Six decades since Thumba launch, slew of private cos prep for flight Premium

Indian space program milestones, satellite launches, private sector initiatives, and upcoming missions summarized by space enthusiast Pradeep Mohandas.

Preview: November 21 was 61 years since the birth of the Indian space programme. On this date in 1963, scientists launched a Nike-Apache sounding rocket from Thumba in Kerala. These rockets helped the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) master the solid propellant technology powering India’s launch vehicles today. Around the same time as this anniversary, India launched its first satellite onboard a SpaceX rocket even as multiple Indian private sector entities geared up for launches of their own.

NewSpace India, Ltd. launched the 4,700-kg GSAT-N2/GSAT-20 satellite onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. N2 wasn’t launched onboard an Indian launch vehicle because its weight exceeded the payload capacity of the country’s most powerful rocket, the LVM-3, which can place satellites weighing up to four tonnes in the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). INSAT-1D was the last such  satellite launched from Florida, in 1990.

GSAT-N2 is a Ka-band high throughput communication satellite built by ISRO to enhance broadband services in underserved areas, including the northeast, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. It will also support services like in-flight internet connectivity and the Smart Cities Mission.

The satellite was placed in a GTO with a perigee of 250 km, an apogee of 59,730 km, and at a 27.5°inclination. From here, the satellite will use its thrusters to move to a geostationary orbit at 63° E longitude over the next few days.

Next, ISRO is preparing to launch its PSLV-C59 mission bearing the European Proba-3 mission. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will fly in its extended length configuration (XL), which was last used to launch Aditya-L1 in September 2023.

The twin Proba spacecraft to study the Sun arrived at Chennai on November 6 and will be integrated with the launch vehicle. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 4 pm IST on December 4.

Speaking of impending launches: India’s astronaut-designate Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to fly to the International Space Station in 2025, is undergoing training at the European Space Agency’s European Astronaut Centre. This part of the training is to familiarise astronauts-to-be with the European modules of the space station.