Before we knew the astronomical phenomenon that eclipses were, most cultures had their own explanations for them. In a weird twist of fate, however, these stories often ended up as a celestial buffet for some mythical creature or another — leading to these cultures considering the event as a bad omen. For instance, the Sun is eaten by a demon in Hinduism, a dragon in ancient Chinese cultures, and a wolf according to Norse mythology. Now, imagine telling all these anxiety-struck people that we were planning to artificially induce an eclipse. The European <keyword id="41531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">Space</keyword> Agency (<keyword id="191401" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="esa" source="Orion">ESA</keyword>) is set to embark on an unprecedented mission this autumn: the launch of Proba-3, the world's first man-made eclipse machine. This revolutionary project involves two satellites working in tandem to create a prolonged, man-made <keyword id="6699518" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-eclipse" source="Orion">solar eclipse</keyword> in space, a feat that has never been achieved before. Proba-3 is composed of two satellites that will fly in close formation, maintaining a precise distance of 144 metres apart. This alignment will allow one satellite to cast a shadow onto the other, effectively creating an <keyword id="22055746" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="artificial-solar-eclipse" source="Orion">artificial solar eclipse</keyword> for the other satellite. However, if you were expecting a massive difference on Earth, it is unlikely we'll see the eclipse we're used to. The reason this mission is so crucial is because the Sun is somewhat of a massive attention-seeker. The star’s brilliant beams are so all-encompassing that they wash out everything in their path, making it hard to discern specific waves of radiation. Imagine how difficult it would be to spot a firefly while a massive forest fire burns behind it. Proba-3’s primary scientific goal is to study the Sun's corona, the faint outer atmosphere usually obscured by the Sun's intense light. By blocking out the Sun's bright face, Proba-3 will provide a rare and sustained view of the corona. Interestingly enough, the mission will be launched using the PSLV-XL rocket, operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>). Formation flying requires an extraordinary level of precision, akin to maintaining the configuration of a 'large rigid structure' in space. This is achieved through a sophisticated blend of guidance and navigation technologies. Proba-3 will demonstrate these capabilities by conducting rendezvous experiments and maintaining its formation for up to six hours at a time. The primary instrument aboard Proba-3 is an external coronagraph, designed to study the Sun's corona closer to the solar rim than ever before. By providing a clear and extended view of this region, scientists hope to gain insights into solar phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and solar winds, which have significant impacts on space weather and, consequently, on Earth's technological infrastructure According to the ESA, both <keyword id="6375764" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacecraft" source="Orion">spacecraft</keyword> will orbit the Earth every 19.7 hours, at a maximum height of 60,530 kilometres. The coronagraph spacecraft will weigh 340 kg, while the one casting the shadow will weigh 200 kg. The mission antenna will be stationed on the Santa Maria island in Portugal, with a ground station in Redu, Belgium.

ESA, ISRO to soon launch Proba-3, which will create the world’s first man-made solar eclipse

<ul><li>The <keyword id="1025729" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pslv-xl" source="Orion">PSLV-XL</keyword> variant <keyword id="9428" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rocket" source="Orion">rocket</keyword> carries the 1,480.7 kg Aditya-L1 spacecraft as its sole passenger that will study the <keyword id="45681" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar" source="Orion">solar</keyword> activities. </li><li> About 63 minutes after the lift off, the rocket will eject Aditya-L1 and the whole mission comes to an end at about 73 minutes with the passivation of the fourth stage. </li><li>The flight plan includes switching off the rocket's fourth stage twice, allowing it to coast for about 30 minutes - 26 minutes after the first cut off and about 3 minutes after the second cut off. </li></ul> India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C57 (PSLV-C57) lifted off with the country's Aditya-L1 spacecraft to study the <keyword id="24879" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun" source="Orion">Sun</keyword>, on Saturday morning. The PSLV-XL variant rocket carries the 1,480.7 kg Aditya-L1 spacecraft as its sole passenger that will study the solar activities. The 44.4 metre tall PSLV-C57 rocket with a lift off mass of 321 ton carrying Aditya-L1 -- named after the Sun God in Hindu mythology -- blasted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) here at 11.50 a.m. Slowly rising up towards the skies with a thick orange flame at its tail, the rocket gained speed with a sound resembling rolling thunder and went up and up leaving a thick plume while the people assembled at the viewing gallery clapped their hands with pride. Interestingly, this will be one of the longest missions for the rocket as well as for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). About 63 minutes after the lift off, the rocket will eject Aditya-L1 and the whole mission comes to an end at about 73 minutes with the passivation of the fourth stage. "We have to meet the argument of perigee of the satellite. For that we are following two burn strategies for the fourth stage. After first burn there is a long coasting to achieve the argument of perigee that occurs naturally," Dr S. Unnikrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) told IANS about the long flight duration. The flight plan includes switching off the rocket's fourth stage twice, allowing it to coast for about 30 minutes - 26 minutes after the first cut off and about 3 minutes after the second cut off. Initially, Aditya-L1 will be ejected in a low earth orbit (LEO). Then the orbit will be elliptical. As the spacecraft travels towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point (L1), it will exit the earth's gravitational Sphere of Influence (SOI). After exit from SOI, the cruise phase will start and subsequently the spacecraft will be injected into a large halo orbit around the L1 -- the point where the gravitational pull of two large bodies - Sun and Earth- will be equal and hence the spacecraft will not gravitate towards any one of the planet. The total travel time from launch to L1 would take about four months for Aditya-L1 and the distance will be about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 3,84,000 km. "A satellite 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 of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time," the ISRO said. The scientific objectives of Aditya-L1 mission includes, study of coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), dynamics of solar atmosphere and temperature anisotropy. In its normal configuration PSLV is a four stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternatively with six booster motors strapped on to the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. The rocket that flew on Saturday was the XL variant - with longer strap-on motors. Interestingly, the XL variant rocket was used for the first time for India's first interplanetary mission - the Chandrayaan-1 or Moon Mission -1. Later the rocket was used for Chandrayaan-2 and Mars Mission/Mars Orbiter Mission. And Saturday's PSLV-XL variant is flying for the 25th time for another interplanetary mission. The Saturday rocketing comes soon after India landing on the Moon on August 23 with its lander safely landing on the lunar soil in a text book style. Later the rover rolled down and started doing experiments. Be that as it may, the Indian space agency said, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and 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," ISRO said. Aditya-L1's seven 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, propagation of particle and fields and others, the Indian space agency said. The ISRO said the major science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are: Study of solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics, study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionised plasma, and initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares. It will also observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun. Other objectives are physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density, development, dynamics and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), to identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events, magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona, and the drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind). ISRO said that the Sun estimated to be 4.5 billion years old is a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium gases and is the source of energy for the solar system. "The gravity of the Sun holds all the objects of the solar system together. At the central region of the sun, known as 'core', the temperature can reach as high as 15 million degree Celsius," it said. At this temperature, a process called nuclear fusion takes place in the core which powers the Sun. The visible surface of the sun known as photosphere is relatively cool and has a temperature of about 5,500 degree Celsius, the ISRO said. The Sun is the nearest star and therefore can be studied in much more detail as compared to other stars. By studying the Sun, we can learn much more about stars in our Milky Way as well as about stars in various other galaxies, the ISRO said. The Sun is a very dynamic star that extends much beyond what we see. It shows several eruptive phenomena and releases immense amounts of energy in the solar system. If such explosive solar phenomena is directed towards the earth, it could cause various types of disturbances in the near earth space environment. Various spacecraft and communication systems are prone to such disturbances and therefore an early warning of such events is important for taking corrective measures beforehand. In addition to these, if an astronaut is directly exposed to such explosive phenomena, he/she would be in danger. The various thermal and magnetic phenomena on the sun are of extreme nature. Thus, the Sun also provides a good natural laboratory to understand those phenomena which cannot be directly studied in the lab. The Indians space agency said all the seven payloads carried by Aditya-L1 are indigenously developed by different laboratories in the country in close coordination with it. The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument is developed at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru; Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument at Inter University Centre for Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics, Pune; Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) at Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) payloads at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru and the Magnetometer at the Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bengaluru.

After the moon, a journey to the sun with Aditya-L1

Scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) commenced the countdown on Friday for the launch of <keyword id="2001118" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="earth-observation-satellite" source="Orion">Earth Observation Satellite</keyword> - Oceansat - and eight other customer satellites on a <keyword id="6395832" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pslv" source="Orion">PSLV</keyword>-C54 rocket from the spaceport of Sriharikota on Saturday. The 25.30-hour countdown for the 56th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its extended version (PSLV-XL), started at 10.26 AM today for the lift-off scheduled at 11.56 AM on Saturday from the first launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 115 km from here, a source said. The primary payload of the rocket is an Oceansat which would be separated in orbit-1 while the eight other nano-satellites would be placed in different orbits based on the customer's requirements (in the Sun-synchronous polar orbits). Including the primary payload, nine satellites would ride piggyback on the 44.4-metre high PSLV-C54 which has a lift-off mass of 321 tonnes. It is also the 24th flight of the PSLV-XL version. The mission would be one of the longest ones undertaken by the ISRO scientists who would engage the rocket to change orbits using two-orbit change thrusters (OCTs) used in the PSLV-C54 launch vehicle. The separation of the <keyword id="6359982" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="earth" source="Orion">Earth</keyword> Observation Satellite is expected to take place in orbit-1 while the passenger payloads would be separated in Orbit-2. The Earth Observation Satellite is expected to be placed after reaching an altitude of about 742 km about 20 minutes after lift-off. After the primary satellite separation, the vehicle would be lowered to reach an altitude of 516 km for placing of the first passenger satellite. The last payload separation is expected to take place at an altitude of 528 km, ISRO said. The Earth Observation Satellite-6 is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series. This is to provide continuity services for Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas. The objective of the mission is to ensure data continuity of ocean colour and wind vector data to sustain operational applications. The customer payloads include ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B) which would have two payloads namely NanoMx and APRS-Digipeater. NanoMx is a multispectral optical imaging payload developed by the Space Applications Centre while the APRS-Digipeater payload is jointly developed by the Department of Information Technology and Telecom, Bhutan, and U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. The 'Anand' satellite developed by Pixxel is a technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial applications of a miniature earth observation camera for observation using a micro-satellite in low earth orbit. The 'Thybolt' (two satellites) is from another space start-up Dhruva Space while Astrocast is a technology demonstrator satellite for the internet of things as the payload from Spaceflight, the United States of America. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/retail-inflationary-pressures-expected-to-ease-with-fresh-kharif-arrivals-finance-ministry/articleshow/95760372.cms">Retail inflationary pressures expected to ease with fresh Kharif arrivals: Finance Ministry</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/construction-cost-of-greenfield-infra-projects-increased-by-5-7-q32022-cbre/articleshow/95762330.cms">Construction cost of greenfield infra projects increased by 5-7% Q32022: CBRE</a>

ISRO begins countdown for PSLV-C54 mission to launch Oceansat, eight other satellites

<ul><li>India will be launching its earth imaging satellite, Cartosat-3, tomorrow morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.</li><li>The launch will include 13 other nanosatellites from the US aboard the PSLV XL rocket.</li><li>The Cartosat-3 satellite is an upgrade to India’s Cartosat-2 ‘eye in the sky’ satellites.</li></ul>India is all set to launch its third generation ‘eye in the sky’ Cartosat-3, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota tomorrow. The Indian Space Research Organisation (<a href="https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c47-cartosat-3-mission/launch-kit-glance">ISRO</a>) will be using its trusted workhorse, the PSLV XL rocket, to place the satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Deemed PSLV-C47, it will be the PSLV’s 49th flight and the XL variant’s 21st launch. According to the agency, the satellite’s main use will be addressing the demands of urban planning, rural resources, coastal land use and monitoring land cover. Since the <keyword id="3703841" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cartosat-satellites">Cartosat satellites</keyword> are capable of providing high resolution pictures, they serve a dual purpose. They can also be used to defend India’s borders. Upgraded surveillance In September 2016, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ISRO-to-launch-12-18-satellites-per-year/articleshow/52867943.cms">Cartosat-2C</a> helped Indian Army soldiers conduct <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Surgical-Strikes-First-major-use-of-Cartosat-images-for-Army/articleshow/54596113.cms">surgical strikes</a> along the line of control (LoC) by <a href="https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/09/reports-india-used-eye-sky-destroy-terror-targets-pakistan/">providing</a> ‘Area of Interest’ (AOI) based images. That satellite could provide images that were 0.65 meters in resolution. The Cartosat-3 satellite, on the other hand, is supposed to be even more accurate with a resolution of 0.25 meters. It will also have adaptive optics, acousto optical devices, in-orbit focusing using micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and large area-light weight mirrors. ISRO expects Cartosat-3 to orbit the Earth for the next five years from 509 kilometers in space. You can watch the launch live on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytPpAl0NCHQ&amp;feature=youtu.be">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ISRO">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/isro">Twitter</a> or on the official <a href="https://www.isro.gov.in/watch-live-launch-of-pslv-c47-cartosat-3-0900-hrs-ist-onwards">ISRO</a> website. <div type="Youtube" id="ytPpAl0NCHQ" title="Watch Live: Launch of Cartosat-3 and 13 USA’s Nanosatellite by PSLV-C47" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ytPpAl0NCHQ/mqdefault_live.jpg"></div>

 See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-plans-deep-sea-exploration-with-manned-submersible-by-2022/articleshow/71887408.cms">After reaching the moon, ISRO plans to dive 6,000 meters deep into the sea by 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-space-station-plan-by-isro-plans-k-sivan/articleshow/69775780.cms">India wants to set up its own space station to carry out experiments in microgravity</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-nasa-just-spotted-a-black-hole-spinning-so-fast-that-it-could-be-making-space-itself-rotate/articleshow/66416605.cms">ISRO, NASA just spotted a black hole spinning so fast that it could be making space itself rotate</a>

Here’s what’s special about India’s Cartosat-3 launch tomorrow

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C50 (PSLV-C50) rocket laden with the country's communication satellite CMS-01 (formerly GSAT-12R) lifted off from the rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday evening. The rocket with India's 42nd communication satellite CMS-01 lifted-off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota at 3.41 p.m. CMS-01 satellite with a life span of seven years is envisaged for providing services in Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum, which will include the Indian mainland, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. The CMS-01 will be a replacement for GSAT-12 that weighed 1,410 kg and was launched on July 11, 2011 with a mission life of eight years. This is the first communication satellite that <keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword> has sent up under its new naming scheme. ISRO has recently decided to go generic in naming its satellites. It had earlier named its earth observation satellites as EOS and the communication satellites are being named as CMS. 'Nowadays satellites have multiple payloads for varied users and hence a thematic satellite may be a misnomer and ISRO might have decided to go for a generic name,' M. Annadurai, who retired as Director, U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), formerly ISRO Satellite Centre, had told IANS. About 20 minutes into its flight, PSLV-C50 will eject the CMS-01 into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and from there, the satellite will be taken up and positioned at geosynchronous orbit. The space mission is second from this rocket port and third for the country this year. On November 7, ISRO launched radar imaging satellite EOS-01 (Earth Observation Satellite-01, formerly RISAT-2BR2) with a PSLV rocket. Earlier on January 17, 2020, ISRO launched 3,357 kg communication satellite GSAT-30 by the European space agency Arianespace rocket Ariane 5. The 44-metre-high four staged/engine PSLV-C50 is the 22nd flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with six strap-on motors hugging the first stage). The rocket weighs 320 tonne. The PSLV in normal configuration is a four stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternatively with six booster motors strapped on to the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. The Indian space agency has PSLV variants with two and four strap-on motors, larger PSLV-XL and the Core Alone variant without any strap-on motors. The choice of the rocket to be used for a mission depends on the weight of the satellite and the orbit where the satellite is to be orbited. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/unilever-climate-change-plan-opened-to-shareholders-as-amazons-climate-pledge-battles-criticism/articleshow/79776633.cms">Unilever is opening up its climate action plan to shareholders as Amazon's Climate Pledge battles criticism</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/fake-instagram-facebook-and-vimeo-extensions-on-google-chrome-can-steal-personal-information-and-location/articleshow/79773977.cms">Fake Instagram, Facebook, and Vimeo extensions on Google Chrome can ‘hijack’ your URL, steal personal information and track your location</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/supercomputer-shows-tropical-cyclones-hitting-india-are-going-get-more-destructive-that-is-until-the-flooding-starts/articleshow/79764803.cms">Supercomputer shows tropical cyclones hitting India are going get more destructive — that is until the flooding starts</a>

ISRO successfully launches India's 42nd communication satellite CMS-01

India on Sunday morning successfully placed into <keyword id="10842249" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="orbit-brazil">orbit Brazil</keyword>'s earth observation satellite Amazonia-1in a textbook style. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51) blasted off from the first launch pad at 10.24 a.m. laden with 19 <keyword id="41530" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="satellites">satellites</keyword> including Amazonia-1. At 10.24 a.m. the 44.4 metre tall PSLV-C51 rocket blasted off from the first launch pad here laden with 19 satellites-foreign and Indian- and slowly rose-up towards the skies with thick orange flame at its tail. The rocket slowly gained speed as it went up while emitting a rolling thunder sound. Seventeen minutes into its flight the rocket slung its primary passenger the Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 - the first of the 19 satellites- into its intended Sun Synchronous Orbit. Amazonia-1 is the optical earth observation satellite of National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This satellite would further strengthen the existing structure by providing remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory, <keyword id="116095" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6358064" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword>) said. With this India has slung 329 foreign satellites till date. If all goes well, then India will end the mission orbiting a total of 342 foreign satellites, all for a fee. India's first space mission for 2021 is one of the longest for a PSLV rocket is expected to conclude 1 hour, 55 minutes and 7 seconds into its flight. The rocketing is a fully commercial one of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL). The 18 co-passenger satellites include four from IN-SPACe (three UNITYsats from consortium of three Indian academic institutes (Jeppiaar Institute of Technology, Sriperumbudur, G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur and Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore), one Satish Dhawan Sat from Space Kidz India) with an engraved picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as <keyword id="6391748" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="bhagavad-gita">Bhagavad Gita</keyword> in a flash. The remaining 14 satellites are Sindhu Netra, an Indian technology demonstration satellite from <keyword id="490397" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-Development-Organisation">Defence Research Development Organisation</keyword>'s (DRDO) research centre Imarat, Hyderabad to identify suspicious ships and 13 satellites from the USA viz., SAI-1 NanoConnect-2, a technology demonstration satellite and 12 SpaceBees satellites for two-way satellite communications and data relay. For the third time ISRO is using the PSLV rocket's DL variant that will have two strap-on booster motors. In normal configuration the PSLV is a four stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternatively. Six booster motors will also be strapped on to the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. But the PSLV rocket that flew on Sunday was the DL variant having only two strap-booster motors. This rocket variant was used the first time to put the Microsat R satellite into orbit on January 24, 2019. The Indian space agency has PSLV variants with two and four strap-on motors, larger PSLV-XL and the Core Alone variant without any strap-on motors. The choice of the rocket to be used for a mission depends on the weight of the satellite and the orbit where the satellite has to be orbited. Be that as it may, the PSLV-C51 mission is one of longest ones. As per its flight plan, the rocket will put the 19 satellites into Sun Synchronous Orbit over a duration of 1 hour, 55 minutes and 7 seconds. During its flight, the rocket's fourth stage engine will be cut off and restarted a couple of times, the first one will be at 16 minutes into its flight. Just over one hour into its flight the rocket's engine will be restarted for about nine seconds before it is shut down again. After 1 hour, 49 minutes and 52 seconds the rocket's engine will be reignited for eight seconds after which the 18 piggy back satellites will be put into orbit. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-export-passwords-from-lastpass/articleshow/81221242.cms">How to export passwords from LastPass</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-signal-and-telegram-face-a-catch-22-situation-as-indias-new-social-media-rules-threaten-encryption/articleshow/81221070.cms">Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram face a catch-22 situation as India’s new social media rules threaten encryption</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-saw-the-birth-of-two-new-unicorns-this-week-both-their-valuations-have-swelled-multiple-times-in-just-a-few-months/articleshow/81221476.cms">India saw the birth of two new unicorns this week – both their valuations have swelled multiple times in just a few months</a>

Indian rocket PSLV puts Brazil's Amazonia-1 satellite into orbit

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51) rocket loaded with 19 <keyword id="41530" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="satellites">satellites</keyword> from Brazil, the US and India lifted off from the rocket port at <keyword id="6355143" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="sriharikota">Sriharikota</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning. The rocket carrying Brazil's 637-kg Amazonia-1 satellite as its primary passenger and 18 others (13 from the US and five from India including a defence satellite) as co-passengers lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) here at 10.24 a.m. on Sunday. India's first space mission for 2021 is one of the longest for a PSLV rocket and is expected to conclude 1 hour, 55 minutes and 7 seconds into its <keyword id="30815" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="flight">flight</keyword>. If all goes well India will end the mission orbiting a total of 342 foreign satellites, all for a fee. The rocketing is a fully commercial one of NewSpace <keyword id="105160" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Ltd">India Ltd</keyword> (NSIL) with the primary passenger being the Amazonia-1 satellite. At 10.24 a.m. the 44.4 metre tall PSLV-C51 rocket blasted off from the first launch pad here and slowly rose-up towards the skies with thick orange flame at its tail. The rocket slowly gained speed as it went up while emitting a rolling thunder sound. Amazonia-1 is the optical earth observation satellite of National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This satellite would further strengthen the existing structure by providing remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory, <keyword id="116095" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) said. The 18 co-passenger satellites include four from IN-SPACe (three UNITYsats from consortium of three Indian academic institutes (Jeppiaar Institute of Technology, Sriperumbudur, G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur and Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore), one Satish Dhawan Sat from Space Kidz India) with an engraved picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on it as well as Bhagavad Gita in a flash. The remaining 14 satellites Sindhu Netra, an Indian technology demonstration satellite from <keyword id="490397" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-Development-Organisation">Defence Research Development Organisation</keyword>'s (DRDO) research centre Imarat, Hyderabad to identify suspicious ships and 13 satellites from the US viz., SAI-1 NanoConnect-2, a technology demonstration satellite and 12 SpaceBees satellites for two-way satellite communications and data relay. For the third time ISRO is using the PSLV rocket's DL variant that will have two strap-on booster motors. In normal configuration the PSLV is a four stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternatively. Six booster motors will also be strapped on to the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. But the 44.4 metre tall PSLV rocket that flew on Sunday was the DL variant having only two strap-booster motors. This variant was used for the first time to put the Microsat R satellite into orbit on January 24, 2019. The Indian space agency has PSLV variants with two and four strap-on motors, larger PSLV-XL and the Core Alone variant without any strap-on motors. The choice of the rocket to be used for a mission depends on the weight of the satellite and the orbit where the satellite has to be orbited. Be that as it may, the PSLV-C51 mission is one of longest ones. As per its flight plan, the rocket will put the 19 satellites into Sun Synchronous Orbit over a duration of 1 hour, 55 minutes and 7 seconds. During its flight, the rocket's fourth stage engine will be cut off and restarted a couple of times, the first one will be at 16 minutes into its flight. Seventeen minutes into its flight the rocket will sling the Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1. Just over one hour into its flight the rocket's engine will be restarted for about nine seconds before it is shut down again. After 1 hour, 49 minutes and 52 seconds the rocket's engine will be reignited for eight seconds after which the 18 piggy back satellites will be put into orbit. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-export-passwords-from-lastpass/articleshow/81221242.cms">How to export passwords from LastPass</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-signal-and-telegram-face-a-catch-22-situation-as-indias-new-social-media-rules-threaten-encryption/articleshow/81221070.cms">Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram face a catch-22 situation as India’s new social media rules threaten encryption</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-saw-the-birth-of-two-new-unicorns-this-week-both-their-valuations-have-swelled-multiple-times-in-just-a-few-months/articleshow/81221476.cms">India saw the birth of two new unicorns this week – both their valuations have swelled multiple times in just a few months</a>

PSLV rocket lifts off with 19 satellites from Brazil, US and India

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47988547.cms" /> The Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="ISRO">ISRO</keyword>) is all set for its "heaviest" commercial mission to place five <keyword id="2939016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="British-satellites">British satellites</keyword> in the orbit. The countdown begins today for the launch of India's <keyword id="2933085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="PSLV-C28">PSLV-C28</keyword> on July 10 from <keyword id="6355143" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sriharikota">Sriharikota</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh. 

	An ISRO official told PTI that the 62.5-hour countdown began on Wednesday at 07.28 a.m. and is progressing smoothly. 
 ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will blast off on July 10 at 9.58 p.m. from the <keyword id="6356967" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Satish-Dhawan-Space-Centre">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> at Sriharikota, about 90 km from Chennai. 

	With the overall lift-off mass of the five satellites amounting to about 1,440 kg, this mission becomes the "heaviest commercial mission" ever undertaken by the Indian space agency and its commercial arm Antrix.
 

	The official said that the Mission Readiness Review Committee and Launch Authorization Board cleared the countdown for the PSLV C28/ DMC3 mission on Tuesday. 
 

	In its 30th mission, PSLV will launch three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), UK, and two auxiliary satellites.
 

	The three DMC3 satellites, each weighing 447 kg, will be launched into a 647 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) using the high-end version of PSLV-XL. 
 

	The PSLV C28 will also carry two auxiliary satellites from UK -- CBNT-1, a technology demonstrator earth observation micro satellite built by SSTL, and De-OrbitSail, a technology demonstrator nano satellite built by Surrey Space Centre. 
 

	The five international satellites are being launched as part of the arrangement entered into between DMC International Imaging (DMCii), a wholly owned subsidiary of SSTL, UK and Antrix Corporation Limited. 
 

	The DMC3 constellation, comprising three advanced mini-satellites DMC3-1, DMC3-2 and DMC3-3, is designed to address the need for simultaneous high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution optical Earth Observation. 
 

	These satellites can take images of any target on the Earth's surface. Major application areas include surveying the resources on earth and its environment, managing urban infrastructure and monitoring disasters. 
	 
	(Image: ISRO)

July 10 is going to be special for ISRO. Here’s why!

The 26-hour countdown for the launch of earth imaging and mapping satellite <keyword id="7494752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cartosat-3">CARTOSAT-3</keyword> along with 13 other nano-satellites from the US commenced, <keyword id="116095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> said on Tuesday. The space agency has planned for the launch of CARTOSAT-3 satellite, ninth in the series, from the second launch pad at spaceport of Sriharikota, about 120kms from here on November 27 at 09.28 am. "26 hours countdown for the launch of PSLV-C47 mission commenced today at 0728hrs from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. Launch is scheduled at 0928 hrs IST on November 27, 2019," ISRO said in its update on Tuesday. PSLV-C47 on its 49th mission would carry CARTOSAT-3 along with 13 commercial nano satellites from the United States. CARTOSAT-3 is a third generation agile advanced satellite having high resolution imaging capability. With an overall mass of 1,625kgs, CARTOSAT-3 would address the increased user's demands for the large scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover. PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in the 'XL' configuration (with six solid strap-on motors), ISRO said. The 13 commercial nano satellites from the United States are being carried as part of the commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), Department of Space. Among the 13 nano-satellites are FLOCK-4P, 12 in numbers, with mission objective of earth observation, and one satellite named MESHBED, whose mission objective is communication test bed. ISRO said Wednesday's launch would be the 74th launch vehicle mission from <keyword id="6356967" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword>, Sriharikota. The mission life of CARTOSAT-3 would be for five years. The launch of CARTOSAT-3 and 13 other commercial nano satellites follows ISRO's moon mission <keyword id="53289" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-2">Chandrayaan-2</keyword> on July 22, which failed to manage a soft landing on the moon, and would have been the country's first had it been successful. While the Orbiter continues to revolve around the moon, the lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan' were rendered non- functional after a hard-landing on the lunar surface on September 7.

ISRO starts its 26-hour countdown for launch of Cartosat-3

<ul><li><keyword id="7940647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mission-mangalyaan">Mission Mangalyaan</keyword> is commended for being the cheapest ever <keyword id="452868" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-to-Mars">mission to Mars</keyword>, which was successful on a budget of ₹4.5 billion. </li><li>Its cost was less than the budget of the upcoming movie based on the event, <keyword id="1961443" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mission-mangal">Mission Mangal</keyword> which was produced for ₹5 billion. </li><li>But its limited budget meant that it was only a technology demonstration mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rather than one focused on collecting scientific data. </li></ul>The upcoming Bollywood movie, Mission Mangal, set to release on August 15th celebrates India's successful maiden mission to Mars — Mangalyaan. An ensemble cast consisting of <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>, Vidya Balan and Sharman Joshi all star in a movie that showcases India's space mission. <div type="image" title="66816772_10156986660608283_8557114509213302784_n_edited" msid="70498336" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Cast of &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Mission Mangal &amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Mission Mangalyaan, or the Mars Orbiter Mission (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/India-Is-Pioneering-The-Low-Cost-Mission-To-Mars/articleshow/25239899.cms">MOM</a>), is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Mangalyaan-Makes-Its-Way-To-Times-Best-Inventions-of-2014-List/articleshow/45260385.cms">lauded</a> for being the cheapest ever mission to Mars which a budget of ₹4.5 billion (₹450 crore). It's also how India came to be the fourth country to land on Mars and the first one to do it successfully on its first attempt. <div type="image" title="mars1_edited" msid="70498480" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mangalyaan captures its first image of Mars taken from a height of 7300 km&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Ironically Mission Mangal's <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/akshay-kumar-on-mission-mangal-my-film-2-0-had-a-budget-of-500-crore-india-s-mars-mission-cost-less-than-that/story-bQBoxtyvC1ewHgJXNRhYFN.html">budget</a> is more than that of the actual Mars mission at ₹5 billion (₹500 crore), according to Kumar. But unlike the movie, the story of Mangalyaan doesn't quite end happily ever after. Defying the odds Mission Mangal's trailer shows that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had proposed a budget ₹8 billion (₹ 800 crore) to launch Mangalyaan but were only allotted a little more than half that amount for the project. <div type="image" title="mom_edited" msid="70498449" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;First image of the Earth by MCC of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft taken on Nov 19, 2013&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Innovation and jugaad (cheap quick fix solutions to problems) did help turn the mission. This is in spite of the fact that its ‘chances of success were less than 1%'. And, while Mission Mangal seems to highlight the obstacles that India had to overcome in order to launch Mangalyaan — it could fail to illustrate the fact that it came at a cost. Cost of science In the movie, the project team worries about getting the payloads aboard the rocket. In typical movie fashion, the narrative seems to be skewed towards how they finally managed to ‘fix' it. In reality, ISRO had to drastically cut down on the instruments it had planned to send to Mars because it lacked a rocket with the requisite capacity. Technology like the ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-most-powerful-launcher-will-carry-chandrayaan-2-on-moon-mission/articleshow/70202043.cms">Bahubali</a>' GSLV-Mark III heavy launch vehicle which recently launched the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-why-chandrayaan-2-is-landmark-moon-mission-for-india/articleshow/69842571.cms">Chandrayaan 2</a> mission into space wasn't available back in 2013. Instead, India used its lighter PSLV XL launch vehicle — originally built for the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-were-the-challenges-with-chandrayaan-1/articleshow/70202192.cms">Chandrayaan 1</a> and the largest available rocket at the time — to reach Mars. <div type="image" title="pslv-c25-23 (1)_edited" msid="70498392" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mangalyaan&amp;#39;s PSLV XL C25 rocket taking off in 2013&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 A smaller rocket also meant that it could only carry so much weight. Mangalyaan's payload was only 15 kilograms and it could only take five payloads along. And since ISRO only had 18 months to pull the mission together, the instruments were relatively simple, and could only send back to the most basic of information. <div type="image" title="mars06_edited" msid="70498540" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mangalyaan&amp;#39;s spacecraft undergoing EMI/EMC test at ISITE ISAC Bangalore&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 To put it in perspective, US' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had five years to work on Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (<keyword id="443648" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MAVEN">MAVEN</keyword>) — which launched a mere 13 days after MOM. It had a capacity of 65 kilograms, carried eight payloads and cost a total of $671 million. And so, its contribution towards scientific advancement and the understanding of Mars was also much higher. Mangalyaan, on the other hand, the aim was just to get there. ISRO, in the past, stated that Mangalyaan was merely a technology demonstration mission to show India's capabilities in outer space technology. In that sense, it could be termed successful, yet its contribution to understanding the elusive planet, is quite less. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-low-cost-chandrayaan-and-mars-missions-come-at-a-price/articleshow/70226652.cms">India's low cost space missions come at a price</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isros-commercial-operations-clock-in-over-60-billion-in-revenue-but-leaves-private-players-out-of-the-equation/articleshow/70375311.cms">ISRO's commercial operations clock in over ₹60 billion in revenue but leaves private players out of the equation</a>

The truth of ISRO's Mangalyaan which Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal could miss

<keyword id="20021374" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sriharikota" source="keywords">Sriharikota</keyword> (Andhra Pradesh), India on Monday ushered in the New Year in a grand manner by orbiting its X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (<keyword id="18080438" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="xposat" source="Orion">XPoSat</keyword>). At about 9.10 a.m. on the first day of the calendar year 2024, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C58 (PSLV-C58) standing 44.4-metre tall, with a lift off mass of 260 ton blasted off from the first launch pad at the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword>, here. The rocket carried XPoSat and 10 other experimental payloads on its fourth stage. Slowly rising up towards the skies with a thick orange flame at its tail, the rocket gained speed with a sound resembling rolling thunder and went up and up leaving a thick plume while the people assembled at the viewing gallery clapped their hands with pride. Interestingly, this is the first space mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 1. At about 21 minutes into its flight, the rocket ejected XPoSat at an altitude of about 650 km. Speaking after the launch ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said: "The orbit accomplished for XPoSat is excellent as the deviation is just three kilometres. The solar panels of the satellite have been deployed." In its normal configuration, the PSLV is a four-stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels, alternatively, with six booster motors strapped onto the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. The ISRO has five types of PSLV rockets -- Standard, Core Alone, XL, DL, and QL. The major difference between them is the use of strap-on boosters which, in turn, largely depends on the weight of the satellites to be orbited. The PSLV uses 6,4,2 solid rocket strap-on motors to augment the thrust provided by the first stage in PSLV-XL, QL &amp; DL variants, respectively. However, strap-ons are not used in the core-alone version (PSLV-CA). The XPoSat is the first dedicated scientific satellite from the ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. The satellite configuration is modified from the IMS-2 bus platform. The configuration of the mainframe systems is derived based on the heritage of IRS satellites. It carries two payloads, namely POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). The POLIX is realised by the Raman Research Institute and XSPECT is by the <keyword id="20021857" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="space-astronomy-group" source="keywords">Space Astronomy Group</keyword> of the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). According to the ISRO, the three objectives of XPoSat are: (a) To measure polarisation of X-rays in the energy band 8-30keV emanating from about 50 potential cosmic sources through <keyword id="20021856" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="thomson-scattering" source="keywords">Thomson Scattering</keyword> by POLIX payload. (b) To carry out long-term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy band 0.8-15keV by XSPECT payload and (c) To carry out polarisation and spectroscopic measurements of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources by POLIX and XSPECT payloads, respectively, in the common energy band. After orbiting the XPoSat in 650km, the rocket's fourth stage -- PS4 stage -- will be lowered to 350km, about 9.6 deg orbit, by restarting it twice. The left-out propellant in the PS4 will be disposed of through the main engines as a precursor to enabling the safety of the PS4 stage in atmosphere reentry experiments planned in future. The oxidiser will be let out first followed by fuel in a predetermined sequence of operations. The existing scheme of spent stage passivation by venting the tank pressure will also be active. Post passivation of PS4, the control of the stage is transferred to the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) avionics, the ISRO said. The POEM is configured as a 3-axis stabilised orbital platform for conducting experiments to space qualify systems with novel ideas. The orbital platform's electrical power requirements are catered by a Flexible Solar Panel in conjunction with 50Ah Li-Ion battery in battery tied configuration. The orbital platform consists of avionic systems to take care of navigation, guidance, control and telecommands and Orbital Platform Attitude Control System to cater to control of the platform to test the payloads, the ISRO added. The 10 payloads are from TakeMe2Space, LBS Institute Technology for Women, K J Somaiya Institute of Technology, Inspecity Space Labs Private Ltd, Dhruva Space Private Ltd, Bellatrix Aerospace Private Ltd (two payloads) and three payloads from the ISRO.

You Searched For "isro pslv xl" and got 11 results

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