Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
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The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is located on the Arabian Sea coastline of Trivandrum, the capital city of the Kerala state in India. It is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where space vehicles are developed for the Indian satellite programme.
The VSSC is located between the villages of Veli to the south, Kulathoor to east, and Pallithura to the north. The location of VSSC is traditionally and conveniently associated with the nearby village of Thumba which has no border with VSSC.
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Center is one of the main Research & Development establishments within ISRO. Its facilities are near the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), on the west coast of India, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala State. VSSC was named after the late Professor Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971), founder of the Indian Space Program. VSSC is an entirely national facility working on the development of sounding rockets; Rohini and Menaka, launchers; ASLV, PSLV and GSLV, along with the solid motor program.
"There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society. " - Vikram Sarabhai
ISRO's Launch Vehicle programme started with development of SLV-3, first successfully launched on July 18, 1980 followed by two more flights. The second launch vehicle was Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle which had two successful flights. The development of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has been completed with two successful flights and is now available for operational use. PSLV successfully launched SRE-1 and was also used for launching ISRO's first exclusive commercial mission, PSLV C-8.Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is also operational. A new heavy lift vehicle, GSLV Mark-3 and reusable satellite launch system named RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle), similar to NASA's Space Shuttle, but with lighter payload 2000Kg are currently under development.
HISTORY
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is the largest of all ISRO Centres, which has its main establishments at Veli and Thumba. This is the lead Centre for the development of satellite launch vehicles and associated technologies. The Centre pursues active research and development in a host of distinct technology domains like aeronautics, avionics, composites, etc with a view to achieve self-reliance in the high tech realm of launch vehicle technology.
The modern era of space research in India can be said to have formally started in 1961 when the Government of India entrusted the study of the subject of space research and of the peaceful uses of outer space to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), functioning under the able leadership of Dr. Homi J Bhabha. In 1962 DAE set up Indian National Committee for space Research (INCOSPAR) with Prof. Vikram Sarabhai as chairman to organize a national space programme. One of the first things that INCOSPAR took up was the establishment of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) at Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram.
November 21, 1963 was a golden day in the Indian Space chronology, when rocket-based research in the country had formally begun. A two-stage sounding rocket, Nike Apache, imported from the United States was launched on that day, heralding the operationalisation of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS). TERLS was established at Thumba because the geo-magnetic equator of earth passed over the very place. Hence Thumba was selected as the site for establishes a rocket station that would launch sounding rockets intended for meteorological and upper atmospheric research.
Having been sponsored as an international sounding rocket launching facility TERLS was formally dedicated to the United Nations on February 02, 1968 by the Prime Minister of India, Smt Indira Gandhi. Although no direct funding from the UN was involved, scientists from several countries such as the USA, USSR, France, Japan, West Germany and UK have utilized and continued to utilize the TERLS facility for conducting rocket based experiments.
In 1969, INCOSPAR was reconstituted as an advisory body under the India National Science Academy (INSA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation was bo rn. Government of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DOS) in 1972 and brought ISRO under DOS on June 01, 1972. After the sudden demise of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai on December 30, 1971, the whole space establishments at Thiruvananthapuram was rechristiened as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Indian Space programme aims to promote the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefit of the country. ISRO has established two major space systems, INSAT for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. ISRO has developed two satellite launch vehicles, PSLV and GSLV, to place IRS and INSAT class satellites in the required orbits. Department of Space (DOS) implements these programmes through ISRO and other agencies, such as National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), North-Eastern Space Applications Centre (NE-SAC) and Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL).
In addition to its main campus located at Thumba and veli, VSSC has the integration and checkout facilities located at Valiamala. Facilities for the development of reinforced plastics and composite products are located at Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram. The ammonium perchlorate experimental plant located at Aluva produces ammonium perchlorate, a vital ingredient for solid propellant motors. Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) and the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) are also within the VSSC campus. Apart from VSSC, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) at Bangalore, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota near Chennai, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala, Mahendagiri and Bangalore and Space Application Centre (SAC) at Ahmedabad are the other major ISRO Centres.
Over the last four decades VSSC has matured into a Centre of Excellence in launch vehicle technology. The successful completion of ASLV-D3 and ASLV-D4 missions and the subsequent operationalisation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) have established the soundness of the indigenous capability in design and development of complex launch vehicles and in carrying out launch missions.
The Organisation of VSSC is structured in a matrix form comprising of Projects and Entities. The core proje ct teams manage project activities. System level activities of the projects are carried out by system development agencies. Major programmes of VSSC include Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), Rohini Sounding Rocket, Space Capsule Recovery Experiment, Reusable Launch Vehicles and Air Breathing Propulsion.
VSSC is a major R&D Centre with core competencies in varied disciplines. The Centre has well-defined and focused research activities and pursues research and development in the fields of aeronautics, avionics, composites, computer and information technology, control guidance and simulation, launch vehicle design, mechanical engineering, mechanisms vehicle integration and testing, propellants polymers and materials, propulsion propellants and space ordnance, and systems reliability. These research Entities are the system development agencies for the Projects and thus provide for the realization of the project objectives. Management systems area provides for programme planning and evaluation, human resource development, budget and manpower, technology transfer, documentation and outreach activities. The Centre has strong administrative and auxiliary services to support in its activities.
VSSC is certified for compliance to ISO 9001:2000 quality management system. The quality objectives of the Centre are planning, implementing and maintaining a quality system during design, development, production, and operation of subsystems and systems for launch vehicles. It also aims at achieving continued improvement in the process leading to zero defect. Innovation through technology development programmes for achieving excellence, achieving cost effectiveness by utilizing appropriate proven technologies, using existing infrastructure maximally and achieving self-reliance through indigenisation programmes utilizing Indian industries etc are the strengths of VSSC.
ISRO has developed an array of sounding rockets and four generations of launch vehicles and thus establishing operational space transportation system. Most of launch vehicle development is carried out at VSSC. After the first Nike Apache sounding rocket, a series of rockets were launched from Thumba, which was followed by many other sounding rockets of various types such as Arcas and Dragon from USA, Judi-dart, Petrel and Skua from UK and Centaure from France. The USSR meteorological sounding rockets called M-100 were launched from TERLS every week from 1970 until 1993, launching 1161 rockets during that period.
The fi rst Indian rocket, RH-75, made its maiden flight on November 20, 1967. It was the 52nd launch of a sounding rocket from TERLS. It was flown twice again in 1967 and another 12 times in 1968, making the total RH-75 flights to 15.
Among the sounding rockets to have flown from TERLS were Arcas-1, Arcas-11, Centaure-1, 11A and 11B, Dragon-1, Dual Hawk, Judy Dart, Menaka-1, Menaka-1Mk 1 and Mk11, Nike Tomahawk, M-100, Petrel, RH-100, RH-125, RH-200 (S), RH-300, Variants of RH-560, etc.
There have been a total of nearly 2200 sounding rocket launches from TERLS, so far:
Over the years VSSC has designed, developed and launched a family of sounding rockets under the generic name, Rohini Sounding Rockets (RSR) to serve a range of scientific missions. The currently operational Rohini Sounding Rockets are RH-200, RH-300, RH-560 and their different versions. These sounding rockets are launched for carrying out research in areas like meteorology and upper atmospheric processes up to an altitude of about 500 km.
The beginning of eighties marked a watershed in launch vehicle development.
SLV-3 was the first Satellite Launch Vehicle developed by India. The first successful launch took place in July 18, 1980. Measuring over 22m in height and weighing 17 tonnes, the SLV-3 was a four stage, solid propellant rocket. Three Rohini Satellites, each weighing around 40 kg, were launched by the SLV-3 vehicles. The SLV-3 project had Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as its Project Director who late rose to be the President of India (2002-2007)
The first experimental launch of SLV-3 with Rohini Technology Payload on board, took place on August 10, 1979, from the Sriharikota Range. It was partially unsuccessful. With the Second launch of SLV-3 India became the sixth member of the exclusive ‘Space Club’.
First developmental flight of SLV-3 took place on May 31, 1981, when RS-D1 was pl aced in orbit. With the Second developmental flight of SLV-3 on April 17, 1983, which placed RS-D2 satellite in the orbit, the SLV-3 programme was successfully wound up. SLV was followed by the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), which could launch 150kg satellites into near earth orbits
The nineties saw the emergence of India’s workhorse launch vehicle, the PSLV. It was developed and launched for the first time in 1993. In October 1994, PSLV had its first successful flight and since then it had not looked back. With its tenth consecutively successful launch of PSLV-C8 in April 2007, PSLV has gone commercial. It has a track record of launching seven satellites of foreign countries. PSLV has proved its ruggedness and versatility with its successively successful flights with single and multiple satellites, in palar orbits and geosynchronous transfer orbits and with different configurations. The last flight pf PSLV- the C8 mission was a commercial mission with core alone configuration.
The first decade of the present century, saw Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which made a series of flights. The first GSLV mission was successfully made in April 2001. On May 8, 2003, GSLV-D2 mission put GSAT-2 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The Launch of EDUSAT, a satellite dedicated for teleeducation, through GSLV-F01 was an epoch making success. In its fifth mission GSLV will launch INSAT 4CR, a repeat of the INSAT 4C, which was lost in the failed GSLV-F-02 mission.
January 2007 marked another major milestone in the history of the Centre when the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment Module (SRE-1) was safely brought back to earth after 10 days in orbit. This is the culmination of perfecting a host of technologies, including the important thermal protection systems, which could withstand the large heat flux of the reentry through atmosphere.
VSSC has a large workforce of about 4500 employees, most of them specialists in frontier disciplines. With its state of the art facilities in all the disciplines the Centre has grown expertise in a host of technology areas. Aerodynamic and aero thermal design, trajectory optimization for launch vehicles, mission planning, wind modeling, structural load estimation, are some of the specialist areas in aeronautics. The Centre is almost self reliant in avionics systems with capability for development, qualification and production of critical systems like navigation guidance and control, telemetry tracking and command, and control actuation systems. The Centre has matured in the development qualification and production of a larger spectrum of composite structures for launch vehicles and satellites. Expertise in design planning and production of launch vehicle hardware has been possible with the establishment of large in-house and industrial facilities. Aerospace mechanisms, integration activities and checkout operation of launch vehicles are its forte. Its R&D efforts have yielded some of the best solid propellant formulations with facilities to produce them. The materials and chemical requirements, propulsion studies, space ordnance systems and pyrotechnic devices are developed and produced in house. Considerable development has taken place in various areas of navigation systems so much so that a separate Unit called ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) has been established at Vattiyoorkavu
GSLV-Mk III vehicle is being developed with the ambitious goal of self-sufficiency in launching 4T class satellites to GTO from Indian soil. Now under development, the GSLV Mk-III will be a 630 tonne vehicle with indigenous cryogenic stage.
Fundamental research in space sciences is being carried out at Space Physics Laboratory. Research activities are spread over a wide range of disciplines such as surface boundary level physics, atmospheric aerosols, chemistry of radiation, atmospheric dynamics etc.
The center is building its expertise in developing air breathing vehicles with an on-going project. A reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator is under development, which will be tested soon. The Centre is also embarking upon serious studies to prepare the country to undertake a future human mission, if mandated.
In summary, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is ISRO’s lead Centre for launch vehicles, with its expertise in design, development and realization of sounding rockets and launch vehicles. It has earned considerable expertise in design, development and integration of satellite launch vehicles for various missions; technology development, qualification and realization of various sub-systems; realization of components materials, chemicals and components, avionics, cont rol systems, aeronautics and solid propulsion; precision fabrication; establishing and maintaining state of-the-art infrastructure within VSSC and industry; technology transfer and exploring areas for spin off technologies; specialization in launch vehicle projects management; advanced R&D in areas of relevance to satellite launch vehicles; self reliance in launch vehicle technology with the full use of industry and academic institutions and through a planned technology transfer process including spin-offs; and design, development and realization of identified spacecraft subsystems for ISRO’s satellite programme.
VSSC has its own contributions in the continuing expansion of space applications programmes like village resources centres, tele-medicine, tele-education, disaster management support and outreach through direct-to-home television, India’s first mission to Moon- Chandrayaan-1, etc. Thus the Centre is agog with activities that continue to pursue successful goals on all fronts in meeting the larger objective: achieving self-reliance in space technology and its applications for national development.
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