Chandrayaan-3 Launching Details - Dreams Come True

Chandrayaan-3, the highly anticipated lunar mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has become a remarkable success story. This mission aimed to further explore the moon and continue the legacy of its predecessor, Chandrayaan-2. With meticulous planning and unwavering determination, ISRO successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into space. The spacecraft's journey to the moon was flawless, and it landed on the lunar surface with pinpoint accuracy. The mission's objectives were triumphantly achieved as it gathered crucial data about the moon's geology, resources, and atmosphere. Chandrayaan-3's success has not only brought pride and recognition to India but also opened up new possibilities for future lunar exploration. It has solidified India's position as a frontrunner in space exploration and inspired countless aspiring scientists and engineers. The success of Chandrayaan-3 is indeed a testament to the nation's scientific prowess and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration.

Feb 27 2023

The flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission was successfully conducted on February 24, 2023 at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The hot test was carried out for a planned duration of 25 seconds at the High Altitude Test Facility. All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions. The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage.

Mar 05, 2023

ISRO is gearing up for a challenging experiment of controlled re-entry of a decommissioned low Earth orbiting satellite, namely Megha-Tropiques-1 (MT1), on March 7, 2023. MT1 was launched on October 12, 2011, as a joint satellite venture of ISRO and the French space agency, CNES for tropical weather and climate studies. Although the mission life of the satellite originally was to 3 years, the satellite continued to provide valuable data services for more than a decade supporting regional and global climate models till 2021.

UN/IADC space debris mitigation guidelines recommend deorbiting a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) object at its end-of-life, preferably through controlled re-entry to a safe impact zone, or by bringing it to an orbit where the orbital lifetime is less than 25 years.It is also recommended to carry out “passivation” of on-board energy sources to minimise the risk of any post-mission accidental break-up.

The orbital lifetime of MT1, weighing about 1000 kg, would have been more than 100 years in its 20 deg inclined operational orbit of 867 km altitude. About 125 kg on-board fuel remained unutilised at its end-of-mission that could pose risks for accidental break-up. This left-over fuel was estimated to be sufficient to achieve a fully controlled atmospheric re-entry to impact an uninhabited location in the Pacific Ocean. Controlled re-entries involve deorbiting to very low altitudes to ensure impact occurs within a targeted safe zone.Usually, large satellites/rocket bodies which are likely to survive aero-thermal fragmentation upon re-entry are made to undergo controlled re-entry to limit ground casualty risk. However, all such satellites are specifically designed to undergo controlled re-entry at end-of-life. MT1 was not designed for EOL operations through controlled re-entry which made the entire exercise extremely challenging. Furthermore, the on-board constraints of the aged satellite, where several systems had lost redundancy and showed degraded performance, and maintaining subsystems under harsher environmental conditions at much lower than originally designed orbital altitude added to the operational complexities. Innovative workarounds were implemented by the operations team based on the study, deliberations, and exchanges among the mission, operations, flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, controls, navigation, thermal, and other sub-system design teams across the ISRO centres, who worked in synergy to surmount these challenges.

An uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean between 5°S to 14°S latitude and 119°W to 100°W longitude was identified as the targeted re-entry zone for MT1.Since Aug 2022, 18 orbit manoeuvres were performed to progressively lower the orbit. In between the de-orbiting, aero-braking studies at different solar panel orientations were also carried out to gain better insights into the physical process of atmospheric drag affecting the orbital decay of the satellite.The final de-boost strategy has been designed after taking into consideration several constraints, including visibility of the re-entry trace over ground stations, ground impact within the targeted zone, and allowable operating conditions of subsystems, especially the maximum deliverable thrust and the maximum firing duration of the thrusters. The final two de-boost burns followed by the ground impact are expected to take place between 16:30 IST to 19:30 IST on March 7, 2023. Aero-thermal simulations show that no large fragments of the satellites are likely to survive the aerothermal heating during the re-entry.

As a responsible space agency committed to safe and sustainable operations in outer space, ISRO proactively takes efforts for better compliance with the UN/IADC space debris mitigation guidelines on post-mission disposal of LEO objects.The re-entry experiment of MT1 has been undertaken as a part of the ongoing efforts as this satellite with sufficient left-over fuel presented a unique opportunity to test the relevant methodologies and understand the associated operational nuances of post mission disposal by direct re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Mar 26, 2023

ISRO’s LVM3 launch vehicle, in its sixth consecutive successful flight placed 36 satellites belonging to OneWeb Group Company into their intended 450 km circular orbit with an inclination of 87.4 degrees. With this, NSIL has successfully executed its contract to launch 72 satellites of OneWeb to Low Earth Orbit.

The vehicle took off with a total payload of 5,805 kg at 09:00:20 hours local time from the second launch pad at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota. It gained the required altitude of 450 km in about nine minutes of flight, achieved satellite injection conditions in the eighteenth minute, and began injecting the satellites in the twentieth minute. The C25 stage performed a sophisticated maneuver to repeatedly orient itself in orthogonal directions and inject satellites into precise orbits with defined time-gaps to avoid collision of the satellites. 36 satellites were separated in 9 phases, in a batch of 4. OneWeb confirmed the acquisition of signals from all 36 satellites.

This mission marked OneWeb’s second satellite deployment from India, highlighting the strong partnership with NSIL and ISRO. It was OneWeb’s 18th launch bringing the total of OneWeb’s constellation to 618 satellites.

Shri Somanath S, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO congratulated ISRO, NSIL, and OneWeb on the succession mission. He expressed happiness over the consecutive successful flight of LVM3, the opportunity provided by NSIL and the confidence OneWeb team has in ISRO. He thanked the Government for the support and approvals for the missions for the commercial launches that have enhanced the confidence in LVM3. He was delighted to mention that this mission had the upgraded S200 motors with enhanced margins suitable for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission and the motors performed very well.

Shri Radhakrishnan D, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, NewSpace India Limited congratulated ISRO for successful and repeatable performance. Terming the event as momentous, he recalled the challenge of this complex mission in terms of maneuverability.

August 04, 2023

As yet another step in enhancing the private industry participation in the Indian Space sector, ISRO transferred the IMS-1 Satellite Bus Technology to M/S Alpha Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (ADTL). NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, facilitated the technology transfer through an agreement signed during an event held at the NSIL headquarters on August 2, 2023. The Technology Transfer Documents were formally handed over by Shri. D Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of NSIL to Col. H. S. Shankar (Retd.) VSM, Chairman and Managing Director of ADTL. ADTL is one of the two private players identified to receive the transfer of this technology through Interest Exploratory Note (IEN) published by NSIL.

This transfer marks the beginning of satellite-bus technologies developed by ISRO being transferred to private industries. Further, the PSLV is under productionisation by a consortium of industries. ISRO has been enabling private players develop Space technologies by facilitating and extending the expertise thus ensuring both the out-bound and in-bound approaches.

The IMS-1 satellite bus, developed by the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC/ ISRO), is a versatile and efficient small satellite platform designed to facilitate low-cost access to space. The bus serves as a dedicated vehicle for various payloads, enabling Earth imaging, ocean and atmospheric studies, microwave remote sensing, and space science missions while ensuring a quick turnaround time for satellite launches.

IMS-1 bus, weighing about 100 kg, accommodates a 30 kg payload. Solar arrays generate 330 W power with a raw bus voltage of 30-42 V. It offers a 3-axis stabilized with four reaction wheels with a 1 N thruster that provides +/- 0.1 degree pointing accuracy. It is a forerunner for IMS-2 bus technology, capable of improved features. IMS-1 bus is utilised in previous ISRO missions like IMS-1, Youthsat and Microsat-2D.

By transferring the IMS-1 technology to the private sector, ISRO/DoS aims to bolster India's industrial growth in the space sector and foster technological self-reliance. The development opens up new avenues for private players to contribute to space research and exploration, in line with India's vision to expand its presence in the global space market.

NSIL is a wholly owned Government of India company, under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DOS). NSIL enables Indian industries to take up high-technology space-related activities and promotes commercial exploitation of the products and services emanating from the Indian space programme. Technologies ready for transfer by NSIL and the application details are at: here

Alpha Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (ADTL) is a leading aerospace and defense company based in India. With expertise in engineering, manufacturing, and system integration, ADTL has been a key player in various projects related to defense, space, and homeland security, contributing significantly to India's technological progress in these domains.

Aug 05, 2023

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is an upcoming lunar exploration project by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). This mission aims to further advance India's technological capabilities in space exploration. Chandrayaan-3 will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to study the moon's surface and gather valuable scientific data. The benefits of this mission include the opportunity to enhance our understanding of the moon's geology, mineralogy, and possibly even the presence of water. However, the cost of such a mission is substantial, considering the resources required for launching and operating the spacecraft. Nevertheless, the potential rewards in terms of scientific discovery and technological advancements make it a worthwhile investment. The successful completion of Chandrayaan-3 will not only elevate India's status in space research but also contribute to humanity's knowledge of the lunar environment.

Today, the Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved a crucial milestone with the successful completion of the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI). The insertion was carried out by retro-burning at the Perilune for 1835 seconds, starting at 19:12 Hrs IST. The maneuver resulted in an orbit of 164 km x 18074 km, as intended.

This is the third time in succession that ISRO has successfully inserted its spacecraft into the lunar orbit, apart from doing so into the Martian orbit.

As the mission progresses, a series of maneuvers have been planned to gradually reduce Chandrayaan-3's orbit and position it over the lunar poles. After some maneuvers, the propulsion module will separate from the lander while in orbit. Following that, a series of complex braking maneuvers will be executed to facilitate a soft landing in the South Polar region of the Moon on August 23, 2023.

The health of Chandrayaan-3 is normal. Throughout the mission, the health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC), the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antenna at Byalalu, near Bengaluru, with the support from ESA and JPL Deep space antenna.

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