Citizen Journalist: #satellites

Showing posts with label #satellites. Show all posts

Sunday, November 6, 2022

SpaceX launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is back in business. It has now launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years. This is a towering rocket and the most powerful one currently in operation. The rocket is carrying the classified USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. It is also the first operational national security mission for Falcon Heavy. The mission took off from a launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier, launch was the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission in June 2019. At that time, it carried experimental satellites on a demonstration flight for the Pentagon. Falcon Heavy’s base is reusable. However, the company landed just the side pair of the three rocket boosters. Its central core dropped into the ocean as traditional rockets do. The purpose was to meet the Space Force’s high-performance requirement for this mission. The hiatus in Falcon Heavy launches is attributable to the readiness of customers on its schedule. Incidentally, the company has completed three since the rocket’s debut in February 2018. SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket, on Space Force mission.

This original schedule of USSF-44 mission was for late 2020. There was plan for two other Falcon Heavy missions for this year – one for the Space Force and the other for NASA. However, customer payloads are also not ready yet. In fact, there is a backlog of about a dozen missions for Falcon Heavy still to come. SpaceX continues to launch its Falcon series of rockets at a high rate. The latest mission was the company’s record 50th launch this year and the company continues to work on the even larger Starship rockets that could replace them.

Monday, October 31, 2022

India eyes its own space station by 2035, ISRO wants industry to collaborate

ISRO Chairman S Somanath revealed that India wants its own space station by 2035. The Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO was working on the design of the rocket. It would like the industry to collaborate with it in the development of a reusable rocket. This rocket should be capable of carrying heavier payloads into orbit. The Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) should be capable of carrying a 10 tonne payload in the Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) or 20 tonnes to the low earth orbit. ISRO was working on the design of the rocket and the intention is to bring “industry along in the development process. All the money need not be invested by us. We want the industry to invest to create this rocket for all of us." That is what S Somanath told to a section of the media. ISRO eyes next generation launch vehicle for heavier payloads. Another official of ISRO added that the new rocket would be helpful because India plans to have its own space station by 2035. It was also eyeing deep space missions, human space flights, cargo missions and putting multiple communication satellites into orbit at the same time.

The NGLV would be simple and robust machine. Its design would be for bulk manufacturing in order to bring economy into operations related to space transportation. Somanath also said the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has been the warhorse of ISROs rocket but its technology is outdated and not suitable for launch rockets in the future. ISRO plans to have the design of the NGLV ready within a year and offer it to the industry for production, with the first launch tentatively scheduled for 2030. The NGLV could be a three-stage rocket powered by green fuel combinations such as methane and liquid oxygen or kerosene and liquid oxygen.

Monday, February 20, 2017

India can develop a space station says ISRO Chairman

The Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was in Indore to attend the foundation day ceremony of Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) where he said that India can develop a space station - only, it needed a long-term approach and an ambitious planning.
His statement was against the backdrop of the successful launch of 104 satellites in a single mission by ISRO which is proof of the country's technological prowess.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 February 2017.

He asserted that the capability is there, and once the policy decision is taken and necessarily funds made available, the work can go ahead - ISRO would OK the project. He went on to add that the hesitation on the part of the authorities appear to be on the immediate benefits of a manned space mission.
A long-term thinking was needed to establish a space station.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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