RADHAKRISHNA RAO / BANGALORE
The event, kept quiet over security concerns, may pave way for military surveillance craft
India has boosted its efforts to break into the commercial launch market with the second successful mission of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
On 22 October, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) 294t, 44.4m- (146ft) tall PSLV, which features alternate liquid and solid fuel stages, carried the Indian Technology Experiment Satellite (TES), Germany's Bird satellite and Belgium's Proba craft into orbit.
The launch from the Shriharikota complex on India's eastern coast was kept quiet until the last minute due to security concerns following the terrorist attacks in the USA.
According to ISRO, the TES is designed to validate new technologies to be used in India's next generation high-performance remote-sensing satellites. But industry observers believe the TES could be the forerunner to high-performance, improved-resolution military surveillance satellites. India's defence forces have been calling for satellite support for many years following the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan.
The 1.5t TES is equipped with a 1m resolution camera and a dual-mirror optical system enabling the camera to focus on a target area for longer, despite the satellite's movement. The TES is also thought to include advanced on-board storage and high data-rate transmissions using a steerable antenna for secure communications.
The German space agency's Bird space probe carries new generation infrared sensors for detecting hotspots like forest fires and volcanoes, while Proba will primarily test on-board autonomy procedures for future European satellite missions.
The Belgian-built European Space Agency Proba satellite is the first agency craft with fully autonomous navigation, payload and resource management capabilities. It is equipped with a series of Earth-environment sensors and wide-angle, high-resolution cameras from Finland, Switzerland and the UK.
During its first commercial flight in May 1999, PSLV launched India's IRS-P4 ocean-watch satellites, the German Tubsat and South Korean Kitsat satellite, marking the first successful launch of three satellites concurrently by an Indian booster.
Bangalore-based Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian space programme, says it is talking to potential customers for PSLV launches. The Taiwanese national space agency has already booked a PSLV flight to launch its Rocsat-2 satellites, while Malaysia has expressed interest in using it.
A second launch pad is being built to meet predicted demand. According to ISRO, PSLV is the most cost-effective launcher for small- and medium-class satellites.
The success of the PSLV in the international launch services market is expected to boost prospects for India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), the first two stages of which are derived from PSLV modules.
The 401t GSLV equipped with the Russian-supplied upper cryogenic stage will allow India to launch its Insat satellites instead of relying on Ariane launch vehicles.
Source: Flight International
