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See India’s latest missile, Nirbhay, in flight Nirbhay is India’s first indigenously designed and developed long-range sub-sonic cruise missile. We stumbled upon some cockpit video of the missile in flight, a first for any Indian weapon of the kind. Nirbhay was last flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, Orissa in October 2014. The DRDO had then called the entire mission, from lift-off till the final splash down “a perfect flight achieving all the mission objectives”. During the test, according to DRDO chief Avinash Chander, the “missile maintained an accuracy better than 10 meters throughout its path and covered a distance of more than 1,000 km”. The successful indigenous development of ‘Nirbhay’ cruise missile will fill a vital gap in the war fighting capabilities of our armed forces. This was the second launch of Nirbhay cruise missile. The maiden launch in March 2013 was a partial success.

Specifications Engine: turbofan Weight: 1,000 kg[3] Speed: 0.8 mach Wingspan: 2.84 m Length: 6 m Guidance system: INS IRNSS Warhead: conventional or thermonuclear Diameter: 0.52 m Operational range: 1,000 -1500 km

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First round-the-world solar flight to ISRO successfully tests its GSLV Mk Astra missile launched successfully stop at Ahmedabad, Varanasi III cryogenic engine

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Vistara to have fleet size of 20 aircraft by 2018

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, its fleet size will be increased to 20 by 2018, from five at present. Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara (Tata SIA) Airlines Ltd also said that the aviation industry in India is facing challenges such as high fuel cost and a high tax regime. “By April, we will have 6 aircraft and gradually increase to 9 by the end of this calendar year. Eventually, we will grow to 20 brand new A320 by 2018,” Mr. Yeoh told reporters in a press conference. The airlines today launched its first flight from Hyderabad to New Delhi. Having started with its operations on January 9, with 68 frequencies weekly, Vistara now operates 164 flights in a week. According to Mr. Yeoh, all macro economic indicators are favourable to the growth of Indian aviation industry which is expected to grow at 9-10 per cent in FY16. Replying to a query on challenges that the Indian Aviation Industry is facing, Mr. Yeoh said government should work on addressing the issues such as high aviation turbine fuel coast which is 40-60 per cent more expensive than other countries. He also said that government must remove the 5/20 rule — five years of flying experience, and a fleet size of 20 — for allowing domestic airlines to fly globally. “High jet fuel cost makes the Indian carriers less competitive with the other global airlines. In terms of taxes regime, for the aviation industry the government should take action. 5/20 rule must be removed for the benefit of the nation and for the industry. It is not for Vistara. Six other airlines are in queue to launch services in India” Mr. Yeoh explained. Justifying the launch of flights from Hyderabad, he said it is due to the low sales tax on ATF which formed one of the key considerations to expand the network from the capital of Telangana. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/ First round-the-world solar flight to stop at Ahmedabad, Varanasi Solar Team keeping Si2 secure while batteries are being #sun charged During the reassembly, batteries were loaded into gondolas, motors mounted directly in front Tracking power generated by solar cells; mission engineers on-site in AbuDhabi. .If SolarImpulse is buzzing with tweets, it has a reason. The handle belongs to an aircraft that is all set to make a unique round-the-world journey, totally powered by solar energy. Solar Impulse 2, which weighs as much as a car at 2,300kg, will begin its trip in a few days, making stopovers at Ahmedabad and Varanasi in India, after taking off from Abu Dhabi. The probable launch is on March 8, but will depend on weather conditions. From Varanasi, it will fly to Mandalay in Myanmar and Chongqing in China before reaching the US. Adventurer Bertrand Piccard, one of the first balloonists to circle the earth, and MIT graduate Andre Boschberg — the Swiss co-founders and pilots of Solar Impulse 2 -will fly 35,000km day and night across the world, with stopovers at just 12 locations, without using a drop of fuel. “We want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible. We want youth, leaders, organizations and policy-makers to understand that what Solar Impulse 2 can achieve in the air, everyone can accomplish on ground in their everyday lives. Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives,” said Piccard. The $150m project took 12 years of feasibility studies, design and construction. While the Solar Impulse 2 was put together in Payerne in Switzerland, its crew comprising 80 technicians and engineers are camping in Abu Dhabi since January. “Our first goal is not to transport passengers. The Wright brothers too did not have the technology to fly passengers. The idea is to use modern technology to reduce the energy lost by use of old technologies,” Piccard told TOI in Payerne, at the Solar Impulse Centre, in October last year. He was categorical there was no politics in the flight’s stopovers — Ahmedabad in Gujarat, where Prime Minister Namenda Mondi belongs to and Varanasi, the constituency he represents in Lok Sabha — in India. It was tailwind rather than politics, he joked. “I had met Modi twice in Ahmedabad. However, it was purely meteorological reasons why these cities were chosen,” Piccard had told TOI. “It is not the first solar airplane. It is the first that is able to cross oceans and continents, remaining in air for several days and nights without landing. Solar Impulse 2 will do what no other plane in aviation history has achieved — flying without fuel for five consecutive days and nights with only one pilot in the unpressurized cockpit,” said Mr Borschberg. “We know how to take risks and like to think nothing is impossible. We will spread this message throughout the aircraft’s voyage,” said Christophe Navarre, chairman and CEO of MoetHennessey, another Solar Impulse partner. Till now, Solar Impulse has made a number of test flights including a 26-hour flight in July 2010 with nine hours of night flying, an inter-continental 19-hour flight from Madrid to Pabat in Morocco and a cross-US flight from California to Arizona. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com Regulator set to clear norms for commercial use of drones India is set to enter an exclusive club of just five countries worldwide with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) working on notifying regulations for commercial use of drones soon. “Globally, Spain, Australia and New Zealand have notified provisional norms for civilian use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled proposed regulations (for commercial use of small drones) last month. We are studying these and will come out with a framework in the next one or two months,” said a senior DGCA official. “The benefits of deploying drones for civilian applications are many. They can be used for surveillance in crowded places. It would help in checking untoward incidents of unrest. We do not want to ban them but are looking at ways to define flight paths, height and areas of operation so that UAVs do not pose a hazard in manned air traffic operations,” said the official. In October last year, India had banned private organisations and individuals from launching UAVs. Apart from DGCA approval, the move will require clearance from the air navigation service provider, the ministries of defence and home affairs and other concerned agencies. Once the DGCA’s norms are in place, UAVs could open up a host of applications for civilians. “The useful aspects of civilian drones are well known — agriculture, wildlife conservation, search and rescue, aerial photography, perimeter security, remote monitoring of utilities such as transmission towers, pipelines, highways, railways, etc, tracking of natural disasters and, lately, doorstep delivery of products,” said Amber Dubey, partner and India head (aerospace and defence), KPMG. However, drones also hold potential risks. Besides debates about their use for intrusive surveillance, battery failure or loss of navigational control could cause accidents. “Given its multifarious applications and damage potential, ownership and operation of drones need to be licensed. Its size, capabilities, aerial route and end-use of collected data need to be monitored,” said Dubey. The FAA’s proposed rules permit certified operators to fly UAVs weighing up to 55 pounds during the day. Commercial drones will be permitted to fly at a speed of up to 100 miles per hour and at heights of up to 500 feet. Operators will have to renew their permit every two years. But in a hitch for e-tailers like Amazon planning delivery services, operators are required to keep the drones in their line of sight. In July last year, Spain approved a provisional regulatory framework to enable the civilian use of drones depending on their weight. The norms allow use of UAVs weighing up to 150 kg for investigation and development activities, agriculture- related treatments that require spreading substances over the surface or atmosphere, including products for extinguishing fires, aerial surveys, aerial observation and surveillance, including filming and forest fire surveillance activities, aerial advertising, radio and TV emissions, emergency operations, search and rescue, and other special functions.

Source: http://indianexpress.com

French aerospace firm plans expansion in India

Safran Engineering Services, a French multinational aerospace-component and defence company, plans to go in for a major expansion of its Indian operations if the Dassault Rafale deal to supply 126 aircraft to the Indian Air Force goes through, according to Arun Nayar, Director of the company. Speaking at the inaugural function of Anokha 2015, a three-day annual National-level student technical festival organised by the Amrita University in Coimbatore from Thursday, he said that the aerospace and defence industry in India would also receive a major boost if the contract materialised. The firm had already identified land to facilitate its expansion. The global aerospace industry, he said, was moving towards quieter, greener and fuel-efficient engines. Safran had tied up with Honeywell to develop EGTS, an electric system that would help aircraft taxi to runways without using its jet engines.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/ Mars had ocean with more water than Arctic A primitive ocean on Mars held more water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean but the Red Planet lost 87 % of that water to space, a new study has found. The ocean covered a greater portion of the planet’s surface than the Atlantic Ocean does on Earth, researchers said. An international team of scientists used ESO’s Very Large Telescope, along with instruments at the W M Keck Observatory and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, to monitor the atmosphere of the planet and map out the properties of the water in different parts of Mars’s atmosphere. About four billion years ago, the young planet would have had enough water to cover its entire surface in a liquid layer about 140 metres deep, but it is more likely that the liquid would have pooled to form an ocean occupying almost half of Mars’s northern hemisphere, and in some regions reaching depths greater than 1.6 kilometres, researchers said. “Our study provides a solid estimate of how much water Mars once had, by determining how much water was lost to space,” said Geronimo Villanueva, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, US, and lead author of the paper published in the journal Science. “With this work, we can better understand the history of water on Mars,” said Villanueva. The new estimate is based on detailed observations of two slightly different forms of water in Mars’s atmosphere. One is the familiar form of water, made with two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, H2O. The other is HDO, or semi-heavy water, a naturally occurring variation in which one hydrogen atom is replaced by a heavier form, called deuterium. As the deuterated form is heavier than normal water, it is less easily lost into space through evaporation. So, the greater the water loss from the planet, the greater the ratio of HDO to H2O in the water that remains. By comparing the ratio of HDO to H2O, scientists can measure by how much the fraction of HDO has increased and thus determine how much water has escaped into space. This in turn allows the amount of water on Mars at earlier times to be estimated. The new results show that atmospheric water in the near-polar region was enriched in HDO by a factor of seven relative to Earth’s ocean water, implying that water in Mars’s permanent ice caps is enriched eight-fold. Mars must have lost a volume of water 6.5 times larger than the present polar caps to provide such a high level of enrichment. The volume of Mars’s early ocean must have been at least 20 million cubic kilometres, researchers said. Based on the surface of Mars today, a likely location for this water would be the Northern Plains, which have long been considered a good candidate because of their low-lying ground. “With Mars losing that much water, the planet was very likely wet for a longer period of time than previously thought, suggesting the planet might have been habitable for longer,” said Michael Mumma, a senior scientist at Goddard and the second author on the paper.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ Dreams grounded as Jakkur flying club shuts down The Jakkur flying club has shut shop, crashing a thousand dreams even as worries of a land grab bid for this prime property abound. The elevated expressway that came up adjacent to its premises sounded the death knell of the club as the law bars any obstruction to flyers. Every year nearly 2,000 students frequented the Government Flying Training School, as the 64-year-old club is formally known, to get introduced to the basics of aviation or to advance and learn flying. The club has been a cradle to some of the leading lights in the aviation industry. “Many pilots in the airline industry today got their first lessons here,’’ said Captain Arvind Sharma, who took his flying lessons from this school. For Capt Sharma who went on to become the first licence holder of flying micro light aircrafts and later founded Agni Aviation, this place means life. According to the Aircraft Act 1934, even a tree in the way of the airstrip is an obstruction for flyers. Hence the elevated road nestling next to the aerodrome is a gross violation of the act. Capt Sharma has petitioned the Karnataka high court, challenging the legality of the massive project undertaken by NHAI. The closure has clipped many a flying dream. Former NAL ( National Aerospace Laboratories) director and current flying examiner and instructor BR Pai, who conducted many flying exhibitions on the runway, says, “We trained staff of NAL on the small powered hang gliders that are made for two persons and test-flew them in Jakkur. NAL also has a research wing on the gliders in this premises and it is funded by the defence ministry. This blanket shutdown for flying is of course hampering our research. The small aircrafts don’t need the entire runway to fly.”

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ ‘Successful missions through GSLV next big challenge for ISRO’ Former ISRO director Suresh Naik said that after the success of Mars Orbiter Mission, the next big challenge for the scientists would be to launch missions with the help of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-Mark III rocket. It will help the country carry out major scientific missions in space, he said. Naik was speaking while addressing the students during a seminar on ‘research work and achievements in space technology’ at Dipex, a five-day state-level science exhibition that began on March 7. He said that more youths prefer studying at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IISST) over Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) after the success of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). Naik said the ISRO aims to use GSLV to send a rover to moon with the help of Chandrayaan-2 by 2018. “The GSLV will also be useful for carrying out indian human space missions through Chandrayaan-3. In the recent years, India has been successful in reducing dependency on other countries to launch satellites, while many nations are carrying out the process from India due to cost effectiveness and reliability,” he said. “The GSLV-Mark III rocket has a payload capacity of four tonnes which would enable to carry out space missions successfully. Besides, there is also a billion-dollar satellite market that could be tapped for the commercial benefit of the country,” he said. Naik, who is also the chairman of International Space Society, said the scientists have received crucial information about the topography of Mars through MOM. “We have also received some information on the minerals present there which would be analysed, studied and its conclusions would be presented to the world,” he said while explaining the progress of MOM. “Initially, the mission was expected to last six months. However, we have been able to save considerable amount of fuel on the satellite which has enabled us to extend the mission by another six months,” Naik said. He appealed to the students to join ISRO and contribute towards the development of the country in terms of space technology. “After the success of MOM, many youths have chosen to join IISST which trains students on space science, technology and applications. ISRO would also require skilled astronauts for which training institute would be established soon. All the academic expenses for the undergraduate students are taken care by the government through scholarships. The field offers good career opportunity and job satisfaction,” Naik said. Taking questions from the students later, he said entrepreneurs should also contribute to ISRO.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Sanskrit text on aircraft inspires a dance production, not just pseudo-science The Vaimanika Shastra, a 20th century Sanskrit text that describes vehicles that can fly, spurred debate earlier this year after scientists debunked claims made about it by Hindu revivalists. The technical text has also been the impetus for an unlikely venture: a dance production by New Delhi-based Bharatanatyam dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar. Called Antariksha Sanchar, or Celestial Passage, the production portrays various flying characters and objects mentioned in classical texts, in an attempt to capture human beings’ endless fascination with flight. The dancer and her troupe, Abhinayaa, will present the dance-drama in April in the capital, where it made its debut over four years ago. This Vaimanika Shastra is not, however, a classical text. In a paper published in 1974, a group of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore concluded that it was not written earlier than 1904. While acknowledging that it showed a familiarity with modern machinery, they debunked both the text’s Vedic origins and its scientific validity. Despite this, a paper presented at the Indian Science Congress in January by a retired principal of a pilot training academy and his co-author claimed that the text was ancient and showed that Indians had discovered aviation technology millennia ago. “As a dancer, I am not concerned with debates on the age of the text but with its lyrical content,” Eshwar said. “When I spent years researching this performance, I didn’t think of it in religious terms. A lot of people talk of Bharatanatyam as being connected to Hinduism. But I consider it a language of communication and a mode of storytelling.” For Eshwar, the text was a rich source of descriptions of airborne vehicles that she could incorporate into her production, which depicts flying people and vehicles mentioned in well-known Tamil and Sanskrit epics. Married to an Indian Air Force pilot, Eshwar had developed an interest in aeronautics and wanted to see how she could fuse that interest with her first love, dance. So when she came across the more than five years ago, she was intrigued. The result was Antariksha Sanchar.

Source: http://news.scroll.in/ Sukhoi for Bengaluru? DRDO hunts for a supersonic Flying Test Bed

A Sukhoi for India’s Aviation Capital — Bengaluru? If the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has its way, an aircraft that can reach supersonic speeds would enter Bengaluru’s celebrated list of fighters enjoying permanent residency. Sources confirm to OneIndia that the DRDO has already moved a paper to acquire a supersonic aircraft that will act as a FTB (Flying Test Bed). The FTB is an aircraft being used for testing the performance of systems and sub-systems in airborne conditions. The systems can range from engines, radars, data links, EW (electronic warfare) suites, radio altimeters among others. DRDO says the FTB reduces the cycle time for the development of airborne systems. Also, more FTBs under their command could reduce the dependency on foreign agencies. In May 2014, the DRDO had acquired a FTB Nabhrathna — a modified and custom-made Dornier (DO-228) aircraft, built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Nabhrathna was rolled out from the hangars of HAL’s Kanpur-based Transport Aircraft Division. Sukhoi is the best bet as FTB A committee has already been set up to look into the possibilities of acquiring the FTB. In addition to members from the DRDO, the committee has representatives from the Indian Air Force and HAL. While Sukhoi is leading the fray, the advantages of MiG 29 are also being considered by the committee. The current requirement for a supersonic FTB is being explored for the primary use of Gas Turbine and Research Establishment (GTRE). Although GTRE’s capabilities in developing a desi power plant for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas have run into a rough patch, efforts are being made to carry forward the technical expertise for other engine programmes. Sukhoi is being tipped as the best choice with a price tag of around Rs 400 crore. DRDO officials are of the opinion that with HAL’s MiG Complex in Nashik already rolling out, they have the advantage of making the modifications with less fuzz. “It’s a huge process to make modifications if the aircraft is imported from abroad. We have to save time and money and Sukhoi could be the answer. Even certification too becomes easier in India,” an official said. BrahMos experiments will come handy DRDO officials say that the modification work on Sukhoi done for launching the air version of BrahMos will come handy for DRDO. “The BrahMos missile weighs around 2.5 tonnes while a Kaveri engine is around 1.22 tonnes. There are two pilots in a Su-30 MKI and one can easily monitor the engine and independently operate it,” the official said. With the wind tunnel test results of BrahMos already available, DRDO is hopeful that a decision is taken soon in acquiring the FTB. “Our labs including LRDE, CABS, RCI and other national institutes such as IISC and NAL too will require a supersonic FTB,” the official added. Once DRDO acquires a supersonic FTB, it will be flown by Test Pilots from the Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment of IAF in Bengaluru. Currently, the DRDO operates a low speed FTB (IL-76) suitably modified to carry out Kaveri engine tests at Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI) in Moscow. “We felt the need for a high speed FTB capable of high manoeuvres for assessing the engine behaviour during transients. The feasibility of using MiG-29 available at GFRI Moscow is being studied now. We have already assessed the modifications to be carried out on the MiG-29,” the official said.

Source: http://www.oneindia.com/ DGCA acting on FAA findings on Indian civil aviation security: Sharma

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking action on the findings brought up by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on India’s aviation safety, which remained downgraded since early last year. The action on the findings would be presented to FAA during the final consultation meeting to be held in March/April, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said in Rajya Sabha. In order to retain category 1 rating in security, DGCA has taken action for compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. FAA team revisited India for reassessment of DGCA’s oversight capability for determination of category rating for India and conducted an audit from December last year and it raised 12 findings, Sharma said in a written reply. These findings include certification of flying training organisation, completion of hiring of full cadre of 75 Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) in DGCA, training of FOIs on type of aircraft operated by scheduled airlines and inspection and surveillance of foreign aircraft maintenance organisations, he said. FAA had downgraded the country’s aviation safety ranking to category 2, bringing it below that of Pakistan and on par with Ghana, Barbados and Bangladesh early last year. DGCA is taking action to address these findings which will be presented to FAA during the final consultation meeting to be held in end March/early April, he said. Source: http://www.firstpost.com Use of drones could help crop yield in State, say experts

Experts participating in a workshop organised by the State Planning Board here highlighted the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to improve agricultural output in Kerala. Scientists from national research institutions and private agencies observed that drones with advanced sensors and imaging capabilities offered new and cheaper ways of capturing data on crop health, soil characteristics, meteorological parameters, and growth attributes of crops. This, they said, would help to enhance yields and reduce crop damage, providing immense opportunities for small and marginal farmers to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Jerry Daniel, Joint Director, Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DAC), said wireless sensor networks could be deployed for real-time monitoring of soil conditions, pest attacks, ripening of fruits, and biological fertility. S. Selvarajan, Chief Scientist, NAL, said UAVs were emerging as a powerful tool for farmers to collect data for augmentation and improvement of agricultural management practices. He said drones developed by NAL had been deployed to identify plant stress and pest attack. S.N. Omkar, Chief Research Scientist, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, said UAVs with powerful cameras and onboard computers had proved successful in mapping crop area and vegetation, assessing plant health, detection of crop diseases, and even identifying tree species in forests. The drones could also be used to spot illegal activities such as ganja cultivation, poaching, and movement of extremists inside thick forests. According to Jatin Singh, CEO, Skymet Weather Services, UAVs offered a potent data collection platform to support yield and weather-based crop insurance. Skymet, he said, was using drones for estimation of acreage and yield and assessment of crop loss for calculation of compensation. The experts observed that efforts were on to develop UAVs with longer endurance, higher payload, and better imaging capabilities to provide more efficient inputs for the farm sector. Vice Chairman, Planning Board, K.M. Chandrasekhar inaugurated the workshop. Board member C.P. John said recent developments in robotics and wireless sensors signalled a technological shift in the agricultural sector. Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Wildlife, P.K. Mohanty, Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Economic Affairs, Alok Sheel, Member Secretary, Planning Board, Anuradha Balaram, and Chief (Agriculture) P. Rajasekharan were also present. Source: http://www.thehindu.com The Indian Air Force has sped up its plan to raise the first squadron of indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

With its fighter squadron strength dwindling and finalisation of medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) still eluding, the Indian Air Force has sped up its plan to raise the first squadron of indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas. Sources in the Defence Ministry told UNI that the IAF was planning to raise the first squadron of the aircraft by next year after getting the delivery of at least six Tejas in the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) configuration. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has already delivered the first IOC-standard aircraft to IAF in January this year. Rest of the five Tejas of same configuration are likely to be handed over to it by this financial year end, the sources said. The first squadron of Tejas will be rechristened as Squadron 45 and it would be called ‘Flying Daggers’. Keeping the logistical issues in mind, the squadron will be based in Bangalore so that the HAL may be called into service at any given point to sort out the teething problems if any, an IAF official said, adding that subsequently, the squadron would be shifted to Sulur base of the IAF. First squadron of LCA was likely to be declared fully operational in 2022 when all of its 18 aircraft would be upgraded to final operational clearance (FOC) configuration, the sources said. In the meantime, the IAF would start raising the second squadron of Tejas, comprising 18 aircraft of FOC-standard. The second Tejas squadron of 20 FOC-standard is likely to become fully operational by 2020. It was officially communicated to one of the parliamentary panel recently that the IAF’s fighter squadron strength has come down to 34 against the authorised strength of 42 combat squadrons. Source: http://indianpolicenews.com/ TECHNOLOGY

ISRO plans to launch 10 satellites this year

S.K. Shivakumar, director, ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set an ambitious vision to launch about 10 satellites this year. “Currently, we are launching four or five satellites every year. The idea is to expand our space programmes and set off launch of at least 10 satellites per year from 2015 onwards,” the space scientist said. Dr. Shivakumar, one of the scientists behind the country’s successful ‘Mangalyan’ mission or Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), was speaking on the topic “Indian satellites and success of MOM” at the National Science Day lecture at the All-India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) here. He said India had launched 72 satellites on its own from 1975 till date in 45 launch vehicle missions and two satellites had been launched with the support of foreign agencies. The launch of the 73rd satellite for navigation had been scheduled in March. Forty-one countries had taken ISRO’s help to launch their satellites, he explained. Dr. Shivakumar said it was a big challenge to launch 10 satellites for various applications every year and added that infrastructure for supporting the vision was being created to boost the satellite production system. About 2,500 people were presently working on the satellite production system at the ISRO’s satellite centre in Bengaluru and played a key role in realising the idea of enhancing the launch of more satellites. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/ Mysore-based Company Develops Critical Missile Technology, Says Report A Mysore-based company has developed a missile technology that has eluded India’s biggest state-run defence firm, according to a report. Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been trying for years to develop a technology that can make a wayward missile self-destruct, according to the report Countries with advanced technologies, such as the United States, Russia and Israel have this capability. However, DRDO has not been successful. But Kaynes Technology, a firm in Mysore (also known as Mysuru), has the answer. It has developed a technology which would allow missiles to self-destruct after launch if it veers off-course, or if it detects unauthorized access to controls. DRDO is currently evaluating the technology for integration into its missile platforms. Kaynes is also a supplier to Bharat Electronics Ltd, another state-owned defence major. Kaynes Technology employs 1,200 people in its offices in Mysore and seven factories spread around the area. It has a design center in Bangalore, and offices abroad in Zurich and Hamburg. 150 researchers work in its R&D center. The company had a turnover of Rs340 crore last fiscal.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/

Tata Advanced Systems looks to manufacture planes in India The Tata group is keen to make planes in India, venturing into an area where Indian companies have traditionally not done well. “Tata Advanced Systems now has the capability to build an entire aircraft structure,” said Sukaran Singh, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). “In Hyderabad, we have now built capability and can build a full aircraft.” Singh said TASL is making parts of aircraft and wishes to send an aircraft out of India in a so-called fly-away condition over the next few years. India imports most of its civil and defence aircraft. The only aircraft manufacturer of note is the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Over the past decade, the Tata group and the Mahindra group have gradually built a presence in the aerospace sector and have insinuated themselves into the global supply chain. The Tata group has four joint ventures— with American Lockheed Martin Corp., RUAG Aviation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. With a base in Hyderabad, Tata is making Pilatus PC-12, Dornier 228, the main tail and fuselage parts of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft, and Sirkosky helicopter cabins. Singh said production is also being stepped up. Tata makes two empennages (tail assembly) for the Lockheed Martin C-130 a month right now and plans to take this up to four a month when sought by the manufacturer. By the end of 2015, Tata will become the sole supplier to Lockheed Martin for this empennage. Matching global quality standards is key, “otherwise global manufacturers won’t buy from us”, Singh said. More parts for Lockheed Martin could be manufactured at this facility soon, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Singh said Tata will also bid to manufacture planes—including with Airbus Group NV—in the contracts being opened by the government. “(The ambition is) to actually build a full platform. We are actually bidding for large aircraft we will bid..., as and when the government allows the private sector for full helicopter platforms. We have partnered with Airbus for the Avro replacement project. That is part of the process that ministry of defence is currently processing. Should that process move forward, and should we win..., part of that (aim) is to build full aircraft out of India—the final assembly line,” Singh said. On 11 February, the Tata group said it expects revenue of Rs.2,500 crore, or more than $400 million, from its defence and aerospace business in the year ending March 2015. An analyst said the group has taken one step at a time—from building parts to planes; and if cleared to make cargo planes, its next step could be passenger jets. “In the private sector, Tata is ahead of others; the group is doing little more value added and complex work. But having said that, right now no company in the private sector is ready to make a full plane. The Tata group can always have a tie-up for avionics and engine..., even big aircraft makers do the same. This is the way to go,” said Laxman Kumar Behera, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, who has published research papers on aerospace. Behera said India is a decade away from making a passenger plane. Even China took 15-20 years to make such a plane. But the process requires government support, he said. “The aircraft industry is always supported by the government; in India there is no vision on how to develop (the industry). One the one hand we want HAL to develop civilian aircraft and (on the other), the Tata group is seeking to replace the Avro. You can’t have large number of people in this business, it has to be a consolidated country effort and driven by the government.”

Source: http://www.livemint.com/ India to Soon Have Better Earth Observation Satellites India will soon have satellites with improved earth observation capability, said space agency chief A.S.Kiran Kumar in Thiruvananthapuram. “The future of earth observation relies on three factors - continuity and improvement of the operational constellation of satellites, sustained observation of all climate variables and global co-operation for comparing observation data,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman said while speaking at the International Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Management at Kovalam. Another speaker at the conference was Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, who urged coordination of space missions and pooling of resources for stepping up space-based observation of climate change phenomena. Tanja Masson-Zwaan, president, International Institute of Space Law (IISL), stressed the importance of space technology in solving issues connected to climate change. “Today climate change and disaster management are perhaps the most important issues being faced.” The event is being jointly organised by the IAA, ISRO, IISL, India’s earth sciences ministry and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/s ISRO to Carry out RLV-TD Test Flight In what could bring down the cost of access to space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle- Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015 which will bring down the cost of satellite launches in India. The cost of access to space is the major deterrent in space exploration and space utilisation and a reusable launch vehicle is the unanimous solution to achieve low-cost, reliable and on-demand space access. Technology Demonstrator winged body vehicle weighing 1.5 tonnes will be lifted to a height of 70 km using solid booster, thus attaining five times the speed of sound, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. “Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles is a technical challenge and it involves development of many cutting edge technologies. The magnitude of cost reduction depends on development and realisation of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability,” said Singh.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/ Preparation on for Fresh Trial of Astra After a series of developmental tests and trials, India is finally readying to induct its beyond visual range (BVR) air- to-air missile, Astra, in the Armed forces. As part of the final round induction phase, the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have begun preparation for a fresh trial of the indigenously developed missile from a defence base off the Odisha coast. A defence official said the test is likely to be conducted in association with a team of Air Force officials on March 12 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on- sea. “The Astra team has arrived here and they are busy in integrating the missile components. If everything goes as per plan and weather is favourable, the test would be carried out targeting an unmanned aerial vehicle as per schedule,” he told ‘The Express’. Last year, two coordinated trials of the missile from Sukhoi aircraft in May and June were successful. First tested in 2003, Astra is designed for an 80-km range in head-on mode and 20 km-range in tail-chase mode. The 3.8-metre missile, which has launch weight of about 154 kg, uses solid fuel propellant and a 15-kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse. Fitted with a terminal active radar-seeker and an updated mid-course internal guidance system, the missile can locate and track targets at different altitudes. It is difficult to track this missile as its on-board electronic counter-measures jam signals from the enemy radars thus making it one of the best missiles in its class, the defence official said. Astra is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets. This futuristic missile can intercept a target at a speed of mach 1.2 to 1.4. “The anti-aircraft missile, capable of ducking radar eyes is the smallest of the missiles developed by the DRDO. After its induction, the missile will be one of the best of its kind in the world in 100 km strike range,” said a scientist associated with the mission.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com

ISRO to set up ‘Third Launch Pad’ for advanced launch vehicles The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to set up a new launch pad, referred as Third Launch Pad, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. “The Third Launch Pad is intended to support increased launch frequency, launching requirements of future advanced launch vehicles and also serve as a redundant launch pad for the GSLV MIII class of vehicles,” said a government press release. Detailed studies on possible concepts /options and preliminary configuration have been carried out, the release added. The possible site for the Third Launch Pad has been identified in Sriharikota taking into account the safety distances and maximal utilisation of existing launch pad facilities. “However, further work on design of the launch pad will be taken up at an appropriate time after finalising the configuration of the advanced launch vehicle, operationalisation of GSLV MIII, programmatic requirements and resource availability,” government said. This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

ISRO successfully tests its GSLV Mk III cryogenic engine

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) successfully conducted a test Mar. 14 to check the GSLV Mk III launch vehicle’s indigenous cryogenic CE-20 engine at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli district. The test is just the latest step toward providing the ISRO with the capability of sending astronauts to low- Earth orbit (LEO). “It is yet another milestone achievement on the road map of developing a bigger and more powerful indigenously-built high thrust cryogenic upper stage for GSLV Mk III rocket for the Indian Space Program,” said IPRC Director D. Karthikesan. IPRC is called the “Jet Propulsion Laboratory of India” as all stage and engine related tests of ISRO’s launch vehicles and satellites are carried out there. The CE-20 was ignited and was tested for 20 seconds to study the flight characteristics of the engine. All the major parameters of CE-20 were normal and further tests are planned in the coming months. Various subsystems of CE-20, such as the injector, thrust chamber, gas generator, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen turbo pumps were tested earlier at IPRC. The GSLV Mk III launch vehicle is designed to be capable of sending satellites into geostationary orbit and will also be used as a launcher for an Indian crewed vehicle. The booster is meant to help the country carry out major scientific missions in space. “The GSLV Mk III rocket has a payload capacity of four tons which would enable to carry out space missions successfully. Besides, there is also a billion-dollar satellite market that could be tapped for the commercial benefit of the country,” said former ISRO director Suresh Naik. Weighing approximately 630 tons, the GSLV Mk III is a new- generation launch vehicle, one which measures an estimated 43 meters (142 ft) long. The cryogenic upper stage C 25 will be powered by the CE-20 engine burning liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, producing 186 kilonewtons (19.0 tf) of thrust. The C 25 will be 13 feet (4 meters) in diameter and 44 feet (13.5 meters) long. Fully fueled, the rocket should carry some 27 tons of propellant. A suborbital flight test of the GSLV Mk III launcher, with a passive cryogenic third stage, was successfully carried out on Dec. 18, 2014. This flight was used to test out the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) on a suborbital trajectory. “The GSLV will also be useful for carrying out Indian human space missions through Chandrayaan-3. In the recent years, India has been successful in reducing dependency on other countries to launch satellites, while many nations are carrying out the process from India due to cost effectiveness and reliability,” Naik said. The next launch of GSLV Mk III is planned to take place in early 2017. That mission will put in the GSAT-19E communication satellite into orbit.

Source: http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/ Mangalyaan mission ends March 24, but spacecraft remains operational BUSINESS the country’s first spacecraft to Mars — will complete its six-month mission next week on March 24, but will remain operational even after its assignment duration expires. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr Kiran Kumar told HT the mission would technically end next week. “The spacecraft will remain operational even after that as there is no fuel constraint. This will help us delve deeper into the seasons and climate on Mars. We have been able to capture some beautiful images of Mars and have got ample data. Analysis of the data is being done and once this is final, it will be made public,” Kumar said. On September 24 last year, India created history by becoming the first country to succeed on its first Mars mission when the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) slipped into the orbit of the Red Planet after a few nail-biting moments. The country joined the United States, European Space Agency and the former Soviet Union in the elite club of Martian explorers with the MOM. The five payloads on the spacecraft were scheduled to carry out experiments for six months. The ISRO chief said a lot would depend on the blackout period for Mars in June. “The next challenge for the spacecraft will be in June next year when all three - Mars, Earth and Sun-will be in one line. There will be no communication (blackout period) with the spacecraft for nearly 14 days.” The blackout would be experienced between June 8 and 22 as the Sun would come between Earth and Mars. During the blackout period, the spacecraft would be in fully autonomous mode and no data would be transmitted to or from it. ISRO is planning the launch of the fourth out of seven in the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) series of satellites after IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B and IRNSS-IC. The satellite would provide navigational services. The launch, earlier planned for March 9, had to be postponed after it was found that one of the telemetry transmitters was not working properly. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/ Astra missile launched successfully

India’s indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from a Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft. “The missile was successfully tested to hit a simulated target at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, in Odisha today,” said ITR Director M V K V Prasad. The missile was tested to prove the manoeuvring capability against a simulated target and also to validate various subsystems. All the subsystems like propulsion, navigation, guidance as also the smooth separation of the missile from the aircraft have been proved, Prasad said. The all-weather, state-of-the-art missile developed by Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) can engage and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed. The 3.8 metre long Astra is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and can be launched from different altitudes. It can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km, 44 km when launched from an altitude of eight km and 21 km when fired from sea level. The last trial of Astra was conducted from a naval range in Western sector on May 4, 2014, and it was also successful. Source: http://indianexpress.com/ ISRO navigation satellite in orbit

India demonstrated its ability to establish an independent regional navigation satellite system, as ISRO’s PSLV C- 27 successfully launched Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) 1-D satellite into the intended orbit. “We will now be able to make use of our receivers to locate ourselves independently,” ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said. This is the first launch this year and the first under his chairmanship. While the ambit of the U.S. GPS was global, the IRNSS was meant for regional coverage, he said, replying to a query. “The globe comes later, the country comes first.” IRNSS 1-D is the fourth of the series of seven satellites, which would form ISRO’s IRNSS.

Busy launch season ahead for ISRO

The launch IRNSS 1-D, which was earlier scheduled for March 9, was postponed following an anomaly in the telemetry systems. While four of the seven satellites in the IRNSS will be in geosynchronous orbit, the other three would be positioned in geo-stationary orbit, some 36,000 km above the Earth. The national space agency has lined up many launches before March next year. A PSLV to launch a commercial satellite from the UK, two navigation satellites, a GSAT series satellite and three satellites in IRNSS series are among the planned launches. A reusable launch vehicle would also be tested this year as a technology demonstrator. “The tests on the reusable launch vehicle would be complete and in three months, ISRO would be able to launch it,” ISRO chairman K.S. Kiran Kumar said. ISRO has also installed a Multi-Object Tracking Radar at a cost of Rs. 245 crore for which the trials would be conducted soon. The radar is capable of tracking 10 objects in real time simultaneously. Replying to another query, Mr. Kumar said the Mars Orbiter has been sending data from the red planet but said ascertaining whether methane was present there would take some time as the data had to be studied thoroughly. The configuration for a satellite for the use of SAARC countries as mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was being finalised and would be launched in 18 months, the ISRO chairman said. “We are in the process of discussing with other countries to finalise the configuration of the SAARC satellite.” Replying to a query, he said Cartosat satellites would be used to monitor illegal mining in the country. “The Indian Bureau of Mines has been given the task to draw the boundary lines for the mines,” V.K. Dadhwal, Director of National Remote Sensing Centre said. Attempting to reduce the mass of the satellites, ISRO was looking at the possibility of having an ion propulsion system, K. Sivan Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Valiamala in Kerala, said. “We are planning to test the proposed technology in a communication satellite,” he said. As for the semi-cryogenic engine, which LPSC is working on, he said the engine was tested for 20 seconds and the time duration would be extended in future. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/

Business

India To Buy 38 Swiss PC-7 Pilatus Trainer Aircraft

Indian Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the purchase of 38 PC-7 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for Indian Air Force (IAF). The original contract was for 75 and had an option clause of buying 50 percent under the same terms and conditions. The option clause in the deal was originally signed in 2012 and is soon to expire in May and hence the council decided to go in for the buying. IAF has 59 PC-7 so far and has a requirement of 181 basic trainers (BTA) out of which half of them will be made in India and 90 of them will be bought off the shelf. “Adequate orders will have to be given to HAL to make this a commercially viable project. Also this project will be monitored by a committee that will give periodic reports to DAC,” said the source. Source: https://www.defenseworld.net Tamil Nadu to come up with new aerospace policy to attract investments Tamil Nadu is set to come out with a new policy to attract aerospace manufacturing industries to the state. The state has managed to attract around Rs 1,500 crore for the upcoming aerospace components manufacturing park, which will spread over 250 acres at Sriperumbudur near here. Speaking on the sidelines of the 6th edition of Tamil Nadu Manufacturing Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), B Elangovan, general manager of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco) said the state wished to create a complete ecosystem and infrastructure to attract investments in this sector besides introducing a new policy. “In ten years from now, we want to manufacture aircraft in the state,” said Elangovan. He said the state had to compete with Karnataka, which has a strong presence in the aerospace industry. Bangalore- Chennai- Hyderabad is considered as the aerospace hub in India with its strong ecosystem in place for attracting investments. Tamil Nadu has made plans for setting up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility spread in 50 acres in Meenambakkam. “The TEFS study was completed for creating aeroparks in multiple locations in the state and an exclusive policy is in the anvil for aerospace industries,”Achiev ementshe said. Eight & Appointments companies with investment commitments for Rs 1,500 crore have been allocated space inside the park, while seven more companies would submit proposals and 10 companies had shown interest. Tidco is expecting major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and more than 50 companies to set up shops in the park by 2015-end, said Elangovan. These companies are largely SMEs and the park will have a design centre, common testing and training facilities, aero complex, centre of excellence, warehouse and composite development centres. To a question on the global aviation major Boeing evincing interest in the state, he said the company was evaluating various locations in the country and Tamil Nadu was one among them. Globally, aerospace industry is estimated to be around $1 trillion and is growing at an annual 3-4 per cent. However, the Indian domestic aerospace market is expected grow over 10 per cent. The country is expected to procure more than 4,500 different kinds of aircraft worth $ 130 billion over the next 20 years to augment its over 1,100 fleet. An estimated $ 20 billion would be invested in the airport infrastructure and around $30-35 billion would be spent on defence aircraft procurement over next 10 years. It is learnt the OEMs had increasingly been shifting their bases to other locations, especially Asia, led by availability of the low-cost labour in India.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/ Could Su-35S Deal Edge Out Rafale in India? ABU DHABI — Moscow and New Delhi have agreed to perform design work in India on what Russia claims would be a “fifth generation” version of the Su-35, an agreement that may lead to an Indian variant of the fighter jet, the Russian Military Complex chief said. The announcement makes India the first country to sign a contract, however preliminary, for the S version of the Su-35. “We have been negotiating and have signed the intention protocol for the Su-35,” Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said during the IDEX show in Abu Dhabi last month. “Now we are working on designing ideas for this contract and on creating a manufacturing platform for the aircraft of the fifth generation.” Rostec is Russia’s state-run corporation that oversees export of high-tech products. Chemezov said the jet would be developed to meet the Indian Air Force’s requirements. He did not say how many of the jets India might plan to buy. Russia claims the Su-35S would be a fifth generation fighter, as opposed to the legacy fourth generation Su-35. That implies stealth, but it’s unclear whether the jet would be on par with an F-35 joint strike fighter. In India, however, no source in the Defence Ministry could confirm that any deal had been signed with Russia on the Su-35S. An Air Force official did say that the Russians have made one or two Su-35S presentations in the past six months on how it can help replace India’s MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighter aircraft, which are due for retirement in seven or eight years. Russian industry sources said the fighter will be priced at $85 million. That could make it competitive with Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, and could have implications for India’s proposed purchase of 126 Rafales. New Delhi selected the Rafale as the preferred bidder in a protracted competition in 2012, but has yet to make a final decision on the purchase. Indian and French defense ministers discussed the Rafale deal during Jean-Yves Le Drian’s recent visit to India, an Indian MoD source said. But Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar did not provide a time commitment to Le Drian on when the deal will be signed. Parrikar told Le Drian that state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has been asked to complete cost estimates for the Rafales it will build under license. The French defense minister’s spokesman was not available for comment. A Dassault Aviation spokesman, asked about the Indian agreement for design work on the Su-35S, said the Indian Air Force chief has said a Sukhoi cannot replace a Rafale.

Source: http://www.defensenews.com

Airbus and KDS join forces to offer unmanned targets in India Airbus Defence and Space has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with India-based Kadet Defence Systems (KDS) for the sale and marketing of services and products in the field of aerial target systems. The German defence contractor has already partnered with KDS to offer its manoeuvrable expendable aerial target (MEAT) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army. The new agreement is anticipated to extend the initial teaming arrangement to offer additional products within India and for sale to foreign countries. Airbus Defence and Space India head Peter Gutsmiedl said: “This teaming agreement further demonstrates our clear commitment to India as a strategic market and partner, and underlines our willingness to find mutually productive ventures in line with the ‘Make in India’ concept. “Airbus Defence and Space is developing a vast range of tangible initiatives in India in cooperation with Indian companies and partners. “This includes investment in a radar development and production facility, extensive aerospace engineering activities, and of course the manufacturing together with Tata of the bulk of an expected fleet of 56 military transport aircraft proposed to replace India’s ageing Avro fleet.” KDS founder and CEO Avdhesh Khaitan said: “Although both companies are already offering products to the Indian Armed Forces, this teaming arrangement will greatly enhance the size and scope of what we can bid on future programmes.” In particular, the agreement lays a roadmap for technology transfer, joint product development, local manufacturing, as well as provision of joint services in the Asia Pacific region. KDS’ line of lower speed aircraft is expected to complement Airbus’ higher speed aerial target family, enabling development and manufacture of a wide range of products in Europe and India.

Source: http://www.airforce-technology.com/

Satellite data centre to come up at ANU

A Satellite Data Analysis and Application Centre (SDAAC) will be established on the premises of Acharya Nagarjuna University. ANU has signed an MoU with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to establish the centre. Director of Earth Observation System Programme Office, ISRO, Bangalore, D.V.A. Raghava Murthy signed an agreement with Registrar P. Raja Sekhar. The SDAAC being established will be developed into a research centre dealing with satellite remote sensing technology, to develop expertise in space science research in area of satellite remote sensing, capacity building by starting a M.Tech course in Geo Informatics. The ISRO, under the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), will contribute towards capacity building in remote sensing and allied sectors. It is also tying up with institutions to set up facilities and share the technology. The ISRO will contribute Rs. 25 lakh for procurement and positioning of hardware, software and peripherals for Geo-informatics activities. ANU will provide Rs. 75 lakh for engaging faculty , research fellows and a setting up a dedicated 1 GB line. “We will utilise facilities for activities including education, training and joint resource projects to be taken in coastal Andhra Pradesh. We will also use remote sensing technology to provide data on resources to government and industries,” Vice-Chancellor K.V. Rao said. Source: http://www.thehindu.com/ Government sanctions next-gen airborne warning project The government has sanctioned a project to develop the next line of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), which will act as a 360-degree ‘Eye in the Sky’ to bolster air operations. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, which met in New Delhi, approved the purchase of two Airbus A330 aircraft for the AWACS project worth Rs.113 crore. The Indian Air Force is already flying three AWACS mounted on IL-76 transport aircraft under a joint Russia-Israel project. Airbus was the only bidder in the AWACS programme and the approval for purchase of the aircraft is the first deal in a single-vendor situation that has been sanctioned by the DAC. AWACS are integral part of modern air operations and the Indian Air Force acquired the capability in 2009 when first of the three A-50 EI Phalcons was inducted. Though purchase of two Airbus 330 aircraft has been approved, the plan is to have six such aircraft. AWACS provide a 360-degree view of an area. It allows to keep an eye on the enemy territory without actually penetrating the border. The IAF is hoping that the AEW&C is ready for induction by the end of this year. It became critical to go for the second generation platform as Pakistan has bridged this crucial technological gap negating the lead taken by India in this field. China already has its own systems in operations. Before he left for Japan on his maiden foreign visit, Parrikar also approved purchase of 1,512 mine ploughs for T90 tanks. These are going to cost Rs.710 crore. In addition, 30 weapon locating radars worth Rs.605 crore would also be bought. The DAC also approved certain deviations in the offset policy for the purchase of harpoon missiles for the Indian Navy, which had been sanctioned earlier. Under the programme, 22 Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the US have to be purchased for Rs.913 crore for submarines. The US government has already approved the sale of Harpoon Block-II missiles and 10 Harpoon encapsulated training missiles. These will be fitted in Shishumar class submarines of the Indian Navy.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/

Achievements

This IISc researcher makes books accessible to visually challenged Bengaluru: Sridhar S (22), a visually challenged degree student from Shivamogga, was good at academics. But he couldn’t study for his final year BA or take the exam simply because no textbooks were available in Braille. As books were part of old literature, they were not available in digitalized version either. His father Srinath would read out from the printed textbooks whenever he had time. But that didn’t help Sridhar much as he found it tough to memorize and recall the portions. Now, an innovation by Shiva Kumar H R, a student at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has made life easier for the likes of Sridhar. His innovation helps scan printed books and instantly converts them into text compliant for the visually challenged. Shiva has deservedly bagged the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award for 2015. The young scientist, who is pursuing his PhD under the guidance of Prof AG Ramakrishnan at the Medical Intelligence and Language Engineering (MILE) Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, IISc, has developed high accuracy Optical Character Recognizers (OCR) for Kannada and Tamil languages. This converts scanned pages of a printed document/book into e-text. By using the OCR along with the Print to Braille tool, it is easy to scan any printed book/document and convert it into Unicode text in a short span of time. The visually challenged person can listen to that e-text through any text to speech (TTS) synthesis software. The e-text can also be converted into Braille codes and printed using a Braille embosser. Shiva said the study substance for English and European languages were available in digital and Braille versions for visually challenged. “But not so with Indic languages (classical literature, novels and even school and college books). Here, much of the printed material e-text is not available and hence inaccessible to visually challenged. Converting such books into Unicode text by manual typing is time-consuming and costly,” he added.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com ISRO team wins Indian of the Year 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award

The Indian Space Research Organisation team won Indian of the Year 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award for Mars Orbiter Mission. ISRO achieved which no space agency in world including the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) managed to do in their first attempt. With this stupendous achievement, ISRO has become only the fourth space agency which has successfully launched a Mars mission. Former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan personally led the team of 14 top space scientists in this mission and worked on it for 15 months. More than 200 space scientists were in the control room monitoring even the minutest details of the Mars Mission’s final phase. The Rs 450 crore mission is one of the cheapest one and costs even less than Hollywood sci-fi film ‘Gravity’. This is the ninth edition of the awards which were introduced in 2006. The awards adhere to a robust procedure in selecting the awardees which is finalised by a Jury consisting of a select group of distinguished personalities. The jury consists of Padma Vibhushan Soli Jehangir Sorabjee, Padma Bhushan Deepak S Parekh, Padma Shri Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair, Padma Shri Kiran Karnik and tennis ace Leander Paes. Source: http://ibnlive.in.com

Award

Gandhi Peace Prize for ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014 for its contribution to the country’s development through space technology and satellite-based services. The award, comprising Rs one crore and a citation, was decided after the jury for the prize met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Justice of India HL Dattu, Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Member of Parliament LK Advani and Gopalkrishna Gandhi are other members of the jury. The Gandhi Peace Prize for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence was instituted in 1995. Some of its previous winners are Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Julius K Nyerere, Baba Amte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and Ramkrishna Mission. ISRO, a government of India organisation, is engaged in making space technology a catalyst of development to bring about societal transformation and its mission is to provide the nation with space-based services and to develop the technologies to achieve the same. ISRO through the years has upheld its mission of bringing space to the service of the common man and in the service of the nation and has emerged as one of the six largest space agencies of the world. Through its space technology programme, it has allowed for improved mapping of agricultural land and water-shed areas, providing advisories to fishing communities, giving information support for decentralised planning, creating data base of heritage sites, better climate and disaster management support and promoting a knowledge based society, which has led to social, economic and political transformation through non-violence. Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/

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