Jan 3, 2014, 02.50 PM IST
When the trumpets had just begun to blow for India's Mars Orbiter Mission, an odyssey where we could surpass China to become the first developing nation to launch its own Mars orbiter (China's Yinghuo 1 Mars orbiter hitched a ride on Russian craft Phobos Grunt which failed in earth orbit 2 years ago), a little after Independence Day in 2013, air was mounting with tense anticipation at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR).
On August 19, 2013, countdown was on to launch the GSLV-D5 (Geo-synchronousSatellite Launch Vehicle D5) to put the G-14 telecommunication satellite in orbit. It was India's and ISRO's second shot at mastering cryogenic upper stage (CUS) technology, the technological barrier to carrying payloads over 2500 kg with much higher fuel efficiencies. But, it never took off.
This time, it was due to a leak in the second stage of the propulsion which is the conventional liquid fuel stage. And now, on January 5, 2014, India will attempt its third attempt and second flight equipped with homemade Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) technology, the recipe for which has been nearly 20 years in the making.
Essentially, across the globe, in all rockets, the propulsion systems consist of multiple stages wherein each stage either consists of solid or liquid fuel or occasionally, only one type in all stages. However, CUS consists of liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer, which can provide upto 1.5 times the fuel efficiency (aka mileage) than run of the mill solid and liquid fuels. When liquid hydrogen/oxygen are mixed in right proportions at right temperature/pressure in a turbo pump and the mixture fed into a combustion chamber, exhaust gases of the burnt fuel leave at high speeds to propel the spacecraft ahead.
But why does CUS pose such headaches? Hydrogen liquefies at -253°C and oxygen at -183°C. Thus, conversion to liquid, storage and transport of both on earth require complex technologies and thereby expensive facilities. Similarly, in space, they require complicated thermal and structural systems to store, pump and ignite at the correct mixture ratio, temperature and pressure all run by engines, storage tanks, pumps and pressure stabilizing systems which need to work in sync.
Since space technologies are critical for national security, they have never been shared by nations who have mastered it. Thus, India is still grappling to master it. US crossed the CUS barrier in 1963 which led to development of the J2 engine used in Saturn V, the historic rocket that took man on moon in late 1960s. Japan had its first CUS flight in 1977, France in 1979 and China in 1984. Amazingly, former Soviet Union, the first to put a satellite, man and woman in space, flew a CUS equipped rocket only in 1987.
GSLV MkII (Mk2), the official name given to GSLV range equipped with indigenous CUS, will be the technology peak, once scaled, will give India the rocket to put man on moon, and will open up the massive communication satellite launch industry which grew 35% in 2012 w.r.t. 2011. ISRO's first ever attempt to launch an indigenous CUS based launcher was in April 2010 when the home grown CUS pump failed and the GSLV carrying a satellite drowned in the Bay of Bengal. Thus, the August 2013 failure for indigenous CUS based GSLV Mk2 has delayed ISRO's multiple proposed space missions, especially human spaceflight program.
India has made only 2 fully successful and one partial success out of 8 launches with GSLV, all with Russian acquired CUS. India inked a deal with Russia to buy 5 CUS units with the associated technology in early 1990s which never moved beyond paper. In 1992, US put sanctions on ISRO and Russian company Glavkosmos (which developed and managed CUS technology), since as per US, the deal violated the Missile Technology Control Regime. Russia backed out of the deal and instead gave India 7 CUS units but no technology was shared. India went ahead boldly to launch its own CUSP (Cryogenic Upper Stage Project) in April 1994.
Even the Russian supplied seven units had their share of issues with the thrust and efficiency. Thus, India kept going back to the drawing board to alter the critical components of the main cryogenic and 2 associated steering engines thereby making the engines compatible for the Russian CUS equipped GSLV flights.
India has gained critical expertise and knowledge in developing complicated systems and associated technology related to CUS which will be a game changer in maturing and diversifying our space technology asset base with unimaginable returns by launching heavy commercial satellites, robotic and human space missions.
Thus, indigenous CUS remains one of India's three greatest targeted technological milestones along with the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the holy grail of Indian nuclear power, the commercial operation of thorium based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) (touted to provide safe nuclear power for around 300 years). If the January 4, 2014 flight crosses the finish line unscathed, we would have hit 2 of the big 3 with Tejas to be inducted into the air force soon (albeit 10 years late), leaving only the AHWR.
But before we feel euphoric, here's a reality check. China already has its Long March family of launch vehicles which has put 5500 kg in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) while rockets able to carry beyond 6000kg and even upto 14000kg are being developed. US already has its Delta IV and Atlas 5 family apart from Falcon Heavy, the under development heavy lift rocket by private firm SpaceX, touted to be the biggest counter punch to all government developed rockets till date. Humanity's odyssey to the stars is just taking its second step and January 4, 2014 might be a date to remember in India's cosmic history.
On August 19, 2013, countdown was on to launch the GSLV-D5 (Geo-synchronousSatellite Launch Vehicle D5) to put the G-14 telecommunication satellite in orbit. It was India's and ISRO's second shot at mastering cryogenic upper stage (CUS) technology, the technological barrier to carrying payloads over 2500 kg with much higher fuel efficiencies. But, it never took off.
This time, it was due to a leak in the second stage of the propulsion which is the conventional liquid fuel stage. And now, on January 5, 2014, India will attempt its third attempt and second flight equipped with homemade Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) technology, the recipe for which has been nearly 20 years in the making.
Essentially, across the globe, in all rockets, the propulsion systems consist of multiple stages wherein each stage either consists of solid or liquid fuel or occasionally, only one type in all stages. However, CUS consists of liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer, which can provide upto 1.5 times the fuel efficiency (aka mileage) than run of the mill solid and liquid fuels. When liquid hydrogen/oxygen are mixed in right proportions at right temperature/pressure in a turbo pump and the mixture fed into a combustion chamber, exhaust gases of the burnt fuel leave at high speeds to propel the spacecraft ahead.
But why does CUS pose such headaches? Hydrogen liquefies at -253°C and oxygen at -183°C. Thus, conversion to liquid, storage and transport of both on earth require complex technologies and thereby expensive facilities. Similarly, in space, they require complicated thermal and structural systems to store, pump and ignite at the correct mixture ratio, temperature and pressure all run by engines, storage tanks, pumps and pressure stabilizing systems which need to work in sync.
Since space technologies are critical for national security, they have never been shared by nations who have mastered it. Thus, India is still grappling to master it. US crossed the CUS barrier in 1963 which led to development of the J2 engine used in Saturn V, the historic rocket that took man on moon in late 1960s. Japan had its first CUS flight in 1977, France in 1979 and China in 1984. Amazingly, former Soviet Union, the first to put a satellite, man and woman in space, flew a CUS equipped rocket only in 1987.
GSLV MkII (Mk2), the official name given to GSLV range equipped with indigenous CUS, will be the technology peak, once scaled, will give India the rocket to put man on moon, and will open up the massive communication satellite launch industry which grew 35% in 2012 w.r.t. 2011. ISRO's first ever attempt to launch an indigenous CUS based launcher was in April 2010 when the home grown CUS pump failed and the GSLV carrying a satellite drowned in the Bay of Bengal. Thus, the August 2013 failure for indigenous CUS based GSLV Mk2 has delayed ISRO's multiple proposed space missions, especially human spaceflight program.
India has made only 2 fully successful and one partial success out of 8 launches with GSLV, all with Russian acquired CUS. India inked a deal with Russia to buy 5 CUS units with the associated technology in early 1990s which never moved beyond paper. In 1992, US put sanctions on ISRO and Russian company Glavkosmos (which developed and managed CUS technology), since as per US, the deal violated the Missile Technology Control Regime. Russia backed out of the deal and instead gave India 7 CUS units but no technology was shared. India went ahead boldly to launch its own CUSP (Cryogenic Upper Stage Project) in April 1994.
Even the Russian supplied seven units had their share of issues with the thrust and efficiency. Thus, India kept going back to the drawing board to alter the critical components of the main cryogenic and 2 associated steering engines thereby making the engines compatible for the Russian CUS equipped GSLV flights.
India has gained critical expertise and knowledge in developing complicated systems and associated technology related to CUS which will be a game changer in maturing and diversifying our space technology asset base with unimaginable returns by launching heavy commercial satellites, robotic and human space missions.
Thus, indigenous CUS remains one of India's three greatest targeted technological milestones along with the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the holy grail of Indian nuclear power, the commercial operation of thorium based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) (touted to provide safe nuclear power for around 300 years). If the January 4, 2014 flight crosses the finish line unscathed, we would have hit 2 of the big 3 with Tejas to be inducted into the air force soon (albeit 10 years late), leaving only the AHWR.
But before we feel euphoric, here's a reality check. China already has its Long March family of launch vehicles which has put 5500 kg in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) while rockets able to carry beyond 6000kg and even upto 14000kg are being developed. US already has its Delta IV and Atlas 5 family apart from Falcon Heavy, the under development heavy lift rocket by private firm SpaceX, touted to be the biggest counter punch to all government developed rockets till date. Humanity's odyssey to the stars is just taking its second step and January 4, 2014 might be a date to remember in India's cosmic history.
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