Deputy Prime Minister Peres with Dr. K. Kasturirangan
ISRO
scientists busy in orbit raising operation of INSAT-3C
(Hindustan Times, 27 January 2002)
In crucial manoeuvres, Indian space scientists are now busy in the orbit raising operation of the communication satellite INSAT-3C, and the exercise is likely to be completed by January 31st, sources at ISRO said. ISRO officials noted that the orbit-raising operations are carried out by firing the 440 Newton thrust Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board the third generation spacecraft INSAT-3C, successfully launched by Europe's Ariane-4 rocket from the South American spaceport of Kourou in French Guyana on January 24th. "The satellite's health is very good," the sources said. They said the orbit-raising operations started on January 25th from the INSAT Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, some 180 km from Bangalore, in Karnataka, which took control of the spacecraft after it was shot into space. The manoeuvres, the sources said, would finally put the satellite in a geostationary orbit, stationary with relation to a point on the earth, at 74º East longitude with an altitude of 36,000 km and inclination of 4º to the equator. Once the manoeuvres are over, deployment of solar array and antennas on board INSAT-3C would be completed in a series of critical operations carried out from MCF.
INSAT-3C successfully launched
(ISRO Press Release, 24 January 2002)
The INSAT-3C satellite built by ISRO, was successfully launched early morning on January 24th by the Ariane-4 launch vehicle of Arianespace. The 147th flight of Ariane, carrying ISRO's 2,750 kg INSAT-3C, lifted off at 05:17 a.m. IST from Kourou, French Guyana in South America. INSAT-3C was injected into a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), 21 minutes after the lift-off, in a 3-axis stabilised mode, with a perigee of 570 km and an apogee of 35,920 km and an inclination of 4º with respect to the equator. The satellite is at present going round the earth with an orbital period of about 10.5 hours.
The INSAT Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the telemetry signal from INSAT-3C at 5:47 am IST. The initial health checks on the satellite indicate that the performance of the satellite is normal. First operations on this satellite were carried out by issuing commands from the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hasssan. The outermost panel of the stowed solar array on the south side of the satellite was oriented towards the sun to start generating the electrical power required by the satellite during its transfer orbit phase. Subsequently, the earth viewing face was oriented towards earth and calibration of the gyros on board the satellite has been carried out.
INSAT-3C is being tracked, monitored and controlled from MCF, Hassan. During the initial phase of the operation, MCF also utilises INMARSAT Organisation's ground stations at Beijing (China), Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada). The satellite's orbit is being precisely determined by continuous ranging from the participating Telemetry Tracking and Command (TTC) stations. In the coming days, orbit raising operations on INSAT-3C will be carried out by firing the 440 Newton liquid apogee motor on board in stages till the satellite attains its final geo-stationary orbit, about 36,000 km above the equator. The satellite has about 1.5 tonne of propellant (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine - MMH and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen - MON-3) for orbit raising operations as well as for station keeping and in-orbit attitude control. The on orbit fuel availability will enable maintaining the satellite for operational services for a period of 12 years.
When the satellite reaches near geo-stationary orbit, deployment of the two solar panels and the two antennas will be carried out and the satellite put in its final 3-axis stabilised mode. The payloads will be subsequently checked out before the commissioning of the satellite. The INSAT-3C will be co-located with INSAT-1D at 74º east longitude. Other INSAT satellite locations are: INSAT-2C and INSAT-2B at 93.5º east longitude, INSAT-2E and INSAT-3B at 83º east longitude, INSAT-2A at 48º east longitude and INSAT-2DT at 55º east longitude. The INSAT-3C carries 24 C-band transponders, six extended C-band transponders, two S-band transponders and a Mobile Satellite Service transponder operating in S-band up-link and C-band down link.
INSAT-3C has the main body in the shape of a cuboid of 2 x 1.7 x 2.8 metres. When the two solar panels are fully deployed in orbit, it will measure 15.5 metres in length. The sun tracking solar panels generate 2.75 kW of power. Two 60 Ah Nickel-Hydrogen batteries support full payload operations even during eclipses. The INSAT-3C, like all its predecessors in the INSAT series, is a 3-axis body-stabilised spacecraft using momentum/reaction wheels, earth sensors, sun sensors, inertial reference unit and magnetic torques. It is equipped with unified bi-propellant thrusters. The satellite has two deployable antennas and three fixed antennas that carry out various transmit and receive functions.
The INSAT-3C is the second satellite to be launched in the INSAT-3 series. The first satellite, INSAT-3B, was launched on 22 March 2000. The INSAT-3C is expected to augment the present INSAT capacity for communication and broadcasting, besides providing continuity of the services of INSAT-2C when it reaches the end of mission life late this year. With ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore, as lead centre, INSAT-3C was realised with major contributions from Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala and Bangalore, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Thiruvananthapuram. Besides, several industries in both public and private sectors have contributed to the realisation of INSAT-3C. MCF is responsible for initial and in-orbit operation of all geo-stationary satellites of ISRO.
INSAT-3A, INSAT-3E lined up
for launch
(Hindustan Times, 24 January 2002)
ISRO has now lined up the launch of two more satellites - INSAT-3A and INSAT-3E - in the next one year, amidst plans to meet the country's requirement to have 250 transponders over the current decade. Speaking soon after the successful launch of INSAT-3C at Kourou in French Guyana early morning on January 24th, ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan said INSAT-3A is getting into the advanced stage of integration and would be ready by June-July this year. INSAT-3E, he said, is also getting into initial stages of integration and would be ready for a launch by the end of this year or early part of next year. Kasturirangan sought launch support for these two spacecraft by Arianespace. Stating that India has an ambitious programme in space as it advances to current decade planning, he said the country's requirement in terms of transponders is burgeoning. India requires 125 transponders in the next three to four years, and 250 transponders the next one decade or so.
"Obviously, we have to create infrastructure (to add transponder capacity).....More number of satellites and more number of launches," he said, and emphasised the need for strengthening and expanding the relationship between ISRO and Arianespace. Meanwhile, ISRO sources said the space agency is also trying to sell INSAT capacity to neighbouring countries. An ISRO official indicated that the 104-nation Washington-based consortium, Intelsat, might require some back-up from INSAT-3C, noting that more than half of INSAT-2E capacity had been sold out to it. Officials noted that ISRO presently has around 80 transponders. They said ISRO has planned to launch its first fourth generation satellite - INSAT-4A - by the end of next year, or early 2004. Most of the INSAT-4 series would carry KU-band transponders. Sources said the space agency has also planned to launch a dedicated meteorological satellite - METSAT-1 - in the middle of next year. Bangalore-headquartered ISRO has also planned to launch INSAT satellites by its own GSLV from Sriharikota after three developmental flights, officials said.
If everything goes on schedule, India's third generation satellite, INSAT-3C, will be in orbit on January 24th, giving a boost to the country's communication services. Perched majestically on the silvery white nose of Europe's Ariane-4 rocket, the 2,750 kg spacecraft is set to be blasted into space at 4:23 a.m. IST at Kourou in French Guiana, ISRO officials said. The launch countdown will begin at 4:23 p.m. on January 23rd. The INSAT-3C will carry 24 C-band, six extended C-band and two S-band transponders and a mobile satellite service transponder operating in S-band up-link and C-band down-link frequencies.
"INSAT-3C will augment the INSAT series capacity and provide continuity to the services of the ageing satellites like INSAT-2C," an ISRO spokesperson said. It is expected to enhance India's capability in the field of telecommunication, broadcasting, business communication and mobile services. "It will cater to the increasing demand for VSATs and broadcast services," the officials said. INSAT-3C, which has a design life of 12 years, costs Rs 2.5 billion. In addition, the launch cost (by Arianespace) is believed to be in excess of Rs 3.5 billion. An ISRO team, including ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan, Satellite Centre Director P.S. Goel, INSAT Series Project Director K.N. Shankara and INSAT-3C Project Director R.K. Rajangan, are already at Kourou for the launch.
INSAT-3C to be launched
between January 21-26
(Times of India, 13 January 2002)
India's third generation communication satellite INSAT-3C will be launched between January 21st and 26th on board Ariane Space's fourth generation launch vehicle, Ariane 4, ISRO officials said. Earlier, January 16th was announced as the tentative launch date by Ariane Space. ISRO officials said that a week's launch window is generally kept open to accommodate the weather factor forcing an immediate change in the date of launch. The satellite will initially be placed in a highly elliptical orbit of 200 km by 36,000 km by Ariane Space before ISRO'S Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka takes over. The MCF would take the satellite to its geo-stationary orbit of 36,000 km located at 74º East longitude. This manoeuvre will be carried out by remotely firing the apogee boosters on board INSAT-3C and will also include correction in the inclination of the orbit with regard to the equator, officials said. This procedure will be followed by initial monitoring of the satellite's status after which the solar panels and the antennas would be deployed. The procedure of attaining the geo-stationary orbit and deploying solar panels and the antennas will take a week's time after the launch during which the satellite will be put in the three-axis stabilised mode, the officials said.
ISRO joins global
charter on space
(Times of India, 10 January 2002)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on January 9th signed two major documents which provide for cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space for mutual benefit and the use of space facilities in the face of natural or technological disasters. The international charter on space and major disasters and the cooperative agreement was signed by ISRO Chairman, K. Kasturirangan and ESA Director of Strategy & External Relations, Jean Pol Poncelet. The charter, introduced by ESA and the French National Space Agency in June 2000, is an initiative by space agencies to provide earth observation data to disaster relief agencies to support them in their emergency operations. The Canadian Space Agency is another organisation which has joined the charter. Dr. Kasturirangan said data obtained through Indian remote sensing satellites will now be provided to relief organisations for the purpose of disaster management.
The cooperative agreement, in turn, enables both ISRO and ESA to carry out programmes of common interest in space science and its applications. The ISRO Chief said this will include communication, remote sensing for monitoring the environment and corresponding data processing, meteorology and navigation, and life and material sciences under microgravity conditions. ISRO officials said they had a long-standing relationship with ESA. ISRO's first experimental communication satellite was launched on board ESA's Ariane launch vehicle in 1981. Ariane subsequently also launched several INSAT satellites of ISRO. Apart from the training received by many ISRO scientists in ESA's laboratories, ISRO also receives remote sensing data from ESA's ERS-1 and ERS-2 satellites. ISRO, in turn, launched ESA's Proba satellite on board its PSLV last October.
Israel Deputy Prime Minister Visits ISRO
(ISRO Press Release, 09 January 2002)
Deputy Prime Minister Peres with Dr. K. Kasturirangan
Shimon Peres, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, visited the ISRO Satellite Centre at Bangalore on 09 January 2002. Dr. K. Kasturirangan, ISRO Chairman, made a brief presentation on the Indian Space programme to the visiting dignitary. After the briefing on the space activities, Deputy Prime Minister Peres was shown around the Satellite Centre and the exhibition. Deputy Prime Minister Peres evinced keen interest in the Indian space programme and its achievements.
Professor Satish Dhawan has passed away
(ISRO Press Release, 04 January 2002)
Professor Satish Dhawan passed away on January 3rd. A
multifaceted personality, Professor Dhawan, was truly one of
the most distinguished Indians of our times - a brilliant aeronautical engineer,
an outstanding space scientist, a philosopher, a humanist, and above all else, a
great visionary. His great human qualities, combining intense personal charm
with a deep commitment to social values and an extraordinary objectivity in
management, have led several generations of students, colleagues and
administrators to efforts that would not have been undertaken otherwise.
Professor Dhawan was born on 25 September 1920 in a distinguished family. His father was a high-ranking civil servant of undivided India and retired as the resettlement Commissioner of Government of India at the time of partition. One of his uncles B.D. Dhawan, was Governor of Punjab. He graduated from the University of Punjab with an unusual combination of degrees: BA in Mathematics and Physics, MA in English Literature and a BE in Mechanical Engineering. In 1947 he obtained an MS in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and moved to the California Institute of Technology, where he was awarded the Aeronautical Engineer's Degree in 1949 and a Ph.D in Aeronautics and Mathematics in 1951 with Prof Hans W. Liepmann as adviser.
Professor Dhawan joined the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) in 1951 and became its Director in 1962. Two outstanding features of his tenure as the Director of Institute reveal Satish Dhawan's philosophy in research - first, they were carried out at low cost with indigenous development or adaptation of whatever materials, skills and instrumentation were available at the time; second, the basic research areas investigated in his laboratories were all inspired in some way by the problems faced by the newly-born aircraft industry of the country.
Professor Dhawan took over as Chairman of Space Commission and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Space in 1972. In the following decade, Professor Dhawan directed the Indian space programme through a period of extraordinary growth and spectacular achievement. As Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space, Professor Dhawan led the Indian space programme to an astonishing state of maturity. In doing so, he provided a model for the country on how to define, formulate and organize high technology projects, and deliver sophisticated products within stipulated timeframes. Major programmes on satellite and launch vehicles were carefully defined and systematically executed and pioneering experiments were carried out in remote sensing and satellite communications during this period. Professor Dhawan's leadership and later his continued advice was always marked by scrupulous objectivity and a deep concern for the society's problems.
Professor Dhawan's stewardship of ISRO was distinguished by his keen sensitivity to the true needs of a developing nation, a confident appreciation of the ability of ISRO's scientists and engineers, and the involvement of Indian industry, both Public and Private, with ISRO's efforts. But, above all else, what was striking about Professor Dhawan was his deep commitment to human values and the use of Science and Technology for development. The space community in India owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to Professor Dhawan for imbuing it with an abiding sense of technological excellence, human values, social commitment. While many awards were bestowed on Professor Dhawan for his contribution to science and technology by various bodies within India and abroad, the citation presented to Professor Satish Dhawan when he was awarded the 1999 Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration brings out the essence of the man:
''.... the award goes fittingly to one of our foremost scientists, teachers, and national builders, Professor Satish Dhawan, who has made multi-dimensional contributions to scientific education, research, policy formulation and implementation and is deeply concerned with the solution of national problems through the use of science…''
ISRO, while mourning the sad demise of Professor Dhawan, salutes one of the truly great builders of modern India.
India's first spy
satellite shows result
(Times of India, 04 January 2002)
Two one meter resolution photographs, one of Lucknow city and second one of Lucknow University, taken by India's first ever indigenous spy satellite, was shown to the public at the Indian Science Congress in Lucknow. The photographs were shown by ISRO Chairman, Dr. K. Kasturirangan at a public meeting at the Science Congress on January 3rd. The satellite is working fine and the ISRO is still in the process of validating the functioning of the satellite, he said. It has not been handed over to its main user Ministry of Defence so far, he added. The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) was launched a few months ago from Sriharikota.
INSAT-3C launch likely on January 16th
(The Hindu, 03 January 2002)
Arianespace's satellite launch vehicle, Ariane 4, which will carry the INSAT-3C will roll out to the launch zone at Kouru, the French Guyanese spaceport, on January 4th. The launch vehicle is now in the vertical assembly building at the spaceport's ELA-2 complex undergoing various checks. In late December, the launch team installed Ariane-4's two large strap-on motors. The vehicle was placed in a 'stand-by mode' as integration and check-out activities were completed before the holiday break. The INSAT-3C, designed and built by ISRO, was ready in August. But the failure of Arianespace's flight 142 led to considerable delay in the launch. Subsequently, the space agency offered an exclusive Ariane-4 for launching the satellite. Ariane said the 'mating' of the payload, INSAT-3C with the launch vehicle, has been planned for January 10th. The lift-off has been planned for January 16th, first Arianespace launch this year. The evening launch window opens at 7:52 p.m. Kouru time. The satellite, to be positioned at 74º East longitude, carries 24 C-band transponders, six extended C-band transponders, two S-band broadcast satellite service transponders and mobile satellite service transponders.
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