The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is enhancing its capabilities by setting up more than half a dozen critical facilities across its installations, even as it is targeting to nearly double its transponder capacity over the next one-and-a-half years.
However, ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, who announced setting up of the facilities at a press conference here on Saturday, declined to provide details of the investments.
They include a hypersonic wind tunnel to study re-entry and a plasma wind tunnel to study the behaviour of materials at high speed, which would be set up at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Trivandrum.
A thrust chamber testing facility for high-thrust cryogenic engines will be set up at Mahendragiri, and a new mission control centre to look at multiple mission preparations simultaneously will come up at Sriharikota.
A national database for emergency management and a multi-mission earth observation centre for satellites will be set up at Hyderabad, besides an advanced research and development centre for spacecrafts to come up on 530 acres in the Science City at Chitradurga.
As PSLV and GSLV launches have increased, Dr. Radhakrishnan said: “We are trying to integrate the sub-systems of rockets at Sriharikota since they are currently manufactured in different parts of the country.” The project would take about two-three years, he added.
While the ISRO currently has 151 transponders, plans are afoot to add 150 more over the next one-and-a half years. Eighty-six transponders have been leased from foreign satellite operators at present.
“We had 211 transponders in the C, extra C, Ku and S bands. In the last two years, some satellites were decommissioned, while the INSAT 4B's capacity came down partially,” Dr. Radhakrishnan said.
Meanwhile, the Space Commission will on May 24 review the outcome of the two committees that were set up to review the GSLV programmes after the GSLV F06 rocket failed in December 2010.
Experts including Professor Yashpal, U.R. Rao and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam have been reviewing the reports submitted by the committees headed by G. Madhavan Nair and K. Kasturirangan.
While the Programme Review and Strategy committee, headed by Dr. Kasturirangan, looked into all aspects of GSLV and INSAT capabilities, Dr. Nair's committee analysed the failure of the GSLV.
Dr. Radhakrishnan said that unless the “man rating” of the GSLV was achieved for high levels of reliability, it was difficult for him to commit a date for India's first manned mission.
New chairman for Antrix
Antrix, the marketing arm of ISRO, which was in news over the allotment of the orbit slot in the S band to Devas Multimedia, will get a new chairman and managing director within a month.
Meanwhile, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the first batch of 150 students from the Space Institute in Trivandrum will pass out in June/July and will join the ISRO shortly.
Marvelous achievement...Despite tons of constraints we could succeed to stand in present scenario.Hats off, go ahead ISRO.
Its really a good news...but some readers comments are negative due to the name of ISRO involved in 2G scam. I would like to add something... though we are lagging behind the world in the field of Space science but It is "astonishing" that without any infrastructure and budget we created this milestone in space science.(within 50 years)
It is awesome to hear new developments. Let us hope we become leader in Space Technology soon.
ISRO is under scanner devised by learned public personalities ever since the CAG report has come out on S-Band Spectrum deal with ANTRIX and Devas and events followed there after discrediting our scientists and Administers involved in it.The Nation looks on with high esteem the services of ISRO; but it has compelled to have a suspicious eye on its Managers due the dubious conducts of some persons in S-Band Spectrum case.Public criticism is natural on its failures and delayed pace of progress and it is up to the Mangers to stand above this and lead ISRO to achieve its goals.
It is not that our scientist are having difficulty in understanding it but it is the brain drain that is responsible for it, around 40% of scientist at NASA are Indians. So it is not the technical fault it is the fault of the system in India. (political system)
Congrats for setting up the new facilities. Hope that INDIA should develop indigenously build machineries and parts for the satellite and aircraft development that reduces the dependency on foreign companies. Hope that no more scams are possible with the present administration
It is very sad that ISRO has still not mastered cryogenic technology. US and Russia have been using this technology for more than 40 years. It is quite suprising that our scientists are having difficulty understanding a 40-year-old rocket science.
We need to beat the Chinese, in terms of reaching out to Mars, sending a man to the moon and having our own space station. We need a very strong government to support ISRO in all its endeavors. The vision is great, the process is cumbersome. Let the not the difficulty of being in India ever discourage our pioneers in Space tech to leave their goal partially fulfilled. Even if the politicians aren't, the Country is with you.
It's a welcome news that ISRO has come up with new plans to boost up its infrastructure.The Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and The Plasma Wind Tunnel accompanied by the new energetic staff from IIST will not only help in developing the Orbital Vheical but also in the realisation of AVATAR RLV and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.These wind tunnels together with the new Cryogenic Engine Thrust Testing Facility at Mahendragiri will certainly pave the way for indian ICBM Surya I, followed by Surya II.
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