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ISRO successfully launches SSLV’s second developmental flight with three satellites from Sriharikota

The new rocket launch from Sriharikota has put three satellites into a 450 km-circular orbit during its 15-minute flight .

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its second developmental flight of a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle — SSLV-D2 — and placed three satellites in its precise orbit on February 10 morning.

The three satellites are ISRO’s Earth Observation Satellite – EOS 07, U.S.-based firm Antaris’ Janus-1 and Chennai-based space start-up SpaceKidz’s AzaadiSAT-2.

SSLV-D2 lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre-SHAR, Sriharikota at 9:18 a.m. This is the first satellite launch in 2023.

“The SSLV-D2-EOS-07 mission is successfully accomplished,” ISRO mentioned on its Twitter handle, a few minutes after the vehicle took off. ISRO in a statement said: “The vehicle injected satellites into close to 450 km circular orbit at an inclination of 37.2 degrees. The tracking network took control of EOS-07 satellite. Deployment of the solar panels and the generation of power is confirmed.”

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said, “In its second attempt SSLV-D2 has placed the EOS-07 satellite in its intended orbit very accurately. Two more satellites -Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 were also placed in the required orbit.”

The Chairman further said: “SSLV had its maiden flight SSLV-D1 and we had a narrow miss of placing the satellite in the orbit because of a shortfall in velocity. I’m happy to report that we have analysed the problems faced in SSLV D1 – identified the corrective actions and implemented it. We went through lot of studies to ensure that the vehicle will become success this time,” he added.

“And I’m happy this has been executed in reality. The orbit achieved by the vehicle today is exceedingly good,” Mr. Somanath said.

Noting that this journey began in 2018, S.S. Vinod, Mission Director of SSLV, said, “We had the maiden flight in August 2022 and we could not place the satellite in the intended orbit. Post that detailed analysis with a number of teams was carried out and we were able to pinpoint the problem in the system . We overcame that.”

He added, “And in a period of five months we have come back. And we will be coming back soon with the next launch of SSLV.”

It may be recalled that the first developmental flight of SSLV lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on August 7, 2022, and ended up to be a partial failure, as the rocket failed to inject its satellite payload in their intended orbits.

According to ISRO, the spacecraft was injected into a highly elliptical unstable orbit due to a shortfall in velocity, leading to their decay and deorbiting immediately, in spite of the normal performance of all solid propulsion stages.

Subsequent detailed analysis of the flight events and observations ranging from the countdown, lift-off, propulsion performance, stage separations and satellite injection revealed that there was a vibration disturbance for a short duration on the Equipment Bay (EB) deck during the second stage (SS2) separation. This affected the Inertial Navigation System (INS), resulting in declaring the sensors faulty by the logic in Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) software.

About SSLV-D2

EOS-07 is a 156.3 kg satellite designed, developed and realized by ISRO. The mission objective of EOS-07 is to design and develop payload instruments compatible with microsatellite bus and new technologies, which are required for future operational satellites. Moreover, it will also design and develop a microsatellite accommodating new technology payloads in a quick turn-around time.

New experiments include mm-Wave Humidity Sounder and Spectrum Monitoring Payload. Weighing around 10.2 kg, Janus-1 is a technology demonstrator, smart satellite mission based on the Antaris software platform. An 8.7 kg satellite AzaadiSAT-2 is a combined effort of about 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.

According to details provided by ISRO, SSLV caters to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to Low Earth Orbits on a “launch-on-demand” basis. It provides low-cost access to space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, and demands minimal launch infrastructure. It is configured with three solid propulsion stages and a velocity terminal module. It is a 34 m tall, 2 m diameter vehicle having a lift-off mass of 120 tonnes.

thehindu.com

Woman naval air operations officer to lead Indian Navy’s contingent at Republic Day parade

Navy officials said three women and five men Agniveers will also participate in the parade at Kartavya Path.

Lt Commander Disha Amrith, a woman naval air operations official posted at a strategic base, will lead the Indian Navy’s Republic Day contingent of 144 young sailors and its tableau will showcase the ‘Nari Shakti’ in force.

Navy officials said three women and five men Agniveers will also participate in the parade at Kartavya Path.

Besides Amrith, another woman officer — Sub Lt Valli Meena S — will be among the three platoon commanders of the naval contingent.

A Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from BMS College of Engineering in Karnataka, 29-year-old Amrith was part of the National Cadet Corps’s Republic Day team in 2008 and harboured the dream of being part of the marching contingents of one of the three services at the celebrations in Delhi.

“Since 2008, I was nurturing this dream of being part of the Republic Day contingent of the armed forces. It is an amazing opportunity that the Indian Navy has given me (to lead the naval contingent),” she said.

The officer, who hails from Mangaluru, got into the Navy in 2016 and has been posted at a key naval facility in the Andaman and Nicobar islands after completing her training in 2017.

“I am an aviator for Dornier aircraft and have been carrying out sorties in the plane,” she told PTI.

Last month, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Navy is looking at opening all its branches for women from 2023.

Sharing her experience, Amrith said she always wanted to be part of the armed forces and it was partly inspired by her parents as well.

“My father also wanted to be part of the services but could not. I am proud to be part of the Navy and will continue to serve the Navy with full zeal and dedication,” she said.

Asked about the challenges that women face in the forces, Amrith said, “I became stronger physically, emotionally and I am now more self-driven.” The renowned brass band of the Indian Navy of 80 musicians will be led by M Antony Raj, playing the Indian Navy Song ‘Jai Bharti’.

The theme of the naval tableau would be ‘Indian Navy — Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof,’ said Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, the Controller Personnel Services (CPS).

He said the tableau is designed with an aim to showcase the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy as well as highlight key indigenously designed and built platforms.

“The tableau also aims to highlight ‘Nari Shakti’ in the Indian Navy,” he told reporters.

The forward part of the tableau will showcase a woman aircrew of Dornier aircraft (flying overhead), highlighting the all-women crew of a surveillance sortie undertaken last year.

The main section of the tableau will illustrate the ‘Make in India’ initiatives of the Navy and model of the new indigenous Nilgiri class ship with a Dhruv helicopter deploying marine commandos will take the centre-stage. On the sides of the main section, cut out models of indigenous Kalvari Class submarine will be depicted.

In the rear section of the tableau, three models of autonomous unmanned systems being developed indigenously under IDEX-Sprint Challenge will be displayed.

The Indian Navy aims to induct at least 75 technology/product as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The sprint initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Naval Innovation and Indignation Organisation Seminar in July last year.

These products are being developed under the innovation for defence excellence scheme of the Ministry of Defence and Technology Development Acceleration Cell of Indian Navy, the official said.

thehindu.com

Indian aviation scales new heights with Operation Ganga, new routes and drone policy

Among the noted milestones was also Operation Ganga under which Indian citizens were evacuated from the foreign conflict zones.

While Digi-Yatra, offering contactless, ID less air travel in India through face recognition marked the beginning of new era in aviation in India, sector touched some significant landmarks with services starting in more than 50 new regional routes, 5 new airports and helipads, opening up of the drone sector and above all the successful completions of the disinvestment of Air India. Among the noted milestones was also Operation Ganga under which Indian citizens were evacuated from the foreign conflict zones.

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Beginning December 1, select airports in the country have launched the Digi Yatra service that allows domestic flyers access into the airport departure zones by just looking into a camera lens. An app designed to allow contactless, seamless access to passengers into airports and flights based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).

In the first phase, it will be launched at 7 airports. While Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi launched Digi Yatra services on December 1, 2022, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada by March 2023. Later it would be implemented across various airports in the country.

The year began with the successful completion of strategic disinvestment of 100% stake of Government of India in Air-India along with 100% stake in Air-India Express Ltd (AIXL) and 50% stake in Air-India SATS. The process was completed on January 27, 2022.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the highest price bid of Talace Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Private Limited for sale of 100% equity shareholding of GoI in Air-India along with its equity shareholding in AIXL and AISATS. The winning bid was for `18,000 crore for the combined stakes of three entities.

Regional air connectivity was also a highlight of the year 2022 with 50 new regional connectivity scheme (RCS) routes commenced in this year under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme with the objective to fulfil the flying aspirations of the common citizen with better aviation infrastructre.

‘Digi Yatra rolled out’
Beginning December 1, select airports in the country have launched the Digi Yatra service that allows domestic flyers access into the airport departure zones by just looking into a camera lens. An app designed to allow contactless, seamless access to passengers into airports and flights based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).

newindianexpress.com

India test-fires Agni-V ballistic missile having range of 5,000 km

The development comes amid lingering border row with China.

India on Thursday successfully test-fired nuclear-capable ballistic missile Agni-V that can strike targets at ranges up to 5,000 km, marking a significant boost to the country’s strategic deterrence, people familiar with the development said.

The test-firing of the missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast came amid India’s lingering border row with China.

The Agni-V project is aimed at boosting India’s nuclear deterrence against China which is known to have missiles like Dongfeng-41 having ranges between 12,000-15,000 km.

Agni-V can bring almost the entire Asia including the northernmost part of China as well as some regions in Europe under its striking range.

The Agni 1 to 4 missiles have ranges from 700 km to 3,500 km and they have already been deployed.

The Agni-V missile has been successfully test-fired, two people familiar with the matter said.

There is no official word on the night trials of the missile.

The people cited above said the test validated a number of critical aspects of the weapon.

India carried out a similar test of the missile in October last year as well.

The successful test-firing of the missile paves way for its induction into the Strategic Forces Command that takes care of India’s strategic assets, the people cited above said.

The missile has a very high degree of accuracy to hit targets. It has a height of 17 metres and it is capable of carrying a 1.5-tonne warhead.

In June, India successfully carried out a night launch of the nuclear-capable Agni-4 ballistic missile, in a boost to India’s military capabilities.

Following the test, the Defence Ministry had said that it reaffirmed India’s policy of having a ‘credible minimum deterrence capability.” India has been steadily enhancing its overall military might in the last couple of years.

It has carried out successful tests of a number of missiles during the period.

In May, the extended range version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test-fired from a Sukhoi fighter jet.

It was the first launch of the extended range version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30MKI aircraft.

An anti-ship version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired jointly by the Indian Navy and the Andaman and Nicobar Command in April.

thehindu.com

Missile destroyer INS Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy

Remarking that the state-of-the-art warship INS Mormugao was a major example of the country’s indigenous defense production capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 18 expressed confidence about India being able to cater to not just local but global ship-building needs as well.

Mr. Singh was speaking at Mumbai’s Mazagaon docks during the Commissioning Ceremony of the INS Mormugao, the second of four ‘Visakhapatnam’-class destroyers (also classed as P-15B stealth, guided-missile destroyers) indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.

The warship, christened after the historic port city in the coastal State of Goa, was built by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL).

Also present on the occasion were General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces; Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar; Goa CM Pramod Sawant along with Goa Governor Sreedharan Pillai among others.

“The commissioning of this warship is proof of excellence in India’s warship design and development. The INS Mormugao is one of India’s strongest warships and I have full confidence that it will facilitate remarkable growth in country’s maritime capability. The ship will be among one of the world’s most technologically-advanced missile carrier and is a major example of our indigenous defence production capability. There is no doubt that in the near future, we will cater to India’s ship-building needs but that of the world’s as well,” said Mr. Singh, adding that the country was en-route to attaining the objective of not only ‘Make in India’ but ‘Make for World’.

The INS Mormugao is said to be equipped state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles besides modern surveillance radar which provides target data to weapon systems. Capable of achieving speeds of over 30 knots, the warship is said to be able to fight under nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions.

Noting the continuous increase for demand in military equipment owing to global security reasons, the Defence Minister said that the country had every opportunity to utilise its capabilities to the fullest and move forward towards making India “an indigenous shipbuilding hub.”

Commenting on the name of the warship and the historic importance of Mormugao, Mr. Singh said: “Even as a port, Mormugao has contributed significantly to the growth of India’s maritime trade. Even today, it is one of the oldest and largest ports in the country and will retain this special place due to the services it provides…be it Mormugao fort or Mormugao port, both are recorded with great distinction in Indian history of India,” he said, noting the 17th century Maratha campaign against the Portuguese under Chhatrapati Sambhaji (Shivaji’s son).

The INS Mormugao was launched in September 2016 and commenced her sea trials on December 19, 2021, coinciding with 60 years of Goa’s Liberation from Portuguese rule. Her commissioning on today (December) coincides with the day that ‘Operation Vijay’ was launched in 1961 to free Goa from Portuguese rule.

Navy Chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar said the achievement was “indicative of the large strides” the country had taken in warship design and building capability over the last decade, while stating that the Navy had a tradition of naming ships after cities which created an enduring umbilical link between the two.

thehindu.com

Railways bags nine awards for conservation of energy

The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

Indian Railways has won nine National Energy Conservation Awards for the year 2022, with the South Central Railway (SCR) bagging the first and second prize in railway station category. These awards were given for the best energy management practices and presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a function held by Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the aegis of Ministry of Power.

According to an official statement of the Ministry of Railway, the South Central Railway bagged the first and the second awards for energy conservation measures in railway station category. The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

The certificates of merit were awarded to the Kanpur Central Railway station under the Northern Central Railway, the Rajahmundry railway station and the Tenali Railway station. Under the buildings category, Ajmer workshop of North Western Railway was awarded the first prize. Certificate of merit was awarded to the Railway hospital Guntakal (SCR), Electric Traction Training Centre, Vijayawada (SCR) and Divisional Railway Hospital, Pratapnagar (Western Railway).

newindianexpress.com

Tornadoes motorcycle display team creates three new world records

With these feats, the ASC Tornadoes has increased its tally of world records to 35.

The ASC motorcycle display team, Tornadoes, created three new world records on December 4, Sunday. Captain Abhijeet Singh Grewal created a world record of 114 km in three hours and 29 minutes for the longest continuous ride standing on the seat of a motorcycle and broke the Guinness World Record of 41.8 km held by Hardan al Delaimi, Iraq, and the 75.2 km record held by Army Signals motorcycle Team, Daredevils.

Havildar Harikesh Yadav created a new record of 356 km in 9 hours and 17 minutes for the longest motorcycle ride while sitting in tail light and broke the earlier record of 111 km held by Army Corps of Signals Team Daredevils.

Yet another new record was created by Havildar Manish for the longest wheelie on a Royal Enfield 350 cc covering a distance of 2.4 km.

The attempts were conducted as per the guidelines of the Guinness Book of World Records, Limca Book of Records and International Book of Records. These feats were attempted at the ASC Centre (South) and NICE road, Bengaluru.

With these feats the ASC Tornadoes have increased their tally to 35 world records.

The Tornadoes was raised in 1982 after having given a stupendous display of daredevilry during the 1982 Asian Games. Since then the men of the Tornadoes team by their grit, determination and spirit of adventure have made a niche for themselves by rewriting various records.

The team is stationed at ASC Centre (South), Bengaluru, and has 39 riders of two officers, two Junior Commissioned Officers and 35 other ranks. Tornadoes have performed in numerous display shows in India and abroad.

The new records were attempted to commemorate the 262th ASC Corps Day and 11th ASC Reunion. According to the team, stunt riding on a motorcycle demands guts, personal courage, physical fitness and great skill in handling the motorcycle.

thehindu.com

Air India gets first Boeing 777-200LR to fly on international route

Air India has received its first Boeing 777-200 LR Vihaan, which means dawn of a new era, is the name given to the aircraft with registration VT-AEF, as per the induction plan.

Vihaan.AI is Air India’s transformational roadmap over five years with clear milestones.

It will be focussing on dramatically growing both its network and fleet, developing a completely revamped customer proposition, improving reliability and on-time performance.

The Boeing aircraft leased from Delta airlines has premium economy class along with standard classes. Sources said that the modified aircraft reached Delhi on Sunday evening.

Sources said that five Boeing 777-200LRs are likely to join the fleet between December and March. These aircraft will be deployed on international routes from Indian cities.

Last week, Air India announced the strengthening and expansion of its global footprint with the launch of new flights connecting Mumbai with New York, Paris and Frankfurt, and the resumption of non-stop flights connecting Delhi with Copenhagen, Milan and Vienna.

This expansion came as the airline continues to make progress in augmenting its fleet with newly-leased aircraft, and the return of existing aircraft to active service.

Air India in September unveiled its comprehensive transformation plan, to establish itself as a world-class global airline with an Indian heart — the absolute best in class in customer service, in technology, in product, in reliability and in hospitality. The plan is titled Vihaan.AI with identified objectives for Air India over the next 5 years.

After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were re-acquired by the Tata group in January 2022.

Post the acquisition, time-bound transformation milestones have been laid out and a series of steps have been initiated towards achieving the same in order to ensure Air India once again emerges as a world class airline.

newindianexpress.com

Agnikul Cosmos sets up India’s first private space vehicle launchpad at Sriharikota

The launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre makes Agnikul the first private player to operate such a facility; it was executed in support with ISRO; the company has planned a tech demonstrator mission.

Chennai headquartered space-tech start-up Agnikul, has set up India’s first-ever launchpad that will be operated by a private player, at Sriharikota. The facility was inaugurated by S. Somanath, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary, Department of Space, recently.

“The first exclusive launch pad for a private launch vehicle has come up at the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC). Now India can travel to space from one more space platform. Thanks to Agnikul,” Mr. Somanath said.

The facility, which was designed by Agnikul and executed in support with ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center) has two sections to it: the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control center (AMCC).

All critical systems connecting these two sections, which are 4 km away from each other, are redundant to ensure 100% operationality during countdown.

The launchpad is specifically built keeping in mind the necessity to support liquid stage controlled launches, while also addressing the need for ISRO’s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches. Additionally, it has the ability to, as necessary, share data and other critical information with ISRO’s Mission Control Center.

Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder & CEO, Agnikul said, “The ability to launch from our own launchpad while still working with ISRO’s launch operations teams is a privilege that we have been granted by ISRO & IN-SPACe.” Moin SPM, co-founder, Agnikul said, “The new reforms that have been brought in by the Department of Space truly accommodate everyone’s dream of going to space.”

First launch to be technology demonstrator

Agnikul’s first launch, which will be a controlled and guided mission, a vertical launch, using its patented engine will happen from this launchpad. The mission will be a technology demonstrator that will mirror Agnikul’s orbital launch but at a reduced scale.

Agnibaan is Agnikul’s highly customizable, two-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking up to 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables plug-and-play configuration.

Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021, making Agnikul the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO. Agnibaan and Agnilet will be used in the Agnikul’s first launch.

Founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM and Professor S.R. Chakravarthy from IIT Madras, Agnikul is an IIT Madras incubated startup. It became the first Indian company to sign an agreement with ISRO in December 2020.

The agreement signed under the IN-SPACe initiative sanctioned Agnikul access to the Indian space agency’s expertise and facilities to build Agnibaan and its launchpads.

N-SPACe was conceived in June 2020 following the Central government’s decision to open up the space sector and enable the participation of Indian private sector in the gamut of space activities. It acts as a single-window, independent, nodal agency which functions as an autonomous agency in Department of Space.

thehindu.com

PSLV-C54 carrying earth observation satellite and co-passenger satellites lifts off

The eight nanosatellites include ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), Anand, Astrocast (four satellites), and two Thybolt satellites.

A polar satellite launch vehicle carrying earth observation and eight co-passenger satellites successfully lifted off from this spaceport at 11.56 a.m. on Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said, “The Performance were excitingly good in this mission.” The mission is said to be the last one undertaken by ISRO this year.

PSLV-C54 carries an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-06) or Oceansat as its primary payload and eight co-passenger satellites are expected to be placed into sun synchronous orbits in over a two-hour time frame.

The entire separation of satellites is expected to take place in two hours after lift-off.

The Earth Observation Satellite-6 is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series. This is to provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas.

The eight nanosatellites include ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B), Anand, Astrocast (four satellites), and two Thybolt satellites. The INS-2B spacecraft will have two payloads namely NanoMx and APRS-Digipeater.

While the NanoMx is a multi-spectral optical imaging payload developed by Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, the APRS-Digipeater payload has been jointly developed by the Department of Information Technology and Telecom-Bhutan and the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.

The Anand nanosatellite developed by Bengaluru-based space start-up, Pixxel, is a technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial applications of miniaturized Earth-observation cameras for Earth observation using a microsatellite in Low Earth Orbit.

Astrocast, developed by Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space, is a 3U spacecraft. It is a technology demonstrator satellite for the Internet of Things (IoT).

The U.S.-based Spaceflight has developed Thybolt which is a 0.5U spacecraft bus that includes a communication payload to enable rapid technology demonstration and constellation development for multiple users.

This is the 56th flight of PSLV and 24th Flight of PSLV-XL version with 6 PSOM-XLs. PSLV-C54 launch is planned from First Launch Pad (FLP), SDSC, SHAR.

Thousands of school students from Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Bengaluru gathered at ISRO to watch this rocket take off.

(With inputs from PTI)

thehindu.com