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India Launches Record 20 Satellites In Space Using A Single Rocket (indiatimes.com)
William Robinson writes from a report via Times of India: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) used its workhorse PSLV-C34 to inject 20 satellites which includes 17 satellites from various countries like US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia, into orbit in a single mission and set a new record on Wednesday. In the final stages of the mission, ISRO also demonstrated the vehicle's capability to place satellites in different orbits. In the demonstration, the vehicle reignited twice after its fourth and final stage and moved further a few kilometers into another orbit. Also included are a couple of satellites from academic institutions, Sathyabamasat from Sathyabhama University, Chennai and Swayam from College of Engineering, Pune. From the report: "The 320 ton Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) took off on its 36th flight at 9:26 a.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Center with 20 satellites including its primary payload Cartosat-2 series, which provides remote sensing services, and earth observation and imaging satellites from U.S., Canada, Germany and Indonesia. It was also the 14th flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration with the use of solid strap-on motors. ISRO scientists said, the vehicle had been pre-programmed for today's launch to perform tiny maneuvering to place the 20 satellites into polar sun-synchronous orbits with different inclinations and velocities. It ensured that the satellites were placed with enough distance to prevent collision."
way to go !
A great demonstration of Indian technological ability. As they say, when India was partitioned one part got its flag on the moon while the other part got a moon on its flag.
Guess they had a lot of practice with the trains...
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
"...imaging satellites from U.S., Canada, Germany and Indonesia...."
Those satellitles would have made their way into space regardless of whether India launched them or not. Also, 20 is now a small number -- http://phys.org/news/2014-02-nasa-deploys-record-breaking-small-satellites.html
a few years ago, when they sent their orbiter to Mars, i was listening to an interview with a head honcho of their space programme on BBC radio. the interviewer mentioned they're a country where over half the population have no access to a toilet and whether it's reasonable to spend so much money on a space programme instead of sanitation. i was cringing just sitting in my car. the interviewee tried really hard to imply space programme will bring progress and benefit the whole nation but one could see he was just grasping at straws. it was very uncomfortable to listen to.
I think the PSLV is getting close to a world record for the most consecutive launches without problems. I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but hopefully someone will chime in with the real numbers.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
> We already have far too many satellites and pieces of debris in orbit [...]
Says you while whipping out the smartphone to get location (GPS) and directions (mapping satellites) -- and a weather forecast for tomorrow (weather satellites) to attend the open-air folk festival.
Look, I'm too of the opinion that our current system is too wasteful of everything (human, natural resources) and that we should be thinking hard on how to do things better, on how to rein-in uncontrolled capitalism, led by pure greed, to better serve us humans. There's lot to criticize. Let's do that.
But "India... sholdn't be doing this" is not part of my utopia. Who should? USA? Finland? Vanuatu? Nobody?
If you possess any tiny bit of modern tech *you* are part of it. If you don't want it: go to the Amish. But then you would be cut off from wanking on slashdot.
We are? Why?
Repatriations? Colonial Guilt? Guilt for Starving Bengal? Most of the aid goes to Indian NGO that lobby for Britain and some of it goes to help the poor in India. Indian govt would be pleased to see this aid stop and reduce foreign influence in Indian affairs. Especially the current govt. The Indian govt sends aid (an order more than Britain sends to India) to gain favor for itself and some of it just to keep the world stable. Britain's aid doesnt matter.
Not sad at all. If you think to get your country out of the dark ages by building sanitation first, and only then tackling education, followed by modernisation of agriculture, decent justice and law enforcement, health care, and social security, before embarking on a space programme (or paying other countries to launch your sats), then you have another think coming. India's space program is both cheap and successful and it will pay off in the long run. In terms of reputation and inspiration, it is already paying off now.
I hear the same stupid question when there's news of a programme to get Internet to rural Africa, or to get smart phones in the hands of Asian farmers: "what would they need with that when they barely survive?" Just as subsistence farmers derive huge benefits from having a connected smart phone (more than we selfie-posting drones do with our phones), a developing nation can reap a great return from space technology. And for a nation like India it makes sense to get into the space game themselves instead of relying on others: the space programme helps their industry and their defense, which in turn helps inspire and retain valuable talent. As long as they can do so cheaply.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
Africa isn't a country.
> We first-worlders _were_ part of the problem [...]
A couple of pointers to you: weapons exports, trade agreement blackmail, neocolonialism in help's disguise...
The EU is putting lots of little African chicken farmers out of their jobs thanks to a trade agreement forcing disgustingly cheap chicken meat (the parts we EUsians don't want to eat) down their throats. Any wonder they risk their lives to just be elsewhere?
Germany's "development help" to "poor countries" dwindles wrt its gross revenue from weapons export.
That's to elaborate on just two points.
No, we first worlders didn't stop being part of the problem. Our relative wealth is built on other people's bones. Unfortunately.
I think the PSLV is getting close to a world record for the most consecutive launches without problems.
That's lucky - because if they have to call tech support it would be a nightmare.
No sig today...
PSLV is at 33. Ariane 5 is at 72.Soyuz has the largest number of launches (more than 1700), but I haven't found an interval between failures of more than 72 launches in the list yet.
There were at least 2 stretches of 133 successful launches for Soyuz.
Fortunately, it was not necessary to carry on-board toilets - India has yet to master the toilet technology.
Dude!!! Toilet were first developed in India. Read the history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet .
British looted them and fixed their home. It is just unfortunate that we Indian still havn't covered 100% population under clean sanitation. But it is available for more than 70% household.
well, this project might and that's good. mars orbiter on the other hand isn't a commercial endeavor.
oh, it's full of them. i, however, am not from there (hence the reference to BBC).
taken from wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
In 2010, the UN estimated based on Indian statistics that 626 million people practice open defecation.[10] In June 2012 Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh stated India is the world's largest "open air toilet". He also remarked that Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have better sanitation records.[11]
It is not an economic problem there, it's a Social problem. I have several friends that emigrated here from india and they all will freely admit, "it's not a nice place" because of the class and caste system allows horrible treatment of others.
The ones that flee to come here looking for freedom, they come here for really good reasons. Parts of india may be beautiful and amazing but a large amount of is still filled with human suffering all in the name of tradition.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
As long as they can do so cheaply.
I was 100 percent with you, until you posted that.
We've been trying the concept of the path to wealth is via having as many people as possible as poor as possible here since the early 1980s. It always looks like a good idea until they come for your wealth.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
> Isn't it sad that such a poor (and polluted) country like the USA devotes money to put garbage into space?
FTFY
The USA has the largest economy, but still has people living on the streets, lots of mental health issues, many people so overweight as to be dangerous, more people incarcerated per capita than Durkadurkastan, has horrendous crime stats, lots of unemployment, etc etc. Should the US have fixed all those things before going into space?
When did I say it was a country? Oh, I see... You couldn't even begin to address my simple question, because it exposes the truth about race and IQ...
Pat Buchanan - is that you?
Amazing that stupid fucks keep posting on that, especially when the stupid fucks that usually hold that opinion are not on first place on that list.
Intelligence is an individual trait, not a racial trait.
And as you so nicely prove AC, you don't have to have dark pigmentation to be on the derpish end of the Bell curve.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
In (Soviet) Russia, Russians rule their own nation!!
There's also the 100(ish?) span by the sexy Delta II (when I saw some concept art around 1990, I fell in love with it. That's what rockets were supposed to look like!)
Ezekiel 23:20
The people shitting into the landscape are nevertheless sitting in front of the TV in front of a small restaurant or pub (on the ground) and watching the launch and cheering over its success and are proud about their country!
And they dream to sent a son or daughter to university to participate in such an adventure. Often the whole family is pooling up all their money to do that. And I for my part meet those kids here in Germany in an irish pub after they come from their studies from the KIT.
Go back and play Civilization IV.
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
So what, they are just lower caste members or even pariah's. No good hindu should care.
Look up Asia on a map some time. It's not just South Korea, China and Japan. Hint: India is also in Asia.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
It's not about that. It simply makes a lot less sense to run your own space program if you can buy launches from others at half the price.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
> And in next 3 years it will also be one of the top 4 nations in space.
let's hope they won't forget to bring space toilets along.
I SO want the last stage to look like a little car and all the satellites to be painted up like clowns!
How come Slashdot never gets Slashdotted?
Am I the only one thinking this is an indirect demonstration of potential ICBM MIRV capability? IIRC, the physics and engineering behind launching multiple satellites into different orbits on a single rocket is not that far off from putting multiple warheads on a single ICBM.
20 satellites is hardly a "ridiculous amount", now is it? But that made me wonder if all those junk satellites on orbit, made of highly refined materials and often having perfectly functional components, might serve as a harvestable resource for an orbital. It would require an orbit-only craft with maybe ion engines or solar sail to capture and some kind of workshop to disassemble them.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
There's also the 100(ish?) span by the sexy Delta II (when I saw some concept art around 1990, I fell in love with it. That's what rockets were supposed to look like!)
So you are attrakted to large fallik objects, ja? How long have you had zeez fantazies about your vater?
We've been trying the concept of the path to wealth is via having as many people as possible as poor as possible here since the early 1980s.
Not true. Even India has been getting wealthier at the individual level and has a declining fertility. I think a huge part of the problem in this area are the myths. Economics is a positive sum game and the path to wealth is not as you describe.
There are Arabs, whites and even Chinese in Africa. I don't see Egypt or South Africa with a space program either.
Did you just call my father a huge dick? ;-p
Ezekiel 23:20
That sir is a laughable prospect. The Russian people haven't ruled ever.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?