ISRO Launches Six Singaporean Satellites (thehindu.com) 29
vasanth writes: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched six Singapore satellites on Wednesday. The agency also tested the fourth stage of its PSLV rocket, a four stage/engine rocket powered by solid and liquid fuel, alternatively.
The test to restart the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket will help India in its future launches while attempting to launch multiple satellites in different orbits. Restarting a rocket engine soon after being shut off is a critical technology that must be mastered. Once a rocket engine is activated, a great deal of heat is generated. The trick is to cool it down in space and restart it after a short pause. India has now launched a total of 57 foreign satellites for 20 countries, and Wednesday's launch earned the country 26 million euros.
TeLEOS-1 is Singapore's first commercial earth observation satellite. It was launched into a low Earth orbit for "remote sensing" applications. The satellite was put into a 550-km-high, circular orbit inclined at 15 degrees to the equator. The next three satellite launches using the Indian PSLV rocket will be navigation satellites.
The test to restart the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket will help India in its future launches while attempting to launch multiple satellites in different orbits. Restarting a rocket engine soon after being shut off is a critical technology that must be mastered. Once a rocket engine is activated, a great deal of heat is generated. The trick is to cool it down in space and restart it after a short pause. India has now launched a total of 57 foreign satellites for 20 countries, and Wednesday's launch earned the country 26 million euros.
TeLEOS-1 is Singapore's first commercial earth observation satellite. It was launched into a low Earth orbit for "remote sensing" applications. The satellite was put into a 550-km-high, circular orbit inclined at 15 degrees to the equator. The next three satellite launches using the Indian PSLV rocket will be navigation satellites.
Press release? (Score:3)
This appears to be a press release, nearly verbatim, from ISRO. I am happy for them, but is blipping out public relations information with no other content the new Slahsdot?
Re:Press release? (Score:4, Informative)
This appears to be a press release, nearly verbatim, from ISRO. I am happy for them, but is blipping out public relations information with no other content the new Slahsdot?
This is not press release information.
India Today, the Hindu and the Indian Times are independent newspapers in India.
Re: Press release? (Score:2)
I think they are just showing how inexpensive it is to launch rockets these days. But Mexico already does it for $200.
first place alliteration (Score:1)
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Space Buffet (Score:2)
Venusian Vindaloo.
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Lilla Karachi on Lilla Nygatan in the Old Town has lax tandoori to die for.
Malware on site (Score:3, Informative)
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uBlock (Score:2)
What are these "Ads" that you speak of ?~~
Happy uBlock user here.
To big media: don't be surprised that poeple use ad blockers if crap like this keep happening.
Who cares? (Score:2)
Payload around 500 Kg (Score:3)
Of the six satellites, TeLEOS-1 is the primary satellite weighing 400 kg whereas the other five satellites include two micro-satellites and three nano-satellites. TeLEOS-1 is the first Singapore commercial earth observation satellite. It will be launched into a low Earth orbit for "remote sensing" applications. Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO, has provided launch services in PSLV for 51 customer satellites from 20 countries so far.
It is an impressive feat no doubt. Also it tested its fourth stage liquid fuel rocket motor with start-stop capability. But as launch vehicles go it is definitely on the low end, with a 400Kg to 500Kg payload at 550 Km orbit. It is not a polar orbit or sun synchronous orbit. Looks like a plain vanilla orbit.
India is not really interested in a full fledged ICBM capability. Its enemies are local. It can probably deliver a 1000 Kg payload on Beijing or Shanghai. Or a 2000 Kg payload at Islamabad. That is all the capability it wants and it demonstrates. India is probably deliberately staying away from any capability to attack US mainland. It should not have to worry. It does not have oil. So it is in no danger of being invaded by USA ;-)
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This PSLV launch was a "core alone" configuration without any strap-on boosters. In its max configuration with six solid-fuel strap-ons it's good for about 3 tonnes to LEO.
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ISRO is using its trusted workhorse PSLV which is on its 32nd flight in 'core-alone' configuration without the use of solid strap-on motors.
But the press release says it is a core alone configuration. Very confusing.
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They aren't strap-on boosters, they're liquid tanks for the vectoring system for the solid-fuel core first stage. It works by injecting a strontium-based liquid into the nozzle to change the burn characteristics. It's crude by the standard of other solid-fuel launchers like Vega and Epsilon which use nozzle deflection systems but it works and it's cheap.
The solid-fuel strap-ons are considerably larger than the liquid tanks. You can see a diagram of what they look like on the Wikipedia page about the PSLV.
En
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India created a lot of skill sets by working on its own domestic production lines over decades. Over the years all the tech works and parts are ready and all work together well as designed. No stop start decades, mil only production lines, lack of funding that has caused so many complex issues in many other nations.
India had the correct idea to plan, design, prototype, build and then production line its own complex systems over time. Thats the key: years of good funding,