Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Research Articles

A Compact THz Photometer for Solar Flare Burst Studies from Space

Recent solar flare observations reveal the presence of THz components having a few orders of magnitude higher amplitude than the Radio Frequency (RF) and microwave radiations in the solar flare spectrum. This feature makes it remarkably beneficial for the detection of solar flares of low magnitudes such as Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Class C, and M flares. Hence, space agencies including National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA) are gearing up with THz instruments for solar flare observations. In line with this, Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) has completed the development of a photometer that operates in continuum THz band, from 1.5 to 15 THz. The entire electro-opto-mechanical design was carried out to realize a compact, light-weight and power-efficient photometer to meet the size, mass and power constraints posed by inherent resource limitations of experimental satellite platforms such as Nanosatellite, Microsatellite and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s 4th Stage Orbital Platform (PS4-OP). A Cassegrain optical configuration was designed to collect the sun radiation with an aperture effective area of 0.0027 m2 with ceramic low pass filters and resonant mesh filter for selective perception of THz radiation, rejecting the huge background of visible and Near Infrared (NIR) with a spectral selectivity of 107:1. Sensitivity of the Photometer was estimated to be 41.5 K/mV in 1.5 to 15 THz band by calibration using a blackbody radiation source. The radiometric resolution of the payload is 125 Solar Flux Unit (SFU) (1 SFU=1×10-22 Wm-2Hz-1). The payload was successfully developed and space-qualified for its deployment in Nanosatellite or PS4-OP platform.

PSLV: The Versatile Workhorse Launch Vehicle of India

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the maiden operational launch vehicle of India, has emerged as a very reliable and versatile launch vehicle by successfully launching satellites, both Indian and foreign, into a variety of orbits around the earth. Though India has subsequently developed two succeeding generation of launch vehicles - GSLV Mark II and GSLV Mark III - of higher capability, complexity and efficiency, nevertheless they have not acquired the conspicuous attention of the country as well as the outside world as PSLV has, through its numerous multifarious achievements. Despite its uncommon design of alternating solid and liquid stages, the robustness of the four stage PSLV design has been repeatedly proved by its successes as well as the resilience of the vehicle to quickly recover from rare failures. Besides launching a record number of 104 satellites in a single mission, PSLV has many other achievements to its credit including the launch of satellites into polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer and sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits as well as Low Earth Orbits of moderate and very low inclinations. This paper discusses several important aspects of PSLV including its lineage, development, configuration and improvements as well as its heritage, past contribution and future prospects on the occasion of its recent success in launching 31 satellites from India and eight other countries into two different orbits on November 29, 2018.

The INSPIRESat-1: Mission, science, and engineering

INSPIRESat-1 (IS-1) is a small scientific satellite being developed jointly by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the United States, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in India, the National Central University (NCU) in Taiwan and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. This paper describes the science objectives of the IS-1 mission, the engineering and current development status. The IS-1 has completed all functional and performance tests as well as all environmental tests. The spacecraft is manifested on the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-52 mission in 2021. The IS-1 carries two scientific instruments: the Compact Ionospheric Probe (CIP) developed at NCU for studying Earth’s dynamic ionosphere and the Dual-zone Aperture X-ray Solar Spectrometer (DAXSS) developed at LASP for studying the highly-variable solar X-ray radiation. It also carries a Command and Data Handling board developed by IIST. The primary science objectives of the INSPIRESat-1 are twofold. First, using CIP to characterize the temporal and spatial distributions of small-scale plasma irregularities like plasma bubbles in the ionosphere. Secondly, IS-1 aims to provide a greater understanding of why the Sun’s corona is orders of magnitude hotter than the photosphere, why there is an abundance of elements change during different solar events, and how these events (observed with greater soft x-ray fidelity) affect the earth’s ionosphere. The International Satellite Program in Research and Education (INSPIRE) is a consortium of universities with active space programs, formed to advance space science and engineering.

In-situ observations of rocket burn induced modulations of the top side ionosphere using the IDEA payload on-board the unique orbiting experimental platform (PS4) of the Indian Polar orbiting Satellite Launch Vehicle mission

The fourth stage (PS4) of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PS4-PSLV) of the C-38 mission, was used for the first time as an orbiting platform to carry out measurements of atmospheric parameters, on June 23, 2017. The measurements were made in two phases. i) During the initial launch phase wherein the launch vehicle traversed from the launch pad to an altitude of 500 km. ii) During the 10 orbits at an altitude of 350 km (after the PS4 stage was brought down in a controlled manner). The Ionization Density and Electric-field Analyzer (IDEA) payload onboard the PS4 stage provided electron density (Ne) and electric field (EF) information in the F region altitudes. The present paper highlights the results from the Langmuir probe component (Ne) during the initial launch phase. The presence of a top side enhancement, is revealed in the initial phase IDEA measurements and simulations using IRI and TIE-GCM models confirm the possibility. The first of their kind in-situ observations of top side electron density enhancement concurrent with the operation of the PS4 stage of PSLV demonstrates the plausible role of rocket burn and exhaust gases in modulating the ionosphere in the vicinity. The results indicate that the unique trajectory of the PS4 orbiting station (in the initial phase) serves as an ideal one to investigate top side electron density enhancements. Further, the mission underlines the fact that the novel orbiting platform, will be useful for carrying out measurements of multiple parameters in the near-Earth space.

Mission Design and Analysis for Mars Orbiter Mission

Mars orbiter mission (MOM) is India’s first interplanetary mission. MOM was planned to be launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) into an Earth elliptic parking orbit (EPO) in Oct-Nov 2013 utilizing the 2013 opportunity to rendezvous with Mars. This paper covers the mission design and analysis carried out for the MOM/PSLV mission. New software tools were designed and developed to design interplanetary trajectories, to generate total maneuver strategy from earth EPO to target Martian orbit, to design trajectory correction maneuvers in interplanetary cruise phase targeting to desired B-plane parameters and to design Mars orbit insertion maneuver. The launch window and optimum EPO requirements were generated and provided to PSLV. The target Martian orbit was selected considering all the specified s/c platform and payload constraints. Maneuver strategies were designed considering operational constraints and total mission profiles were studied comprising orbital events and Earth-Satellite-Sun geometry and distance characteristics. Non-nominal mission scenarios were studied, comprising launcher dispersions, missing any of the earth phase burns and backup maneuver plans generated. Mars orbit insertion maneuver strategy was designed considering nominal and non-nominal scenarios. MOM was launched on 5th November, 2013 and successfully captured into the desired Martian orbit on 24th September, 2014 achieving the main technological objective of the mission in India’s first interplanetary endeavor.

Journey through the birth, growth and maturity of X-ray astronomy

In this biographical account, I recall my scientific journey that began in 1961 when I joined as a Physics Trainee in the BARC Training School and after one year course was admitted in TIFR as a Research Associate. During 1962–1967, I worked on determination of the He3/He4 ratio in cosmic rays using a gas Cerenkov counter and also used a scintillation + solid Cerenkov detector to measure flux of protons and helium nuclei in primary cosmic rays. I also developed a large area scintillation-Cerenkov detector with a spark chamber between them for measuring charge composition of primary cosmic rays. I joined the X-ray astronomy programme in 1967 initiated by Prof. B. V. Sreekantan and played a leading role in developing a balloon borne hard X-ray instrument for studying time variability and energy spectra of cosmic X-ray sources. We carried out a series of balloon experiments and studied temporal intensity variation and energy spectra of X-ray objects like Sco X-1, Cyg X-1, etc. Results on rapid intensity changes and spectra appeared in a series of publications based on which I obtained a Ph.D. degree in 1972. Immediately afterwards, I joined Prof. Gordon Garmire at Caltech as a Research Fellow (a post-doctoral position) to work with him on the low energy component of HEAO A-2 experiment. The instrument was developed and successfully realised. Working on this satellite experiment was a thrilling experience which exposed me to the technical complexities of space instruments. The HEAO-1 satellite was launched in 1978. During 1978–1979, Guenter Riegler and I, working at JPL, reported detection of intense soft X-rays from several classes of extragalactic and Galactic objects like new BL Lacs, a new AM Her binary, coronal X-rays from active stars, etc. After returning to TIFR, I developed a rocket experiment with K. P. Singh to map the spatial and spectral distribution of the Soft Diffuse X-ray Background. At the same time, I also designed 15 cm deep Xenon filled Proportional Counters (XPCs) of ∼ 2500 cm2 area for balloon experiments which were done during 1983–1990 and produced new results on several X-ray binaries. During this period I also developed a proportional counter (PC) based satellite instrument and submitted a proposal jointly with the astronomy group at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for an Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE). After success of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the IXAE instrument was included on the top deck of the IRS-P3 satellite that was launched in March 1996. Despite the severe limitation of a polar orbit, the IXAE observed a good number of X-ray binaries and produced interesting results, with the most notable being quasi-regular bursts from a new transient, GRS 1915+105, which turned out to be an enigmatic black hole source. Following success of the IXAE, a proposal for an ambitious multiwavelength astronomy satellite, named ASTROSAT, with broad spectral coverage in the optical, NUV, FUV, soft X-ray and hard X-ray by a suite of instruments, was submitted to ISRO and finally approved by the Govt. of India in 2004. Over the next 10 years, the development and fabrication of the five ASTROSAT instruments were accomplished and a PSLV launch on Sept. 28, 2015 placed ASTROSAT in a 650 km circular orbit with 6 degree inclination. The ASTROSAT instruments have been performing well for ∼ 4 years and have observed more than 500 cosmic sources. Results from ASTROSAT have appeared in a large number of journal publications. Successful realization and performance of ASTROSAT marks culmination of my research career. I formally retired as a Senior Professor from TIFR on 2006 April 30 on attaining the age of superannuation. However by agreement with TIFR, ISRO designated me ‘ISRO Chair Professor’, which was later renamed as ISRO Satish Dhawan Professor, and asked me to continue to lead ASTROSAT as PI. At the end of my tenure as ISRO Professor on 2011 April 30, I relinquished the PI position. I am at present affiliated with the MU-DAE Centre of Excellence for Basic Sciences, Mumbai University Campus at Mumbai as an Emeritus Professor.

InflateSail de-orbit flight demonstration results and follow-on drag-sail applications

The InflateSail (QB50-UK06) CubeSat, designed and built at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) for the Von Karman Institute (VKI), Belgium, was one of the technology demonstrators for the European Commission's QB50 programme. The 3.2 kg 3U CubeSat was equipped with a 1 m long inflatable mast and a 10 m2 deployable drag sail. InflateSail's primary mission was to demonstrate the effectiveness of using a drag sail in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to dramatically increase the rate at which satellites lose altitude and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and it was one of 31 satellites that were launched simultaneously on the PSLV (polar satellite launch vehicle) C-38 from Sriharikota, India on 23rd June 2017 into a 505 km, 97.44° Sun-synchronous orbit.Shortly after safe deployment in orbit, InflateSail automatically activated its payload. Firstly, it inflated its metre-long metal-polymer laminate tubular mast, and then activated a stepper motor to extend four lightweight bi-stable rigid composite (BRC) booms from the end of the mast, so as to draw out the 3.1 m × 3.1 m square, 12 μm thick polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) drag-sail. As intended, the satellite immediately began to lose altitude, causing it to re-enter the atmosphere just 72 days later – thus successfully demonstrating for the first time the de-orbiting of a spacecraft using European inflatable and drag-sail technologies.The InflateSail project was funded by two European Commission Framework Program Seven (FP7) projects: DEPLOYTECH and QB50. DEPLOYTECH had eight European partners including DLR, Airbus France, RolaTube, Cambridge University, and was assisted by NASA Marshall Space Flight Centre. DEPLOYTECH's objectives were to advance the technological capabilities of three different space deployable technologies by qualifying their concepts for space use. QB50 was a programme, led by VKI, for launching a network of 50 CubeSats built mainly by university teams all over the world to perform first-class science in the largely unexplored lower thermosphere.The mast/drag-sail technology developed by SSC will next be used on a third FP7 Project: RemoveDebris, launched in 2018, which will demonstrate the capturing and de-orbiting of artificial space debris targets using a net and harpoon system. This paper describes the results of the InflateSail mission, including the observed effects of atmospheric density and solar activity on its trajectory and body dynamics. It also describes the application of the technology to RemoveDebris and its potential as a commercial de-orbiting add-on package for future space missions.

The 5th International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite for Food Security and Environmental Monitoring 2018 (LISAT-FSEM 2018)

ForewordBogor Agricultural University (IPB) and National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) have committed to work together in developing microsatellite namely LAPAN-A3/LAPAN-IPB Satellite (LISAT) in order to support the food security and environmental monitoring program in Indonesia. This satellite has been launched on June 22, 2016 aboard on India-owned Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) in Sriharikota, India. Moreover, the series of international symposium is a part of the agenda that will support the LISAT satellite programs and it is also intended to support the research related to agriculture, forestry, marine and fisheries, and climate change.The 5th International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite for Food Security and Environmental Monitoring 2018 (LISAT-FSEM 2018), to which this issue of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (EES) is dedicated, was held on November 6-7, 2018 at the IPB International Convention Center, Bogor, Indonesia. This symposium is jointly organized by the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Center for Environmental Research, Research and Community Services Institution, IPB (PPLH-LPPM, IPB), Directorate of Research and Innovation, IPB (DRI-IPB) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN), Indonesia. The 5th LISAT International Symposium theme emphasized on application of satellite remote sensing data for supporting the food security and environmental monitoring especially on the field of agriculture, marine and fisheries, environmental management, sattelite technology and data processing.List of Editorial Committee, Scientific Committee, Assistant Editors, Sponsorship Partners and Conference Photographs are available in this pdf.

Cryogenics in Space with particular reference to ISRO programs

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV MK II and GSLV MK III). Earth Storable Propulsion System was used in PSLV. Cryogenic engines were developed for their application in GSLV. This review paper describes the development history of cryogenic engines in ISRO. Cryogenic engine has put India in 4-tonne class satellite launch capability in GTO. Also for ISRO's missions like Chandrayan – 2 and Human Space flight, it forms part of GSKLV MKIII.

Overview of Space Debris Mitigation Activities in ISRO

For several decades orbital debris has been identified as a serious concern by all space-faring agencies and nations as it potentially threatens the current and future space endeavors. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is well aware of the current space debris scenario and is committed to achieving the goal of preserving outer-space for humanity. ISRO works on different aspects to effectively manage the threats due to space debris. This paper provides an overview of past activities carried out in ISRO towards the implementation of space debris mitigation guidelines. One of the significant step taken is the end of life passivation of the cryogenic upper stage of ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Another one is the successful design and development of propellant venting system for the upper stage of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). ISRO’s constellation of communication satellites orbiting in GSO’s is designed with adequate propellant so that it can re-orbit to the higher graveyard orbit at the end of their operational lifetime. A typical successful re-orbiting and decommissioning operation of INSAT-3E is described in detail here. ISRO has successfully designed and developed the models and software to predict the atmospheric re-entry of satellites and launch vehicle upper stages, also to compute the collision risk between the debris and the operational satellites. ISRO has also developed models to study the evolution of the space debris environment in LEO and GEO. ISRO actively support the efforts of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) to develop and adopt the space debris mitigation guidelines.

CARTOSAT-2 SERIES REMOTE SENSING INDIAN SATELLITE SYSTEM REVIEW

In This article, we are describing Indian satellite technology PSLV-C40 / Cartosat-2 series satellite .basically it is the mission of Indian space research organization (ISRO). PSLV-C40 was the 42nd mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch vehicle. PSLV-C40/Cartosat-2 series successfully carried 31 satellites and deployed in Sun-synchronous orbits. Cartosat2 series remote sensing satellite launch for the Earth observation and its carried 30 co-passenger satellite. In this article present an overview of cartosat-2 series remote sensing satellite system that was the ambitious project of the Indian space research organization.

The 4th International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite for Food Security and Environmental Monitoring

ForewordBogor Agricultural University (IPB) and National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) have committed to work together in developing microsatellite namely LAPAN-A3/LAPAN-IPB Satellite (LISAT) in order to support the food security and environmental monitoring program especially in Indonesia. This satellite has been launched on June 22, 2016 aboard the India-owned Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) in Sriharikota, India. Moreover, the series of international symposium is a part of the agenda that will support the LISAT satellite programs and it is also intended to support the research related to agriculture, forestry, marine and fisheries, and climate change.The 4th International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite for Food Security and Environmental Monitoring 2017 (LISAT-FSEM 2017), to which this issue of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (EES) is dedicated, was held on October 9-11, 2017 at the IPB International Convention Center, Bogor, Indonesia. This symposium is jointly organized by the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Center for Environmental Research, Research and Community Services Institution, IPB (PPLH-LPPM, IPB), Directorate of Research and Innovation, IPB (DRI-IPB) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN), Indonesia. The 4th LISAT International Symposium theme emphasized on application of satellite remote sensing data for supporting the food security and environmental monitoring especially on the field of agriculture, marine and fisheries, environmental management, sattelite technology and data processing.List of Editorial Committee, Scientific Committee, Assistant Editors and Sponsorship Partners are available in this pdf.

An Overview of Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator

After the successful operationalization of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle, the Indian Space Research Organisation is in the process of developing Reusable Launch Vehicle technologies to achieve low-cost access to space. Towards this programme, a winged body configuration was conceived, which can fly at subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic Mach number regime, re-enter into the earth’s atmosphere and simulate the landing manoeuvre. The aerodynamic design, analysis and wind-tunnel testing, aerothermal and structural design, analysis and testing were carried out. Suitable solid motor with slow burn rate propellant was developed. Mission design, guidance and control schemes were implemented. In order to meet the above objectives, certain technologies and infrastructure were developed. The entire subsystems were integrated and a large number of flight measurements were made in the maiden successful flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator in May 2016. The flight measurements and flight performance indicated that the design philosophy, testing schemes and approaches followed are in order, thus providing confidence to proceed to the next logical step in the development of Reusable Launch Vehicle Technologies.

LituanicaSAT-2: Design of the 3U in-Orbit Technology Demonstration CubeSat

The QB50 Mission is a network of 36 CubeSats built by universities all over the world to perform first-class science in the largely unexplored thermosphere around Earth. 28 QB50 CubeSats will be launched to the International Space Station via NanoRacks LLC and deployed from the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD) during Q2 of 2017. The remaining CubeSats will be deployed via an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launcher rocket as secondary payloads during Q2 of 2017 as well. LituanicaSAT-2 will be deployed with the latter group of satellites. This network of small satellites will have by no means a small mission: to carry out long-term measurements of key parameters and constituents in yet largely unexplored lower thermosphere and ionosphere. While in orbit, the satellites will slowly descend to lower and lower layers of thermosphere due to atmospheric drag, revealing the spatial and temporal distributions of the parameters measured [1].

Enhancement of Aluminum Reactivity to Achieve High Burn Rate for an End Burning Rocket Motor

AbstractAluminum is used in solid propellants to increase the specific impulse (Isp). It is desirable to have high propellant loading in any stage as it reduces the structural coefficient and an end burning grain is known to be the one with the highest propellant loading. As aluminum combustion is a slow process, the time available for aluminum combustion in an end burning configuration will be very small at the start of the combustion process. This demands an increase in the reactivity of the aluminum. This study is built on the fact that mechanical activation of aluminum powder with PTFE (poly‐tetra‐flouro‐ethylene) enhances the reactivity of aluminum powder. This study also deals with the use of this activated aluminum powder in conjunction with various other methods to enhance the burn rates of the solid propellant. The temperature sensitivity was also measured. Based on these results, new designs with end burning grains for the third stage of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and for the second and third stage of Pegasus launch vehicle have been proposed to increase the payload capacity. With this new design, it is seen that the payload can be increased by 12.7 % and 17.6 % for PSLV and Pegasus, respectively. The novelty of this design is that with no changes to any other hardware of the above two systems the increase in payload can be achieved.

The 3rd International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite: For Food Security and Environmental Monitoring 2016

Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) have committed to work together in developing microsatellite namely LAPAN-A3/ LAPAN-IPB Satellite (LISAT) in order to support the food security and environmental monitoring program especially in Indonesia. This satellite has been launched on June 22, 2016 aboard the India-owned Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) in Sriharikota, India. Moreover, the series of international symposium is a part of the agenda that will support the LISAT satellite programs and it is also intended to support the research related to agriculture, forestry, marine and fisheries, and climate change.The 3rd International Symposium on LAPAN-IPB Satellite for Food Security and Environmental Monitoring 2016 (LISAT-FSEM 2016), to which this issue of IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (EES) is dedicated, was held on October 25-26, 2016 at the IPB International Convention Center, Bogor, Indonesia. This symposium is jointly organized by the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Center for Environmental Research, Research and Community Services Institution, IPB (PPLH-LPPM, IPB), Directorate of Research and Innovation, IPB (DRI-IPB) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN), Indonesia. This symposium was focused on: (1) enhancing beneficial use of satellite technology in the fields of agriculture, forestry, climate change, and marine resources, in terms of food security and environmental monitoring and (2) to prepare and complete the processing chains of the LISAT satellite data utilization from upstream to downstream as well as the existing environmental satellite data of the selected locations in accordance with the focus study.This symposium was being participated by around 300 participants that come from various government institutions such as: Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) and some local government’s agencies; from diverse universities such as: Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), University of Indonesia (UI), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Diponegoro University, Udayana University, University of Tsukuba, Yamaguchi University, Hokkaido University of Education, Japan, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and many more. Several international research institute and organization also gave their enthusiasms such as: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Center for Remote Sensing and Ocean Sciences (CReSOS), Institute of Northern Environment, Institute for Marine Research and Observation, Indonesian Society for Remote Sensing (MAPIN), and many more.The committee has received 207 research titles for both category of oral presentation (120 titles) and poster presentation (87 titles), which come from various scientists and students from different institutions. These research papers have been reviewed by the scientific committee of LISAT-FSEM 2016. Regarding the peer review result, 106 papers have been selected to be published in this issue, which mostly focused on enhancing the beneficial use of satellite technology in terms of food security in the fields of agriculture, forestry, climate change, and fisheries/marine resources. Indeed, the result from this symposium will provide useful information from satellite technology in order to support the government’s programs for food security and environmental monitoring. Moreover, this symposium will strengthen the collaboration between multi-institutions and develop a better cooperation among the different research groups, either for basic research or technology developments.We wish to thank the authors who have contributed to yield a high scientific standard to this issue. We are also grateful to IOP Publishing, especially Anete Ashton (IOP Conference Commissioning Editor), for allowing us to share some of the symposium results with a large audience of colleagues through the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. We would like to thank Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Ristekdikti) for giving us opportunity to get the additional funding for our international symposium. This symposium was supported also by the IPB World Class University Program for fiscal year 2016.Yudi SetiawanEditor-in-ChiefProceeding LISAT-FSEM 2016Lilik Budi PrasetyoConference ChairThe 3rd International Symposium on LISAT-FSEM 2016

Privatizing Space Missions: The Critical Route to Boost Indian Space Economy

Space-based services in India have reached a stage where demand is outpacing supply and is creating a unique opportunity for developing space industry. A major outcome of advances in space, information, and communications technologies, coupled with changes in policy environment in India, immensely favors deregulation of space activities in a strategic manner into a public–private domain; thrusted private sector investments and space assets ownership and operations; space services to burgeoning domestic demand and impacting global businesses; creating high technology manufacturing capability, and competitive alliances and cooperation. Prospects for growth of commercial space activities in India are promising given that there is still high potential for growth in demands for satellite capacity and for new services such as Geographic Information System (GIS) based decision support systems, mobile multimedia, positioning and navigation applications, disaster management support, rural connectivity and national security-related applications. Demand for satellite communications is very high with large downstream services business; constant need for repetitive and high res images from space and other platforms with downstream services potential for National GIS; expanding from a regional to a global positioning system and services and applications; large-scale supply of operational LEO/GEO launch systems capability based on operational Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV); catering to global markets of space manufacturing/applications by offering high-quality but cost-effective Indianized solutions are classic cases that can be easily privatized and migrated from present “ISRO regime” to a combinative “ISRO+private sector” capacity for future Indian space success—founding the possibility of Indian private sector space assets ownership and operations. The article creates a case and scenario for a time-bound strategy of “license-buyback” model of thrust for private-sector manufacturing, ownership and operations of Indian space assets—especially communication satellites, EO satellites, PSLV-type launch vehicle, and so on. for space services to meet Indian requirements. This approach will also bring in private sector investment in Indian space releasing financial resources for critical advanced technology development in the public regime of ISRO. The article analyses “sample cases” from an investment scenario assessment, policy dimensions, and risk environment that would be of interest for private-sector development for Indian space.

Development of Space Launch Vehicles in India

ABSTRACTThe Indian space program is a spacefaring success story with demonstrated capability in the design and building of application and scientific satellites, and the means to launch them into desired orbits. The end-to-end mission planning and execution capability comes with a high emphasis on self-reliance. Sounding rockets and small satellite launch vehicles provided the initial experience base for India. This experience was consolidated and applied to realize larger satellite launch vehicles. While many of the launch vehicle technologies were indigenously developed, the foreign acquisition of liquid propulsion technologies did help in catalyzing the development efforts. In this case, launch vehicle concept studies showed the inevitability of using a cryogenic upper stage for geosynchronous Earth orbit missions, which proved to be difficult technically and encountered substantial delays, given the geopolitical situation. However, launch capability matured from development to operational phases, and today, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle are in a position to meet both domestic and international market demands.

Indian space transportation programme: Near term outlook and issues for commercialisation

The Indian space transportation programme has grown from strength to strength with the launching of sounding rockets in the 60׳s to the development of heavy lift vehicles for telecommunication satellites in the present decade. With the growing market confidence in Indian Space Research Organisation׳s ability to reliably deliver payloads to low Earth orbit with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, there is an inherent opportunity for India to cater to the commercial market. The present work assesses the current launch capacity of India in retrospect of international launches and provides India׳s outlook for the space transportation in the current decade. Launch capacity correlation with the requirements within the Indian space programme as well as the current space transportation infrastructure have been considered to identify bottlenecks in catering to the current national requirements alongside securing a greater market share in the international launch market. The state of commercialisation of launch vehicle development has been presented to provide an overview of policy and organisational issues for commercialisation of space transportation in India.

Orbit Injection Considerations for Cluster Flight of Nanosatellites

Cluster flight is defined as the operation of multiple cooperative satellites under minimum and maximum distance constraints. Unlike traditional orbit injection of multiple noncooperative satellites, judicious constraints should be imposed on the orbit injection of a cluster. Moreover, the orbital injection should enable a fuel-efficient cluster establishment maneuver. This study develops constraints for the orbit injection of a satellite cluster. Evaluation of feasible orbit injection scenarios is performed. Particular launch vehicles and a concomitant set of orbital injection scenarios are found, which are the most suitable for long-term operation of a cluster. In addition, an efficient cluster establishment control method is developed, which prevents the cluster from drifting apart too rapidly. Several orbit injection scenarios are simulated and their feasibility for a planned cluster flight mission is evaluated. It is shown that both the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the Dnepr launcher can be used. In addition, a new customized release procedure is developed, which guarantees cross-track separation among the satellites, a desirable feature in a number of practical missions.