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PSLV-XL C30 - ASTROSAT, LAPAN-A2, NLS-14, 4xLEMUR - Sept 28, 2015 (04:30 UTC)
by
vyoma
on 06 Aug, 2014 14:23
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From
ISRO 2014 report:
ASTROSAT is a multi-wavelength astronomy mission aimed at studying the celestial sources and will carry a suite of instruments sensitive over a wide spectral region covering Visible, Ultraviolet, Soft X-ray and Hard X-ray bands. ASTROSAT will be placed in a 650 km near-equatorial orbit using PSLV-XL.
The four X-ray payloads are: Three identical Large Area Xenon-filled Proportional Counters (LAXPC) instrument covering 3-100 keV region, a Cadmium Zinc-Telluride Imager (CZTI) array with coded mask aperture sensitive in 10-100 keV band, a Soft X-ray Imaging Telescope (SXT) using X-ray reflecting mirrors, X-ray CCD for imaging and spectral studies in 0.3 – 8 keV band and a Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) for detection and monitoring of new and known X-ray sources in 2 – 10 keV region. The UV and Visible bands are covered by an Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) consisting of two identical telescopes, one covering the FUV band (130 – 180 nm) and the second sensitive in NUV (180 – 300 nm) and Visible (350 – 600 nm) bands.
The spacecraft structure is ready. Various subsystems like power package, onboard computer, reaction wheels and various sensors have been integrated to the spacecraft deck and functional checks are completed. Flight Harness installation on equipment panels is also completed.
The integrated SXT payload has undergone the successful completion of all stand alone tests including vibration and thermovac. It has been delivered to the clean room for integration to the spacecraft. The Flight Models (FMs) of all the other payloads are under different stages of testing.
UVIT Payload had been subjected to acceptance level vibration test in all three axes. LAXPC flight detector vibration test was completed successfully and detector is being monitored. Thermovac tests needs to be done. Calibration of each quadrant of CZTI flight detectors with electronics is completed. All three SSM flight Detectors Bench test and Calibration tests at room temperature are completed. They are under stability monitoring before taking up for further testing activities.
ASTROSAT specs:
http://astrosat.iucaa.in/~astrosat/astrosat_handbook_ver1.2.pdfhttp://www.astro.caltech.edu/~srk/MiniSat/Presentations/astrosat_overview.pdf
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#1
by
Ohsin
on 19 May, 2015 08:31
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ASTROSAT crossed a major milestone – Spacecraft fully assembled and tests initiated
ASTROSAT is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying distant celestial objects. The mission is capable of performing observations in Ultraviolet (UV), optical, low and high energy X-ray wavebands at the same time. The satellite is planned to be launched during the second half of 2015 by PSLV C-34 to a 650 km near equatorial orbit around the Earth. It is significant to note that ASTROSAT is the first mission to be operated as a space observatory by ISRO.
All the payloads and sub-systems are integrated to the satellite. Mechanical fit checks of the satellite with PSLV payload adaptor were performed successfully. Last week, the spacecraft was fully assembled and switched ON. Spacecraft parameters are normal, which indicates everything is functioning well. In the coming days, Spacecraft will undergo several environmental tests like Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) – Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Thermal Vacuum, Vibration, Acoustic tests before shipment to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
ASTROSAT carries four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle monitor. Apart from ISRO, four other Indian institutions, viz., Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Raman Research Institute (RRI) are involved in payload development. Two of the payloads are in collaboration with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and University of Leiscester (UoL), UK.
http://www.isro.gov.in/astrosat-crossed-major-milestone-%E2%80%93-spacecraft-fully-assembled-and-tests-initiated
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#2
by
input~2
on 20 May, 2015 09:36
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#3
by
vyoma
on 30 May, 2015 04:52
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#4
by
antriksh
on 22 Jun, 2015 14:05
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#5
by
vyoma
on 29 Jul, 2015 10:10
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#6
by
input~2
on 30 Jul, 2015 06:29
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#7
by
K210
on 14 Aug, 2015 05:04
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According to various sources launch is currently set for September 27th - October 2nd.
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#8
by
vyoma
on 17 Aug, 2015 14:26
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ASTROSAT transported to SDSC SHAR from ISAC:
http://www.isro.gov.in/satellite-transportation-systems-sts After celebrating 69th Independence Day, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) had yet another eventful day on August 16, 2015, flagging off the nation’s prestigious and ISRO’s sought after satellite ASTROSAT, a mission for deep sky exploration. ASTROSAT was transported to the country’s spaceport at Satish Dawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, using a specially designed Satellite Transportation System (STS).
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#9
by
antriksh
on 21 Aug, 2015 15:21
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#10
by
vyoma
on 21 Aug, 2015 15:48
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September 28 is the tentative launch date, as per above video.
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#11
by
input~2
on 24 Aug, 2015 06:36
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7 piggybacked S/C are announced on this launch:
LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia)
2 x NLS (Canada)
4 x Lemur (UK)
(
source in Telugu)
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#12
by
Skyrocket
on 24 Aug, 2015 07:10
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7 piggybacked S/C are announced on this launch:
LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia)
2 x NLS (Canada)
4 x Lemur (UK)
(source in Telugu)
One of the Canadian NLS payloads is likely exactEarth's exactView-9 (EV9) satellite.
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#13
by
worldtimedate
on 28 Aug, 2015 07:17
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Quote from input~2 on: 08/24/2015 06:36 AM
7 piggybacked S/C are announced on this launch:
LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia)
2 x NLS (Canada)
4 x Lemur (UK)
Add 4 more US satellites with the above 7 piggybacked. ISRO Chairman has confirmed that US satellites will be launched with Astrosat.
To a query about the launch of satellites made in the US, Kumar said four satellites would be launched with ASTROSAT.
"US satellites will be launched with ASTROSAT. Actually, four of them (satellites). It will go next month," he said.
Source :
ISRO working with NASA to make maiden launch in 2021 - The Economic Times:
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#14
by
Skyrocket
on 28 Aug, 2015 08:31
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7 piggybacked S/C are announced on this launch:
LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia)
2 x NLS (Canada)
4 x Lemur (UK)
(source in Telugu)
One of the Canadian NLS payloads is likely exactEarth's exactView-9 (EV9) satellite.
exactView-9 (EV9) has been confirmed
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#15
by
Skyrocket
on 28 Aug, 2015 08:52
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Quote from input~2 on: 08/24/2015 06:36 AM
7 piggybacked S/C are announced on this launch:
LAPAN-A2 (Indonesia)
2 x NLS (Canada)
4 x Lemur (UK)
Add 4 more US satellites with the above 7 piggybacked. ISRO Chairman has confirmed that US satellites will be launched with Astrosat.
To a query about the launch of satellites made in the US, Kumar said four satellites would be launched with ASTROSAT.
"US satellites will be launched with ASTROSAT. Actually, four of them (satellites). It will go next month," he said.
Source :
ISRO working with NASA to make maiden launch in 2021 - The Economic Times:
--- [ --- ]
These four US satellites are likely the four Lemur satellites mentioned above. Not sure, why the Lemurs are listed as UK satellites, has likely something to do with the fact, that Spire has opened a UK office in Glasgow.
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#16
by
vyoma
on 04 Sep, 2015 05:24
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#17
by
ss1_3
on 13 Sep, 2015 17:58
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Trending for Sep 28th launch.
Source: recent interview (slide to 20:30) with Chairman, ISRO.
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#18
by
Ohsin
on 16 Sep, 2015 12:21
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#19
by
antriksh
on 16 Sep, 2015 14:49
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#20
by
chota
on 16 Sep, 2015 16:38
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#21
by
vyoma
on 16 Sep, 2015 17:00
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#22
by
chota
on 16 Sep, 2015 17:37
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Astrosat weighs about 1.5 tons
Will be positioned at 650-km high equatorial orbit with a 6° inclination (to avoid South Atlantic Anomaly )
Life of the satellite is 10 years
On a separate note,India was to launch an Ultraviolet space telescope (TAUVEX) way back in 2008/ 2010 using GSLV.
After delays and failures of the earlier GSLV rocket, looks like this satellite has since been returned to Israel and project terminated
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#23
by
chota
on 16 Sep, 2015 18:03
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http://maadhyam.isro.gov.in/The launch of PSLV-C30 carrying India's dedicated multi-wavelength astronomical observation satellite ASTROSAT along with six international customer satellites is scheduled at 10:00 am on Monday, September 28, 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR.
So 28 it is.
Generally, in September, there is not much of a problem. The only conditions under which we will be forced to make changes are thunderstorms or high wind velocities in the higher reaches. These are the two conditions in which there will be a shift of the launch date. Otherwise, we do not foresee any problem. In previous launches, weather conditions have not resulted in the change of the launch date.
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#24
by
vineethgk
on 16 Sep, 2015 22:56
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Performing 3 launches in 3 consecutive months is unprecedented for ISRO! Things are warming up. Exciting times ahead for the Indian space program.
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#25
by
Ohsin
on 17 Sep, 2015 03:32
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Performing 3 launches in 3 consecutive months is unprecedented for ISRO! Things are warming up. Exciting times ahead for the Indian space program.
We need to look at 4 consecutive launches(2 from each pad) to have complete turnaround cycle and hurray if it continues this way! It would be amazing if they complete 3 launches before year wraps up (not counting RLV-TD). And where is RLV stack exactly? We heard months ago it was integrated.. Is it hiding in SSAB ?
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#26
by
russianhalo117
on 17 Sep, 2015 22:26
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Performing 3 launches in 3 consecutive months is unprecedented for ISRO! Things are warming up. Exciting times ahead for the Indian space program.
We need to look at 4 consecutive launches(2 from each pad) to have complete turnaround cycle and hurray if it continues this way! It would be amazing if they complete 3 launches before year wraps up (not counting RLV-TD). And where is RLV stack exactly? We heard months ago it was integrated.. Is it hiding in SSAB ?
AFAIK RLV-TD was built up systems checks and fit test and then disassembled ahead of the GSLV Mk II D6
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#27
by
isro-watch
on 18 Sep, 2015 03:56
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I was not expecting ISRO to turn up for another launch so soon !!
Point to note : Quoting from the links:
There is only one Canadian satellite (eXactView-9) and not two ! A total of 6 foreign and 1 Indian satellite.
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#28
by
vineethgk
on 18 Sep, 2015 12:39
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#29
by
antriksh
on 22 Sep, 2015 12:42
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#30
by
antriksh
on 22 Sep, 2015 12:44
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#31
by
antriksh
on 22 Sep, 2015 12:47
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#32
by
Galactic Penguin SST
on 22 Sep, 2015 14:07
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Here's the brochure itself:
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#33
by
input~2
on 24 Sep, 2015 17:05
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International customer satellites of PSLV-C30
LAPAN-A2 is a Microsatellite from National Institute of Aeronautics and Space-LAPAN, Indonesia. LAPAN-A2 is meant for providing maritime surveillance using Automatic Identification System (AIS), supporting Indonesian radio amateur communities for disaster mitigation and carrying out Earth surveillance using video and digital camera.
NLS-14 (Ev9), a Nanosatellite from Space Flight Laboratory, University of Toronto Institute for Advanced Studies (SFL, UTIAS), Canada. It is a maritime monitoring Nanosatellite using the next generation Automatic Identification System (AIS).
Four LEMUR nano satellites from Spire Global, Inc. (San Francisco, CA), USA, are non-visual remote sensing satellites, focusing primarily on global maritime intelligence through vessel tracking via the Automatic Identification System (AIS), and high fidelity weather forecasting using GPS Radio Occultation technology.
from
http://isro.gov.in/launcher/pslv-c30-astrosat-mission
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#34
by
Ohsin
on 24 Sep, 2015 23:16
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#35
by
Ohsin
on 26 Sep, 2015 03:21
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#36
by
input~2
on 26 Sep, 2015 15:47
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A1737/15 - REF CHENNAI NOTAM A1682/15. PSLV-C-30 ROCKET LAUNCH FM SHAR RANGE,SRIHARIKOTA,INDIA IS SCHEDULED ON 28 SEPT 2015 BTN 0430-0730 UTC. ATC MAY RE-ROUTE TRAFFIC DURING THE PERIOD AS PER ROUTINGS GIVEN IN THE ABOVE NOTAM. LAUNCH WINDOW FOR THE REMAINING PERIOD FROM 29 SEPT 2015 TO 27 OCT 2015 SHALL BE KEPT ALIVE FOR RESCHEDULING OF LAUNCH IF REQUIRED. GND - UNL, 28 SEP 04:30 2015 UNTIL 28 SEP 07:30 2015. CREATED: 25 SEP 05:04 2015
A3134/15 - TEMPO DNG AREA ESTABLISHED WI THE FLW COORD DUE TO THE LAUNCHING OF PSLV-C30 ROCKET FM SHAR RANGE, SRIHARIKOTA, INDIA: 0945N 09430E - 1040N 09445E - 1025N 09535E - 0930N 09520E. RMK: THE FLW RTE SEGMENT AFFECTED WI THE DNG ZONE: 1. P628 NOT AVBL BTN MAPSO AND IGREX ALTN RTE: GIVAL-L510-LEKIR-L510-EMRAN (BIDIRECTIONAL ONLY). SFC - UNL, DLY BTN 0430-0730, 28 SEP 04:30 2015 UNTIL 27 OCT 07:30 2015. CREATED: 23 SEP 07:17 2015
HYDROPAC 3162/15
EASTERN SOUTH PACIFIC.
BAY OF BENGAL.
ANDAMAN SEA.
ROCKETS.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 0430Z TO 0730Z DAILY
28 THRU 30 SEP:A. WITHIN TEN MILES OF 13-43.9N 080-14.2E.
B. IN AREA BOUND BY
13-30N 080-35E, 13-50N 080-40E,
13-35N 081-35E, 13-15N 081-30E.
C. IN AREA BOUND BY
13-00N 082-25E, 13-30N 082-30E,
13-05N 084-15E, 12-35N 084-10E.
D. IN AREA BOUND BY
12-30N 084-25E, 13-00N 084-30E,
12-50N 085-15E, 12-20N 085-10E.
E. IN AREA BOUND BY
11-35N 087-45E, 12-15N 087-55E,
12-05N 088-30E, 11-25N 088-20E.
F. IN AREA BOUND BY
09-45N 094-30E, 10-40N 094-45E,
10-25N 095-35E, 09-30N 095-20E.
G. IN AREA BOUND BY
16-00S 134-00W, 14-00S 134-00W,
11-00S 094-00W, 13-00S 094-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 300830Z SEP 15.//
Authority: NAVAREA VIII 621/15 181003Z SEP 15.
Date: 231235Z Sep 15
Cancel: 30083000 Sep 15
edit: NOTAMed areas for respectively:
Boosters 1 2 3 4
Boosters 5 6
1st stage
Fairing
2nd stage
3rd stage
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#37
by
vineethgk
on 27 Sep, 2015 09:59
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I wonder what would be the max payload capability of PSLV-XL to an ASTROSAT-like near equatorial orbit. Would that be around 2 tonnes or more?
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#38
by
SmallKing
on 27 Sep, 2015 11:06
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Broadcast？
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#39
by
antriksh
on 27 Sep, 2015 13:52
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ASTROSAT, India’s unique space observatory
(1) The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT, capable of observing the sky in the Visible, Near Ultraviolet and Far Ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
(2) Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC, is designed for study the variations in the emission of X-rays from sources like X-ray binaries, Active Galactic Nuclei and other cosmic sources.
(3) Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) is designed for studying how the X-ray spectrum of 0.3-8 keV range coming from distant celestial bodies varies with time.
(4) Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI), functioning in the X-ray region, extends the capability of the satellite to sense X-rays of high energy in 10-100 keV range.
(5) Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) is intended to scan the sky for long term monitoring of bright X-ray sources in binary stars, and for the detection and location of sources that become bright in X-rays for a short duration of time. According to Dr. Bhalerao, LAXPC is the best X-ray timing instrument so far. “Astronomical objects cannot be controlled. If you want to study something in a star, must catch it in its act. So it is important to monitor the sky,” he said about the Scanning Sky Monitor.
“ASTROSAT’s X-ray detectors can also cope with very bright objects that would saturate those on other satellites such as NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory or ESA’s X-ray Multi-Mirror (XXM-Newton) mission.”
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#40
by
Chris Bergin
on 27 Sep, 2015 14:05
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Moved for live coverage.
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#41
by
K210
on 27 Sep, 2015 14:58
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Any live coverage?
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#42
by
Skyrocket
on 27 Sep, 2015 15:03
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BTW, the four Lemur satellites are named this way:
LEMUR-2-JOEL
LEMUR-2-PETER
LEMUR-2-JEROEN
LEMUR-2-CHRIS
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#43
by
vyoma
on 27 Sep, 2015 15:06
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From
http://isro.gov.in/media :
Sep 27, 2015
PSLV-C30 / ASTROSAT MISSION UPDATE: Countdown activities are progressing normally.
PSLV-C30 / ASTROSAT MISSION UPDATE: Mobile Service Tower (MST) withdrawal to 50 m distance is completed by 15:00 hr IST. Propellant filling operation of Second Stage (PS2) is in progress.
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#44
by
vyoma
on 27 Sep, 2015 15:17
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#45
by
Galactic Penguin SST
on 27 Sep, 2015 15:57
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Seeing that 3 Asian nations are going to put up new short wavelength astronomical observatories over the next few months (Astrosat, JAXA's ASTRO-H and China's HXMT),
I've asked high-energy specialized astronomer and spacecraft expert Jonathan McDowell to explain their differences between them:
Cosmic Penguin @Cosmic_Penguin
@planet4589 Can you compare the abilities of the trio of new short-lambda observatories from Asia, ASTRO-H, Astrosat and China's HXMT?
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
@Cosmic_Penguin ASTRO-H is a world class mission - not a Chandra, but more than a Swift or NuStar. (1/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin Astrosat will be very useful in certain science domains, esp. quasar studies. Broad energy range but poor spatial res.
@Cosmic_Penguin HXMT will be interesting as 1st hard-x-ray sky survey, but maybe a bit more limited in science return (3/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin all of them doing good science; ASTRO-H cutting edge, the other two with targeted niches missed by US/Europe
@Cosmic_Penguin so Astrosat looking at specific known targets that need the broad energy range; HXMT mapping at 100 keV to see what's there
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#46
by
Ohsin
on 27 Sep, 2015 16:24
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#47
by
zubenelgenubi
on 27 Sep, 2015 20:25
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Seeing that 3 Asian nations are going to put up new short wavelength astronomical observatories over the next few months (Astrosat, JAXA's ASTRO-H and China's HXMT), I've asked high-energy specialized astronomer and spacecraft expert Jonathan McDowell to explain their differences between them:
Cosmic Penguin @Cosmic_Penguin
@planet4589 Can you compare the abilities of the trio of new short-lambda observatories from Asia, ASTRO-H, Astrosat and China's HXMT?
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
@Cosmic_Penguin ASTRO-H is a world class mission - not a Chandra, but more than a Swift or NuStar. (1/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin Astrosat will be very useful in certain science domains, esp. quasar studies. Broad energy range but poor spatial res.
@Cosmic_Penguin HXMT will be interesting as 1st hard-x-ray sky survey, but maybe a bit more limited in science return (3/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin all of them doing good science; ASTRO-H cutting edge, the other two with targeted niches missed by US/Europe
@Cosmic_Penguin so Astrosat looking at specific known targets that need the broad energy range; HXMT mapping at 100 keV to see what's there
Thank you, Jonathan AND GP! This is a concise summary, on a timely subject. I was wondering myself where these 3 observatories fit into the short EM wavelength astronomy "big picture."
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#48
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 01:14
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#49
by
isro-watch
on 28 Sep, 2015 02:25
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The weight of Astrosat is mentioned as 1470 Kg in the article. The weight as per the brochure is 1513 Kg
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#50
by
northenarc
on 28 Sep, 2015 02:40
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The weight of Astrosat is mentioned as 1470 Kg in the article. The weight as per the brochure is 1513 Kg
From the article
"The 1,470-kilogram (3,241 lb) AstroSat spacecraft carries 43 kilograms (95 lb) of fuel for a total launch mass of 1,513 kilograms (3,336 lb)."
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#51
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:07
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Stream is live
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#52
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:08
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Some nice classical music while we wait.
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#53
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:10
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#54
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:11
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Running overview of payloads
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#55
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:12
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#56
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:13
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#57
by
jcm
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:13
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Seeing that 3 Asian nations are going to put up new short wavelength astronomical observatories over the next few months (Astrosat, JAXA's ASTRO-H and China's HXMT), I've asked high-energy specialized astronomer and spacecraft expert Jonathan McDowell to explain their differences between them:
Cosmic Penguin @Cosmic_Penguin
@planet4589 Can you compare the abilities of the trio of new short-lambda observatories from Asia, ASTRO-H, Astrosat and China's HXMT?
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
@Cosmic_Penguin ASTRO-H is a world class mission - not a Chandra, but more than a Swift or NuStar. (1/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin Astrosat will be very useful in certain science domains, esp. quasar studies. Broad energy range but poor spatial res.
@Cosmic_Penguin HXMT will be interesting as 1st hard-x-ray sky survey, but maybe a bit more limited in science return (3/3)
@Cosmic_Penguin all of them doing good science; ASTRO-H cutting edge, the other two with targeted niches missed by US/Europe
@Cosmic_Penguin so Astrosat looking at specific known targets that need the broad energy range; HXMT mapping at 100 keV to see what's there
Thank you, Jonathan AND GP! This is a concise summary, on a timely subject. I was wondering myself where these 3 observatories fit into the short EM wavelength astronomy "big picture."
So excited for all the teams on ASTROSAT and ASTRO-H (I don't know any of the HXMT folks personally)
For ASTROSAT, I don't know so much about the UV payload. XMM-Newton had a UV/optical monitor too, but it
doesn't get used that much. These things are hard to calibrate and subject to problems with contamination on the coatings, so I suspect we won't know how good it is until a while after launch.
The interesting X-ray payload is the LAXPC which
has a big 'effective area' so it can get many, many photons per second compared to say Chandra. But it only has
a vague idea where in the sky those photons are coming from, so it's no good for faint sources - there will be hundreds of faint sources within one 'beam' (field of view). It'll give you GREAT data on the bright sources though. You need a few hundred photons to get an idea of the energy spectrum (color, temperature, state of the black hole accretion disk, whatever), so the more photons you get per second the more often you can slice up the data into a new spectrum, seeing more rapid changes. And the simultaneous UV gives you an anchor for the shape of the spectrum, a more reliable fit
for your model accretion disk for example.
The LAXPC doesn't have a focussing telescope, it's just one step up from waving a geiger counter at the sky and seeing which constellation it clicks more in. The SXT telescope is a real telescope but it's more a technology test for futre ones,
it has comparable count rates to Chandra but with 500 times worse spatial resolution - so I don't expect much
new science to come out of this, but it's an excellent technology achievement, 1 keV-band X-ray focussing telescopes are hard.
The CZTI coded mask telescope is like having hundreds of pinhole cameras. It works in the harder X-ray range of 10 - 100 keV, where doing a focussing telescope is much harder (only NuSTAR so far can do that). This was first done by SIGMA-GRANAT (French-Soviet) in the 1980s. I am not sure about the details here but I gather they are running the detector
cool to get better energy resolution than the bigger detector on the SWIFT satellite. So less sensitivity but better energy res, in a less well explored waveband, might get some interesting results.
SSM - lots of X-ray satellites have carried all-sky monitors to spot bursts and novae and so on; MAXI on ISS does this, but in the years while Astrosat was delayed SWIFT has pretty much cornered the market on this niche. So, a useful addition but not ground breaking.
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#58
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:13
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#59
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:15
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Satellite Director authorizes mission.
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#60
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:15
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#61
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:15
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#62
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:15
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#63
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:16
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And the rocket. Mine is fatter due to silly ratio
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#64
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:16
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Mission Director authorizes mission.
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#65
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:16
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#66
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:17
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T-13 minutes. Talking about wind conditions.
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#67
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:17
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#68
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:17
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T-13 minutes. Favourable weather.
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#69
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:18
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Ding dong. T-12 minutes and counting.
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#70
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:19
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#71
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:20
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#72
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:20
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#73
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:21
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#74
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:21
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#75
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:22
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#76
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:22
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#77
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:23
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#78
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:24
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#79
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:25
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Special guests.
Coming up on T-5 mins.
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#80
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:25
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#81
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:26
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Prof. Yashpal and Dr. Kasturirangan.
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#82
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:26
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#83
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:27
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#84
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:27
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#85
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:28
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#86
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:28
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#87
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:29
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#88
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:29
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#89
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:29
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#90
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:29
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#91
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:30
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#92
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:30
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#93
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:30
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#94
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:31
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#95
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:31
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#96
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:32
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First solids have separated.
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#97
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:32
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First stage performance normal.
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#98
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:32
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T+2 minutes. First stage separation.
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#99
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:33
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#100
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:33
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Fairing jettison.
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#101
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:33
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First stage separated. Second stage performance normal.
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#102
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:33
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Heatshield separation.
T+3 minutes.
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#103
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:34
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Heat shield (payload fairing) separated. Second stage performance normal.
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#104
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:34
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#105
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:34
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#106
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:35
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Second stage separated. Third stage ignited. Third stage performance normal.
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#107
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:35
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Third stage ignition.
T+5 minutes.
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#108
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:36
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#109
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:36
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#110
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:37
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#111
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:37
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Third stage burnout.
T+7 minutes.
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#112
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:38
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#113
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:39
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Fourth stage will perform yaw manoeuvre to achieve 6 degree inclination.
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#114
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:39
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#115
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:40
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There's a long coasting period between between 3rd stage burnout and 4th stage ignition. Normally, 4th stage of PSLV-XL has 2.5 tonnes of propellent, but this mission has 1.6 tonnes of propellent in PS4.
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#116
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:40
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T+10 minutes. Third stage separation.
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#117
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:41
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#118
by
isro-watch
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:41
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That seems to be a very long coasting compared to previous launches
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#119
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:41
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#120
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:42
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#121
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:43
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ISRO will launch 9 nano-satellites from NASA/USA in 2015-19.
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#122
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:43
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#123
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:44
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#124
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:44
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#125
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:45
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#126
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:46
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#127
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:46
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#128
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:47
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PS4 ignition. Final push uphill.
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#129
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:47
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Fourth stage, PS4, ignited.
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#130
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:47
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PS4 ignition.
T+17 minutes.
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#131
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:48
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#132
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:48
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#133
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:49
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#134
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:50
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#135
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:51
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#136
by
isro-watch
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:52
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Isn't the velocity too low ?
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#137
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:52
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Shutdown.
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#138
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:52
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PS4 shutdown.
T+22 minutes.
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#139
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:53
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Astrosat S/C Sep.
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#140
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:53
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Astrosat separation!
T+23 minutes.
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#141
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:53
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LAPAN-A2 S/C Sep.
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#142
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:53
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#143
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:53
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NLS-14 S/C Sep.
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#144
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:54
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NSL-14 separation!
T+25 minutes.
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#145
by
zubenelgenubi
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:54
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It was interesting watching the 4th stage yaw steering in action--watching the orbital inclination readout drop.
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#146
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:55
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#147
by
savuporo
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:55
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#148
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:55
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#149
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:56
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#150
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:56
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Lemur-4 separation. Mission success!
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#151
by
Chris Bergin
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:57
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#152
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:57
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#153
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 04:58
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SDSC-SHAR Director.
30th consecutive successful mission.
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#154
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:01
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Mission Director. "ISRO has done it again."
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#155
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:01
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ASTROSAT had called for very tight environmental and contamination control in all ISRO center - from satellite assembly to integration with rocket.
51 commercial/foreign satellites launched by PSLV till date.
PSLV-C29 getting ready to launch 6 satellites from Singapore.
3 consecutive monthly missions from SDSC SHAR!
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#156
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:04
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Satellite Director. 644x651 km orbit. Satellite is doing fine. Solar arrays deployed.
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#157
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:06
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#158
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:08
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PSLV Director.
ISAC Director.
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#159
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:09
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#160
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:12
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IPSC? Director.
Minister for Science and Technology.
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#161
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:14
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The person who started the Atsrosat program. Former ISRO chairman.
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#162
by
abhishek
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:19
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No mention of RLV in the speech ? is it happening this year or not ?
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#163
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:19
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"This is the way to do it."
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#164
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:23
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Complete IRNSS by March next year. GSAT 15 on the way to Korou.
Webcast has ended.
Congratulations to ISRO and India for the successful launch!
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#165
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:25
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Full replay of launch.
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#166
by
isro-watch
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:27
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Very surprised, both the ISRO Chairman and SDSC-SHAR Director did not mention any date/month for the next PSLV mission !
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#167
by
isro-watch
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:30
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Also, Did the satellites achieve orbital velocity ? Wasn't 7Km/s lower than the planned 7.5 Km/s ? But the orbit seemed OK 650x649 with 6 degree incl
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#168
by
Ohsin
on 28 Sep, 2015 05:34
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No mention of RLV in the speech ? is it happening this year or not ?
In an article from few days ago Dr K Sivan said it would happen by this year end. Lets see if post launch press questions get any details.
Edit:
With the successful deployment of four Lemur-2 cubesats we became the first US cubesats to ever launch from India
Today, we are raising our glasses to LEMUR2-PETER, LEMUR2-JOEL, LEMUR2-JEROEN, and LEMUR2-CHRIS.
https://spire.com/insights/news/first-commercial-weather-satellite-network/
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#169
by
worldtimedate
on 28 Sep, 2015 07:30
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ISRO launches ASTROSAT, first space observatory
Besides NASA, space agencies of the European Union, Japan and Russia have launched similar facilities into the space.
With the Monday's launch, ISRO has successfully crossed the half century mark as for foreign satellites. ISRO has launched 51 satellites for foreign satellites so far.
The 1,513 kg-weighing cuboid-shaped satellite would be eventually fine-tuned into 650 km above the Earth’s surface.
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#170
by
vineethgk
on 28 Sep, 2015 13:15
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#171
by
vyoma
on 28 Sep, 2015 15:28
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Press release:
http://www.isro.gov.in/update/28-sep-2015/pslv-successfully-launches-india%E2%80%99s-multi-wavelength-space-observatory-astrosatSep 28, 2015
PSLV Successfully Launches India’s Multi Wavelength Space Observatory ASTROSAT
In its thirty first flight (PSLV-C30) conducted today (September 28, 2015), India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched ASTROSAT, the country's Multi Wavelength Space Observatory along with six foreign customer satellites into a 644.6 X 651.5 km orbit inclined at an angle of 6 deg to the equator. The achieved orbit is very close to the intended one. This was the thirtieth consecutive success for PSLV.
PSLV was launched today in its heaviest ‘XL’ version with six strap-on motors of the first stage. The launch took place from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, the spaceport of India.
The 320 tonne, 45 m tall PSLV-C30 carrying seven satellites including the 1513 kg ASTROSAT, lifted off at 10:00 Hrs IST. About twenty two minutes after lift-off, ASTROSAT was successfully placed in orbit and separated from the fourth stage of PSLV-C30. The separation of all the six co-passenger satellites was completed in the subsequent three minutes. The seven satellites carried by PSLV-C30 together weighed about 1631 kg at lift-off.
After a 50 hour smooth count down, the 320 ton PSLV-C28 was launched with the ignition of its first stage. The important flight events included the ignition and separation of the strap-ons, separation of the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the payload fairing after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage separation, third stage ignition and third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off.
Through 30 successful flights during 1994-2015 period, PSLV has launched a total of 84 satellites including the seven satellites successfully launched today. The vehicle has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by successfully launching satellites into a variety of orbits including polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer and Low Earth orbits of small inclination thereby emerging as the workhorse launch vehicle of India.
So far, 51 satellites have been launched by PSLV for customers from abroad. Today’s launch of six co-passenger satellites by PSLV-C30 was facilitated by Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a government of India Company under the Department of Space (DOS).
Soon after its separation from PSLV-C30, the two solar arrays of ASTROSAT were automatically deployed and the Spacecraft Control Centre at the Mission Operations Complex of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took control of ASTROSAT.
ASTROSAT is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory. This scientific satellite mission endeavours for a more detailed understanding of our universe. ASTROSAT is designed to observe the universe in the Visible, Ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum simultaneously with the help of its five payloads.
ASTROSAT was realised by ISRO with the participation of all major astronomy institutions including Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) of Pune, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at Mumbai, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP) and Raman Research Institute (RRI) of Bangalore as well as some of the Universities in India and two institutions from Canada and the UK.
In the coming days, ASTROSAT will be brought to the final operational configuration and all its five scientific payloads will be thoroughly tested before the commencement of regular operations.
Today’s successful flight of PSLV further underscores the reliability and versatility of PSLV as well as the robustness of its design.
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#172
by
input~2
on 29 Sep, 2015 16:47
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INTLDES NORAD_CAT_ID SATNAME PERIOD (min) INCL(°) APOGEE (km) PERIGEE (km)
2015-052H 40937 PSLV R/B 97.28 5.96 649 608
2015-052A 40930 OBJECT A 97.55 5.99 650 633
2015-052B 40931 OBJECT B 97.54 6.00 650 632
2015-032C 40932 OBJECT C 97.52 6.01 650 630
2015-052D 40933 OBJECT D 97.51 6.00 650 630
2015-052E 40934 OBJECT E 97.56 6.01 650 634
2015-052F 40935 OBJECT F 97.57 6.00 650 635
2015-052G 40936 OBJECT G 97.58 6.00 650 635
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#173
by
vineethgk
on 29 Sep, 2015 18:44
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Launch photos
Correction: Apparently the third photo posted above was not of Astrosat launch as it appear to show the Second Launch Pad. The ISRO link has taken it down now.
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#174
by
s^3
on 30 Sep, 2015 18:01
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PSLV C30 launched all the satellites in near equatorial orbit of 6 deg inclination.
Good for ASTROSAT but all other piggybacks will now have to spend some extra fuel to bring themselves in their planned polar orbits.
A heavy price for piggybacking
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#175
by
zubenelgenubi
on 30 Sep, 2015 20:03
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#176
by
baldusi
on 30 Sep, 2015 21:33
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Unless they intend to demonstrate some incredible propulsion method, they will work on the equatorial orbit. You need two times the orbital delta-v to go from equatorial to SSO.
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#177
by
jcm
on 02 Oct, 2015 22:28
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BTW, the four Lemur satellites are named this way:
LEMUR-2-JOEL
LEMUR-2-PETER
LEMUR-2-JEROEN
LEMUR-2-CHRIS
Haven't seen this discussed anywhere, but I infer the sats are named after senior people at Spire namely
Joel Spark, Peter Platzer, Jeroen Cappaert and (probably) Chris Wake.
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#178
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 03 Oct, 2015 07:52
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Unless they intend to demonstrate some incredible propulsion method, they will work on the equatorial orbit. You need two times the orbital delta-v to go from equatorial to SSO.
I believe you need a delta-v of about sqrt(2)*vo = 1.41*7.8 = 11 km/s, not twice your orbital speed.
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#179
by
baldusi
on 03 Oct, 2015 15:13
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Unless they intend to demonstrate some incredible propulsion method, they will work on the equatorial orbit. You need two times the orbital delta-v to go from equatorial to SSO.
I believe you need a delta-v of about sqrt(2)*vo = 1.41*7.8 = 11 km/s, not twice your orbital speed.
SSO is 97 deg circular, the insertion orbit was 6 deg circular. That's orthogonal vectors. If you thrust to the diagonal, then yes, you can do it with 1.41 the Vo. You are right. I did a simple sum without taking advantage of the cosine. In small plane changes it sort of plays the other way around.
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#180
by
Rondaz
on 18 Aug, 2022 20:52
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The cubesat Lemur-2-Jeroen (object 40934) is in a 626 x 641 km x 6.0 deg orbit. No Space Force TLEs had been issued for it since Apr 2019, but it appears to be relocated, with orbit data resuming on Aug 7. Tracking for small objects at low inclination is often spotty.
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1560146680695193602
