India’s first defence satellite all set for launch

India’s maritime security will get a fresh impetus as the stage is now set for the launch of an exclusive home-built satellite for the Navy by European space consortium Arianespace from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on Friday.

The GSAT-7 is India’s first dedicated spacecraft for Defence applications.

“It has frequency bands that will help marine communications”, an official of the Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation, which built the satellite, told PTI in Bangalore.

“It has coverage over India landmass as well as surrounding seas. It’s important from security and surveillance points of view,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

A senior space scientist in the know said, “So far, Navy had limitation from line of sight and ionospheric effects etc.

It was thought essential to have an integrated platform for their exclusive use. Earlier, satellite communication in ships was through Inmarsat (a major provider of global mobile satellite communications services). Now, India will have its own set up”

ISRO shies away from calling it an exclusive satellite for the Navy on record, but privately admits exactly that.

The Rs. 185 crore state-of-the-art satellite carries payloads operating in UHF, S, C and Ku bands.

GSAT-7 has a lift-off mass of 2,625 kg and is based on ISRO’s 2,500 kg satellite bus with some new technological elements, including the antennae. Its solar arrays generate 2,900 W of electrical power.

The satellite’s A108 Ampere-Hour Lithium-Ion battery enables it to function during the eclipse period. The propulsion subsystem has a 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) and thrusters.

GSAT-7 is scheduled to be launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by Ariane-5 VA 215 during the 50-minute launch window starting from 2 a.m. on Friday.

The launch cost for ISRO is around Rs. 470 crore, including insurance. ISRO can’t launch heavy satellites like GSAT-7 as its home-grown GSLV rocket, with indigenous cryogenic stage, is still in works and needs two successful flights before it’s declared operational.

Source: PTI

A momentous occasion for CSL

Kochi: The launch of the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on August 12 will be a momentous occasion for Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) which achieved the feat in four years of laying the keel under trying conditions. The warship is expected to join the Navy fleet by 2018.Ms Elizabeth Antony, wife of Defence Minister A.K. Antony will launch the ship at a function to be attended among others by Antony, Navy chief Admiral D.K. Joshi and Union minister for shipping G.K. Vasan. The design of the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) is the result of a collaborative effort of Indian Navy’s design organization and the design team of CSL. The special steel for the ship was supplied by the Steel Authority of India Ltd. CSL in association with National Metallurgical Research Laboratory developed the weld process and consumables for this special grade steel.  The 263-metre-long IAC can displace about 38,000 tonnes and is propelled by four gas turbines. It can achieve a speed of about 30 knots. It will operate a combination of Russian MiG-29K, Ka31 and the indigenous light combat aircraft, sources in the Navy and CSL said. The flight deck of IAC will feature two take-off runways and a landing strip equipped with three arrester wires. 

Vikramaditya Passes Engine Tests in Russian Sea Trials

A Russian-built aircraft carrier due to be delivered to the Indian Navy following a much-delayed refit has successfully passed engine tests during the first stage of final sea trials in the White Sea, shipbuilder Sevmash said Tuesday. The current trials focused on the ship's propulsion system and its ability to perform as required. The carrier, named Vikramaditya, “showed excellent performance while being tested at various speeds,” a Sevmash spokesman said. “On Sunday, the ship attained a maximum speed of 29.2 knots.” 

The Vikramaditya, which is already years past its original 2008 delivery date, was supposed to have been handed over to India on December 4, 2012, but initial sea trials in September revealed that the ship's boilers were not fully functional. The source of the problem, which reduced the ship's maximum speed, was due to use of low-grade Chinese-made firebricks in the boiler insulation instead of asbestos, Russian shipbuilders said. The boiler problems were fixed by Russian shipbuilders in February, Sevmash reported previously. 

The Vikramaditya will now sail to the Barents Sea, where the ship will undertake working-up procedures including aircraft deck operations. Several MiG-29K fighters and two helicopters will be used in the flight trials. A report on the results of the final trials must be given to the Indians on October 15, the Sevmash official said. The Vikramaditya was originally built as the Soviet Project 1143.4 class aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. In its original incarnation, the Gorshkov also had a history of boiler problems and suffered a boiler explosion in 1994. The refit of the ship has lurched from one crisis to another since India and Russia signed a $947 million deal in 2005 for its purchase and refit. Delivery has already been delayed three times, pushing up the cost of refurbishing the vessel to $2.3 billion, causing acrimony between Moscow and New Delhi.

Source: MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti)