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ISRO Successfully Launches Satellite Into Geostationary Orbit

Posted by samzenpus on from the to-the-stars-and-beyond dept.

vasanth writes: Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) on Thursday cleared all doubts on its cryogenic capabilities, successfully launching the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6), placing GSAT-6, a 2,117kg communication satellite in orbit. The GSLV D-6 is the second consecutive successful launch of the GSLV series with indigenous cryogenic upper stage. ISRO had on January 5, 2014 launched GSLV D-5, after a similar attempt failed in 2010. For the country, ISRO perfecting the cryogenic engine technology is crucial, as precious foreign exchange can be saved by launching communication satellites on its own. Currently ISRO flies its heavy communication satellites by European space agency Ariane. ISRO has already perfected its Polar Launching Vehicle for launching lighter satellites, with decades of success stories. It has already put 45 foreign satellites of 9 nations into orbit. ISRO is to put 9 satellites in space using the PSLV launcher for the United States in 2015-2016.

89 comments

  1. Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Welcome to the 1960s! Now work on municipal drinking water and sewer systems for your citizens instead of playing Space Cadet, mkay?

    1. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nice to see the first sniggering comment! I am sure you won't be the only one. I don't know whether they will fix the municipal drinking water, but they will eat the lunch of space launching business from most countries for sure if they maintain the same consistency on GSLV with which they executed PSLV program.
      So yeah, enjoy your sarcastic laugh, taunts and potshots...Coz thats what will remain with you while they will do good business.

    2. Re:Hey India! by Notegg+Nornoggin · · Score: -1

      > Nice to see the first sniggering comment!

      RASCIIIIIST!

    3. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least you could have attempted to look at the meaning of word : "sniggering" in a dictionary before calling it racist. https://www.google.co.in/webhp... Snigger:- "laugh in a half-suppressed, typically scornful way." But then this is Slashdot..Who the fuck gives a damn about RTFA or correct meaning of words. :)

    4. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Wow, such a dramatic vision! Eat the lunch of the space launching business! Oh my!

      "So yeah, enjoy your sarcastic laugh, taunts and potshots...Coz thats what will remain with you while they will do good business."

      I'll also enjoy my healthcare, municipal water and sewage systems, and parks, roads, supermarkets, etc.

      You and your on-off all or nothing view of the world! What a Space Nutter you are!

    5. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least you could have remembered the people who have been castigated, and even fired, over the CORRECT use of "snigger" and "niggardly" and such words.

      Because that would have been more likely.

      But this is Slashdot - where the horses are high.

    6. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lunch of space launching business?
      Seriously? As the poster said, they're decades late to the game. The so called "lunch" is quickly turning into a snack with launch costs rapidly going down. By the time they'll be able to really compete, they'll have to operate at a loss just to keep pace with the others.

      PS infrastructure is more than water, roads and electricity.

    7. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Can we have our aid back....

    8. Re:Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Was the world doing Mars missions in the 60s? India's space program makes money for the country. Think of it as one way to fund those municipal services you speak of. It was not done for bragging rights. India has already positioned itself as the outsourcing destination for satellite launches. The one capability it lacked was the launch of heavy satellites. That is fixed now and it can compete with European launch markets.

    9. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What aid? But yes we will give you aid because very soon you will need it. Desperately.

    10. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because a career in space tech is more interesting than a career in municipal systems. Unfortunately, of course.
      Would *you* give up your techie job and take up a job serving your local municipality? No? Then STFU.

    11. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously they're planning to launch all their shit into space.

    12. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This aid:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      $3.2 Billion in 2014
      $1.6 Billion in 2013

    13. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course I would. A municipal clerk works less, earns more and is not fired easily. Why work your ass off when you can get money for nothing?

    14. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh my! I didn't get the facts before I shot off thinking India does not receive any aid from the west and can feed its billions on its own. Sorry. But did you know that your aid got scammed and got siphoned into private pockets by Indian politicians? http://www.hindustantimes.com/...

    15. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      So you saying the fucking Indians are not only begging for foreign aid, but also stupid enough to be ruled by an elected bunch of corrupt thieves who receive most of it? Nice.

    16. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh my! I didn't get the facts before I shot off thinking India does not receive any aid from the west and can feed its billions on its own.

      Yes, a country with a billion people can "feed billions on its own". It should be obvious, but I will talk down to you dear troll and explain :

      Even if 10 Billion USD is received in aid , it can provide food for a billion people for .... a couple of weeks ( 10 USD per citizen does not go longer than that anywhere in the world, you will know this if you crawl out from under the rock you are living at) .... since most Indians are a few years old, it is obvious they are not living because of your charity but somehow manage to live on their own. A dollar here or there received in charity from foreign "do-gooders" is inconsequential , but why get rid of your cozy delusions as saviours of humanity ...

      But logic is not a strong forte of trolls like you who love to quote brainless click-bait news articles.

    17. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You need to put that in context of the size of India's economy. Most of that "aid" is about buying influence via NGOs. India says that it does NOT want aid and calls it "peanuts".

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...
      "Indian ministers tried to terminate Britain’s aid to their booming country last year - but relented after the British begged them to keep taking the money"
      "We do not require the aid. It is a peanut in our total development spending."

      US aid to India is even smaller - about a third to a sixth.

    18. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      India is now a $8 Trillion economy.. India also gives billions in aid to other countries. Those few billions in the chart are peanuts and nobody will care if it stopped.

    19. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      Wally, is that you?

    20. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You and your on-off all or nothing view of the world! What a Space Nutter you are!

      Oh, it is the anti-space nutter guy who is so set in his delusional ways that he can't even acknowledge that a real satellite launching industry already exists...

    21. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny considering municipal clerks I know in multiple locations all dread when a young person is hired, because they end up leaving after a year to a job that pays better, and just end up wasting a lot of training time. If a clerk earns more than you, either you need to think about getting a better job, or are unfortunate to have below average abilities.

    22. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      nobody will care if it stopped.

      Sure some people do care - those white skinned math-challenged "first world" whiners who think few billions of "their" charity is really saving the third world. They will lose one major gloat-point that makes them feel smug.

    23. Re: Hey India! by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 1

      Actually India receives a lot of financial aid (Hundreds of millions of pounds every year) from the UK alone never mind the US, EU etc. They have a government funded space program and some of the worst poverty in the world. I'll be happy if the can have one and fix the other but spending all day polishing your Porsche whilst your kids are starving to death is just plain stupid.

      --

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

    24. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, as other comments elsewhere ( expand to see comments with 0 mod points , if you really care learn more and are not merely trolling) have pointed out, "millions of pounds" are inconsequential for a country the size of India. Neither does India (i.e. Indian govt.) want it , again as others have pointed out with citations.

      Nice straw man there, but any govt including Indian does not work on single point agendas. There have been lots of advancement since many people with names like "Ian" left the country for good in 1947. But ignorance and bad Porsche analogies are a bliss, like some white dude said.

    25. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Some problems with your analogy... a porsche is $800/month or $26/day. Feeding your kid is say, $20/day. That means a porsche is worth 130% of what feeding a kid is. So a father who polishes his porsche and lets his one kid starve is indeed problematic.

      In India, the space program is profitable, but let's ignore that for the sake of your argument and assume it doesn't have any income and only has expenses. The space agency costs $300m/yr or less than $1m/day. Feeding everyone costs $20b/day or $20,000m/day. That means the space agency is worth 0.005% of what feeding everyone would be. It's a bad analogy to compare a figure of 130% to 0.005%. If you want a clean analogy, it would be like wasting 1/10th of a penny per day, or if the father once a week lost a single penny while he struggles to pay $20/day.

      India already has a food subsidy program of $60b/yr (or $164m/day), and a school program of $30b/yr which feeds children (or $82m/day). The socialist/communist approach of "feeding everyone" by a central govt. is impractical and should be used as a safety-net for the bottom 5% of society. Even the U.S. would struggle to feed everyone, as $20/day per person is $2.5 trillion dollars with the U.S. population and $12.5 trillion with India's population. The entire U.S. GDP is $17trillion, and that's _private_ wealth, not federal revenue. The IRS can only seize maybe 20% of that figure, or $3.4 trillion. So the capitalist approach of affording _opportunity_ to make wealth instead of _giving_ food is the only sustainable approach. Having a space agency and the large industrial complex of spinoff jobs that feed into it is a great way to create opportunity.

      I know you're trolling and it's a waste to write out this thoughtfully and explain everything, but hopefully some other readers will benefit.

    26. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey USA! Your country is a third world shit-hole within the first world! Did you not know that in some parts of your country, there are also people who have no running water or sewer systems? Take a trip around the south and have a look.

    27. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Trajectory plot indicates it will do re-entry over Droughtfornia and land on your mommas soon to be re-possed by OnePercenterBank house. Time to get out of the basement porky !

    28. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It does, but it's not this magical salvation of the Species you loons keep prattling on about. It's putting radios in orbit. End of story. It doesn't mean we'll colonize the universe, you delusional sci-fi neckbeard.

    29. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or maybe I just happen to work for the right city and to be in the right position. I make more than all of the IT staff (we call them Indigent 'Tards) put together. Sucks to be you.

    30. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      > Actually India receives a lot of financial aid (Hundreds of millions of pounds every year)

      "Hundreds of millions" is a "peanut" as the Indian finance minister put it and said India does not want it.
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...
      Millions are nothing in terms of national budgets. US aid of $91m to India (2014) is less than roughly 0.005% of India's GDP (>$2T nominal). Most of it is used to exert influence via NGOs, not actually help the poor. UK does more, but is equally inconsequential... and unwelcome. The idea that India is running on the charity of the West is absurd and laughable.

      > some of the worst poverty in the world

      It's PPP GDP is $8T, almost half of US. India is like European Union. Different states, run semi-independently with different policies, and very different economies co-exist. There are states in India with sub-saharan development, while others produce elite that can almost rival US/European work force. The idea that any country should stunt the productivity of its most productive citizens, because the development is uneven is also silly. You have people who can understand nuclear physics and then you have people who have trouble learning to read and can only do subsistence agriculture. You let everyone do what they can for the country (what do you suggest? - that the state should decide what people should pursue? Sounds like communism). Pouring money into places without the foundations to absorb it is a waste of resources. It was already tried in India and lessons were learnt. Development is a slow, generational process - you increase education, gradually in each generation, and people will take care of everything automatically. You can't instantly install it with money. If you could, Iraq and Afghanistan would have been Israel by now.

      > polishing your Porsche whilst your kids are starving to death

      Also uninformed is the notion that Indian space program is a vanity project, it isn't, its state capitalism. With the launch vehicle, India has declared its capability to provide launch services in *every* segment of the launch market... and it can do so for much cheaper than *everyone* else. ISRO is Bangalore... for SPACE. It has already been making a profit for a while now. This is how India earns money, to fund welfare for its poor states. Its best resource is inexpensive knowledge workforce, not oil. That should be admired, not criticized.

    31. Re:Hey India! by thrich81 · · Score: 1

      Successful missions to Mars in the 1960's:
      Mariner 4, flyby July 1965
      Mariner 6, flyby July 1969
      Mariner 7, flyby August 1969
      and, not quite making it into the 60's, Mariner 9, entered Mars orbit November 1971

    32. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nyah. Just a trip to the Bronx will do. But selective amnesia is the opiate of the ameritard masses.

    33. Re:Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 0

      Damn, that's what I was thinking. Given india's cultural bias of less cost is better, I sure hope they give their first lunar astronaut a space suit when she steps foot on the moon.

    34. Re:Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Oh poor A/C, what india thinks is 'not broke' is laughable. As for 'good business', well maybe india should show us all a thing or two and take off its 'training wheels?'

    35. Re: Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      India's solution to solving the starving masses, bribe the teacher; google it. By and large Indians are nice folks, I'm sure one day, as a culture, they'll offer some insight no one has considered. It still appears that the worst thing India ever did in its bubbling history was to say "good by" to Alexander's Army. And to this day, the curse of looking upon Alex's rear end has not gone away. India remains a culture that peaked over 3600 years ago. Heavy sigh.

    36. Re: Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Then maybe india should bar use of the H1B visa program? Talk is cheap, results.

    37. Re:Hey India! by Jerrry · · Score: 1

      Hey, this is just India's first step in their eventual goal of establishing call centers on the moon.

    38. Re: Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then maybe india should bar use of the H1B visa program? Talk is cheap, results.

      Confused much, Amerikan ? H1B visa is a program of the US gubmint , which needs to get its shit together. Why should India bar / unbar its use ? No doubt your country is going downhill, full of dumbasses like you.

    39. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I knew that some jerk would write something like this, since it is about India! You have won the crown by being the first a**hole.

    40. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry, I will change Jerry's Comcast billing address to Mons Huygens... then he will get slapped with overdue fees...

    41. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Speaking of people who keep prattling on about stuff... you're the one talking colonizing the universe, while this is story and comments about entering a very real, practical, and established industry.

    42. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      > I'm sure one day, as a culture, they'll offer some insight no one has considered.

      What one day? The very number system we are using, y'know, the decimal number system, with its zero and all, is Indian... not Indo-Arabic, just Indian. Without the decimal system, there wouldn't be any advanced math, not with the Roman numerals. Is that insight enough?

      > It still appears that the worst thing India ever did in its bubbling history was to say "good by" to Alexander's Army.

      "good by"(sic)? Alexander does not even appear in Indian history. He was almost a nobody for India. He barely knocked at its door, before turning back.

      > And to this day, the curse of looking upon Alex's rear end has not gone away. India remains a culture that peaked over 3600 years ago.

      India was quite prosperous, richest in fact, right until 300 years ago. As far as this ISRO bit, India had superior rocket technology right until 120 years ago.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
      India's downtime will be a mere blip in the annals of history.

    43. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ..No, I'm talking about people who think we'll colonize the universe because someone else put some kerosene into a giant soft-drink can.

    44. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Was the world doing Mars missions in the 60s? "

      That's disingenuous, "the world" didn't go to the Moon either... And yes, FYI, "the world" was doing Mars missions in the 1960s.

      Put down the incense and sitar music, you're late to the game...

    45. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're sorry that we got rid of the Brits only in 1947. US had a head start: 1776.

    46. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you for agreeing that you prattle on about off topic stuff.

    47. Re:Hey India! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First of all do the India shills on the internet actually think they can convince anybody with at least one year of public school that India is actually an advanced country in any interpretation of the concept?

      "Indigenous"? India cannot manufacture its own semiconductors among other things.
      IOW, every piece of electronics needed to control this "indigenous" rocket was manufactured by foreigners.

      Do the Indians study physics in school?
      Which abject idiot decided it was a good idea to paint the cryogenic stage in the color black?
      In August in one of the most tropical countries in the world.
      Black body radiation absorption is enhanced by the black rocket color, when you are actually trying to keep your cryogenic propellants cold.
      There are reasons advanced countries paint their rockets all WHITE.

    48. Re: Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Poor A/C, your use of a Question Mark is misplaced, a symbolic gesture? Bribing your English teacher does not give you more knowledge.

    49. Re: Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      India had superior rocket technology right until 120 years ago

      Americans have been using that "superior rocket technology" on the 4th of July; for a long time.

    50. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      Yes, after the British used the said Indian rockets on US in the War of 1812, so much so that the event was recorded in its national anthem.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      PS: I should have said 215 years ago.

    51. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      > Americans have been using that "superior rocket technology" on the 4th of July; for a long time.

      Meh, US is very young. "long time" can only mean so much for it. India's firework festival is called Diwali.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
      It goes back at least a couple of millennia.

    52. Re: Hey India! by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      So it really is Diwali world after all?

    53. Re: Hey India! by jma05 · · Score: 1

      Must be :-). Despite having a much lower income, Indians splurge nearly the same amount on Fireworks on Diwali as Americans do on the 4th of July... nearly a Billion dollars per year, per country, with the Indian figure rapidly climbing as the economy improves. Wonder how much China burns through, since that is another fireworks culture.

  2. Congratulations! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Give credit, where credit is due... Well done ISRO.

  3. Yo! Moo dude! Now it is appropriate. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because they have all those sacred cows in the roads.

  4. momkind newclear options tears innocence mercy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the warm soft truth... talk about justice for all? what better choices to help us manage our greatest adversary? choose the punishment we would wish for ourselves round..

  5. Congratulations India! by wiredog · · Score: 2

    And if you can launch a satellite into geostationary, you can launch a MIRV'd ICBM against any really large country that might threaten you.

    --

    Best Slashdot Co
    1. Re:Congratulations India! by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      And if you can launch a satellite into geostationary, you can launch a MIRV'd ICBM against any really large country that might threaten you.

      Umm...if you can launch a satellite into LEO you can do the ICBM thing. Or even a FOBS. Doesn't take geostationary orbital capability.

      Note that India has been capable of reaching LEO since 1980.

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    2. Re:Congratulations India! by thrich81 · · Score: 3, Informative

      No you can't, for the reason which the USA and USSR gave up on liquid fueled ICBMs as quickly as they could and never fielded cryogenic fueled ICBMs ('cryogenic' defined as using liquid hydrogen). A liquid fueled ICBM requires too much advance preparation to launch and so becomes the first target to be hit by the opposing power in a confrontation. The only practical ICBMs are solid fueled, but solid fueled rockets are too inefficient for practical launches to geostationary orbit. So launching to geostationary orbit has little to do with usable ICBM technology, at least for the propulsion part of it.

  6. Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Who did the telephone helpdesk for the Indians ?......lol

    "Thank you, come again".

    This is another of those ridiculous vanity projects the poor countries with inferiority complexes routinely waste their money on.

    If it's not third world countries trying to pay Europeans to design and build the biggest skyscrapers for them, it's this sort of thing while half of their people have never taken a dump in a proper toilet in their lives.

    I say cut off their aid money, if they've got so much laying around to spend on this.

    Time to put the begging bowl away guys.

    1. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A communication satellite is not a vanity project, you ignorant KKK retard. Third world countries are not "trying to pay" Europeans, they pay them for services rendered by Europeans or anybody else , like it happens everywhere where business transactions happen but carry on with your idiotic rants bcoz you think some furriners hurt your sense of entitlement by taking "your" jerrbs ...

      India stopped receiving any aid money since the 90s as a government becuase it was so tiny as to be useless but gave cause for many countries which have aid to get on a high horse and lecture them. Any aid money is being given by non-governmental SJW do-gooders to "charities" [i.e. shady SJW entities] . So fcuk off.

      Citations ? Try googling or Wikipedia , ya lazy nutcase.

    2. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      India stopped receiving aid in the 90s? Really?

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-p...

    3. Re:Indians. by darthsilun · · Score: 2

      I say cut off their aid money, if they've got so much laying around to spend on this.

      Time to put the begging bowl away guys.

      $93M in 2013 – that's not really much. And you know what? India has been asking us – the US and Britain – to stop. They don't want it. They don't need it. India really is quite wealthy. Yes, there's a lot of poverty. That's what most people seem to want to see for some reason.

    4. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      UK / england and similar imperialist nations looted billions from the Indian subcontinent for 300 years and giving back tiny portions of it after 1960s onwards to feel better. Google for "white-man guilt" / "white mans burden".

      True "aid" happens when you are giving your own hard-earned money to someone needy without selfish motives. Not when you robbed them blind when no one was looking and then throw a dollar to their begging bowl in public to get applause after few years. But please continue with snarky verbal jugglery to support your delusions, oh-so-clever first world citizen (or a toady from third world to first world countries, whatever).

      Using high faulting words like "aid" does not masquerade the ugly facts about past crimes of "glorious" so called first world countries and their idiotic residents like you who now enjoy your current lifestyle due to past perversions like genocide of natives, slavery, colonialism but indulge in mental gymnastics so as not to have any feeling of guilt of how you arrived where you are now in the first place.
      Bcoz if you really look into the past and learn how your own countries arrived where they are , then how could you look down your snooty noses are "third world" countries your ancestors robbed and mock them for lack of money, toilets , roads , windoze 10 tablets whatever , eh ?

    5. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Robbed? It ain't 'robbed' if it wasn't used. India was a fucking jungle before the white man colonized it, with the occasional sprinkle of stone and bronze age in places. How far ahead has it gotten for the 60 years of independence? Have you stopped gang-raping your women already? No? How come?

    6. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fcuk off troll. We will stop whatever whenever KKK cops stop shooting dark skinned people for no reason in "Worlds Most Advanced Cuntry (TM)" Thats what "white man" does when he goes to any country and then call it "civilization".

      "Western Civilization ? That would be a good idea " - M K Gandhi.

    7. Re:Indians. by jma05 · · Score: 4, Informative

      > India was a fucking jungle before the white man colonized it

      India had roughly 29% of world GDP before colonialism. It was 3% after colonialism ended. Without colonialism, India would have industrialized earlier, perhaps after Japan (which almost ended up in China's position with the Black Ship episode, but got its reprieve with US civil war).

      > How far ahead has it gotten for the 60 years of independence?

      Quite a bit actually. The development indices were quite stagnant while the British were in India. Every one of them shot up after they left. Obviously there is still ground to be covered.

      > Have you stopped gang-raping your women already? No? How come?

      Show me one statistic that says rape in India is higher per 100K, than it is in US or elsewhere. It isn't, even if you account for high under-reporting. The press had its fun highlighting anecdotes, but failed to make a scholarly case. Rape is a problem everywhere. The claim that India is a special case cannot *statistically* be made.

    8. Re:Indians. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      India really is quite wealthy. Yes, there's a lot of poverty. That's what most people seem to want to see for some reason.

      That's what people see both because there's more of it around to see, and because the rich-poor divide is even wider in India than it is in other nations. While many of the descendants of the Raj continue to live opulent lifestyles surrounded by servants, whole swaths of the Indian population lives in a degree of squalor and dirt which you don't even see in most developed nations.

      The fact that there's a lot of money in India doesn't stop large portions of its population from living in abject poverty.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least we don't stone the victim's for committing adultery.

    10. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahahaha. There was no 'GDP' before the advent of modern economy from the West. Everyone was growing and eating their own food, including peasantry in India. Multiply the local crops by the huge population, you can get anything, but that's not an 'economy'.

      Trade and industrial manufacturing on a large scale happened because of the West. Industrialization happened because technology was invented. In the West. Hell, even India's independence was invented by Indians educated in the West. In a world without the West, India would be where it was 5000 years ago -- in the jungle.

      Show me one statistic that says rape in India is higher per 100K, than it is in US or elsewhere.

      What 'statistic', if you look at 'statistics', India is lower than Sweden. Yeah, that Sweden, where a condom breaking during consensual sex is a 'rape'. In India rape isn't 'underreported', it is a part of the culture. Rape is not reported in the jungle, it is the way of life.

    11. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We should start stoning apostrophe pluralizers though.

    12. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How far ahead has it gotten for the 60 years of independence?

      We're silently spreading to all the parts of the world and multiplying... FAST. You people are going to end up as a minority at the current demographics growth rate. Buckle Up.

    13. Re:Indians. by jma05 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      > There was no 'GDP' before the advent of modern economy from the West.

      You can say the same about History. That does not mean that we cannot look into the past beyond the origin of its current method.

      There is an entire field of study, Quantitative Macroeconomic History, that estimates historical GDPs. Angus Madison did pioneering work in the area

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      > Everyone was growing and eating their own food, including peasantry in India.

      That's a rather naive understanding of history. Indians were trading with the West for millinea, with spices, gold and gem stones. That was the whole point behind the accidental, and even an unwanted discovery of Americas (seen as a block in the route for centuries) by Europe, because the Arabs blocked land trade routes.

      Yes, everyone was growing their own food because shipping was not at all reliable for managing food on stormy sea lanes. But the ancient world was doing plenty of trading for lighter materials and luxuries.

      > What 'statistic', if you look at 'statistics', India is lower than Sweden. Yeah, that Sweden, where a condom breaking during consensual sex is a 'rape'.

      True. There is no uniform definition of rape, which makes comparisons difficult. Sweden definition is indeed absurd. And no, I am not arguing that it is better to be a woman in India than in Sweden. I am however arguing that the status of women in India is no different than women in countries with similar socio-economic development.

      > In India rape isn't 'underreported', it is a part of the culture. Rape is not reported in the jungle, it is the way of life.

      Hogwash. You are speaking from a superficial understanding based on press reports with little understanding of India. There is no codified cultural support for rape, apart from being a patriarchal society from still being an agrarian culture. If there was, Indians would not have raucously shut down the capital for weeks in response for a rape. That's the story. Not the rape. What is the strongest response of the US civil society for its worst rape case? The few rural bumpkins who rape in India are no more representative of India, than are gang bangers in ghettos representative of US.

    14. Re:Indians. by darthsilun · · Score: 1

      India really is quite wealthy. Yes, there's a lot of poverty. That's what most people seem to want to see for some reason.

      That's what people see both because there's more of it around to see, and because the rich-poor divide is even wider in India than it is in other nations. While many of the descendants of the Raj continue to live opulent lifestyles surrounded by servants, whole swaths of the Indian population lives in a degree of squalor and dirt which you don't even see in most developed nations.

      The fact that there's a lot of money in India doesn't stop large portions of its population from living in abject poverty.

      Obvious man is obvious. But I wasn't referring to the wealth of selected individuals. India's GDP and the money the government collects in taxes make it a fairly wealthy country by almost any measure.

    15. Re:Indians. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The "abject poverty" that many Indians report is a lie. Many people under report their income and admit to lower financial status because India is a socialist pinko commie country where poor people are given many freebies and subsidies all of which go poof if you admit to even modest income.

      But there are lot of Westerners who take reports of abject poverty and tom-tom it. Some are smug people who want to compare themselves to some third world dude and feel better. Some are running "charities" which collect money from dumb westerners in the guise of helping these unfortunate people. Some are sound-byte and click hungry journalists who can't pass up a click-bait sob story of abject misery.

      It also helps that Indians have always dressed and behaved to hide their real assets, openly flaunting your real wealth would get unwelcome attention from bandits, warlords or the local petty king.

      We are not Americans who buy things we cannot afford on credit bcoz the wife and kids tell we need stuff so that we can keep up with the Joneses. If someone calls me "abjectly poor" I think "well , suits me fine".

    16. Re:Indians. by jma05 · · Score: 1

      > because the rich-poor divide is even wider in India than it is in other nations

      India's Gini index is the same as that of Switzerland & Canada and better than US & UK.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
      http://data.worldbank.org/indi...
      Argue with numbers please, not your prejudices and cliches.

  7. Well done India by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

    As they say, after partition one country got its flag on the moon while the other has a moon on its flag.

  8. Certainly a great achievement by murdocj · · Score: 1

    Yes, developing their launch abilities is a great technical achievement and source of national pride. But does anyone seriously believe it's cheaper for India to develop this than to pay to launch a few communications satellites. Someone will no doubt say that "in the long run" it's cheaper, but I'd like to see numbers, because at this point, with the number of competitors, I don't believe it.

    1. Re:Certainly a great achievement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      India will now be getting paid by other countries to launch satellites into geostationary orbit. For the last several years India has done very robust business with their Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to place satellites into low earth orbit. Now they have the capability for both geostationary and LEO. So it may not be cost effective to launch a couple communications satellites but it is for more than that.

    2. Re:Certainly a great achievement by jma05 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      India does not do its space program for pride reasons. Its control room is rather unglamorous. Its space program already turns a profit, as an outsourcing entity. I read during the Mars Orbiter news that ISRO can hire rocket scientists for as low as $12K (that's cheaper than Indian software engineers who work for multinationals in India, although as government jobs, they probably have better long-term benefits and job security). It can be a LOT cheaper for ISRO to develop a space program than it costs NASA. India has some unique properties. Its manufacturing is underdeveloped, but its knowledge economy is far more advanced than its per capita figures would normally allow it to be. ISRO is perhaps simply taking advantage of that.

      > because at this point, with the number of competitors, I don't believe it.

      There aren't that many competitors and India is already deep in the fray in the standard launch market (it is not a hypothetical). This vehicle allows it to enter the heavier launch market that eluded it so far. I can see India dominating the launch market to the same extent that it does with the software labor market... on cost propositions for routine, straight-forward work (its Mars mission was the cheapest inter-planetary mission ever - $70m). Comparing costs does not work.

    3. Re:Certainly a great achievement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      > although as government jobs, they probably have better long-term benefits and job security

      That's true. My ex-boss worked in ISRO from 1990s to 2009. The pay is pretty good, especially since about 1998 onwards for a Masters degree in any engineering discipline. Not to mention nearly free housing and subsided food and either on premise schooling for your kids or very good scholarships depending on the city you are stationed. After working for few (5? 7?) years, you can get sabbatical to pursue specialization in top notch universities in India or if your boss really likes you even in UK or Western Europe :-). My ex-boss quit and moved to a private engineering firm because his experience at ISRO was highly prized pay-wise, and he wanted to take up a more risky "get fired anytime" private job to bosst his retirement savings :-)

      My uncle worked in a similar govt agency, and they had subsidized accomodation, nearly free food for self & spouse (housing quarters had agency run cafetaria for empoyees and family), schools and even an amphitheater for weekly movie shows. It all made up for about 30% less pay compared to a private firm. Also no need to worry about getting fired - unless you shoot off your mouth against your boss, you can be sure of walking out with the retirement gift wrist watch at 58 :-)

    4. Re:Certainly a great achievement by ThatsMyNick · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is quite easy to find per launch numbers. The GSLV MK 3 costs $36m per launch. At 5000 kg GTO payload, the competitors would be China's Long March 2-3-4, India's ULV, Russia's R-500 Proton, Japan's H-II, IIA & IIB, US's Atlas V, Europe's Ariane 5 and Ariane 6, US's Delta IV, China's Long March 5 and SpaceX's (US) Falcon Heavy. The ones current available, and their costs are Long March 2-3-4 (?), Zenit ($90m), UR-500 Proton ($100m). For the sake completeness, the remaining ones with much higher payload support, and their cost: H-II-IIA-IIB ($200m), Atlas V ($100m), Delta IV ($435m).

      Someone else will have to run development costs (the GSLV MK3 costs $400m (the cryo engine was a real cost sink), not including the earlier versions and development cost of PSLV). But overall, it should be cheaper that outsourcing, especially when your costs are much lower than everyone else, and you can launch satellites for other countries.

      Also keep in mind that, yesterday's launch is supposed to have unspecified military uses (probably just communications). It is not possible to outsource your military sats to other nations. Plus if it comes to it, you can claim part ownership of mars and moon (why do you think every country wants their flag on it). Plus, you will need most of the rocket tech for your missiles anyways. Add to this that your money doesnt end up in another country, and you are giving it to the people in the country (you will be consuming some of the top human resources in your country, and very tiny portion of the raw materials used in your country, but it is still a net benefit for you)

  9. Did The Needful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    It looks like they fulfilled the Requirements. Also, they pray to an elephant, so that has to help.

    1. Re:Did The Needful by darthsilun · · Score: 1

      It looks like they fulfilled the Requirements. Also, they pray to an elephant god, so that has to help.

      There. Fixed that for you. Sort of. Hindus have several gods, only one of which is an elephant. There are also 150M+ Christians, and 125M+ Muslims living in India who don't pray to any Hindu gods.

    2. Re:Did The Needful by jma05 · · Score: 1

      > There are also 150M+ Christians, and 125M+ Muslims living in India

      You don't have the correct numbers. Its 177M Muslims and 27.8M Christians.

    3. Re:Did The Needful by darthsilun · · Score: 1

      Meh. The actual numbers aren't the point.

  10. CONGRATULATIONS by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    Delighted to hear of their success. The more parties that are up there, the more that space activities will become a pedestrian sort of thing that we need to consider in public budgets, instead of still sort of seeming to be treated like some 'luxury' item that can be cut whenever fat needs to be trimmed.

    --
    -Styopa
  11. Little better than Ethiopia by NewYork · · Score: 1

    Little better than Ethiopia
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ind...

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    Casteism