YEAR END REVIEW-Department of Space
Following
are the salient features of the initiatives taken by the Union Ministry of
Earth Sciences during the year 2013:
Space
Missions
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
submitted a plan for 58 space missions to be undertaken as a part of 12th Five
Year Plan, 2012-17.Accordingly, a Plan outlay of Rs. 39,750 crore in
12th Five Year Plan period was provisionally earmarked under
the Plan budget for Space Programme. During the current year
2012-13, a sum of Rs. 5,615 crore had been allocated.
V.Narayansami Inaugurates ISRO Navigation Centre
near Bengaluru
The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC), established
at Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) complex at Byalalu, about 40 km from
Bangalore, was inaugurated on May 28, 201) by Mr. V. Narayanasamy, Minister of
State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances
and Pensions. INC is an important element of the Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System (IRNSS), an independent navigation satellite system being
developed by India.
GSAT-15 communication satellite and launch
services
The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to
the proposal for the GSAT-15 communication satellite project along with
procurement of launch services and insurance on 28 June 2013.
The building of the GSAT-15 is part of the Indian Research Organisation’s
(ISRO`s) efforts towards in-orbit spare capacity to meet contingency and to
protect the services of existing users. The satellite will provide required
redundant capacity, will augment capacity in the Ku band, and shall provide
in-orbit redundant requirement of safety of life operations benefitting civil
aviation services in the country. Nine operational INSAT/GSAT satellites are
currently providing different frequency bands to nearly 195 transponders. The
GSAT-15 satellite will cover the entire Indian mainland. All heritage proven
bus systems will be used to build the satellite in 18 months. The satellite
will be similar to the GSAT-8.
The total cost involved in the project is Rs.859.5 crore including launch
services.
GSAT-16 communication satellite and launch
services
The Union Cabinet also on 28 June 2013 gave
its approval to the proposal for the GSAT-16 communication satellite project
along with procurement of launch services and insurance.
The project will meet contingency requirements, protect services of existing
users and will augment and support existing telecommunication, television, VSAT
and other satellite based services in the country. Nine operational INSAT/GSAT
satellites are currently providing different frequency bands to nearly 195
transponders. All heritage proven bus systems will be used to build the
satellite in 24 months. The satellite shall be similar to the GSAT-10.
The total cost involved in the project is Rs.865.50 crore including launch
services.
PROF. Satish Dhawan Endowed Fellowship
Established at California Institute of Technology
The Department of Space/Indian Space Research
Organisation established an endowed fellowship at the Graduate Aerospace
Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology, California, USA. This
fellowship is established in honor of Prof. Satish Dhawan, who was the former
Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation during its formative period
1972-1984.
The fellowship was aimed to provide an
excellent opportunity every year starting from the winter session of the
academic year 2013-14 to one meritorious graduating student from the Aerospace
Department of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology,
Thiruvananthapuram to be sponsored by the Department of Space, to pursue
Masters in Aerospace Engineering at Caltech.
India’s Advanced Weather Satellite INSAT-3d
Successfully Launched
India’s Weather Satellite INSAT-3D, carrying
advanced weather monitoring payloads, was today launched successfully by
Ariane-5 (VA214) launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana on 26 July, 2013. The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
,after a smooth countdown lasting 11 hours and 30 minutes, the Ariane-5 launchvehicle lifted off right on schedule at the
opening of the launch windowat 01:24 hours IST today. After a
flight of 32 minutes and 48 seconds,INSAT-3D was
placed in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO),very close to the
intended one.
ISRO Successfully Launched India’s First
Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1A
ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,
PSLV-C22, was successfully launched IRNSS-1A, the first satellite in the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), in the early morning hours of 2nd
July, 2013 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. This is the twenty
third consecutively successful mission of PSLV. The ‘XL’ configuration of PSLV
was used for the mission. Previously, the same configuration of the vehicle was
used thrice to launch Chandrayaan-1, GSAT-12 and RISAT-1 satellites.
India’s Advanced Communication Satellite
GSAT-7 Launched Successfully
India’s advanced multi-band communication
satellite, GSAT-7, was successfully been launched at 0200 hrs on August 30,
2013) by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle of Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana.
Ariane-5 precisely placed GSAT-7 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit (GTO) after a flight of 34 minutes 25 seconds duration
. INSAT-3D Satellite Successfully Placed in
Geosynchronous Orbit
India’s advanced weather satellite INSAT-3D,
launched in the early hours of July 26, 2013 from Kourou, French Guyana, was
successfully placed in Geosynchronous orbit after three orbit raising
manoeuvres commanded from ISRO`s Master Control Facility at Hassan. On 1st
August 2013.
GSAT-7 Transponders Successfully Switched on
All the 11 communication transponders
(operating in UHF, S, C and Ku-bands) of India`s advanced multiband
communication satellite GSAT-7 were successfully switched on and their
performance was found to be normal. GSAT-7 is positioned at its designated
orbital slot of 74 deg East longitude in the geostationary orbit and In Orbit
Testing (IOT) of the 11 transponders were in progress.
GSAT-7 Satellite Placed in Geosynchronous
Orbit
India’s advanced multi-band communication satellite
GSAT-7, launched from Kourou, French Guiana in the early hours of August 30,
2013, was successfully placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit with an altitude of
about 36,000 km above Earth’s surface on September 3, 2013 morning, after
successfully completing the last of the three orbit-raising manoeuvres
commanded from ISRO`s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan.
Realization of Second Vehicle Assembly
Building (VAB) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR)
The Union Cabinet on 12 September 2013
approved for realization of Second Vehicle Assembly Building at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR) at an estimated cost of Rs. 363.95 crore
with a foreign exchange component of Rs. 7 crore.
The Second Vehicle Assembly Building is to provide enhanced launch frequency
of PSLV and GSLV by facilitating parallel integration operations. It will also
provide redundancy to existing Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for integration
of GSLV MK-III and also as a prime integration facility for third launch pad
and future general launch vehicles.
Successful Launching
of Mars Orbitor Mission
ISRO successfully
launched its Mars Orbitor Mission on 5th November 2013 from its Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, Sriharikota.
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