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| India-Pakistan |
| India to launch its heaviest satellite into geostationary orbit tomorrow |
| 2006-07-09 |
| Preparations are in the final stages for the launch of India's heaviest communications satellite INSAT 4C on Monday. The satellite weighing 2.2 tons would take off from the space centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It will blast off atop the indigenously developed geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) at 4.30 pm (IST). Until now INSAT satellites were launched from Kourou in French Guyana onboard Ariane rockets. A successful launch would mean that India can hope to corner a large chunk of the global $2 billion market for satellite launches. Launches from India are cheaper by up to 35 per cent compared to other countries. Antrix, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation recently tied-up with EUTELSAT to manufacture a satellite for France. Three more satellites including one built by Indonesia are due for launch in the near future. In 2008, Indian Space Research Organisation plans to send an unmanned to mission to the moon - known as Chandrayaan. |
| Posted by:john |
| #6 India probably has the most sophisticated space program you've never heard of. |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-07-09 20:42 |
| #5 They've certainly come a long way from 1964 when they packed payloads by hand and carried it to the pad on a bicycle |
| Posted by: john 2006-07-09 15:48 |
| #4 India's latest communication satellite INSAT-4C would be launched by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, on Monday. The GSLV would lift off with the 2168 kg INSAT-4C, the heaviest in its class, at 4 pm on Monday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said at the airport on Saturday night. "The preparations for the launch are going on satisfactorily. A rehearsal was held and the results were good", he said on arrival enroute to Sriharikota. This is the first launch of the GSLV from the Rs 350 crore state-of-the-art launch pad commissioned in May 2005. The 49-metre-tall, 414 tonne GSLV is a three stage vehicle. The first stage, GS1, comprises a core motor with 138 tonne of solid propellants and four strap-on motors, each with 42 tonnes of hypergolic liquid propellant. The second stage has 39 tonne of the same hypergolic liquid propellant. The third (GS3) is a cryogenic stage with 12.6 tonne of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2). INSAT 4C, the second satellite in the INSAT 4 series, would give a boost to Direct-to-Home television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering. It will also provide space for National Informatics Centre's VSAT connectivity. The satellite is designed for a mission life of 10 years. |
| Posted by: john 2006-07-09 15:19 |
| #3 No further refinements on the basic PSLV design are possible. The GSLV was made by modifying stages of the PSLV to create a bigger vehicle. The GSLV-3 will be a new vehicle - 600 tons - capable of carrying 4.5 tons to GEO and 10 tons to LEO. 3 stages - first stage will be two huge solid boosters (each with 200 tons solid propellant HTPB/AP/Al) that are strapped to the second stage (110 tons liquid engine - UDMH+N2O4). The third stage will be cryogenic - 20 tons LOX/LH2. This is a model of the vehicle. First test launch is scheduled for 2008. |
| Posted by: john 2006-07-09 11:41 |
| #2 Got to figure a way to jettison the dead weight auxillary boosters. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-07-09 11:27 |
| #1 Nice high-res photos of the launch vehicle and satellite being assembled and carried to the launch pad. Link to photos |
| Posted by: john 2006-07-09 10:12 |
