Space - General Knowledge Questions

Correct Answer :   GalaxEye Aerospace company

An IIT-Madras-incubated space-tech startup, GalaxEye, is building the world’s first multi-sensor earth observation satellite with the help of a visible spectrum camera providing synchronised imaging that can take multiple images at the same time.

* The startup is going to launch its first satellite, ‘Drishti Mission’ 2024.

* Founded in 2020 by Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, Rakshit Bhatt and Prof S R Chakravarthy, GalaxEye is working on deploying a satellite constellation with a first-of-its-kind sensor based on data fusion to provide the most comprehensive imagery dataset from space.

* The data fusion technology developed in-house will bring unparalleled insights and data from space, enabling satellite constellations to perform all-weather imaging at all times without atmospheric interference typical of today’s single-sensor satellites. The technology will enable the production of images with extremely high resolution via a small satellite constellation that, once fully operational, will provide global coverage in under 12 hours, according to a statement from GalaxEye.

* GalaxEye founding member and Vice-President Pranit Mehta said, “The first launch is a very important milestone to us. It would put to space India's first and the world's highest resolution multi-sensor imaging satellite. Given the strong value of all-time all-weather imaging, our objective is to boost the EO industry and unlock several new applications across domains like insurance, maritime, supply chain and more.

* This also proves our proprietary technology, Drishti, synchronising two complementary sensors, thus pioneering Data Fusion at its core, “We are looking at mid-2024 for our first launch. While we are yet to fix our launch provider, our top preference remains to launch with "ISRO" itself. We are in active conversations regarding the same,” the VP said.

* The advanced satellites will change the way industries make decisions. Suyash Singh, co-founder & CEO, GalaxEye Space, envisions making GeoAnalytics a key tool  for every industry for their decision-making. Awarded multiple times, including Emerging Geospatial Star of 2022, Suyash has featured in Fortune India 40 Under 40 2023 for his key contributions to the Indian satellite service market..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday (29th May 2023) successfully launched a second generation (2G) navigation satellite, using a GSLV rocket with a cryogenic upper stage to do the job. NVS-01 would augment the country's regional navigation system, providing accurate and real-time navigation.

* At the end of a 27.5 hour countdown, the 51.7 metre tall, 3-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at a prefixed time of 10.42 am from the second launch pad at this spaceport, situated about 130 km from Chennai. This was GSLV's 15th flight.

* The second generation navigation satellite series dubbed as a significant launch would ensure the continuity of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) services -- an Indian regional satellite navigation system, similar to the GPS, providing accurate and real-time navigation.

* Signals from NavIC are designed to provide user position accurate to better than 20 metres and timing accuracy better than 50 nanoseconds.

* ISRO Chairman S Somanath congratulated the entire team for the "excellent outcome" of the mission.

* "NVS-01 has been placed in precise orbit by GSLV. Congratulations to the entire ISRO team for making the mission happen," he said in his post-launch address from the Mission Control Center.

* The rocket, a little short of 20 minutes after it took off, deployed the 2,232 kg satellite into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at an altitude of about 251 km.

* NVS-01 carried navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands and the second generation satellite also has an indigenously developed rubidium atomic clock..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   NASA

NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program has launched a second football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, on a technology mission aimed for 100 days or more of flight in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

* “To have two long-duration super pressure balloons in flight at the same time performing science in the Southern Hemisphere’s mid-latitudes has been a goal more than 15 years in the making, and I’m so thrilled that on this day, we did it!” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program chief. “I could not be prouder of our balloon and science teams for their accomplishment. With these two flights, we are setting ourselves up to support more and more-advanced science in the coming years.”

* Flying on this second balloon is the Extreme Universe Space Observatory 2 (EUSO-2), a science mission from the University of Chicago that aims to build on data collected during a 2017 mission.

* EUSO-2 will detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray particles from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. The origins of these particles are not well known, so the data collected from EUSO-2 will help solve this science mystery. Along with EUSO-2 being a science mission of opportunity, the overall goal of the mission is to test and qualify the super pressure balloon technology for flight.

* This balloon launch is the second and final for NASA’s 2023 New Zealand balloon launch campaign. The first balloon launched at 11:42 a.m. NZST, Sunday (16 April 2023) (7:42 p.m. April 15 in U.S. Eastern Time). That mission is performing nominally and has already completed three revolutions about the Earth’s southern hemisphere flying at about 108,000 feet..

Source : NASA

Correct Answer :   ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has sucessfully commenced testing of its semi-cryogenic engines that would power future launch vehicles.

* The very first integrated test on an intermediate configuration of the 2000 kN (Kilonewton) semi-cryogenic engine carried out at the newly-commissioned Semicryogenic Integrated Engine & Stage Test facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (10th May 2023) was successful, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said.

* The test is a step towards developing a 2000 kN thrust engine, which works on Liquid Oxygen (LOX)-Kerosene propellant combination, for future launch vehicles, an ISRO statement said.

* The intermediate configuration, designated as Power Head Test Article (PHTA), comprises all the engine systems except the thrust chamber.

* It was the first of a series of tests planned to validate the design of the propellant feed system, including the low-pressure and high-pressure turbo-pumps, the gas generator, and control components.

* The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO has undertaken the design & development of a semi-cryogenic engine with 2000 kN thrust with Indian industry participation, and it will power the booster stages of future launch vehicles.

* Wednesday (10th May 2023) test is a major milestone before integrating the complete engine and its qualification, ISRO said.

* According to ISRO, the Semi Cryogenic Propulsion System Project envisages the design and development of a 2000 kN semi-cryogenic engine and ‘SC120 stage’ that will enable the development of a heavy-lift capability for future Indian space transportation systems..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab has launched (7th May 2023) NASA's two satellites to study tropical storms and hurricanes.

* The two cubesats, the founding members of the agency's TROPICS network, launched today (May 7, 2023) atop a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, which lifted off from the company's New Zealand site at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT and 1 p.m. on May 8 local New Zealand time).

* About 33 minutes after liftoff, the Electron deployed the shoebox-sized TROPICS cubesats into low Earth orbit, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth.

* The TROPICS constellation (short for "Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats") will consist of four cubesats in low Earth orbit.

* Rocket Lab will launch the other two satellites about two weeks from now, if all goes according to plan. (For the constellation to function properly, all four TROPICS satellites must be deployed within a same 60-day period.)

* The TROPICS cubesats will measure the hour-by-hour formation and progression of tropical cyclones and hurricanes with enhanced specificity..

Source : Space

Correct Answer :   Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

A new low-cost star sensor, developed by astronomers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) from off-the-shelf components and was recently put into space by Isro’s PSLV C-55 on 22 April 2023, has started functioning properly in its first test-launch.

Named ‘StarBerrySense’, the main function of the payload is to quickly and accurately calculate where a satellite is pointing in space as for any space mission, it is crucial to know the exact positioning of the satellite. The start sensor is capable of finding its pointing direction in space by identifying the stars in its field of view.

The astronomers from the Space Payloads Group at the IIA have announced that not only has StarBerrySense withstood the harsh conditions in space and is functioning as expected, the initial data shows that it is able to calculate the pointing direction.The StarBerrySense payload is being tested in space for the very first time...

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   NASA

Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil - the fine-grained material that blankets the Moon's surface.

The extraction, which took place in a vacuum environment, marks the first time this has been achieved and opens the door for astronauts to eventually harvest and make use of resources in a lunar environment through in-situ resource utilization.

In order to recreate the conditions found on the Moon, NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team utilized a special spherical chamber known as the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. This chamber is considered "dirty" because it allows unclean samples to be tested.

To conduct the test, the team employed a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and then melted a lunar soil simulant in a carbothermal reactor developed for NASA by Sierra Space Corp. located in Broomfield, Colorado. The process of heating and extracting the oxygen takes place inside this reactor.

On Earth, carbothermal reduction has been utilized for decades to produce items like steel and solar panels by creating carbon monoxide or dioxide at high temperatures.

Once the soil was heated, the team detected carbon monoxide using the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo).

"This technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy," said Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson.

"Our team proved the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen. This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets," said Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer and CaRD test director at Johnson...

Source : Devdiscourse

Correct Answer :   PSLV-C55

* Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO) successfully launched the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C55 (PSLV-C55) mission carrying two Singaporean satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (22nd April 2023) afternoon.

* PSLV-C55 is a dedicated commercial PSLV mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), which is the commercial arm of ISRO, for an international satellite customer.

* The ISRO said, in a textbook launch, the vehicle placed Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and LUMELITE-4 as a co-passenger satellite precisely into their intended 586 km circular orbit.
 
* It is the 57th flight of PSLV, and the 16th mission of the PSLV Core Alone configuration (PSLV-CA)variant. This is the lightest version of PSLV..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   SpaceX

Elon Musk’s new space vehicle Starship was fuelled up and ready to go. All eyes were on the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, as it was set to take off from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. People gathered at the launch site to witness history in the making. But minutes after the liftoff, it exploded.

The nearly 120-metre spaceship carried no people or satellites.

This futuristic rocket built by Musk’s private spaceflight company SpaceX is touted as a game-changer for space travel. It’s in this vehicle that NASA will fly its astronauts for the Atremis 3 Mission to the moon’s south pole in 2025. Someday Musk wants to use it to transport people to Mars. For now, that seems aeons away.

Why did Starship explode?

* SpaceX’s launch vehicle is made up of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. Together, they are known as Starship.

* Its first flight lasted a little less than four minutes.

* Thirty of its 33 engines fired and the “Super Heavy” boosters lifted off its launch pad. About a minute later, the vehicle passed through a period of maximum aerodynamic pressure, a key moment for the launch of any rocket.

* Two minutes on, the rocket had reached an altitude of 20 kilometres and was travelling at 1,600 kph. But by now two of its engines had shut down.

* Into the third minute, it was clear something was amiss. The rest of the engines had not separated at the expected time and the rocket appeared to be changing its course.

* The separation of the second stage, the prototype spaceship called Starship, from the Super Heavy was not progressing as intended, according to a report in The Economist. The rocket began to tumble and burst into flames over the Gulf of Mexico.

* The explosion came after an earlier attempt to launch the rocket on Monday was aborted because of a frozen valve.

* If the launch was successful, the rocket was supposed to reach 223 km above the Earth. SpaceX had planned for it to last for an hour and 30 minutes..

Source : First Post

Correct Answer :   Kenya

SayariLabs, in collaboration with the Kenya Space Agency and Endurosat, has launched Kenya’s first 3U Earth observation satellite, the Taifa-1, 15th April 2023 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 full thrust rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), Vandenberg Space Force Base in the USA.

* A team of Kenyan engineers from SayariLabs, designed and constructed Taifa-1 in collaboration with Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer Endurosat AD, which helped offset the design cost.

* The satellite was intentionally designed to weigh a ton to reduce development time and launch costs and to facilitate entry for developing countries without the capacity for large satellites.

* Taifa-1’s launch is the first step towards developing a proposed constellation of small EO satellites for Kenya. It is expected to significantly contribute to spurring the growth of Kenya’s space economy by improving satellite development, data analytics, processing, and application capabilities.

* In addition, the mission is expected to provide accurate and timely Earth observation data to stakeholders across various sectors for strategic developmental decisions. For example, the data will support agriculture, natural resource management, and environmental observations.

* Additionally, the satellite launch demonstrates Kenya’s progress in developing satellite manufacturing capabilities for socio-economic benefits..

Source : Africa News