Space - General Knowledge Questions

SpaceX launched its 60th Falcon 9 rocket mission of 2022 before sunrise on Wednesday (28th Dec 2022).

 

* The Falcon 9 rocket produced a vibrant show when it launched 54 new Gen2 Starlink satellites into the predawn sky at 4:34 a.m. EST (0934 GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.  The new Starlink satellites are the first upgraded versions of the SpaceX constellation fleet. 

 

* This was the 11th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage that flew on (28th Dec 2022).

* According to SpaceX, the booster has launched several satellites, five previous Starlink missions and has flown two private astronaut crews to space.

Source : Space

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh 22nd Dec 2022 said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of Government of India has signed 04 (four) cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last five years.

 

* Dr Jitendra Singh said, the agreement with the USA is for accommodating USA instruments in India’s Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3.

* He informed that the agreement with Japan is to conduct feasibility study for a joint lunar polar exploration mission, while with UK for conducting feasibility study for collaboration in future space science missions.

 

* Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that Department of Space of Government of India provides training and capacity building in space science related technology including satellite services to neighboring small countries and other space-aspiring countries of the world.

* He said, India and Bhutan collaborated on the development of INDIA-BHUTANSAT Satellite carrying into payloads NanoMX, an optical imaging payload developed by ISRO and APRS-Digipeater, jointly developed by DITT, Bhutan and ISRO. The said satellite has been successfully placed in orbit on 26.11.2022.

 

A communication satellite ‘South Asia Satellite’ was dedicated by India to South Asian Countries in 2017..

Source : PIB

A satellite built for NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) to observe nearly all the water on our planet’s surface lifted off on its way to low-Earth orbit at 3:46 a.m. PST on Friday(16th Dec 2022).

* The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft also has contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency.

 

The SWOT spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with a prime mission of three years.

* The satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth’s surface. This information will provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change; how a warming world affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and how communities can better prepare for disasters, such as floods.

 

* After SWOT separated from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite’s signal. Initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. SWOT will now undergo a series of checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in about six months.

 

* “Warming seas, extreme weather, more severe wildfires – these are only some of the consequences humanity is facing due to climate change,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The climate crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and SWOT is the realization of a long-standing international partnership that will ultimately better equip communities so that they can face these challenges.”

 

* SWOT will cover the entire Earth’s surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude at least once every 21 days, sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data per day.

* The scientific heart of the spacecraft is an innovative instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which marks a major technological advance. KaRIn bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface and receives the return signal using two antennas on either side of the spacecraft.

* This arrangement – one signal, two antennas – will enable engineers to precisely determine the height of the water’s surface across two swaths at a time, each of them 30 miles (50 kilometers) wide.

 

* Among the many benefits the SWOT mission will provide is a significantly clearer picture of Earth’s freshwater bodies. It will provide data on more than 95% of the world’s lakes larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across. Currently, freshwater researchers have reliable measurements for only a few thousand lakes around the world. SWOT will push that number into the millions..

Source : Nasa

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had earned approximately ₹1,100 crore in the last five years from the launch of foreign satellites, Minister for Space "Jitendra Singh", told Rajya Sabha on Thursday(15th Dec 2022).

 

In the last five years, January 2018 - November 2022 ISRO, via its commercial arms, successfully launched 177 foreign satellites from 19 countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic ofKorea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

 

In July, Mr. Singh had said that ISRO had earned — over its lifetime — $223 million (~ ₹1,830 crore) from launching foreign satellite aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV)

 

The latest figures include revenue from PSLV and launches aboard the Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkIII, now renamed as LVM-3) launchers under commercial agreements.

These flights earned the organisation $94 million and €46 million (that in current Rupee values add up to around ₹1,100 crore), the Minister said in a written reply.

 

Earliert this year, the LVM3, launched 36 OneWeb satellites in a single mission and for the first time an Indian company -- Skyroot Aerospace –  sent Vikram S, a 545-kg rocket privately-developed rocket into space on November 18, 2022 as part of a mission called ‘Prarambh.’.

Source : The Hindu

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Friday(9th Dec 2022) that the joint test run of hypersonic vehicles with Headquarters of the Integrated Defense Staff (HQ IDS) was successful.

 

The country's top space research agency issued a statement saying that the joint hypersonic vehicle trial fulfilled predetermined targets.

 

A post on ISRO's official Twitter handle read: "ISRO and JSIIC have jointly conducted hypersonic vehicle trials. The trials achieved all required parameters and demonstrated hypersonic vehicle capability."

 

A hypersonic vehicle can be an airplane, missile, or spacecraft that has the ability to travel five times faster than the speed of sound, or greater than Mach 5. It is regarded as a cutting-edge technology, and countries like China, India, Russia, and the United States have been trying to further enhance the ability of their hypersonic weapons.

 

The Indian space agency has been developing hypersonic missiles in collaboration with Russia.

 

Indian scientists are also working on a project for an indigenous, dual-capable hypersonic cruise missile as part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle program. As per reports, the Indian indigenous missile will have the ability to fire nuclear weapons along with conventional weapons..

Source : Rpublic World

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket 11th Dec 2022 carried into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft. It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Rashid Rover was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace.

 

The mission is due to arrive at Moon around April 2023. According to Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai on Sunday(11th Dec 2022), the Rashid rover will provide 'novel and highly valued data, images, and insights,' as well as 'collect scientific data on matters relating to the origin of the solar system, our planet and life.'.

Source : AIR

A Japanese space startup has launched its own private lander to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket, marking a significant step towards what would be a historic first, both for the nation and a private company.

 

* The Tokyo-based ispace Inc’s HAKUTO-R mission took off without incident from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday(11th Dec 2022) after two postponements caused by inspections of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

 

* The company designed its craft to use minimal fuel to save money and leave more room for cargo.

 

* It is taking a slow, low-energy path to the Moon, flying 1.6 million km (one million miles) from Earth before looping back and making a planned landing by the end of April.

 

* By contrast, NASA’s Orion crew capsule with test dummies took five days to reach the Moon last month. The lunar flyby mission is anticipated to end on Sunday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

 

* The ispace craft aims to put a small NASA satellite into lunar orbit to search for water deposits before touching down in the Atlas Crater, which lies in the northeastern section of the Moon’s near side and measures more than 87km (54 miles) across and just over 2km (1.2 miles) deep.

 

* The M1 lander will deploy two robotic rovers, a two-wheeled, orange-sized device from Japan’s JAXA space agency and a four-wheeled unit made by the United Arab Emirates, known as the Explorer Rashid, after the Dubai royal family patriarch.

 

* It will also be carrying an experimental solid-state battery made by NGK Spark Plug Co, a Japanese-based spark plug company.

 

* The national space agencies of the United States, Russia and China have achieved soft landings on Earth’s nearest neighbour in the past half century, but Japan has not nor have any private companies..

Source : Aljazeera

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Tuesday(6th Dec 2022) that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gurugram-based private space firm "Vyom Space Exploration and Services Private Limited" for its “human and cargo transportation capsule program.”

 

* The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, India's nodal space authorization body, facilitated the MoU.

 

* The startup is being incubated by ‘JSIIC,’ according to ISRO. The organisation kept private details about the incubation program and ISRO's target timelines.

 

* A ‘capsule’ in a space mission is a module that contains any cargo that will be carried to space. The capsule is what houses the astronauts on manned missions.

* With the exception of Elon Musk's SpaceX's reusable human and cargo module, Crew Dragon, the capsules have typically been single-use in nature.

 

* Vyom Space's founder and CEO, Manish Kukreti told a newspaper that the company has been working with European research and development (R&D) partners to develop its product..

Source : Business World

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Social Alpha 6th Dec 2022 signed an MoU to launch SpaceTech Innovation Network (SpIN), India’s first dedicated platform for innovation curation and venture development for the burgeoning space entrepreneurial ecosystem.

A one-of-its-kind public-private collaboration for start-ups and SMEs in the space industry, this novel partnership is a significant step forward in providing further stimulus to India’s recent space reform policies and will work towards identifying and unleashing the market potential of the most promising space tech innovators and entrepreneurs in India.

SpIN will primarily focus on facilitating space tech entrepreneurs in three distinct innovation categories: Geospatial Technologies and Downstream Applications; Enabling Technologies for Space & Mobility; and Aerospace Materials, Sensors, and Avionics.

 

"Space applications cut across various domains from earth to sky. Innovative technologies are expected to bring paradigm shift in utilising the space applications to maximise the economic, social and environmental benefits for the larger society.

I wish the SPIN platform would be useful for various stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to the space ecosystem in the country", says Shri. S Somanath,Chairman, ISRO

 

According to the Economic Survey Report 21-22, there are now over 100 active space start-ups in India - the number of start-ups in this sector has more than doubled in the last year alone. Through this partnership, ISRO will support the creation of an open innovation and scale-up platform for all space ecosystem stakeholders and promote active collaboration to make early-stage space start-ups successful. This also marks the entry of Social Alpha in the area of space tech, a vertical that has the potential to grow manifolds and introduce innovations that can directly impact millions of lives and livelihoods..

Source : ISRO

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) has successfully used water to propel a spacecraft and claimed it represents "the world's first successful orbit control beyond low-Earth orbit using a water propellant propulsion system."

 

The craft in question is EQUULEUS, the 6U CubeSat that rode along on NASA's Orion mission.

 

After flying past the Moon, EQUULEUS was pointed at the second Earth-Moon Lagrange point (EML2). To get there it used an engine named AQUARIUS (AQUA ResIstojet propUlsion System) that uses water as fuel. The craft uses waste heat from communications kit to heat the water into steam that is squirted out to produce thrust.

 

AQUARIUS also needs little power to operate but is not very powerful. EQUULEUS will take a year and a half to reach EML2 – a point in space worth visiting because it's advantageous for transfer to other orbits. That includes interplanetary orbits.

 

The combination of EQUULEUS and AQUARIUS makes a visit to EML2 achievable at low cost and is a test case for future visits to the spot.

 

EQUULEUS carries an instrument called DELPHINUS (DEtection camera for Lunar impact PHenomena IN 6U Spacecraft) designed to observe Lunar impact flashes and near-Earth asteroids from EML2. Another instrument aboard EQUULEUS will observe Earth's plasmasphere..

Source : The Register