Cartosat-2B,ALSAT2A,AISSat,TIsat,Studsat=PSLV-C15-12.07.10

[Salo]

ISRO to launch Cartosat-2B on May 9
26 Apr 2010, 2046 hrs IST,PTI

BANGALORE: India's advanced, high-resolution remote-sensing satellite Cartosat-2B would be launched on May 9 at 9.23 am from Sriharikota spaceport, ISRO said today.

"It will be launched at 9.23 am on May 9 by PSLV-C15," Indian Space Research Organisation spokesperson S Satish told PTI.

The highly agile satellite is expected to give a boost to the tasks of infrastructure and urban planning. The on-board camera would provide scene specific spot imageries for cartographic and a host of other civilian applications.

Satish said the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle would carry onboard four more satellites along with the Cartosat-2B -- an Algerian satellite weighing 117 kg, one nano satellite each from Canada and Switzerland, and StudSat, a pico satellite (under one KG) developed by engineering students from Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Weighing around 700 kg, Cartosat-2B is designed for an operational life of five years and would give pictures of 0.8 metre resolution.

Meanwhile, ISRO has constituted a failure analysis committee to probe the recent failure of the GSLV-D3 mission whose main objective was to flight-test the indigenous cryogenic engine and stage for the first time.

S Ramakrishnan, ISRO's Director (Projects) at Thiruvananthapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, would chair the committee, which has been asked to submit the report within two months, sources in the space agency said.

The national panel of experts which included former chairmen of ISRO and eminent personalities, would then look into the report and the recommended corrective measures. This panel, after a thorough review, had given the go-ahead for the GSLV-D3 mission.

[Salo]

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/april2010/may_satellite_launch.htm

Amateur radio satellites to launch early May

The secondary payloads on the Indian PSLV-C15 launch, currently slated for May 5, will be two Amateur Radio CubeSats along with a Norwegian satellite.

One of the CubeSats, STUDSAT, was built by Indian students and will operate on 437.505 MHz, further details at
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2010/studsat.htm

Daniel, VA3KKZ, has posted this information about the other Amateur Radio CubeSat TIsat-1 and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment AISSat-1 on the AMSAT bulletin board:

The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) would like to announce the delivery of Nanosatellite Launch Service 6 (NLS-6) cluster payload to Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR), Andhra Pradesh, India, for launch on board PSLV-C15.
PSLV-C15 will be launching from the First Launch Pad at SDSC-SHAR into 637 km sun-synchronous orbit with 10:30 Local-Time of Descending Node. NLS-6 shares this launch with Cartosat-2B primary, Alsat-2A co-primary, and STUDSAT auxiliary payload.

NLS-6 is the 6th launch by SFL. The NLS-6 cluster comprises of two nanosatellite: AISSat-1 and TIsat-1.

NLS-6 launch updates are being posted to
http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/january2010/studsat.htm

New Indian Amateur Radio Satellite

StudSat (STUDent SATellite) is slated for a March 2010 launch and will carry a camera capable of 90 metre resolution.

Work on StudSat started in 2007 and the IARU Satellite
co-ordination page says it is planned to launch in March 2010 on an Indian launcher.

The satellite resembles a small cube of size (10 cm x 10 cm x 13.5 cm), weighing about 850 gm and has a volume of 1.1 litres. The satellite is intended to be launched in 700 km Sun-synchronous orbit.

It will perform the function of a remote sensing satellite and take images of earth's surface with a resolution of 90 metres, the best achieved by any "PICO" category satellite in the world.

It is proposed to use a 10mW CW beacon on UHF and also a half duplex 9k6 or 4k8bps FSK TC/TLM link with 1 watt output also on UHF.

Further information on StudSat can be found at
http://www.teamstudsat.com/

STUDSAT - IARU Satellite Frequency coordination page
http://www.amsat.org.uk/iaru/formal_detail.asp?serial=164

[Salo]

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/

27 Apr 2010 Launch Status

AISSat-1 final LFFT is continuing, to conclude on 28 Apr.  This will be followed by final close out inspection.  All parameters appear to be nominal.  TIsat-1 batteries have been charged and confirmed to be normal.  TIsat-1 remains connected to its charger GSE overnight until the final close-out inspection on 28 Apr.   Close-out inspection will include XPOD touch up and verification of RBF status.  Safety briefing for SP3 operations is scheduled for 28 Apr. Spacecraft movement to SP3 is being planned for 0030 hrs UTC on 29 Apr.

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http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=117

28 Apr 2010 Launch Status

AISSat-1 has completed its close-out inspection.  TIsat-1 batteries have been charged and confirmed to be normal.  TIsat-1 has been disconnected from its charger GSE and the XPOD19S charge port has been closed.  Further update will be provided as soon as it is available.

[Salo]

http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/scripts/pressreleasein.aspx?Apr29_2010

April 29, 2010  

Launch of PSLV-C15 Rescheduled

The launch of ISRO`s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) fixed for May 9, 2010 has been rescheduled. A marginal drop in the pressure in second stage of the vehicle was noticed during the mandatory checks carried out on the PSLV-C15 vehicle. The new date for the launch of PSLV-C15 mission will be decided after preliminary results of the analysis are obtained.

PSLV-C15 is planned to launch India`s Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite ALSAT-2A, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and STUDSAT, a satellite built by students from academic institutions in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

[Salo]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-satellite-launch-postponed-to-June/articleshow/5875446.cms

Indian satellite launch postponed to June
IANS, Apr 30, 2010, 09.47am IST

CHENNAI: The Indian space agency is likely to launch its rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), carrying its cartography satellite Cartosat-2B and couple of other payloads, sometime in June.

Originally scheduled for launch May 9, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Thursday decided to postpone the flight to a future date as it found "a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks".

A source in ISRO told IANS: "The faulty part is in an inaccessible area as the rocket stages have been fully assembled. The second stage has to be dismantled to spot and correct the fault."

According to the source, the rocket is almost ready except for the loading of the satellites that have arrived at the launch centre in Sriharikota, around 80 km from here.

"The leak was not found during the earlier tests before the stages were integrated," the source told IANS.

The dismantling will be done from the top which involves - removal of the electronics assembly, fourth and third stages - so as take away the second stage.

The fault will be rectified at Sriharikota launch centre or if need be taken to ISRO's centre in Trivandrum which, the official said, is a remote possibility.

The 44 metre tall PSLV is a four stage (engine) rocket powered by solid and liquid propellants alternatively.

The first and third stages are fired by solid propellant and the second and fourth stages are fired by liquid propellant.

According to ISRO officials, the solid fuel stages are cast ready while the liquid fuel - Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidiser - measuring around 41 tonne, will be filled hours before the blast off.

Testing of the stage sub-systems will be done with nitrogen and helium gas, explained an ISRO official.

"With the help of these gases, we will test the integrity of the stage. Compared to the solid stage the liquid stage has more intricacies. It has various sub-systems, valves, turbines, regulators and other complex systems which have to be tested on ground."

Though the pressure drop was marginal, ISRO decided to postpone the flight of its successful rocket as it does not want to risk another failure in quick succession.

It may be recalled that ISRO's heavier rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) went down into the sea April 15 as its own cryogenic engine was not able to sustain combustion beyond one second as one of its turbo pumps was not able to function continuously.

Further, PSLV has been the revenue earner for ISRO, launching third party satellites and a failure would have a reputation issue which in turn would impact a lucrative revenue stream.

PSLV this time is slated to ferry an Algerian Alsat communication satellite weighing 117 kg for a fee. The rocket will also carry two nano satellites - one each from Canada and Switzerland - a pico satellite StudSat (under one kg) developed by college students in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

However, the main cargo of the rocket is the Cartosat-2B 690-kg satellite, which will carry a sophisticated panchromatic camera on board to take higher (0.8 metre) spatial resolution imageries with a swath of 9.6 km of specific spots for cartographic applications such as mapping, land information and geographical information system.

[Salo]

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=125

03 May 2010 Launch Status

The NLS-6 spacecraft and XPODs along with their associated ground support equipment are now stored in SP2B. Currently we are planning to visit Sriharikota on 21 May 2010 to perform short health verification checks and battery charging.

[Salo]

India to launch cartography satellite in June
May 6th, 2010

The Indian space agency is expected to launch June 5 its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), carrying a cartography satellite and a couple of other payloads, according to the US-based space consultancy firm Futron Corp.

But a source in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the launch is most likely to happen during the second week of June.

The 44-metre tall PSLV is a four-stage (engine) rocket powered by solid and liquid propellants alternatively.

Originally scheduled for launch May 9, the ISRO decided to postpone the flight to a future date as it found "a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks".

At the time of postponement, the rocket was almost ready except for the loading of the satellites that have arrived at the launch centre.

According to ISRO officials, once the rocket is fully assembled and satellites loaded, around 10 days were needed to test the entire systems and sub-systems.

ISRO technicians meanwhile have dismantled the second stage and are carrying out tests and analysis to spot the failed component that needs to be replaced at the Sriharikota rocket launch centre, 80 km from here.

The second stage had to be dismantled as the faulty part is in an inaccessible area after the rocket was assembled fully.

ISRO official said once the faulty part is replaced, all the tests that were carried out earlier have to be done once again.

The main cargo of the rocket is the 690-kg Cartosat-2B satellite, which will carry a sophisticated panchromatic camera on board to take higher (0.8 metre) spatial resolution imageries with a swath of 9.6 km of specific spots for applications such as mapping, land information and geographical information system.

The rocket is also slated to ferry an Algerian Alsat communication satellite and two nano satellites, one each from Canada and Switzerland, and a pico satellite (under one kg) StudSat developed by college students in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=1173.msg592536#msg592536

CARTOSAT-2B is postponed to the second week of July 2010...

Are you sure that is for the second week of July ?
May be for the second week of June  

I am sure. No word on why yet.

[Salo]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-17/india-to-launch-five-satellites-after-fixing-rocket-anomaly-.html

India to Launch Five Satellites After Fixing Rocket 'Anomaly'
June 17, 2010, 6:22 AM EDT

By Jay Shankar

June 17 (Bloomberg) -- India plans to put five remote- sensing satellites into orbit in the first half of next month after fixing a rocket "anomaly" that forced it to delay launches in May.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will carry India's Cartosat-2B, Algeria's ALSAT-2A and two small satellites from the University of Toronto, P.S. Veeraraghavan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, said by phone today from the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram. The fifth unit will be a one-kilogram satellite built by Indian students, he said.

The agency, based in Thiruvananthapuram, has corrected the anomaly, which was in the second stage of the rocket, Veeraraghavan said. The delay had disrupted India's challenge to China, Japan, and South Korea as it competes for commercial- satellite launches.

In April, India also failed in its bid to join a group of five nations using their own rocket technology to launch large satellites into higher orbits when scientists lost control of the 50-meter (164 feet) GSLV-D3 spacecraft minutes after blastoff.

"The reasons for the failure are still being analyzed and we expect a report in a month's time," Veeraraghavan said.

India is planning a $2.5 billion unmanned mission to space by 2015 and is slated to launch a second unmanned moon craft Chandrayaan II at a cost of $87.5 million before March 2013.

The Asian nation launched its first space rocket in 1963 and its first satellite in 1975. The country's satellite program consists of 21 orbiters, of which 11 are currently in service.

--Editors: Anand Krishnamoorthy, Neil Denslow.

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http://expressbuzz.com/states/andhrapradesh/karimnagar-lad-turns-space-scientist/181188.html

Karimnagar lad turns space scientist

Naveen Kumar Tallam
Express News Service
First Published : 13 Jun 2010 05:32:48 AM IST
Last Updated : 13 Jun 2010 09:39:43 AM IST

KARIMNAGAR: Young Harish Rao has done Karimnagar proud. He was part of the team which made 1-kg mini satellite, Pico, which will be put in orbit on July 28.

The team with students drawn from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka was guided by the Indian Space Research Organisation, Bengaluru in their mission.

Harish Rao, a Karimnagar lad, is currently studying Mechanical engineering third year at the KITS, Ramtek in Nagpur. He briefed about the satellite to the students of Vindhya Valley High School at a programme in Karimnagar today.

He said the satellite was handed over to ISRO through Karnataka Governor Hansiraj Bharadwaj on April 17 this year. It will be launched into 700-km orbit through PSLV-C15 on July 28.

He got to attend the International Astronomy Conference (IAC) in Hyderabad in 2007 when he was studying his B.Tech first year and was inspired by a talk on the subject.

Since then his ambition was to do something constructive in space research and was guided by small satellite project director DV Raghava Murthy of Bengaluru.

His role is to ensure that the satellite after reaching the orbit clicks pictures on the earth.

It was made at a cost of Rs 55 lakh with the support of 7 institutions in Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru.

After completing his B.Tech, Harish Rao wants to settle in some space-related research institution and do something proud for the nation.

He and his team were awarded Hansvon Muldau by the Scotland International Astronomy Vehicle conference in 2008 for presenting paper on the project. His team is also going to take part in a astronomy conference to be held in Czech Republic in September this year.

Vindhya Valley correspondent and his mother Laxmi Prakash Rao and Principal Jayes Anand congratulated Harish for his achievement and efforts to realise his ambition.

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

July 27/28    PSLV  •  Cartosat 2B
Launch time: 0353 GMT on 28th (11:53 p.m. EDT on 27th)
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will launch the Cartosat 2B remote sensing satellite and multiple secondary payloads. Delayed from May 5. Delayed from May 9 by second stage pressure issue. Delayed from June 5. [June 23]

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http://www.livemint.com/2010/07/01144904/After-two-setbacks-Isro-set-t.html

After two setbacks, Isro set to launch five satellites on 12 July

K. Raghu

Bangalore: After two setbacks this year, India's space agency is set to launch five satellites on 12 July, including one that can shoot pictures of small objects on land and compress the time needed for building high-resolution maps by half.

In April, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) lost its fourth-generation communication satellite GSAT-4 when its heaviest rocket yet—the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV), powered by a home-grown cryogenic engine—plunged into sea within five minutes of launch. The rocket was to put India in an exclusive club of nations capable of hurling communication satellites and offering space launches commercially.

Isro then deferred the launch of its workhorse polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) scheduled in May after it found leaks in the rocket's second stage. The leaks were detected when pressurized nitrogen was pumped in the rocket as part of tests on the launch pad.

The same rocket will be fired now, following repairs and further tests, said an Isro official from Sriharikota. He did not want to be named.

"Even if the leak is minor, it takes many days to rectify and certify it fit," said U.R. Rao, a former chairman of Isro. "In space, you don't take risks."

The rocket will also launch Alsat-2A, a remote sensing satellite from Algeria and India's first African customer, two nano satellites from the University of Toronto, and Studsat, a small satellite built by engineering students in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Isro's commercial arm, Antrix Corp. Ltd, has already signed a second satellite launch from Algeria for next year.

So far, PSLV has launched 39 satellites, nearly half of them from India, in 16 missions.

Isro expects Cartosat-2B to join two other satellites that are already in orbit—the Cartosat-2 and 2A—and return more high-resolution images to earth and provide complete coverage of the subcontinent, said S. Satish, director, Isro.

Cartosat-2B has a high resolution of 0.8 metre, allowing it to photograph objects the size of a typical bicycle.

Typically, satellites that can snap high resolution images can cover a small width or swath of 10km. To cover a larger area, a satellite would have to come back to a specific spot repeatedly, which would take a long time as it would have to complete one orbit of the earth to do this. A constellation of three satellites, on the other hand, can cover the entire country.

"It is like a camera; you want sharp images you need to be closer. You can go farther to cover a larger area, but you won't get minute details," said Rao.

As for the GSLV, Satish said a panel that's studying what led to its crash is set to announce its report next week.

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http://sify.com/finance/indian-rocket-to-launch-five-satellites-july-12-news-default-khcsabfjgbi.html

ISRO to launch five satellites on July 12
2010-07-02 18:00:00

Chennai: India's advanced, high-resolution remote-sensing satellite Cartosat-2B would be launched July 12 at 9.23 am from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, giving a boost to the country's infrastructure and urban planning.

The Indian Space and Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will carry into space the 690 kg Cartosat 2B and an Algerian satellite, Alsat (117 kg).

The rocket will blast off carrying also three nano satellites - NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from Canada and Switzerland, and StudSat developed by students of engineering colleges in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

'The launch is fixed for July 12 at 9.23 a.m. The rocket will carry five satellites,' S.Sathish, director (Publications and Public Relations) said from Bangalore over phone.

The rocket's main cargo Cartosat-2B is a remote sensing satellite carrying a sophisticated panchromatic camera on board to photograph specific spots closely. The pictures are useful for cartographic applications such as mapping, land information and geographical information system.

Cartosat 2B will join the other two cartography satellites Cartosat 2 and 2A launched earlier. With three satellites ISRO's satellites can cover the country effectively.

ISRO has been carrying out multiple launches for several years and in 2008 it set a world record launching 10 satellites at one go.

Originally scheduled for launch May 9, ISRO decided to postpone the launch as it found 'a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks'.

Though the pressure drop was marginal, ISRO wanted to be sure as it does not want to risk a failure since PSLV is a major revenue earner, carrying satellites for others for a fee.

The 44 metre tall PSLV is a four stage (engine) rocket powered by solid and liquid propellants alternatively.

The first and third stages are fired by solid propellant and the second and fourth stages are fired by liquid propellant.

At that time the rocket was almost ready except for the loading of the satellites that had arrived at the launch centre in Sriharikota around 80 km from here.

As the faulty valve was in an inaccessible area with the rocket stages having been fully assembled, the second stage had to be dismantled to take corrective action.

Even after the replacement of the faulty valve at Sriharikota the problem continued to persist and ISRO sent the second stage (engine and other systems) to Liquid Propulsion System Centre at Thiruvanthapuram in Kerala where it was originally assembled.

'The second stage was refurbished and sent back to Sriharikota,' Satish said.

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http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

July 11/12    PSLV  •  Cartosat 2B
Launch time: 0353 GMT on 12th (11:53 p.m. EDT on 11th)
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will launch the Cartosat 2B remote sensing satellite and multiple secondary payloads. Delayed from May 5. Delayed from May 9 by second stage pressure issue. Delayed from June 5. Moved up from July 28. [July 2]

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http://www.cybersecurity.ru/space/97276.html

Индия готова запустить в космос 5 новых спутников

:: 06.07.2010

      Индийская Космическая исследовательская организация заявила в Бангалоре, что 12 июля с космодрома на восточном побережье страны будет осуществлен запуск пяти спутников на одной ракете-носителе.

      Пресс-секретарь Космической исследовательской организации сообщил, что данная группа в первой половине дня 12 июля осуществит с космодрома Шрихарикота в штате Андхра-Прадеш на востоке станы запуск одной ракеты, которая доставит на орбиту пять полярных спутников.

Пресс-секретарь сообщил, что один из пяти спутников - спутник высокоточного удаленного сбора данных индийского производства весом около 690 килограммов, второй - алжирский спутник весом 117 килограммов, оставшиеся три спутника, соответственно: канадский, швейцарский и спутник, совместно изготовленный студентами двух индийских инженерных институтов.

      28 апреля 2008 года Индия впервые осуществила запуск десяти спутников на одной ракете-носителе. 23 сентября 2009 года Индия также успешно запустила семь спутников на одной ракете-носителе.

[Salo]

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=127

24 Jun 2010 Launch Status

The launch campaign was restarted on 14 Jun. Both AISSat-1 and TIsat-1, and their respective XPOD15G and XPOD19S, are nominal. We are currently occupying a room in SP2B, adjacent to where Cartosat-2B primary and the ALSAT-2A co-primary are stored.

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=130

30 Jun 2010 Launch Status

All activities are proceeding according to plan. All GSE are ready for the final long-form functional test and charging for both the spacecraft and the XPODs.

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=132

05 Jul 2010 Launch Status

Both AISSat-1/XPOD15G and TIsat-1/XPOD19S have been integrated onto the PSLV-C15 upper stage. The integration took place during the early morning hours of 5 Jul IST. Their flight checklists have been completed and both are now in flight configuration. All of the GSE have been re-packed for return shipment to Toronto.

http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6/?p=137

06 Jul 2010 Launch Status

The heat shield has now been closed. Phase-3 Level-3 checks will commence once pyrotechnic wiring has been completed.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/51-hour-countdown-for-PSLV-C15-to-start-tomorrow/Article1-569611.aspx

51-hour countdown for PSLV-C15 to start tomorrow
Press Trust Of India
Chennai, July 09, 2010
First Published: 10:53 IST(9/7/2010)

The 51-hour countdown for the 17th flight launch of Indian space agency's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C 15 from Sriharikota spaceport is expected to begin on Saturday morning. Preparations were in full swing for the launch of the PSLV-C-15 on July 12. All the parameters for the launch were doing well and the 51-hour countdown was expected to start at 6 am on Saturday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISR0) officials said.

"The rocket will put into orbit five satellites – remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B from India, Alsat from Algeria, two nano satellites from Canada and Switzerland, and a pico (very small) satellite called Studsat built by seven engineering students in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka", ISRO spokesmen S Satish told PTI.

The PSLV launch was to take place on May 9 last but was postponed because of a drop in the pressure in the vehicle's second stage.

This would be the first mission by ISRO after the failure of India's ambitious home-made cryogenic engine powered GSLV-D3 in April last.

He said, "In this flight, PSLV will place the 694 kg Cartosat-2B and four auxiliary payloads in a 630 km Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO)".

The four-stage vehicle had been fully assembled in its launch pad and the mating with Cartosat-2B and other satellites had been completed.

He said the satellite would help in urban planning and infrastructure development such as laying ring-roads and rerouting of highways.

"Cartosat-2B carries a panchromatic camera similar to that of its predecessors - Cartosat-2 and 2A", he said adding it was capable of imaging a swath (geographical strip of land) of 9.6 km with a resolution of 0.8 metre.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-prepares-for-launch-of-cartographic-satellite_1407080

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http://isro.org/pslv-c15/pdf/CARTOSAT-2B-brochure.pdf

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