During the initial decades of the Indian space programme, various teams of Indian scientists were learning rocketry by trial and error, as the basic technology behind large rockets was not available in India. Graduating from the foreign-origin experimental rockets (Sounding rockets) that were launched to the Upper atmosphere, ISRO teams built their own Sounding rockets and then moved on to indigenously building small orbital rockets like SLV-3 and ASLV. However, the quest for developing the comparatively much larger and capable PSLV was an all-new ball game, Dr. Madhavan Nair, the former ISRO Chairman reveals in his recently-published autobiography 'Rocketing Through the Skies'.

When the PSLV rocket's (now known as India's workhorse and most-flown orbital rocket) development work was being carried out in the late 1970s and 80s, ISRO teams debated and discussed everything from how many stages the PSLV would comprise, the kind of propulsion technologies it would use and what not. At that time, the PSLV was India's most sophisticated space technological endeavour and Dr. Madhavan Nair then worked as the Associate Project Director of the PSLV.&nbsp;

Narrating an interesting anecdote, Dr Nair recalls how ISRO had decided to use a very rare and sophisticated material for the first-stage motor casing (the structural shell of a rocket) of the PSLV. "The then Director of the VSSC, Dr Brahm Prakash, also an expert metallurgist, decided to use maraging steel, which is five times stronger than ordinary steel, for the PSLV," he mentions. However, maraging steel being a dual-use material posed challenges for ISRO. Given that it found application in rocketry and missiles, the USA, Japan and Britain refused to supply that material to India. Notably, maraging steel is also a brittle material, such that even a minute crack in the material could prove catastrophic for the rocket mission.

"The scientists at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre led by then Director Dr. Brahm Prakash and Dr. MK Mukherji, collaborated with the public sector unit MIDHANI and developed maraging steel indigenously. Indeed, a feather in ISRO's cap! The same steel later found application in many of our missiles and nuclear weapons," Dr. Nair adds.&nbsp;

Likewise, ISRO had to indigenously design and develop a technology known as a 'closed-loop guidance system', which is meant to measure the real-time velocity and position of the rocket and steer it precisely to its destination. This technology also is central to missile development and therefore ISRO teams had to do it entirely in-house, Dr. Nair reminisces. In the autobiography, he narrates the transition from ISRO's modest Thumba era to the Chandrayaan era, as he lived through it all and devoted his life to the cause of the Indian space programme.

Dr Madhavan Nair was the Chairman of ISRO from 2003-09 and his tenure witnessed the success of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-1. He is also a recipient of top Indian Government honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Former ISRO scientist Jaya G Nair has collaborated with Dr. Madhavan Nair in translating, re-narrating and editing the original autobiography 'Agniparikshakal', which was in Malayalam.

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During the initial decades of the Indian space programme, various teams of Indian scientists were learning rocketry by trial and error, as the basic technology behind large rockets was not available in India.

During the initial decades of the Indian space programme, various teams of Indian scientists were learning rocketry by trial and error, as the basic technology behind large rockets was not available in India. Graduating from the foreign-origin experimental rockets (Sounding rockets) that were launched to the Upper atmosphere, ISRO teams built their own Sounding rockets and then moved on to indigenously building small orbital rockets like SLV-3 and ASLV. However, the quest for developing the comparatively much larger and capable PSLV was an all-new ball game, Dr. Madhavan Nair, the former ISRO Chairman reveals in his recently-published autobiography 'Rocketing Through the Skies'. When the PSLV rocket's (now known as India's workhorse and most-flown orbital rocket) development work was being carried out in the late 1970s and 80s, ISRO teams debated and discussed everything from how many stages the PSLV would comprise, the kind of propulsion technologies it would use and what not. At that time, the PSLV was India's most sophisticated space technological endeavour and Dr. Madhavan Nair then worked as the Associate Project Director of the PSLV. Narrating an interesting anecdote, Dr Nair recalls how ISRO had decided to use a very rare and sophisticated material for the first-stage motor casing (the structural shell of a rocket) of the PSLV. "The then Director of the VSSC, Dr Brahm Prakash, also an expert metallurgist, decided to use maraging steel, which is five times stronger than ordinary steel, for the PSLV," he mentions. However, maraging steel being a dual-use material posed challenges for ISRO. Given that it found application in rocketry and missiles, the USA, Japan and Britain refused to supply that material to India. Notably, maraging steel is also a brittle material, such that even a minute crack in the material could prove catastrophic for the rocket mission. "The scientists at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre led by then Director Dr. Brahm Prakash and Dr. MK Mukherji, collaborated with the public sector unit MIDHANI and developed maraging steel indigenously. Indeed, a feather in ISRO's cap! The same steel later found application in many of our missiles and nuclear weapons," Dr. Nair adds. Likewise, ISRO had to indigenously design and develop a technology known as a 'closed-loop guidance system', which is meant to measure the real-time velocity and position of the rocket and steer it precisely to its destination. This technology also is central to missile development and therefore ISRO teams had to do it entirely in-house, Dr. Nair reminisces. In the autobiography, he narrates the transition from ISRO's modest Thumba era to the Chandrayaan era, as he lived through it all and devoted his life to the cause of the Indian space programme. Dr Madhavan Nair was the Chairman of ISRO from 2003-09 and his tenure witnessed the success of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-1. He is also a recipient of top Indian Government honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Former ISRO scientist Jaya G Nair has collaborated with Dr. Madhavan Nair in translating, re-narrating and editing the original autobiography 'Agniparikshakal', which was in Malayalam. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

How PSLV rocket research led to missile development: Former ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair recalls

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has announced the date for its second rocket launch for the year 2021. Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1 also known as EOS-3 will be launched on Thursday, August 12th at 5:43am, said the Indian Government Space Agency. However, this tentative launch time is subject to weather conditions.&nbsp;

According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-realtime imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow and&nbsp;glaciers and oceanography.&nbsp;

The GSLV Mk2 Rocket would be carrying India’s GISAT-1, an agile earth observation satellite that is meant to be placed in Geostationary orbit(36,000kms from earth’s equator). This orbit is typically meant for communication satellites that have to cover a large swathe of land. A satellite in geostationary orbit would be in sync with the rotation cycle of the earth(24hrs) and it would appear to be stationary when seen from the earth, thus giving it the name. It is said that three aptly positioned Geostationary satellites can cover pretty much all of Earth’s surface.

Conventionally, such earth-observation satellites are placed in Low-Earth orbit (between 500 and 2000kms), to ensure high-resolution imagery, better capabilities. However, it is pertinent to note that ISRO’s latest agile earth-observation satellite is to be placed 36,000kms away from the earth’s surface. Being placed in the 36,000km circular orbit would also mean that the 2268kg GISAT-1 is beyond the range of Anti-satellite missiles.

Quoting former ISRO Chairman Dr. Madhavan Nair and former URSC Director Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Zee Media had earlier reported that, despite GISAT’s placement in far-away 36,000kms orbit, it can use different types of imaging technologies to provide a constant monitoring of a region of interest/calamity/weather pattern.

This is unlike low earth orbit satellites, that can make a pass only once in 110minutes or so, for clicking pictures and collecting data. In case a cyclone or similar rapidly-changing weather pattern is being continually monitored by GISAT-1, then the satellites in low earth orbit can also be tasked to get higher resolution imagery from a relatively closer range. They also added that, being an agile satellite means, it can rotate on an east-west, north-south axis to enable imaging of a specific region. In layman’s terms, its like tilting a handheld camera and mildly moving it for getting the best shot.

GISAT, was originally meant to be launched in March 2020, but the launch was called off owing to technical reasons. After the pandemic-related delays, the launch was scheduled for March 2021, when it got further delayed due to some technical issues in the satellite.&nbsp;

The website of ISRO’s spaceport Satish Dhawan Space Centre has earlier posted that the agency had two launches in two months - a GSLV Mk2 mission in August and a PSLV mission in September. During the second wave of the pandemic in India, ISRO suspended its launch activities, but the agency contributed to the COVID-19 fight by ramping up production of liquid oxygen (for hospitals), re-purposing its storage tanks for oxygen, developing low-cost ventilators etc.&nbsp;

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has announced the date for its second rocket launch for the year 2021. Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1 also known as EOS-3 will be launched on Thursday, August 12th at 5:43am, said the Indian Government Space Agency.

The Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has announced the date for its second rocket launch for the year 2021. Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1 also known as EOS-3 will be launched on Thursday, August 12th at 5:43am, said the Indian Government Space Agency. However, this tentative launch time is subject to weather conditions. According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-realtime imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow and glaciers and oceanography. The GSLV Mk2 Rocket would be carrying India’s GISAT-1, an agile earth observation satellite that is meant to be placed in Geostationary orbit(36,000kms from earth’s equator). This orbit is typically meant for communication satellites that have to cover a large swathe of land. A satellite in geostationary orbit would be in sync with the rotation cycle of the earth(24hrs) and it would appear to be stationary when seen from the earth, thus giving it the name. It is said that three aptly positioned Geostationary satellites can cover pretty much all of Earth’s surface. Conventionally, such earth-observation satellites are placed in Low-Earth orbit (between 500 and 2000kms), to ensure high-resolution imagery, better capabilities. However, it is pertinent to note that ISRO’s latest agile earth-observation satellite is to be placed 36,000kms away from the earth’s surface. Being placed in the 36,000km circular orbit would also mean that the 2268kg GISAT-1 is beyond the range of Anti-satellite missiles. Quoting former ISRO Chairman Dr. Madhavan Nair and former URSC Director Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Zee Media had earlier reported that, despite GISAT’s placement in far-away 36,000kms orbit, it can use different types of imaging technologies to provide a constant monitoring of a region of interest/calamity/weather pattern. This is unlike low earth orbit satellites, that can make a pass only once in 110minutes or so, for clicking pictures and collecting data. In case a cyclone or similar rapidly-changing weather pattern is being continually monitored by GISAT-1, then the satellites in low earth orbit can also be tasked to get higher resolution imagery from a relatively closer range. They also added that, being an agile satellite means, it can rotate on an east-west, north-south axis to enable imaging of a specific region. In layman’s terms, its like tilting a handheld camera and mildly moving it for getting the best shot. GISAT, was originally meant to be launched in March 2020, but the launch was called off owing to technical reasons. After the pandemic-related delays, the launch was scheduled for March 2021, when it got further delayed due to some technical issues in the satellite. The website of ISRO’s spaceport Satish Dhawan Space Centre has earlier posted that the agency had two launches in two months - a GSLV Mk2 mission in August and a PSLV mission in September. During the second wave of the pandemic in India, ISRO suspended its launch activities, but the agency contributed to the COVID-19 fight by ramping up production of liquid oxygen (for hospitals), re-purposing its storage tanks for oxygen, developing low-cost ventilators etc.

Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1 launch slated for August 12, says ISRO

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How PSLV rocket research led to missile development: Former ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair recalls

Earth Observation satellite GISAT-1 launch slated for August 12, says ISRO