircraft land accurately despite poor visibility.

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April 10, 2010 at 4:48 pm in reply to: Indian Navy News and Discussions #2002111

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Karwar port harbours a white elephant

At the Port Authority jetty at Baithakhol here, a strange sight greets the visitor. A massive boat is virtually hoist with its petard. A crane has lifted it out of water for repairs to its keel and hull.

This is the hi-tech interceptor boat of the Coast Guard, which sailed into the Karwar harbour a mere 18 months ago amid great pomp and ceremony, to the awe of the locals. The high-powered boat that was expected to zip around the territorial waters off Karwar, patrolling against any illegal intruders and any threat to the high security zone that comprises the port and the naval base, Seabird.

The powerful, completely bullet-proof interceptor, with engine packing 275 HP of power and capable of doing 80 nautical miles an hour did just that for a while, vrooming around off the coast. And then, mysteriously it went into a limbo, anchored in the harbour.

The boat, equipped to carry 16 policemen and four crew, and an impressive light machine gun (LMG) mounted in the bow, did not stir out in the aftermath of 26/11, when suddenly there was all-round concern about the porosity of the western coast. The Coast Guard, for some reason, hired private boats to patrol the coast.

Moored in the harbour, the boat developed barnacles and is now upended for repairs to its keel and hull.

Asked about the boat, authorities cite the non-avilability of operating crew and fuel to power it. Apparently, it was sent to Karwar without any personnel to operate it. Fuel to operate it is also not available. The hi-tech boat which was supposed to strengthen the preparedness of Coast Guard never did fulfil its mandate.

In short, the security interceptor is anchored in the Port Authority like a white elephant.

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