nambi narayanan biography and ISRO spy case

 Nambi Narayanan

Nambi Narayanan

S. Nambi Narayanan (12 December 1941) is an Indian scientist and aerospace engineer and Padma Bhushan award winner. As a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), he was in charge of the cryogenics department. In 1994, he was falsely charged with espionage and arrested. The charges against him were dismissed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April 1996, and the Supreme Court of India declared him not guilty in 1998.

In 2018, the Supreme Court, through the bench of Dipak Misra, awarded Narayanan a compensation of ₹ 5,000,000, to be recovered from the government of Kerala within eight weeks. However, the government of Kerala decided to give him ₹ 1.3 crores (₹ 13,000,000; ). The apex court also constituted a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge D. K. Jain to inquire into the role of officials of the Kerala police in the arrest of Narayanan. He was awarded India's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, in 2019.

What if ISRO had the same budget as NASA?

future space missions timeline

Nambi Narayanan birthplace

nambi narayanan family photos

Nambi Narayanan was the first boy in a middle-class family, after five girls on 12 December 1941 in Nagercoil, in present-day Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, where he also completed his schooling. His family traces its roots to Tirukurungudi village in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu.

nambi narayanan Sun name

sankra kumar narayanan (BUSINESSMAN)

Nambi narayanan SUN Sankra kumar narayanan

Nambi Narayanan Career

Narayanan first met Vikram Sarabhai, the then Chairman of ISRO, in 1966 at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, while he worked as a payload integrator with another eminent scientist Y. S. Rajan there. Also chairman of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) at the time, Sarabhai only recruited highly qualified professionals. In pursuit, Narayanan enrolled at the College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram for his MTech degree. Upon learning this, Sarabhai offered him to leave for higher education if he made it to any of the Ivy League universities. Subsequently, Narayanan earned a NASA fellowship and was accepted into Princeton University in 1969. He completed his master's program there in chemical rocket propulsion under professor Luigi Crocco in a record ten months. Despite being offered a job in the US, Narayanan returned to India with expertise in liquid propulsion at a time when Indian rocketry was still solely dependent on solid propellants.

Nambi Narayanan and Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Narayanan introduced the liquid fuel rocket technology in India in the early 1970s when Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's team was working on solid motors. He foresaw the need for liquid-fuelled engines for ISRO's future civilian space programs and received encouragement from the then ISRO chairman Satish Dhawan, and his successor U. R. Rao. Narayanan developed liquid propellant motors, first building a successful 600 kilograms (1,300 lb) thrust engine in the mid-1970s and thereafter moving on to bigger engines.

In 1992, India signed an agreement with Russia for the transfer of technology to develop cryogenic fuel-based engines and the procurement of two such engines for ₹ 235 crores. However, it did not materialize after the US president George H. W. Bush wrote to Russia, raising objections against the transfer of technology and even threatening to blacklist the country from the select-five club. Russia, under Boris Yeltsin, succumbed to the pressure and denied the technology to India. To bypass this monopoly, India signed a new agreement with Russia to fabricate four cryogenic engines, alongside two mockups for a total of US$9 million, after floating a global tender without a formal transfer of technology. ISRO had already reached a consensus with Kerala Hitech Industries Limited which would have provided the cheapest tender for fabricating engines. But this failed to materialize due to the spy scandal of 1994.

After working for nearly two decades, with French assistance, Narayanan's team developed the Vikas engine used by several ISRO rockets including the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that took Chandrayaan-1 to the moon in 2008. The Vikas engine is used in the second stage of PSLV and as the second and the four strap-on stages of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

 Nambi Narayanan Espionage charges

In 1994, Narayanan was charged with leaking vital defense secrets to two alleged Maldivian intelligence officers, Mariam Rasheeda and Fauzia Hassan. Defense officials said the secrets pertained to highly confidential "flight test data" from experiments with rocket and satellite launches. Narayanan was among two scientists (the other being D. Sasikumaran) that were accused of selling the secrets for millions. However, his house seemed nothing out of the ordinary and did not show signs of the corrupt gains he was accused of.

Narayanan was arrested and spent 48 days in jail. He claims that officials from the Intelligence Bureau, who were the ones to interrogate him, wanted him to make false accusations against the top brass of ISRO. He alleges that two IB officials had asked him to implicate A. E. Muthunayagam, his boss and then Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). When he refused to comply, he was tortured until he collapsed and was hospitalized. He says his main complaint against ISRO is that it did not support him. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, who was ISRO chairman at the time stated that ISRO could not interfere in a legal matter.

In May 1996, the charges were dismissed as phony by the CBI. They were also dismissed by the Supreme Court in April 1998. In September 1999, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) passed strictures against the government of Kerala for having damaged Narayanan's distinguished career in space research along with the physical and mental torture to which he and his family were subjected. After the dismissal of charges against them, the two scientists, Sasikumar and Narayanan were transferred out of Thiruvananthapuram and were given desk jobs.

In 2001, the NHRC ordered the government of Kerala to pay him a compensation of ₹ 1 crore. He retired in 2001. The Kerala High Court ordered a compensation amount of Rs 10 lakhs to be paid to Nambi Narayanan based on an appeal from NHRC India in September 2012.

On 3 October 2012, The Hindu reported that the government of Kerala had dropped charges against the police officials who were alleged to have falsely implicated Narayanan in the espionage case on the grounds that over 15 years had passed since the case was initiated. The top officer involved in the case, Siby Mathews, was later appointed Chief Information Commissioner in Kerala (2011 - 2016).

It was reported on 8 November 2012 that the government of Kerala had not complied with the Kerala High Court order to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs.

Demand for Justice

On 7 November 2013, Narayanan pushed for justice in his case, seeking to expose those behind the conspiracy. He says that this case will 'discourage' the youth.

On 14 September 2018, the Supreme Court-appointed a three-member panel headed by its former judge to probe the "harrowing" arrest and alleged torture of former space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the 'ISRO spy scandal' that turned out to be fake.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also awarded Mr. Narayanan Rs. 50 lakh in compensation for the "mental cruelty" he suffered all these years. The reprieve comes almost a quarter of a century after Mr. Narayanan began his legal battles in various forums for his honor and justice. In addition to this, the government of Kerala has decided to give him Rs 1.3 crore as compensation.

Nambi Narayanan biographical film

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

rocketry the Nambi effect trailer

In October 2018, a biographical film titled Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, written and co-directed by R. Madhavan was announced. The teaser of the film was released on 31 October 2018 and the film is scheduled to release in mid-2021.

Padma Bhushan award

On 26 Jan 2019, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India.

Nambi Narayanan book's

His autobiography titled "Ormakalude bhramanapadham" was released on 26 October 2017. The book deals with the ISRO espionage case in which Nambi Narayanan, along with five others, were subjected to repeated third-degree and sustained interrogation by the Kerala Police and Intelligence Bureau in the early 1990s. The other suspects in the case included ISRO scientist D. Sasikumaran, Russian space agency official K. Chandrasekhar, and ISRO's contractor S.K. Sharma and two Maldivian women.

Ready To Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case Hardcover – 18 March 2018

Book Description

The true story behind the infamous ' ISRO Spy Case'.

About the Author

S Nambi Narayanan, a mechanical engineer with a master's in chemical rocket propulsion from the Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Sciences at the Princeton University, was among the pioneers in Indian space science. After joining the space mission as a Technical Assistant (Design) in 1966, he led a team of Indian scientists to France in the 1970s to jointly develop the Vikas-Viking engine with the French. He was the Project Director for the second and fourth stages of the SLV when he also served as the Deputy Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Thiruvananthapuram. He was the first Project Director for Cryogenic Propulsion Systems in the early 1990s. He retired as Director, Advanced Technology and Planning, ISRO, in 2001. Now living in Thiruvananthapuram with his wife, he has a son and a daughter.

Journalist Arun Ram has covered an array of beats including politics, and science, and technology, with several pieces of investigative journalism to his credit. The ISRO spy case was one of the first major stories he covered as an intern in his hometown of Thiruvananthapuram in 1994. Twenty-three years later, ISRO remains his pet subject. A British Chevening scholar in print journalism, he is the 2004 winner of the Sarojini Naidu Award for best reporting on Women in Panchayati Raj. At present, he is the Resident Editor of The Times of India in Chennai, where he lives with his wife and son.

The journey of ISRO

Since humanity came into existence, we all have been looking up at the sky.

Searching for what is above & beyond, searching for the truth.

A long time ago in India, a small group of scientist humbly began their search beyond the sky, carrying parts of rockets in bi-cycles and also using bullock carts for space experiments.

Who would have thought in just a few decades, this small start-up will make history.

The journey of ISRO ARYABHAT to GAGANUAAN. #ISRO

"24 September 2014"India shocked the world as India's satellite Mangalyaan, after travelling for 10 months in space, entered Mars orbit. Thus becoming, the first country to reach Mars on its maiden attempt, while Russia had to face 9 failed missions before reaching Mars.

Now the world knows this Indian space agency as, Indian Space Research organisation or ISRO.

To understand the journey of ISRO

 let's turn back time.1957, the launch of the first satellite Sputnik 1 by the USSR, inspired the world towards space. The next year, America launched Explorer 1 and in 1962 the first British & Canadian Satellites were also launched.

The same year, in between this nascent satellite race & the ongoing India-China conflict, the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up, which later became ISRO, with a motive to Harness space technology for national development.

church of Mary Magdalene (ISRO)

       At that time, a small fishing village in Kerala was selected as an ideal location for INCOSPAR experiments. As it was located on Earth’s magnetic equator. But there was a problem, within this area, stood a large church. The church of Mary Magdalene.

Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam

Vikram Sarabhai the chairman of INCOSPAR, along with a young scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, attended the Sunday mass in that church.

At that time the bishop told everyone that scientist also does the work of God for human prosperity and he went on to ask the followers, do they want to give up their church for science?

There was silence and then everyone replied 'Amen'.

This is how a church became ISRO's first workplace, and because of this gesture by the villagers, two new churches & a school were built for them, in less than 100 days.

Later in 1963, the launch of the first sounding rocket marked the beginning of the Indian Space Programme.

The next year in 1964, the US demonstrated the power of satellites by the live transmission of the Tokyo Olympic Games across the pacific. But at that time India's satellite program was almost non-existent.

Aryabhata

It took 11 years, when ISRO's first Indian satellite, Aryabhata was launched by the Soviet Union.

Four years later in 1979, India's first experimental Satellite Launch Vehicle, SLV-3, took off but only 317 seconds later the vehicle crashed into the Bay of Bengal.

All scientist were shattered.

But the next year, the SLV-3 launch was successful and the Rohini satellite became the first satellite successfully launched by India.

Both these launches were headed by India's former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

Now, India has come a long way and has one of the largest operational remote sensing satellites in the world.

Not only that, but India also holds the record of launching 104 satellite in a single rocket, massively beating the previous record of 37 satellites held by Russia.

Now, ISRO through its commercial entity, Antrix Corporation, has launched over 300 satellites for 33 countries.

So without further delay, let's start our never before seen journey to witness ISRO's Business & Space Empire.

Our first stop is North America and we will reach picturesque Canada.

ISRO has to date launched 13 satellites of Canada, which includes satellites for communications, managing marine transportation and the world's first space telescope for asteroids, NEOSSat.

Moving to USA, we will reach Washington DC, headquarters of NASA.

Which is the world's richest space agency having over 12 times more annual budget than ISRO.

NASA & ISRO have a history of space cooperation.

The first Nike-Apache rocket launched in India was supplied by NASA.

Moreover, in the 1970s ISRO and NASA conducted a joint Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), that beamed informational television programs to more than 2400 villages across India through NASA's satellite.

Arthur Clarke, the writer of the iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey, called SITE “The greatest communication experiment in history”.

SITE programmes included shows like Krishi Darshan, which was also initiated by Vikram Sarabhai and is now the longest-running television show in the world.

Moreover, NASA & ISRO have also been jointly involved in the discovery of water molecules on the moon surface and are now jointly building the world's most expensive Earth-imaging satellite, NISAR, to understand the occurrence of earthquakes & other natural disasters.

Not only that, but ISRO has also launched over 230 American satellite into orbit.

From US let's travel to South America and reach Guiana Space Centre.

This is a special place for ISRO.

From here, around 20 ISRO satellites have been launched, including India's first indigenous communication satellite, APPLE.

Moving to the rest of South America, ISRO has launched the first satellite built in Chile, the second Colombian satellite and also a nanosatellite built by the university in Argentina.

From here let's travel to Africa and reach Algeria.

ISRO has launched multiple agricultural and disaster monitoring satellites for Algeria.

Moreover, ISRO also holds a mission tracking ground station in Mauritius and is also planning another tracking station in the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Now let's travel to Europe and reach France.

The study of the tropical atmosphere in 2011 and studying of the ocean in 2013 were some of the mission ISRO and CNES of France had jointly undertaken.

Moreover, there are also plans for another joint earth observation mission called TRISHNA.

ISRO has to date launched 3 French Satellites, including a nano-satellite for researching the planet Beta Pictoris b.

Furthermore, Russia & ISRO have had a long association including, India's first Satellite launch, Aryabhata launched by Russia for Free, a joint students satellite YOUTHSAT and also the iconic Indo-Soviet manned space mission, when Rakesh Sharma, became the first Indian to travel to space.

Moreover, the astronauts for India’s first manned space mission will also be trained in Russia.

In all ISRO has launched satellites for over 15 European countries, including over 10 satellites for UK & Germany, 5 satellites for Italy and has also launched the first Austrian satellite, Finland's first educational satellite, and also a Belgian satellite, PROBA, which has become ESA's longest operated Earth observation mission.

Now it's time to travel to Asia.

ISRO has launched multiple satellites for Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Japan and Indonesia.

Moreover, ISRO also holds a joint mission tracking station in Indonesia and Brunei.

Moreover for South Asia, ISRO has launched a SAARC Satellite, a gift from India to all its neighbouring SAARC countries.

Now after our world tour finally, it's time to reach India.

Here, ISRO centres are located in over 15 locations, which include Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba and Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

Over the year, ISRO has been a major catalyst for the expansion of television in India.

ISRO operates one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region, which relay 33 Doordarshan TV channels and also DTH like TATA sky.

Moreover, ISRO satellites are also used in multiple fields including agriculture, water management, land planning and also disaster management.

Furthermore, ISRO satellites also provide navigation assistance to aircraft and ISRO has also developed a Regional Navigation system, NavIC.

In 1999, during the Kargil war, India had approached US to get GPS data of the Kargil region, but that request was denied.

This made India realize the importance of the Navigation system, and thus after 2 decades of hard work by ISRO, NavIc came into existence.

Now NavIC at the India level is estimated to be more accurate than GPS, and therefore multiple phones are being launched in India, that will be using NavIC.

Moreover, ISRO was also involved in Mission Shakti, a joint mission to successfully test anti-satellite weapon and has also successfully tested the game-changer rocket, the Reusable Launch Vehicle.

We have discussed a lot about space, now let's travel to space.

For our space mission, we will use ISRO's biggest rocket, GSLV Mk III.

As we reach the equatorial orbit, we will be greeted by Astrosat.

India’s first multi-wavelength space observatory, dedicated to research on neutron stars and black holes.

Going ahead, we will find the clusters of ISAT & GSAT satellites, transmitting television channels, telecom and VSAT ATM connectivity across India.

ISRO future MISSION

From here let's travel towards the moon.

In 2009 just 100 km from Moon's surface Chandrayaan-1 was orbiting, now we will also find Chandrayaan-2 orbiter circling and the remains of the Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander, which travelled for over 383,000 km, but only lost control just 2.1 Km away from the Lunar surface.

As even after failures one should never give up, ISRO will again be back on Moon with Chandrayaan-3 mission, expected to launch in 2022.

From the moon, let's travel towards the largest object in our solar system, Sun.

We will travel 1.5 million km from Earth and reach L1, where ISRO has planned ADITYA, India's first solar mission.

From here let's travel to Venus.

ISRO's Venus orbiter mission, Shukrayaan-1, is planned to be launched after 2023.

Coming back closer to earth

 ISRO has planned India's first Human Spaceflight Programme, Gaganyaan, which will use a half humanoid called Vyommitra, which means a Space Friend, instead of using animals like Laika dog, the first mammal in space, which was used in Sputnik 2.

Now let's move towards the red planet, Mars.

Here we will find ISRO's Mangalyaan, orbiting Mars and taking images of a very large shield volcano, Olympus mons, which is about two and a half times bigger than Mount Everest.

Moreover in the future, ISRO has also planned another mission to Mars called Mangalyaan 2.

As we are now far away from earth, watching the beauty and wonder of Mars, my mind goes back to the start of this journey.

How it all started about fifty-seven years ago, by carrying rocket parts on a bicycle to ISRO now reaching Mars.

Who knows what marvellous achievements the next fifty-seven years might bring.

All I can this is, ISRO's Business and Space empire.

8 moon mission are going to the moon in 2021.

Chandrayaan-3 is not going to the moon in 2021, but 8 other moon missions are going to the moon in 2021.

future space missions

1. CAPSTONE

CAPSTONE NASA MISSION

CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a planned lunar orbiter that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Gateway space station.
CAPSTONE Spacecraft
The orbiter is a 12-unit CubeSat. The US$13.7 million contracts was awarded to a private company called Advanced Space, Boulder, Colorado, on 13 September 2019 through a federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. Advanced Space will handle overall project management and some of the spacecraft's key technologies, including its CAPS positioning navigation system, while Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Irvine, California, will develop and build the spacecraft platform, and Stellar Exploration, Inc will develop its propulsion systems.

Names        Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System                             Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment
Mission type Technology
Operator          NASA
Mission duration 9 months (planned)
         Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft CAPSTONE
Spacecraft type 12U CubeSat
Bus          CubeSat
Manufacturer Advanced Space and
                            Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems
Launch mass 25 kg (55 lb) 
              Start of mission
Launch date Q3 2021 (planned)
Rocket               Electron
Launch site MARS, LC-2
Contractor Rocket Lab
               Moon orbiter
Orbits               Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO)

2.Lunar Mission One

Lunar Mission One

Astrobotic Technology is an American privately held company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates, with the goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize. The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The first launch of one of its spacecraft, the Peregrine lunar lander, is expected to take place in July 2021  on a Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle.
On 11 June 2020, Astrobotic received a second contract for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. NASA will pay Astrobotic US$199.5 million to carry the VIPER rover. Astrobotic will take NASA's VIPER rover to the lunar surface in late 2023.


Manufacturer Astrobotic Technology
Designer Astrobotic Technology and
Airbus Defence and Space
Country of origin United States
Operator Astrobotic Technology
Applications Commercial lunar transport
Specifications
Spacecraft type Cruise, lunar orbit and surface operations
Launch mass Mission 1: 1,283 kg (2,829 lb) 
Payload capacity Up to 265 kg (584 lb)
Power 30 watts
Batteries Lithium-ion
Design life One lunar day (14 days Earth)
Dimensions
Length 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Diameter 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Production
Status In development
Launched 0


3.Spacebit Mission One

Spacebit Mission One

Spacebit Mission One is the UK's first planned robotic lunar mission; the rover is being designed by the privately held company Spacebit in collaboration with Yuzhmash. Its main goal is to deliver the Asagumo lunar rover to the surface of the Moon and demonstrate a new lunar exploration technology related to lunar lava tubes, which is expected to result in more sustainable lunar exploration.
Astrobotic's first lunar lander mission, called Mission One, is planned to have 14 commercial payloads. These include small rovers from Hakuto and Team AngelicvM and a larger rover from Carnegie Mellon University named Andy. It will also include an unusual miniature rover of 1.3 kg, called Asagumo, that moves on four legs. Asagumo is a technological demonstrator that is planned to travel a distance of at least 10 m (33 ft).
Mission type Lunar lander, rover
Operator Spacebit
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer Spacebit
Start of mission
Launch date July 2021
Rocket Vulcan
Contractor United Launch Alliance (ULA)
Moon lander
Spacecraft component Rover
Landing date TBD
Landing site Lacus Mortis

3.Spacebit Mission One

COLMENA-MOON-MISSION

COLMENA, the Mexican mission that will take robots to the Moon.
LINX’s strategy is to develop swarms of very small robots that can work together.
In mid-2021, UNAM will carry out the COLMENA mission, which is to put nine micro-rovers on the surface of the Moon. “This mission will position Mexico at a new technological stage of scientific exploration and commercial exploitation, which will probably take place on asteroids and moons”, said project leader Gustavo Medina Tanco.
This mission has been entirely developed at the ICN Space Instrumentation Laboratory (LINX), with the support of the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), the National Science and Technology Council (CONACyT), Hidalgo state government, and various technology companies with a strong socially commitment to Mexico’s scientific, technological, and economic development.

COLMENA’s payload includes the nine robots, as well as a telecommunications, telemetry, and launch module, with a total mass of 500 grams.Its low total mass, together with the rigors of blast-off and survival on the lunar surface posed a unique technological challenge, according to Gustavo.

NAME                 Colmena
Mission type        
Operator             UNAM 
Mission duration
Rocket              Vulcan Centaur

5.Nova-C

NOVA-C

Nova-C is a lunar lander designed by the private company Intuitive Machines to deliver small commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon.
Intuitive Machines was one of the 9 contractor companies selected by NASA in November 2018, and Nova-C is one of the first three landers selected to be built and launched by the new NASA program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). The launch is planned on a Falcon 9 rocket on 11 October 2021

Overview
Nova-C lunar lander was designed by Intuitive Machines, and it inherits technology developed by NASA's Project Morpheus. It features a spacecraft propellant system that uses methane and liquid oxygen, and an autonomous landing and hazard detection technology. After landing, the lander is capable of relocating by performing a vertical takeoff, cruise, and vertical landing. Methane and oxygen could also be potentially manufactured on the Moon and Mars. (See: In-situ resource utilization) Nova-C is capable of 24/7 data coverage for its client payload, and can hold a payload of 100 kg. The Nova-C lander design provides a technology platform that scales to mid and large lander classes, capable of accommodating larger payloads.


Designer Intuitive Machines
Country of origin United States
Applications Lunar payloads delivery
Specifications
Spacecraft type Lander
Dry mass 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) 
Payload capacity 100 kg (220 lb) 
Power 200 W (0.27 hp)[2]
Dimensions
Length 3 m (9.8 ft) [1]
Diameter 2 m (6 ft 7 in) 
Production
Status In development
Launched 0
Maiden launch 11 October 2021 (planned) 
Related spacecraft
Derived from Project Morpheus

6. Luna 25

Luna 25 (Luna-Glob lander)  is a planned lunar lander mission by Roscosmos. It will land near the lunar south pole at the Boguslavsky crater. It was renamed from Luna-Glob lander to Luna 25 to emphasize the continuity of the Soviet Luna program from the 1970s, though it is still part of what was at one point conceptualized as the Luna-Glob lunar exploration program. The launch is scheduled for October 2021.

LUNA 25 Mission

Initial mission plans called for a lander and orbiter, with the latter also deploying impact penetrators. In its current form, Luna 25 is a lander only, with a primary mission of proving out the landing technology. The mission will carry 30 kg (66 lb) of scientific instruments, including a robotic arm for soil samples and possible drilling hardware.
The launch is currently planned for October 2021 on a Soyuz-2.1B rocket with Fregat-M upper stage, from Baikonur or Vostochny.


Names Luna-Glob lander
Mission type Technology, Reconnaissance
Operator SRI RAS (IKI RAN)
Mission duration 1 year (planned) 
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Robotic lander
Manufacturer NPO Lavochkin
Launch mass 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) 
Payload mass 30 kg (66 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 21 October 2021 
Rocket Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat-M 
Launch site Baikonur or Vostochny 
Moon lander
Landing site Boguslavsky crater

7.Artemis 1

Artemis 1 (officially Artemis I) is a planned uncrewed test flight for NASA's Artemis program that is the first integrated flight of the agency's Orion MPCV and Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. It is expected to launch in November 2021.
Formerly known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), the mission was renamed after the introduction of the Artemis program. The launch will be held at Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, where an Orion spacecraft will be sent on a mission of 25.5 days, 6 of those days in a retrograde orbit around the Moon. The mission will certify the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket for crewed flights beginning with the second flight test of the Orion and Space Launch System, Artemis 2, which will carry a crew of four around the Moon in 2023 for a week-long mission and back prior to the assembly of the Gateway.
Overview
File:Artemis I (Mission Trajectory).webm
Artemis 1 will use the Block 1 variant of the Space Launch System. The Block 1 will use five-segment solid rocket boosters producing 8.8 million pounds-force (39,000 kN) of thrust at liftoff. The core stage will use four RS-25D engines of the Space Shuttle. The upper stage ICPS will be based on the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (itself based on the design of the upper stage of JAXA's H-II and H-IIA rockets), containing one RL10 engine.



Names
Space Launch System-1 (SLS-1)
Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1)
Mission type Uncrewed Lunar orbital test flight
Operator NASA
Website www.nasa.gov/artemis-1
Mission duration 26 to 42 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft Orion CM-002
Spacecraft type Orion MPCV
Manufacturer The Boeing Company / Lockheed Martin / Airbus
Start of mission
Launch date NLT November 2021
Rocket SLS Block 1
Launch site Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B 
End of mission
Landing site Pacific Ocean 
Orbital parameters
Reference system Selenocentric
Period 6 days
Moon orbiter
Orbital insertion TBD

8.ALINA

PTScientists GmbH is the company representing the team competing at the Google Lunar X-Prize. The company opened offices in Berlin-Mahlsdorf in 2015. It sells payload for the Moon mission to individuals, organizations, and companies.


ALINA is a lunar lander with a launch mass of 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) and a landing mass of about 320 kg (710 lb). Its main engines are in a cluster of eight, each generating 200 newtons. It also features eight attitude control thrusters generating 10 newtons each. ALINA is built to host three general types of payload, which are rovers, stationary and orbital (deployment of CubeSats), but for its first mission, it will deploy two rovers and no satellites.
This mission aims to land 3 to 5 km (1.9 to 3.1 mi) away from the Apollo 17 landing site in the Taurus–Littrow lunar valley, to locate and film from a distance the Lunar Roving Vehicle left there by NASA astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. PTScientists have pledged to preserve this and all other NASA and Soviet lunar landers and rovers as "world heritage" and through their support for For All Moonkind Inc.

The Audi Lunar Quattro (ALQ) rovers are being[when?] developed by German automobile manufacturer Audi. The prototype rover is called Asimov Jr. R3, while the two flight rovers are named Audi Lunar Quattro (ALQ). The rovers feature four-wheel drive tranmision where each wheel is able to pivot 360° for special maneuvers, and their solar panel is able to tilt in the direction of the Sun for best power generation.
The rovers' projected maximum speed is 3.6 km/h (2.2 mph), and they will carry two stereo cameras to acquire 3D images, mounted to a moving head at the front of the vehicle. ALINA lander will communicate with the rovers using technology based on Infineon chips, Nokia, and Vodafone's 4G LTE. In turn, the lender will communicate with Earth Control using the European Space Operations Centre (ESTRACK) network.

Mission type Robotic lander and 2 rovers
Operator PTScientists
Website mission-to-the-moon.com
Mission duration one lunar day (28 days) maximum
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft ALINA
Spacecraft type lunar lander
Manufacturer PTScientists
Launch mass 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) [16]
Landing mass ALINA: ~320 kg (710 lb)
Rovers: 30 kg (66 lb) each
Dry mass ALINA: 220 kg (490 lb)
Fuel mass: 930 kg (2,050 lb)[16]
Payload mass ALINA: 100 kg (220 lb) max.
Rovers: 5 kg (11 lb) max. each[16]
Dimensions ALINA: 2.6 m × 2.2 m × 1.8 m
Rovers:
Power ALINA:
Rovers: 90 W
Start of mission
Launch date 2021 
Rocket Ariane 64 
Contractor ArianeGroup
Moon rover
Spacecraft component Audi Lunar Quattro-1 (ALQ-1) and Audi Lunar Quattro-2 (ALQ-2)
Landing site Taurus–Littrow
Transponders
Band X band and S band

ISRO launches more space tech incubation centers to promote innovation by students

 ISRO start a space Technology Incubation Centre (STIC) at Nagpur’s Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT).

ISRO space tech incubation centres

 In a program that was held on-line, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ISRO, Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan, Director, Capacity Building Program Officer (CBPO), and Prof P M Padole, Director, VNIT. The ISRO team comprising Jiwan Kumar Pandit and Nishant Kumar visited VNIT.

The Space Technology Incubation Centre at VNIT being set up by ISRO, will cover the Western region of the country which will include states of GOA, Gujarat, Maharashtra and union territories (UT). Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The objective of this STIC is to attract and nurture the young academia with innovative ideas/research aptitude for carrying out research, motivating and supporting them to initiate the start-ups and business in the field of space technology and applications. It also aims at establishing the Academia-Industry eco-system in the whole of the Western region.  “S-TIC at VNIT will receive an attractive sum as an annual grant-in-aid as seed money for two years. A major part of the seed money will be utilized for carrying out research activities for the projects undertaken by ISRO. VNIT has provided around 5,000 sq ft floor area on the 6th floor of the academic block for this purpose. ISRO shall initiate the relevant projects which can be taken up by VNIT. “S-TIC at VNIT will receive an attractive sum as an annual grant-in-aid as seed money for two years. A major part of the seed money will be utilized for carrying out research activities for the projects undertaken by ISRO. VNIT has provided around 5,000 sq ft floor area on the 6th floor of the academic block for this purpose. ISRO shall initiate the relevant projects which can be taken up by VNIT.

VNIT shall provide the relevant facilities/laboratories for obtaining solutions. If necessary, high-tech test facilities at ISRO will also be made available to VNIT,” informed Prof Padole while talking to ‘The Hitavada’. Dr. Sunil Bhat, Associate Professor from Electrical Engineering Department shall be the coordinator from VNIT side for STIC. Prof. Padole emphasized the efforts taken by the Institute in the last few years to strengthen industry-institute interaction and to create an ecosystem for pre-incubation, incubation, start-up projects, and R and D activities. The effort has started showing the fruits and in the last three years, the institute received 18 patents. The Institute is working on more than 100 R and D projects amounting to Rs 55 crore.

Prof. Padole reiterated the institute committed to the success of S-TIC by involving faculty members, students, alumni, and local industries. Umamaheshwaran, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, said, “ISRO has always worked with industries and academia through programs such as RESPOND and STIC as a step to involve students to have their start-ups in space technology having immense techno-commercial potential in future. S-TIC will provide space for entrepreneurs and leaders for the future. The sapling which has been planted today has a great potential to grow like a tree in the future and its fruits will be startups by students.” The MoU signing function started with a welcome address by Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan, Director, CBPO, ISRO. Prof. P M Padole, Director VNIT, speaking on the occasion, presented the infrastructure and research facilities of the Institute and highlighted the institute achievements. On the occasion, Dr. K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO, also released ‘YUKTI-Sanchita 2021’ which contains the list of 108 problems that ISRO wants to be taken up immediately. Dr. Sunil Bhat, Coordinator, S-TIC; Prof. D R Peshwe, Dean (Faculty Welfare); Prof. J D Ekhe, Dean (P&D); Prof. Dilip Lataye, Dean (Students Welfare); Prof. Abhay Gandhi, Dean (Academic); Prof. Vilas Deshpande, Head, Department of Physics, also were present. Dr. Rashmi Uddanwadikar, Associate Dean, conducted the proceedings while Dr. Jiwan Kumar Pandit, Associate Director, CBPO, proposed a vote of thanks.

ISRO, Academia, Industry to solve space technology problem: K Sivan Dr. K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO, and Secretary Department of Science (DOS), while speaking in his presidential address, said, “The trio ISRO, Academia and Industry through S-TIC can solve the problems in space technology. ISRO will provide projects of practical relevance on which students can work to develop a proof of the concept. Their testing and validation will also be done using the facilities at STIC and if required from ISRO laboratories. Start-ups at S-TIC can eventually approach INSPACE (Indian National Space Promotion Authorisation and Centre).” 

ISRO's future launch vehicles

 India has made tremendous strides in launch vehicle technology to achieve self-reliance in satellite launch vehicle programs with the operationalism of Polar satellite launch vehicle and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle the Indian space research organization's expendable.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is working on a next-generation launch vehicle that would have the capacity of carrying payloads four times higher than the capacity of its operational launch vehicles.

 “India has a Launch Vehicle system with a capability to put 4 — ton class of satellites to GTO, whereby meeting all the national requirements.

 While other countries have higher launch capabilities, ISRO is making its own plans to increase its launch vehicle capabilities, even up to 16 tons to GTO in the future,” Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of State for Space told Parliament.

 Presently, India has three launch vehicles, namely, polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) with a launch capability of 1.75 tons to 600 km sun-synchronous polar orbit, Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) with a launch capability of 2.2 tons to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and Geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle Mark 3 with a launch capability of 4 tons to the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

 “ISRO is presently working on a reusable launch vehicle, cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engine.

 It has already made success in cryogenic and reusable launch vehicle technology.

 ISRO has already started work on technology development of the super heavy-lift vehicles (SHLV).

 So, it is feasible but how much time it will take cannot be predicted as of now,” Ajey Lele, a senior fellow at Delhi-based Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses told Sputnik.

 Now, the Indian government intends to initiate development activities for a semi-cryogenic stage and the clustering of semi-cryogenic engines in order to upgrade the launch capability.

 The maximum launch capabilities to GTO of other space agencies are

 USA. 14 tons,

China. 13 tons,

Europe. 10.5 tons,

Russia. 6.25 tons,

Japan. 8 tons.

 Recently, US private firm SpaceX has demonstrated the launch of a heavy-lift launch vehicle, Falcon Heavy, which can carry 26.7 tons to GTO.

 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (or SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehicle being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with payload capacity to deliver 500 kg to low Earth orbit (500 km or 300 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit (500 km ) for launching small satellites, with the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs. On 21 December 2018, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba completed the design for the vehicle.

The maiden flight is expected by end of 2021,  from the First Launch Pad, and in the future, a dedicated launch pad in Sriharikota called Small Satellite Launch Complex (SSLC) will be set up. A new spaceport, underdevelopment, near Kulasekharapatnam in Tamil Nadu will handle SSLV launches when complete.
After entering the operational phase, the vehicle's production and launch operations will be done by a consortium of Indian firms along with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

Vehicle description

The SSLV was developed with the aim of launching small satellites commercially at a drastically reduced price and higher launch rate as compared to the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The development cost of SSLV is ₹120 crores and the manufacturing cost is expected to be ₹30 crores to ₹35 crores.
The projected high launch rate relies on largely autonomous launch operation and on overall simple logistics. To compare, a PSLV launch involves 600 officials while SSLV launch operations would be managed by a small team of about six people. The launch readiness period of the SSLV is expected to be less than a week instead of months. The launch vehicle can be assembled both vertically like the existing PSLV and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and horizontally like the decommissioned Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV).
The first three stages of the vehicle use a solid propellant, with the fourth stage being a velocity-trimming module.
Vehicle characteristics:
Height: 34.0 meters
Diameter: 2.0 meters
Mass: 120 tonnes

Unified Launch Vehicle

Unified Launch Vehicle

The Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV) is a development project by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) whose core objective is to design a modular architecture that could eventually replace the PSLV, GSLV Mk I/II, and GSLV Mk III with a single family of launchers. The design may include a heavy-lift variant dubbed HLV, consisting of the SC-160 stage and two solid rocket boosters, as well as a super heavy-lift variant called SHLV with a clustering stage of five SCE-200 engines. As SCE-200 will only fly after the successful completion of the Gaganyaan program, the launcher will not fly before 2022.

Vehicle description

As of May 2013, based on ISRO data, the design comprised a common core and upper stage, with four different booster sizes. All four versions of the boosters are solid motors, with at least three versions reusing current motors from the PSLV, GSLV Mk I/II, and LVM3. The core, known as the SC160 (Semi-Cryogenic stage with 160 tonnes of propellant, in the ISRO nomenclature), would have 160,000 kg of Kerosene / LOX propellant and be powered by a single SCE-200 rocket engine. The upper stage, known as the C30 (Cryogenic stage with 30 tonnes of propellant) would have 30,000 kg of LH2 / LOX propellant and be powered by a single CE-20 engine.
The four booster options are:
6 × S-13, slightly larger than the S-12 on PSLV, to burn longer;
2 × S-60, which appears to be a new solid motor development;
2 × S-139, which is the first stage of PSLV and GSLV Mk I/II;
2 × S-200, like on the LVM3.
Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV-Variant):-
A potential heavy-lift variant (HLV) of the unified launcher capable of placing up to 10 ton class of spacecraft into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit would include:
A larger dual S-250 solid strap-on boosters as compared to the S-200 boosters used in LVM3;
A L-400 semi-cryogenic core stage, with 400 tonnes of propellant, using a cluster of five SCE-200 engines;
A L-27 cryogenic third stage, with 27 tonnes of propellant, using CE-20 engine.

Reusable Launch Vehicle

Reusable Launch Vehicle

Reusable Launch Vehicle–Technology Demonstration Programme is a series of technology demonstration missions that have been conceived by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a first step towards realizing a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) re-usable launch vehicle.

For this purpose, a winged reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (RLV-TD) has been configured. The RLV-TD acted as a flying testbed to evaluate various technologies like powered cruise flight, hypersonic flight, and autonomous landing using air-breathing propulsion. The application of these technologies would bring down the launch cost by a factor of 10. This project has no connection with the Avatar spaceplane concept by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation.

RLV Development

In 2006 the Indian Space Research Organisation performed a series of ground tests to demonstrate stable supersonic combustion for nearly 7 seconds with an inlet Mach number of 6.
In March 2010, ISRO conducted the flight testing of its new sounding rocket: Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV-D01), weighing 3 tonnes at lift-off, a diameter of .56 m (1 ft 10 in), and a length of ~10 m (33 ft). It carried a passive scramjet engine combustor module as a test-bed for the demonstration of air-breathing propulsion technology.
In January 2012, ISRO announced that a scaled prototype, called Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), was approved to be built and tested. The aerodynamics characterization on the RLV-TD prototype was done by National Aerospace Laboratories in India. The RLV-TD is in the last stages of construction by a Hyderabad-based private company called CIM Technologies.
By May 2015, engineers at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station were installing thermal tiles on the outer surface of the RLV-TD to protect it against the intense heat during atmospheric reentry. This prototype weighs around 1.5 tonnes and flew to an altitude of 65 km mounted on top of an expendable solid booster HS9.
On August 28, 2016, ISRO successfully tested its scramjet engine on a second developmental flight of its Advanced Technology Vehicle ATV-D02 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre for 28 August 2016. The scramjet engine will be integrated into the RLV at a later stage of development.

Test flights

A total of four RLV-TD flights are planned by ISRO.
HEX (Hypersonic Flight Experiment): completed on 23 May 2016.
LEX (Landing Experiment): TBA
REX (Return Flight Experiment): TBA
SPEX (Scramjet Propulsion Experiment): TBA

 Hypersonic Flight Experiment

The Hypersonic Flight Experiment, or HEX, was the first test flight in the RLV-TD development program. It was launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 23 May 2016 at 7:00 AM local time onboard an HS9 solid rocket booster.
After a successful launch, booster burn-out occurred 91.1 seconds into the flight at a height of about 56 km, the RLV-TD separated from the HS9 booster and further ascended to a height of about 65 km. The RLV-TD then began its descent at about Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). The vehicle's navigation, guidance, and control systems accurately steered the vehicle during this phase for a controlled descent down to the defined landing spot over the Bay of Bengal, at a distance of about 450 km (280 mi) from Sriharikota, thereby fulfilling its mission objectives. The vehicle was tracked during its flight from ground stations at Sriharikota and a shipborne terminal. The total flight duration from launch to splashdown lasted about 770 seconds. The unit was not planned to be recovered. ISRO plans to construct an airstrip greater than 4 km (2.5 mi) long in Sriharikota island in the "near future".
In this flight, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance and control, and a reusable thermal protection system, have been validated.