In a landmark late Monday night journey into a new era of space application, India successfully launched its first dedicated navigation satellite using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The American agency is in talks with ISRO to place its scientific instruments on the Indian spacecraft that will be sent on an unmanned mission to the moon in 2007.
'Today, when we talk of success of PSLV and GSLV Mk III, we owe it to important inputs that the Prof. Narasimha committee gave'
Research and markets estimated in May that the global opportunity for small and mini satellites would grow nearly one and half times to $5.32 billion by 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the scientists saying, "with this successful launch, we will determine our own paths powered by our technology".
PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited, Indian Space Research Organisation's commercial arm.
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched India's fifth navigation satellite IRNSS-1E from Sriharikota.
Chandrayan's operations will be controlled by robots and cover 3.50 lakh kilometre within a period of two years, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
He also said it may be adopted for use in every stage of a rocket. He was speaking at the 16th convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, near Chennai.
"I am really grateful to the entire ISRO family for having worked this hard and making IRNSS-1I a success," said the space centre's chief K Sivan.
Over 32 missions -- satellites and rockets -- have been planned for the year.
Around 23 minutes after lift-off, the primary satellite got separated and it was followed by six other co-passenger satellites, which were deployed into the intended orbits sequentially, ISRO said.
Heralding a new era, India on Friday night launched its heaviest commercial space mission ever with its polar rocket successfully putting five British satellites into the intended orbit after a flawless takeoff.
ISRO said, initially the launch was slated for 9.49 am, but now there is a 3-minute delay owing to the probability of space debris in the path of rocket.
The year ended with the launch of the PSLV's 50th mission.
The mission is targeted for launch in the fourth quarter of 2024.
There is a huge spurt in demand to launch smaller satellites, those as light as 1 kg, with a lifespan of two to three years. But there aren't enough rockets to carry these, reports T E Narasimhan
India's Mars Orbiter Mission is slated to be launched on October 28 after a national committee of experts gave the go ahead for the Rs 450 crore ambitious venture after threadbare deliberations.
The new year will witness two unmanned missions under the "Gaganyaan" project, deep ocean exploration project, "Samudrayaan" and many more.
The successful launch of Aditya-L1 - the country's maiden mission to study the Sun - is expected to garner increased investor interest in the Indian space sector and trigger more funding for private players. Several private sector players, including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), MTAR Technologies, and Ananth Technologies, have played a pivotal role in the Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro's) solar observatory mission. Aditya-L1 on Saturday set off on a 125-day journey on a PSLV-C57 rocket, in its attempt to study various elements relating to the nearest star from the halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from Earth.
Dr Rao accelerated the development of rocket technology which led to the successful launch of ASLV and PSLV satellites.
However, some of the provisions in the draft Bill needs scrutiny, as these could scare away international investors
'When a Project Director is appointed, the whole organization -- including the Chairman ISRO -- works for his success. It is a lesson that has been of abiding value all through the other projects I have worked on,' recalls the late President, one of the earliest pioneers at ISRO.
GSLV-MK III, which uses a homegrown cryogenic engine, has to do at least two more launches before it begins commercial operations, report Raghu Krishnan and T E Narasimhan.
According to ISRO officials, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The L1 point is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
If successful, this would increase capacity to hurl small satellites into space, meeting both local demand and serving global customers.
This is ISRO's new record of launching 20 satellites, including those from the US, Germany, Canada and Indonesia.
The space agency has set 2020 as the deadline for the first privately built rocket to be launched into space.
The satellite would provide a thrust to mobile communication through multi-beam coverage facility, the ISRO said.
Just over 22 minutes into the flight, the rocket put Astrosat into orbit at an altitude of 650 km above the earth
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will perform the final manoeuvre on Saturday to inject Aditya-L1 spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun -- into its final destination orbit, some 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.
ISRO needs next generation launchers and new facilities to manufacture and launch them.
'We are looking at a joint venture between ISRO and a few companies to assemble the PSLV and launch it from Sriharikota.' 'In a month or two, the vehicle assembly building will be ready.' 'After that, we could see 13, 14 launches a year.'
The stage is set for the launch of India's satellite IRNSS-1D on Saturday from Sriharikota onboard workhorse PSLV-C27 that would pave the way for the country's own navigation system on par with the GPS of United States.
K Sivan has to hasten the effort to bring in private players into satellite and rocket building and replicate India's software success in aerospace.
Aditya L1, the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun underwent the second earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, during the early hours on Tuesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
India is set to operationalise its own navigational system with the successful launch of IRNSS-1D, the fourth in the series of seven navigational satellites, onboard PSLV-C27 from Sriharikota on Saturday.
Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based observatory that will study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from the Earth.
India's observatory will be the fourth in space, after the Hubble, Russia's Spektr R and Suzaku of Japan.
While the mission is a follow-up to the PSLV-C55 TeLEOS-2 mission launched in April this year, scientists in Sunday's mission will place the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket in a lower orbit.
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