HUAG Programmi spaziali indiani

[Teox82]

Indian Space Programme Forges Ahead




(Source: India Press Information Bureau; issued Jan. 14, 2004)




by G. Madhavan Nair, Secretary, Indian Department of Space, Bangalore

Forty years ago, on November 1963, a two-stage US-made rocket, Nike-Apache, roared into the afternoon skies of Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram, to study the upper atmosphere over the earth?s magnetic equator. The rocket measured 9 metre in length and weighed about 700 kilogram. It reached a height of 200 kilometres.

On May 8, 2003 India?s Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV, weighing 414 tonnes and measuring 49 metres in length, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. This was GSLV?s second successful test flight. When it placed the 1820 kg experimental communication satellite, GSAT-2, precisely in the specified orbit, India could proudly declare that it had acquired the geo-synchronous satellite launch capability, a feat achieved only by a handful of five nations earlier.

Looking back, it is indeed satisfying that, in the last four decades, India has come a long way in mastering the complex space technology. While the GSLV still uses the Russian-supplied cryogenic upper stage engine, the indigenous engine has also been tested successfully. Once the indigenous cryogenic stage is ready, our GSLV will be capable of launching up to 2,500 kg satellites into Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit. Already, the development of a new version of GSLV to launch up to four tonne satellite into the Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit has also been taken up.

Meanwhile, India?s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV, had its seventh successful flight from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in October 2003 proving its reliability once again. It placed the Indian remote sensing satellite, the 1,360 kg RESOURCESAT-1, into an 821 km high polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

RESOURCESAT-1 is the most advanced and the heaviest remote sensing satellite launched by ISRO so far. This is the tenth in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite series and it carries three cameras. The first is a high-resolution camera that can take colour pictures of objects as small as 5.8 metres. It can even take stereo images. The second is a medium resolution camera that has the capability to take images of objects as small as 23.5 metre while the third camera takes pictures of objects of 56 metre size or more. With a combination of cameras of varying spatial resolutions and providing imageries in several electromagnetic spectral bands, RESOURCESAT-1 will greatly enhance the remote sensing applications, especially in preparing detailed thematic maps for monitoring agricultural crops, forests, drought assessment, flood mapping and urban planning.

Another remote sensing satellite, CARTOSAT?1, exclusively for mapping applications, is planned for launch in 2004-05. The Government has also approved the design and development of a Radar Imaging Satellite, RISAT. This satellite will be capable of taking pictures both during night and day as well as in cloudy conditions. It can thus help in monitoring agricultural crops and flood situations in spite of cloudy weather conditions.

Three more satellites joined the INSAT system last year. The most sophisticated multi-purpose satellite, INSAT-3A, was launched in April 2003. Weighing 2,950 kg at lift-off, INSAT-3A, is the heaviest satellite built by ISRO so far. The satellite is providing telecommunication, television broadcasting and meteorological services. It also helps in locating ships, aircraft or even persons in case of accidents, provided they carry the necessary radio beacons. In September 2003, INSAT-3E was launched to provide telecommunication and broadcasting services. Another experimental communication satellite, GSAT-2, was launched in May 2003. The INSAT system, with a capacity of about 130 transponders in various frequency bands, besides meteorological instruments, has become one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region.

INSAT applications are expanding to several new areas. Tele-medicine network that connects several super specialty hospitals with remote and rural hospitals is one such initiative. Tele-medicine helps patients in far-flung areas to avail expert medical consultations, normally limited to the urban population. An exclusive satellite, EDUSAT, for educational purposes is planned for launch in 2004.

While addressing the nation on Independence Day 2003, the Prime Minister had announced that we would undertake a scientific mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-1. The mission, to be undertaken by the year 2007, will involve the launch of a spacecraft using our own launch vehicle PSLV. The spacecraft will orbit the Moon at a height of 100 km for two years and carry out the physical and chemical mapping of the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1 will be an important boost to the Indian scientific community to increase its knowledge about the Moon. It will also help in upgrading our technological capabilities and will open up challenging opportunities in planetary research for the younger generation.

India has continued to forge ahead in not only acquiring space technology capabilities but also in using them for various applications related to national development. At the same time, a new thrust has been given for exploration of our universe with the announcement of Chandrayaan-1.

-ends-



Insomma anche l'India si impegna in quella che pare stia diventando una corsa allo spazio.

Inoltre,tornando sulla Terra, si accinge ad aquistare la portaerei russa Admiral Gorshkov che sarà equipaggiata con la versione navale del MiG-29:

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has approved the purchase of a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, and a deal, worth more than $1 billion, is likely to be signed this week, defence ministry officials said on Sunday.

The acquisition of the Gorshkov, along with MiG-29 combat jets to go with the carrier, is expected to boost the strike power of the country's blue-water navy.

[Fradetti]

Morti di fame..... gli ci mancava ancora spendereun miliardo di dollari per una portaerei e un'altro cifrone per il programma spaziale