India's first space-based mission to study the Sun, Aditya L1 spacecraft, during the early hours on Friday, underwent the fourth earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, ISRO said. "The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully. ISRO's ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations," the space agency said in a post on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter. The new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973 km, it said: "The next manoeuvre Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) -- a send-off from the Earth -- is scheduled for September 19, around 02:00 Hrs. IST." Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based observatory to 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. The first, second and third earth-bound manoeuvre was successfully performed on September 3, 5 and 10 respectively. The manoeuvres are being performed during the spacecraft's 16-day journey around the Earth during which the spacecraft will gain the necessary velocity for its further journey to L1. With the completion of four earth-bound orbital manoeuvres, Aditya-L1 will next undergo a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its nearly 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun. The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun. ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2 successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds that day, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the Earth. According to ISRO, a spacecraft placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation /eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time. Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads indigenously developed by ISRO and national research laboratories, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. The payloads are to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium. The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, and propagation of particles and fields. According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper -- "Essai sur le Probleme des Trois Corps, 1772." These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption. At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.  

With the completion of four earth-bound orbital manoeuvres, Aditya-L1 will next undergo a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre Aditya L1 spacecraft, India's first space-based mission to study the Sun, during the early hours on Friday, underwent the fourth earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, ISRO said. "The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully. ISRO's ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations," the space agency said in a post on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter. The new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973 km, it said: "The next manoeuvre Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) -- a send-off from the Earth -- is scheduled for September 19, around 02:00 Hrs. IST." Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space-based observatory to 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. The first, second and third earth-bound manoeuvre was successfully performed on September 3, 5 and 10 respectively. The manoeuvres are being performed during the spacecraft's 16-day journey around the Earth during which the spacecraft will gain the necessary velocity for its further journey to L1. With the completion of four earth-bound orbital manoeuvres, Aditya-L1 will next undergo a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its nearly 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun. The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun. ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2 successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds that day, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the Earth. According to ISRO, a spacecraft placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation /eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time. Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads indigenously developed by ISRO and national research laboratories, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. The payloads are to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors. Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium. The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, and propagation of particles and fields. According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper -- "Essai sur le Probleme des Trois Corps, 1772." These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption. At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. Source: The Hindustan  times

ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre has conducted the Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test (IMAT) of its crew module deceleration system for the much-awaited maiden Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme at the Babina Field Fire Range (BFFR) in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. The IMAT conducted on Friday marks a significant milestone toward realising the nation's ambitious Gaganyaan project, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said in a statement. The Gaganyaan deceleration system consists of three main parachutes, besides the smaller ACS, pilot, and drogue parachutes, to reduce the speed of the crew module to safe levels during its landing, the space agency said. Two of the three main chutes are sufficient to land the astronauts on earth, and the third is redundant, ISRO said adding that the IMAT test simulated the case when one main chute failed to open. The IMAT test is the first in a series of integrated parachute airdrop tests planned to simulate different failure conditions of the parachute system before it is deemed qualified to be used in the first human spaceflight mission. In this test, a five-tonne dummy mass, equivalent to the crew module mass, was taken to an altitude of 2.5 kilometres and dropped using the Indian Air Force's IL-76 aircraft. Two small pyro-based mortar-deployed pilot parachutes then pulled the main parachutes. The main parachute sizes were initially restricted to a smaller area to reduce the opening shock. After seven seconds, the pyro-based reefing line cutters cut the area restricting line, allowing the parachutes to inflate fully. "The fully inflated main parachutes reduced the payload speed to a safe landing speed. The entire sequence lasted about 2-3 minutes as the scientists watched the different phases of the deployment sequence unfold with bated breath. There was loud cheer and applause as the payload mass landed softly on the ground and the gigantic parachutes collapsed," the statement read. The design and development of the parachute-based deceleration system is a joint venture of ISRO and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). "The overall system design, analytical simulations of parachute deployment and crew module descent under various conditions, the design and development of ordnance devices for parachute extraction and ejection, assembly, mechanical and electrical integration of deceleration system, it's instrumentation and avionics for conducting this drop tests are done at ISRO's leading Research and Development centre, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram," the space agency explained. Senior ISRO and DRDO scientists and airforce officers were present when the crucial test was done.   Senior ISRO and DRDO scientists and airforce officers were present when the crucial test was done. Bengaluru:  ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre has conducted the Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test (IMAT) of its crew module deceleration system for the much-awaited maiden Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme at the Babina Field Fire Range (BFFR) in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. The IMAT conducted on Friday marks a significant milestone toward realising the nation's ambitious Gaganyaan project, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement. The Gaganyaan deceleration system consists of three main parachutes, besides the smaller ACS, pilot, and drogue parachutes, to reduce the speed of the crew module to safe levels during its landing, the space agency said. Two of the three main chutes are sufficient to land the astronauts on earth, and the third is redundant, ISRO said adding that the IMAT test simulated the case when one main chute failed to open. The IMAT test is the first in a series of integrated parachute airdrop tests planned to simulate different failure conditions of the parachute system before it is deemed qualified to be used in the first human spaceflight mission. In this test, a five-tonne dummy mass, equivalent to the crew module mass, was taken to an altitude of 2.5 kilometres and dropped using the Indian Air Force's IL-76 aircraft. Two small pyro-based mortar-deployed pilot parachutes then pulled the main parachutes. The main parachute sizes were initially restricted to a smaller area to reduce the opening shock. After seven seconds, the pyro-based reefing line cutters cut the area restricting line, allowing the parachutes to inflate fully. "The fully inflated main parachutes reduced the payload speed to a safe landing speed. The entire sequence lasted about 2-3 minutes as the scientists watched the different phases of the deployment sequence unfold with bated breath. There was loud cheer and applause as the payload mass landed softly on the ground and the gigantic parachutes collapsed," the statement read. The design and development of the parachute-based deceleration system is a joint venture of ISRO and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). "The overall system design, analytical simulations of parachute deployment and crew module descent under various conditions, the design and development of ordnance devices for parachute extraction and ejection, assembly, mechanical and electrical integration of deceleration system, it's instrumentation and avionics for conducting this drop tests are done at ISRO's leading Research and Development centre, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram," the space agency explained. Senior ISRO and DRDO scientists and airforce officers were present when the crucial test was done. "Besides proving the calibre of the scientists of ISRO and DRDO, the test also demonstrated the active coordination between the country's premier agencies, namely ISRO, DRDO, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Army," ISRO said quoting a senior official.

The first launch mission of this year for the Indian Space Research Organisation's  is slated for February 14, with PSLV-C52 orbiting an earth observation satellite (EOS-04). The launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C52) is scheduled at 05:59 hours on Monday from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said. PSLV-C52 is designed to orbit the EOS-04, weighing 1710 kg, into a sun synchronous polar orbit of 529 km, ISRO said in an update. PSLV-C52 mission will also carry two small satellites as co-passengers. They are: student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at University of Colorado, Boulder, and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry & plantations, soil moisture & hydrology and flood mapping. "The countdown process of 25 hours and 30 minutes leading to the launch would commence at 04:29 hours on February 13, 2022 after authorisation by the Launch Authorization Board," the ISRO said. Meanwhile, ISRO said INSAT-4B has undergone post mission disposal (PMD) at the end of its life, followed by decommissioning on 24 January 2022, to comply with the UN and the Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee-recommended space debris mitigation guidelines. INSAT-4B is the 21st Indian GEO satellite to undergo post-mission disposal, and the required propellant for such re-orbiting was included in the initial fuel budget as a part of standard practice followed in ISRO's GEO mission planning. "The finally achieved orbit is about 340 km above GEO altitude in perfect compliance with IADC guidelines for space debris mitigation of GEO objects", ISRO said. The successful post-mission disposal of INSAT-4B through meticulous planning and flawless execution marks yet another endeavour by ISRO to ensure the safety and sustainability of outer space operations, the space agency added. Source: rediff.com

Indian Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed six agreements with four countries for launching foreign satellites during 2021-2023. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Singh informed that about 132 million Euros would be earned through launching of these foreign satellites on a commercial basis. "ISRO through its commercial arm, New Space India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS), has been launching satellites belonging to other countries on-board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), on a commercial basis," Singh said. He further said that the NSIL as on date has signed six Launch Service Agreements with customers from four countries for launching foreign satellites into space on-board PSLV during 2021-2023. A total number of 124 indigenous satellites have been put into Earth's orbit including 12 student satellites. In another written reply to a similar question in the Rajya Sabha today, Singh informed that starting from 1999 till date, a total of 342 foreign satellites belonging to 34 countries have been successfully launched onboard PSLV on a commercial basis. The Minister said that through launching of foreign satellites on-board Indian launch vehicle, India has earned a Foreign Exchange revenue of approximately 35 Million USD and 10 Million Euros during the last 3 years between 2019 to 2021. The type of foreign satellites that were launched through Indian Launch Vehicle includes satellites primarily for Earth Observation, Scientific and Technology demonstration purposes, he added. Source : ANI

Indian Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said that ISRO has the requisite technologies and expertise to provide information on advance warning of cyclones, monitoring of coastlines and coral reefs using space-based inputs to support small island states to help them protect from inundation due to rising temperatures. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said, "ISRO is gearing up to provide such information to some of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean Region." He said, "India, the UK, Australia, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mauritius jointly launched an initiative, Infrastructure for the Resilient Island States (IRIS) to provide technical support on disaster resilience of infrastructure systems to SIDS, during the 26th Conference of Parties held in Glasgow, the UK by United Nations." The Minister said that IRIS will also support SIDS by facilitating access to existing financial mechanisms for resilient infrastructure development. IRIS will extend its support on-demand basis to 58 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across geographic regions. ISRO carries out prediction of track, intensity, landfall time, and location of all cyclones originating in Indian Oceans using space-based inputs. While India Meteorological Department (IMD) is the mandated agency to provide the Cyclone forecast advisories, ISRO supports IMD in improving the prediction methodologies and publishing the R&D outputs for the help of all. ISRO has carried out a vulnerability assessment of the selected states along the Indian coastal region and has identified coastal stretches that are susceptible due to sea-level rise. ISRO provides near real-time prediction of storm surge and surge induced inundation for the Indian coast during cyclones using satellite observations and numerical model. Maps of coral reefs of the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden have been published and are updated regularly. A region-specific Coral Bleaching Monitoring System based on sea surface temperature data is hosted on ISRO's VEDAS geoportal. Source: ANI  

The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) has managed to locate Vikram, the Chandrayaan-2 lander, on Moon's surface a day after losing contact with the craft. However, Isro is yet to establish contact with Vikram; the space agency lost communications with the lander minutes before it was to land on near the south pole of the Moon on Saturday. According to sources, communication with the lander has not yet been established, reports India Today. The lander was located with the help of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which remains safe and is revolving around the Moon. The orbiter managed to shoot a thermal image of the Vikram lander. In an exclusive interview to India Today TV, Isro chief K Sivan said that the agency has managed to locate the lander using the orbiter and has attained a thermal image of it. Isro has been able to identify the lander Vikram, but the condition of the lander is yet to be ascertained. The soft-landing of Chandrayaan-2's landing module, Vikram, did not go according to plan as all ground communication was lost with it just moments before the scheduled landing late on September 7. The landing began minutes before 1:40 am Saturday, and then things went awry around 12 minutes after Vikram began its descent. Isro will investigate several factors to determine what triggered the communication loss with Chandrayaan-2's lander, Vikram. Sources have informed India Today TV that the Chandrayaan-2 team will investigate key datasets like final emissions and signals, last sets of sensor data to find out the reason behind the communication loss with Vikram lander. Source: UNB AH