PSLV-C62 will carry EOS-N1 and 15 co-passenger satellites. Photo: YouTube/ISRO Official

A satellite launch vehicle lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andra Pradesh.
| Photo Credit: File photo

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for the 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, which is scheduled to take place at the end of January with the launch of the GSLV-F15 NVS-02 mission.

The GSLV-F15 with indigenous cryogenic stage will place NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The launch is scheduled to take place from the spaceport’s second launch pad.

The NVS-02 is the second satellite in the NVS series, and part of India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).

According to ISRO, NavIC is India’s independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity and Timing (PVT) service to users in India as well as the region extending about 1,500 km beyond the Indian landmass, which is its primary service area.

NavIC provides two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS). NavIC SPS provides a position accuracy of better than 20 metres (2σ) and timing accuracy better than 40 nano seconds (2σ) over the primary service area.

Five second-generation NavIC satellites viz. NVS-01/02/03/04/05 are envisaged to augment NavIC base layer constellation with enhanced features for ensuring continuity of services. The NVS series of satellites incorporates L1 band signals additionally to widen the services.

NVS-01, the first of the second-generation satellites, was launched on board GSLV-F12 on May 29, 2023. For the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.

NVS-02, the second satellite in the NVS series, is configured with navigation payload in L1, L5 and S bands in addition to ranging payload in C-band like its predecessor-NVS-01. It is configured on standard I-2K bus platforms with a lift-off mass of 2,250 kg and power handling capability of ~3 kW. It will be placed at 111.75ºE, replacing IRNSS-1E. NVS-02 uses a combination of indigenous and procured atomic clocks for precise time estimation.

NVS-02 satellite was designed, developed and integrated at the U. R. Satellite Centre (URSC) with the support of other satellite-based work centres.

ISRO’s SpaDeX mission, launching with PSLV-C60, will demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its final mission for 2024 on December 30 with the PSLV C60/SPADEX Mission. The launch is scheduled at 9.58 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The space agency, for the first time, will be attempting the Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) mission which will demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft.

According to ISRO, SPADEX is designed to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking using two small satellites. “SPADEX will serve as a milestone in advancing India’s capabilities in space docking, a critical technology for future space missions, including satellite servicing, space station operations, and interplanetary missions,” the space agency said.

The demonstration of this technology is essential for futuristic missions such as sending an Indian astronaut on the Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of the Indian Space Station.

The PSLV-C60 will launch the two small spacecraft Chaser and Target also named SDX01 and SDX02 weighing about 220 kg each into a 470 km circular orbit at 55-degree inclination separately.

SDX02 spacecraft will be the first to separate 15 minutes after the launch followed by SDX01 spacecraft a few seconds later.

Incremental velocity

“The demonstrated precision of the PSLV vehicle will be utilised to give a small relative velocity between the Target and Chaser spacecraft at the time of separation from the launch vehicle. This incremental velocity will allow the Target spacecraft to build a 10-20 km inter-satellite separation with respect to the Chaser within a day. At this point, the relative velocity between the Target will be compensated using the propulsion system of the Target spacecraft,” ISRO said.

ISRO added that at the end of this drift arrest maneuver, the Target and Chaser will be in the same orbit with identical velocity but separated by about 20 km, known as Far Rendezvous.

“With a similar strategy of introducing and then compensating for a small relative velocity between the two spacecraft, the Chaser will approach the Target with progressively reduced inter-satellite distances of 5 km, 1.5 km, 500 m, 225 m, 15 m, and 3 m, ultimately leading to the docking of the two spacecraft,” it added.

The docking is expected to take place in the first week of January 2025.

Twenty-four PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM-4) payloads will be flown onboard the PSLV-C60 SPADEX mission.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan during his visit to Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), especially the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR), was marked by support and vision to perpetuate the space missions.

During 1972-76, as Member-Finance of the Space Commission, Dr. Singh had contributed significantly to advancing India’s tryst with space.

When Satish Dhawan headed ISRO and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam led the SLV-3 project, Dr. Singh visited SHAR in 1976 to review the technical facilities for the project.

Also read | Manmohan Singh death LIVE

It was a pivotal moment when his efforts paved the way for securing the government’s approval, facilitating the progress of India’s early space missions.

As Prime Minister, he visited SHAR on September 21, 2005, when he had unveiled Prof. Satish Dhawan’s bust in honour of the visionary leader’s space dream.

He once again visited SHAR on September 9, 2012, to witness the successful launch of PSLV-C21, which had given the much-needed morale booster to the array of scientists and employees.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan during his visit to Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), especially the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR), was marked by support and vision to perpetuate the space missions.

During 1972-76, as Member-Finance of the Space Commission, Dr. Singh had contributed significantly to advancing India’s tryst with space.

When Satish Dhawan headed ISRO and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam led the SLV-3 project, Dr. Singh visited SHAR in 1976 to review the technical facilities for the project.

Also read | Manmohan Singh death LIVE

It was a pivotal moment when his efforts paved the way for securing the government’s approval, facilitating the progress of India’s early space missions.

As Prime Minister, he visited SHAR on September 21, 2005, when he had unveiled Prof. Satish Dhawan’s bust in honour of the visionary leader’s space dream.

He once again visited SHAR on September 9, 2012, to witness the successful launch of PSLV-C21, which had given the much-needed morale booster to the array of scientists and employees.

SSLV-D3-EOS-08 mission during its successful launch from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on August 16, 2024. Photo: YouTube/ISRO official

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday (August 16, 2024) successfully launched an earth observation satellite, onboard the third and final development flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-03 from the the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota

The SSLV-D3-EOS-08 mission follows the second successful launch of the second test flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2-EOS-07) in February 2023.

Today’s mission is the third for the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency in 2024, after the successful PSLV-C58/XpoSat in January and GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS missions in February.

The smallest SSLV rocket, which measures about 34 metre in height, was planned to be launched on August 15 at 9.17 am and was later rescheduled to August 16, at 9.19 am from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre here.

The primary objectives of the SSLV-D3-EOS-08 mission include designing and developing a microsatellite, creating payload instruments compatible with the microsatellite bus, and incorporating new technologies required for future operational satellites, ISRO said.

With today’s (August 16, 2024) mission, ISRO completes the developmental flight of the smallest rocket which can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg and can place them into Low Earth Orbit (of up to 500 km above Earth).

The mission would also give a boost to NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO to take up commercial launches using such Small Satellite Launch Vehicles with the industry.

Built on the Microsat/IMS-1 bus, the Earth Observation Satellite carries three payloads: Electro Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR), Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry payload (GNSS-R), and SiC UV Dosimeter.

The spacecraft has a mission life of one year. It has a mass of approximately 175.5 kg and generates power of around 420 W. The satellite interfaces with the SSLV-D3/IBL-358 launch vehicle, ISRO said.

The first payload EOIR is designed to capture images in the Mid-Wave IR (MIR) and Long-Wave IR (LWIR) bands, both during the day and night, for applications such as satellite-based surveillance, disaster monitoring, environmental monitoring, fire detection, volcanic activity observation, and industrial and power plant disaster monitoring.

The second GNSS-R payload demonstrates the capability of using GNSS-R-based remote sensing for applications such as ocean surface wind analysis, soil moisture assessment, cryosphere studies over the Himalayan region, flood detection, and inland waterbody detection.

The third payload — SiC UV Dosimeter monitors UV irradiance at the viewport of the Crew Module in the Gaganyaan Mission and serves as a high-dose alarm sensor for gamma radiation.

(With PTI input)

Agnikul Cosmos successfully test launches the Agnibaan rocket powered by the world’s first single-piece 3D printed semi-cryogenic engine from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, in Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: ANI

After the successful test-flight of Agnibaan SOrTeD, Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos is hoping to start launching satellites early next year.

In an interview with PTI, Agnikul co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Srinath Ravichandran said the 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engines and the rocket will offer quick turnaround for customers who will be able to have customised launch vehicles for their satellites.

“Nine to 12 months I would say. Probably by the end of this financial year or the early part of the next financial year is what we are targeting,” Mr. Ravichandran said when asked about the commercial orbital launch of the Agnibaan rocket.

The first test flight of Agnibaan SOrTeD (suborbital technology demonstrator) on May 30, which lasted for 66 seconds, came after four unsuccessful attempts.

“It was a big sense of relief. I think we got a lot of learning in differentiating between building a vehicle and launching a vehicle,” said Mr. Ravichandran, whose idea to use 3D printing technology to build engines and rockets led to Agnikul Cosmos, a space sector start-up incubated at the IIT Madras Research Park in 2017.

The other co-founders were Moin SPM, an operations specialist and Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, a professor at IIT Madras and Head of the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development.

Women engineers Saraniya Periaswamy, the Vehicle Director for Agnibaan SOrTeD and Umamaheswari. K, the Project Director of the first Mission played a key role in the test flight.

Agnibaan SOrTeD was a vertical ascent flight unlike sounding rockets that are launched using guiding rails placed at a particular angle.

“Seven seconds after lift-off we checked the health of the vehicle and that is when the auto-pilot kicked in. Little bit into the flight, it started moving over the ocean and performed the pitch-over manoeuvre and then continued on its planned trajectory,” Ravichandran said, sharing details of Agnibaan SOrTeD’s maiden flight.

“Once it reached about 60 seconds or so, we entered the wind biasing manoeuvre, where we solve the wind speed and actually fly into the wind so there is not much wind load on the vehicle,” he said.

After the wind-biasing manoeuvre, the rocket continued to fly till burnout and dropped back into the ocean.

“There was continuous radar tracking of the vehicle. All the devices and instruments enabling that also worked really well,” Mr. Ravichandran said.

The next steps for Agnikul is to master the technology of firing multiple engines together and carry out tests for stage separation.

“We will have to figure out two things. Our orbital rocket has multiple engines fired together. So, that will have to be tested out on the ground. And the stage separation. SOrTeD was a single stage vehicle. The orbital vehicle will have two stages. So stage separation has to be tested,” Mr. Ravichandran said.

“We are already in the middle of building rigs at our facility. We will take six-seven months to get that and from there we will be able to target the orbital mission in the next three months,” he said.

According to Mr. Ravichandran, the demand for small satellites was high with as many as 30-35 tonnes of payloads put in low earth orbits every year.

He said small satellites have a low life-span and the same need to be replenished for continued earth-imaging or communications applications.

The Agnibaan launch vehicle is designed to be compatible with the mobile launchpad called Dhanush and can be configured to accommodate payloads ranging from 30 kg to 300 kg, ensuring versatility across a wide range of mission requirements.

Agnikul Cosmos successfully test launches the Agnibaan rocket powered by the world’s first single-piece 3D printed semi-cryogenic engine from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, in Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: ANI

After the successful test-flight of Agnibaan SOrTeD, Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos is hoping to start launching satellites early next year.

In an interview with PTI, Agnikul co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Srinath Ravichandran said the 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engines and the rocket will offer quick turnaround for customers who will be able to have customised launch vehicles for their satellites.

“Nine to 12 months I would say. Probably by the end of this financial year or the early part of the next financial year is what we are targeting,” Mr. Ravichandran said when asked about the commercial orbital launch of the Agnibaan rocket.

The first test flight of Agnibaan SOrTeD (suborbital technology demonstrator) on May 30, which lasted for 66 seconds, came after four unsuccessful attempts.

“It was a big sense of relief. I think we got a lot of learning in differentiating between building a vehicle and launching a vehicle,” said Mr. Ravichandran, whose idea to use 3D printing technology to build engines and rockets led to Agnikul Cosmos, a space sector start-up incubated at the IIT Madras Research Park in 2017.

The other co-founders were Moin SPM, an operations specialist and Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, a professor at IIT Madras and Head of the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development.

Women engineers Saraniya Periaswamy, the Vehicle Director for Agnibaan SOrTeD and Umamaheswari. K, the Project Director of the first Mission played a key role in the test flight.

Agnibaan SOrTeD was a vertical ascent flight unlike sounding rockets that are launched using guiding rails placed at a particular angle.

“Seven seconds after lift-off we checked the health of the vehicle and that is when the auto-pilot kicked in. Little bit into the flight, it started moving over the ocean and performed the pitch-over manoeuvre and then continued on its planned trajectory,” Ravichandran said, sharing details of Agnibaan SOrTeD’s maiden flight.

“Once it reached about 60 seconds or so, we entered the wind biasing manoeuvre, where we solve the wind speed and actually fly into the wind so there is not much wind load on the vehicle,” he said.

After the wind-biasing manoeuvre, the rocket continued to fly till burnout and dropped back into the ocean.

“There was continuous radar tracking of the vehicle. All the devices and instruments enabling that also worked really well,” Mr. Ravichandran said.

The next steps for Agnikul is to master the technology of firing multiple engines together and carry out tests for stage separation.

“We will have to figure out two things. Our orbital rocket has multiple engines fired together. So, that will have to be tested out on the ground. And the stage separation. SOrTeD was a single stage vehicle. The orbital vehicle will have two stages. So stage separation has to be tested,” Mr. Ravichandran said.

“We are already in the middle of building rigs at our facility. We will take six-seven months to get that and from there we will be able to target the orbital mission in the next three months,” he said.

According to Mr. Ravichandran, the demand for small satellites was high with as many as 30-35 tonnes of payloads put in low earth orbits every year.

He said small satellites have a low life-span and the same need to be replenished for continued earth-imaging or communications applications.

The Agnibaan launch vehicle is designed to be compatible with the mobile launchpad called Dhanush and can be configured to accommodate payloads ranging from 30 kg to 300 kg, ensuring versatility across a wide range of mission requirements.

The Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited will launch its first rocket Agnibaan Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on March 22.

Tamil Nadu will witness history when one of its space start-ups launches its first rocket on March 22. The Chennai headquartered space start-up Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited will be launching its first rocket Agnibaan Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

There are several interesting facts about this particular launch – Agnibaan SOrTeD – will be India’s first launch from a private launchpad, India’s first semi-cryogenic engine powered rocket launch and the world’s first single piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously.

Founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM, and Satya Chakravarthy, Agnikul Cosmos became the first company in the country to sign an agreement with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the IN-SPACe initiative to have access to the space agency’s expertise and its facilities to build Agnibaan in December 2020.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Chakravarthy, co-founder and advisor, Agnikul Cosmos, and professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, told The Hindu, “This would be India’s first liquid oxygen-kerosene rocket flight in India, from India’s first privately developed launchpad, in Sriharikota.”

“More importantly, we would be flying our patented world’s most integrated single piece 3D printed rocket,” he added.

He further explained, “This is a sub-orbital launch but it is not a sounding rocket. It has the full stack of closed loop feedback guidance and control with a gimballed thrust vector control. As such, this is the first private launch in India requiring a flight termination system and a safety radius from the launchpad calculated from some tens of thousands of simulations of worst case scenarios.”

“This mission attempts to validate the guidance, control, and navigation system, the launch release hold mechanism, the entire command sequence operated by the onboard computer, telemetry and tracking – all that goes with a full orbital flight except stage separation,” Mr. Chakravarthy explained. He pointed out that the next step post the mission would be post-flight analysis of all the subsystem performance. The immediate future plan is to get ready for the orbital flight.

TN’s space ecosystem is growing

Tamil Nadu has always played a crucial role in the space sector. Over the years, several companies and MSME’s from the State have contributed to the development of minor parts for several prestigious launches, including Chandrayaan-3. During a recent interaction with The Hindu on the State’s plans in the space sector, Sandeep Nanduri, Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), said, “There are numerous companies in Tamil Nadu who are part of the ISRO vendor base offering services in sectors such as design, R&D and simulation, material supply, propellants supply, sub system, mechanical and structural manufacturing, etc.”

According to details provided by TIDCO, there are several private sector entities operating like Agnikul, Data Patterns, L&T that have strong presence in the State. The details shared also mentioned, “Data Patterns has proven reliability of being a supplier to ISRO and has gradually expanded its role from sub-system manufacturer to complete satellite manufacturer. L&T has presence in Coimbatore and manufactures rocket motors for ISRO. AgniKul Cosmos Private Limited was incubated out of National Centre for Combustion R&D of IIT Madras.”

Mr. Nanduri also said that TIDCO is taking proactive steps by establishing two new space parks adjacent to the upcoming space port in Kulasekarapattinam. The first is dedicated to space-related manufacturing, catering to the needs of space organisations, and the second focuses on propellant production, crucial for rocket launches as well as related services.

Agnikul’s rocket is the second privately-developed rocket in India. In 2022, Vikram-S, India’s first privately-developed rocket, lifted off from the ISRO launchpad in Sriharikota. Developed by the Hyderabad-based start-up Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, the 6-metre tall vehicle hit a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometres and then splashed into the Bay of Bengal about five minutes after the launch. This mission was titled Prarambh.

S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar K

ISRO will conduct three more test vehicle missions under the ambitious Gaganyaan programme after the maiden TV-D1 test flight, which is scheduled on October 21, the space agency’s chairman S. Somanath said on October 14.

The Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of the human spaceflight capability by launching a human crew to an orbit of 400 km and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian sea waters.

The test vehicle development flight (TV-D1) will be conducted at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh to test the crew module that is scheduled to house Indian astronauts during the human spaceflight late next year.

“The first test vehicle flight (of the Gaganyaan mission) will be conducted on October 21. After that we have planned for three more test missions, D2, D3, D4. We will hold thorough tests during the test flight sequence,” Mr. Somanath, who is also the secretary, Department of Space, told reporters in Madurai. He was here to participate in a couple of events in Rameswaram.

Also read | ISRO to conduct first test flight of Gaganyaan mission on October 21

TV-D1 involves launching the crew module to outer space, bringing it back to earth and recovering it after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal.

Recently, the Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency would carry out the first of several test flights ahead of the Gaganyaan maiden mission on October 21 at Sriharikota.

To a query about the Aditya-L1 programme, the maiden solar mission undertaken by ISRO, Mr. Somanath expressed hope that the spacecraft will reach the Lagrange point (L1) in the middle of January 2024.

“We will insert it in the L1 point and undertake various scientific experiments from that point,” he said.

Last week, ISRO scientists performed a trajectory correction manoeuvre on the Aditya L1 spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched by a PSLV-C57 rocket on September 2.

On the setting up of another launch pad in Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district, he said ISRO would be able to avail several benefits from that launch pad as it would be useful for launching smaller rockets and to serve private players.

“…right now bigger rockets like PSLV need to take a turn towards the southward direction above Sri Lanka since the launch pad is in the east (in Sriharikota). Whereas in Kulasekarapattinam, we don’t need to make rockets to make that turn as they will be already facing southward,” he said.

“Smaller Satellite Launch Vehicles and private players will be able to use that launch pad (in Kulasekarapattinam). Right now, the land is in the acquisition stage. It will take two years for completion,” Mr. Somanath said.