India's Space Agency Successfully Launches 2 UK Earth Observation Satellites (thehindu.com)

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India's Space Agency Successfully Launches 2 UK Earth Observation Satellites (thehindu.com)

Posted by msmash on Sunday September 16, 2018 @07:30AM from the up,-up,-and-away dept.

The late-night dark skies at Sriharikota, India, lit up in bright orange hues as the PSLV-C42 lifted off and vanished into the thick black clouds, carrying two satellites from the United Kingdom -- NovaSAR and S1-4 from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR. Local news outlet reports: The lightest version of the PSLV, flying in its core-alone version without the six strap-on motors, the PSLV-C-42 rose into the skies at 10.08 p.m. Almost 18 minutes later, the two satellites were placed in the desired orbit by ISRO. This was the 12th such launch of a core-alone version of the PSLV by ISRO. "This was a spectacular mission. We have placed the satellite in a very, very precise orbit," R. Hutton, Mission Director, said.

The two satellites, owned by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) were placed in a circular orbit around the poles, 583 km (362 miles) from Earth. The commercial arm of ISRO, Antrix Corporation earned more than â220 crore ($30.5 million) on this launch. The NovaSAR is a technology demonstration mission designed to test the capabilities of a new low cost S-band SAR platform. It will be used for ship detection and maritime monitoring and also flood monitoring, besides agricultural and forestry applications. The S1-4 will be used for environment monitoring, urban management, and tackling disasters. On the sidelines, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said it will launch three more satellites to provide high-speed bandwidth connectivity to rural areas as part of the government's Digital India programme, a local news agency reported.

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Sounds great! by Krishnoid · 2018-09-16 08:03 · Score: 1

The S1-4 will be used for environment monitoring, urban management, and tackling disasters.
Because *that* doesn't sound ominous.
1. Re:Sounds great! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:17 · Score: -1
  
  Someones gotta monitor the rivers of poo flowing through the streets.
2. Re: Sounds great! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:28 · Score: -1
  
  Maybe they're going to use it to monitor all of the rapes.
3. Re: Sounds great! by Scarletdown · 2018-09-16 08:37 · Score: 1
  
  Or perhaps this is to finally determine whether or not the Turtle is male or female. And they can study the 4 elephants on the Turtle's back while they are at it.
  Are you a turtle?
  
  --
  This space unintentionally left blank.
The REAL India by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:10 · Score: -1

India is not the land of "high tech" they'd have you believe.
India is the land of feces, pollution, open sewers, and illiterate backward coolies. Images of the REAL India.
1. Re: The REAL India by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:35 · Score: -1
  
  That is why india is going to kill America and China. Darwin and evolution at work. Polite civilized caring societies inevitably get taken over by more barbarian societies. This works on a macro and micro level. All you white liberals might be
  Whining about dead bodies floating around in the Ganges, but those dead bodies increase Indians immune system. Remember white Europeans did not conquer the Native Americans. Their diseases did. The fact that they had open sewage flowing through the Thames meant that they could easily conquer people's with weak immune systems and clean rivers.
  Moral of the story is if you want your children to have a future you will insist they not wash their hands and make them eat off dirty dishes.
2. Re:The REAL India by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 07:26 · Score: 0
  
  San Francisco is not the land of "high tech" they'd have you believe.
  San Francisco is the land of feces, pollution, open sewers and illiterate white junkies. Images of the REAL San Francisco.
Awesome! by AtomicSymphonic · 2018-09-16 08:19 · Score: 3, Insightful

This is pretty neat! I would be glad to see more activity from India's space agency! India has historically had some of the world's greatest astronomers and greatly influenced European and Islamic Astronomy; it's a natural fit for them!
Can't wait to see their contributions in a decade!
1. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:55 · Score: -1
  
  In a decade 50% of them will still be shitting in the street and raping everything that moves.
2. Re:Awesome! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2018-09-16 09:11 · Score: 2
  
  "Islamic", maybe. European? Since the 1600s, the wobbly foundations of ancient astronomy, cosmology etc. have been thoroughly replaced with *actual* understanding.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
3. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 10:23 · Score: 0
  
  In a decade 50% of them will still be shitting in the street and raping everything that moves.
  You talking about San Francisco or Delhi? Or both?
  Inquiring minds want to know.
4. Re:Awesome! by techno-vampire · 2018-09-16 11:00 · Score: 1
  
  We're not talking about cosmology here, but of such things as star mapping, records of planetary movements and of abnormal events such as comets, eclipses and novas.
  
  --
  Good, inexpensive web hosting
5. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 11:23 · Score: 0
  
  I'm not sure. You might be able to tell me. Do around 200 million Americans routinely shit in the street or a bucket ?
  Has around half of the US population never shit in a toilet ?
  Go on. Have a guess.
6. Re:Awesome! by angel'o'sphere · 2018-09-16 12:50 · Score: 2
  
  Since the 1600s, the wobbly foundations of ancient astronomy, cosmology etc. have been thoroughly replaced with *actual* understanding.
  Hae? What exactly did we understand more than Sumerians 3000 BC?
  Oh, we know since the 1800s or so that suns are powered by fusion, and that basically is what we know more than the ancients.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
7. Re:Awesome! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2018-09-16 13:58 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, we learned to write a long time ago. So people wrote down a lot of data. Awesome, now what inference do you do with that data?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
8. Re:Awesome! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2018-09-16 14:00 · Score: 2
  
  For example, the law of universal gravitation so that the movements of planets finally made sense? Because those imagined epicycles sure as hell weren't really there.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
9. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 16:51 · Score: 0
  
  Let me tell you about problems in US (supposed to biggest economy in the world). Homeless people are running around in US .. shitting in streets for fun i guess, deep racism (killing people in name of racism), drug endemic, democracy run by russians, church pastor abusing children with no protest from general public .. i can go on and on ... Its easy to point to other countries' problems and be jealous of their accomplishments, thats what a section of US population has become. So, think again someone can point at your countries problems too.
10. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 17:36 · Score: -1
  
  Uh oh.... found the butthurt Hinduchimp third world peasant.
  India is a shithole. No one from a real country wants to live in India, but all Indians secretly wish to be white and live in the West.
  Get back to the 7-11 Rameesh ! There's a cleanup on aisle three !
11. Re:Awesome! by AlwinBarni · 2018-09-17 01:59 · Score: 1
  
  Since the 1600s, the wobbly foundations of ancient astronomy, cosmology etc. have been thoroughly replaced with *actual* understanding.
  
  Agree with merit of this statement, however the knowledge is a continuum, without ancient astronomy there would be no modern "actual" understanding.
  
  Hae? What exactly did we understand more than Sumerians 3000 BC? Oh, we know since the 1800s or so that suns are powered by fusion, and that basically is what we know more than the ancients.
  You're joking I assume, at first I wanted to write down a list, but after typing for some time I got bored, and reflected and decided you must be joking.
  Just the presence of nowadays technology and astronomical instruments guarantees magnitudes of more knowledge. The shier time spent on observing and reflecting on what we see guarantees deeper understanding of virtually every aspect, not to mention about discovering features and things ancient people could not even have a slightest idea they existed, so Instead of writing down a long list to prove my point I just need one example (right?), so I will give you 2:
  Please find me a Sumerian script, where they explain:
  - why the Universe has about 75% of hydrogen, about 25% of helium, traces of depleting lithium and minuscule traces of the remaining elements
  - why the cosmic microwave background is about 2.7K
12. Re: Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 06:25 · Score: 0
  
  Except half the things you listed are fantasy, not reality, or extremely exaggerated. US still has it's issues, but run by Russians? lol, take your meds.
13. Re:Awesome! by angel'o'sphere · 2018-09-17 23:38 · Score: 1
  
  No I'm not joking.
  Because stuff like this:
  - why the Universe has about 75% of hydrogen, about 25% of helium, traces of depleting lithium and minuscule traces of the remaining elements
  - why the cosmic microwave background is about 2.7K
  Is obviously not very relevant.
  Sure we "know more things" ... and?
  All the stars you can see with naked eye (if it is dark enough in modern time) where mapped and named by Sumerians and older civilizations already. The planets, even Saturn, were known. They knew the earth is round, and made even a wild guess that the earth is the third planet of our solar system.
  The point is the wording: "have been thoroughly replaced with *actual* understanding." As if the ancients understood nothing ... they had not the instruments, they did not consider a big bang etc. But they had *actual understanding" quite plenty. E.g. why do we use 360 degrees to describe a full circle? Hint: it is not because Sumerians and Babylonians used a 60 based counting system (because they actually did not, it is alternating 60 and 20 based) :D
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
14. Re:Awesome! by angel'o'sphere · 2018-09-17 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  Because those imagined epicycles sure as hell weren't really there.
  Actually the Sumerians knew that the planets revolve in "circles" around the sun, and they were quite certain that the earth also "is just a planet".
  Obviously they had no satellites to "prove" it
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
15. Re:Awesome! by AlwinBarni · 2018-09-19 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  I see your point now, we do not understand any more then the ancient people in the realm of what they did understand correctly.
Flat earth confirmed by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 08:23 · Score: -1

They only need two for top and bottom!
The pedant in me wants to know ... by fahrbot-bot · 2018-09-16 08:38 · Score: 2, Funny

India's ISRO Successfully Launches ...
As opposed to the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) in some other country?
(We don't say, "The United State's NASA" - do we.)

--
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
1. Re:The pedant in me wants to know ... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  (We don't say, "The United State's NASA" - do we.)
  We would if otherwise nobody would understand what the fuck we were talking about.
2. Re:The pedant in me wants to know ... by msmash · 2018-09-16 09:43 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  That's a fair question. As someone else pointed out here, ISRO is not a household name in the US and EU. Plenty of people know it, but most do not. That's why whenever we are covering a subject that is outside of the US and UK, we try to add some context. It's a very common practice. See for instance, this WSJ headline [link will take you to Imgur, a third-party image and video hosting service]. That said, I think it would have been better if the headline said India's Space Agency. I have made the change.
3. Re:The pedant in me wants to know ... by fahrbot-bot · 2018-09-16 10:38 · Score: 1
  
  I was just being picky for fun, but you made good explanatory points; thanks.
  
  --
  It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
4. Re:The pedant in me wants to know ... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 21:13 · Score: 0
  
  Actually they do. Outside the US.
5. Re:The pedant in me wants to know ... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 05:33 · Score: 0
  
  For space launches I'm accustomed to saying "We the free world" unless it was one of Russia, China, or North Korea.
Like California by cascadingstylesheet · 2018-09-16 09:28 · Score: 1

Their own damn satellite! ;)
Proud of those Indians. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 10:11 · Score: 1

Sure, there's poor people, and that should be fixed.
But this gives hope, and gets people to think differently about India.
I hope this leads to some dirt-poor Indian somewhere saying “NO. I won't accept being treated like this anymore! We're a space nation, FFS! I shall have a better life now, or I'll kick yo ass until I do, leech!"
1. Re:Proud of those Indians. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 10:41 · Score: 0
  
  I hope this leads to some dirt-poor Indian somewhere saying “NO. I won't accept being treated like this anymore!
  
  Er, being treated like what, exactly?
  We've got us some dirt poor Americans too. And just because we're a "space nation" doesn't mean anyone's doing anything about them.
  Quite the opposite in fact.
Little Brown Chocolate Drops by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 11:15 · Score: -1

Little chocolate monkey people, chattering their primitive patois, Little Rocket Men drinking their own urine Gandhi style. The King of Shitholes!
1. Re: Little Brown Chocolate Drops by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 19:04 · Score: 0
  
  You do realise that English is an Indo-European language? The clue is in the name.
2. Re: Little Brown Chocolate Drops by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 05:33 · Score: 0
  
  Also, there are more Indians that speak English than Americans that do, and they've been doing so for longer. If anyone has a claim to English outside the UK, it's India.
Cue the ignorant comments from hicks who've never by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 13:03 · Score: 0

Hey, assholes.
1. 4chan came up with the street shitters meme.
2. Indian maths was copied by islamists and then copied by European translators.
3. Get out of momma's basement and read some history.
4. And the UK is being over run by the worst of the worst - Pakistani rape gangs.
Good luck freaks, you'll need it.
A former colony is launching UK satellites by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 13:13 · Score: 0

Ironic?
1. Re: A former colony is launching UK satellites by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 05:26 · Score: 0
  
  Not really, they're closer to the equator. I note the US doesn't launch rockets from New York...
Cue the ignorant comments from hinduchimps... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 14:10 · Score: 0

..... who shit in the streets, smell, are hopelessly corrupt and who have been the playthings of Europeans for centuries.
Now, get back to driving that taxi Prajit.
The India they don't want you to see by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 14:27 · Score: -1

India is not the land of "high tech" they'd have you believe.
India is the land of rotting corpses, feces, pollution, open sewers, and illiterate backward coolies.
Images of the REAL India.
1. Re:The India they don't want you to see by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 15:30 · Score: 0
  
  Unfortunately India is simoultaneously both. Indian middle class which is a sizeable population(~200 Million) live comfortably -space scientists, governament servants , IT professionals, financial and automotive executives and many more. Rest of the indians live a miserable life when compared to American standards. Things are improving fast - people are becoming literate while getting jobs is difficu,lt.
  But there are some things in india which are far too good - like dirt cheap 4G internet giving GB's of data and free voice calls(almost everybody owns a phone).
2. Re: The India they don't want you to see by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-16 16:50 · Score: 0
  
  Pity they can't call for toilets or a rape prevention squad.
  No, the fault lies with Indian culture.
3. Re: The India they don't want you to see by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 00:41 · Score: 0
  
  Wait isnt rape just darwin at work. The strongest people and tribe rapes the weak tribes women to spread the more virile seed around. If the UK has rape ganges, dont blame the pakis. Blame the weak UK males. If this was 1930s UK, and they had in influx pakis raping the flower of England all the males would have shut down the border and then went abroad to rape some pakistanis.
  Rape is only immoral if u subscibe to Christian morality. Since we are all enlightened left leaning intellectuals we should accept rape culture as legitimate. Dont be a christian biggot.
Something must be wrong, somewhere by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 00:08 · Score: 0

Let us look at the title again
"India's Space Agency Successfully Launches 2 UK Earth Observation Satellites"
UK is supposed to be a First World Country while India is supposed to be a Third World Country
Why is it not UK that is launching India's satellites, but the reverse?
Are the Brits - citizens of a First World Country - okay with the notion of having to rely on a Third World Country to launch their satellites for them?
Don't the Brits have any pride left?
1. Re:Something must be wrong, somewhere by cyberchondriac · 2018-09-17 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  Because as stated upthread by someone else, Britain is nowhere near the equator. India is. Where does the US do all it's launches from, it's not Minnesota.
  
  --
  
  Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
Shhhh !! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 00:25 · Score: 0

Please keep it to yourself.
We Britons do not like to be reminded of what kind of failed fucks we have become.
Great Britain has yet to do anything right ever since the end of World War Two.
Congratulations by Anonymous Coward · 2018-09-17 01:01 · Score: 0

Now what about devoting some resources to supplying with electricity, running water and sanitation for the more than 600 million Indian citizens who lack such basic facilities? After all, we already know that India can piss as far as anyone else.