Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
do u know how small Israel is?
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
^ so you're saying they don't have their own launch facility? I didn't know.
In that case I guess it is cheaper for them to launch from India than from other places. Good for us
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
^They do have em but they dont utilize them. Only for test purposes...
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Israel has it's space launching facility at the Palmachim Airbase. But, at the moment, they do not have the spectrum and diversity of launchers which ISRO has. Secondly, the Palmachim space launching facility is fully functional and used for launching Israeli satellites, like the Ofeq 5. The testing part is applicable only to the missiles and not for space facilities.
The reasons why Israel used PSLV for launching this spy satellite are :
The launch from India allows the satellite to be placed in an orbit from which Israel can obtain newer photographic angles.
The direction of launch is from the east, and this allows more coverage over Iranian sites.
The cost factor.
The most important factor being the demonstrated reliability of the Indian PSLV, with 11 back-to-back successful launches.
Furthermore, as per the current plans two more Israeli spy satellites will be launched from India.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
^ I don't understand the 1st and 2nd points. Can't they place it in the same orbit from Israel? Or are orbits assigned by country, so they get a different view?
Similarly, if they launch from Israel can't they get the same views from the 2nd orbit onwards?
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Israel has it's space launching facility at the Palmachim Airbase. But, at the moment, they do not have the spectrum and diversity of launchers which ISRO has. Secondly, the Palmachim space launching facility is fully functional and used for launching Israeli satellites, like the Ofeq 5. The testing part is applicable only to the missiles and not for space facilities.
The reasons why Israel used PSLV for launching this spy satellite are :
The launch from India allows the satellite to be placed in an orbit from which Israel can obtain newer photographic angles.
The direction of launch is from the east, and this allows more coverage over Iranian sites.
The cost factor.
The most important factor being the demonstrated reliability of the Indian PSLV, with 11 back-to-back successful launches.
Furthermore, as per the current plans two more Israeli spy satellites will be launched from India.
Peg bro! Thanks for the info.
However you missed out an important aspect here.
ISRO PSLV program had only a couple of launches in 2007. This is but a tiny fraction of launches performed by other spacegoing nations (in the same period).
Even in 2008, there seems to be less than 5 launches planned. ISRO seems desperate to find a satellite any satellite to be launched. Indian companies do not need their services very often either.
So it is a do or die situation for ISRO, and they are making Indian taxpayers pay for the foreign launches. And that is where your factor number 3 "cost" is the biggest reason any country would want to use ISRO.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
^ I don't understand the 1st and 2nd points. Can't they place it in the same orbit from Israel? Or are orbits assigned by country, so they get a different view?
Similarly, if they launch from Israel can't they get the same views from the 2nd orbit onwards?
The closer you are to the equator the better the launch
Thats why cape canevaral is in flordia, or Star City is in Kazakhstan, European Space Agency is in French Guyana
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
StirCrasy,
Simply stated a launch from India would've provided the satellite with the given orbital characteristics in a more optimal manner as compared to a launch from Israel. It is less a question of "is it possible to launch from XYZ", but more an issue of launching to achieve the objective in the most optimal manner. Also, once launched, you want the actual orbit of the satellite to be as close to the desired orbit, so that you do not have to use the fuel onboard the satellite ( which ends up reducing satellite's life ). In this case, these factors favoured a launch from India.
Burqaposh,
Interesting comments. Yes, I did not comment on the frequency of the launches. At the moment, ISRO is in a expansion mode in across a diverse spectrum of applications and capabilities. PSLV's record over the years has been good and will be built upon. Also, India is a new comer the commercial satellite launch business, and so far it has done well. You may know that the launch of this Israeli satellite was only the second commercial launch. So, while initially ISRO has not been focussed on the commercial aspects of space, they are now gradually expanding their portfolio from purely concentrating on space launches for national applications to commercial ventures as well. I sincerely hope that in the future, the number of commercial launches increase. There are many areas in which ISRO is foraying into, but are probably outside the scope of this thread.
Furthermore, I would like you to clarify when you say that Indian tax payers are paying for foreign launches. It is a well known fact that ISRO was paid handsomely by Israel for this launch.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
ISRO joins big league in space
Pallava Bagla
Sunday, January 27, 2008 (New Delhi)
Indian space agency continues its successful run, this week it placed in orbit an Israeli spy satellite launched under a commercial contract.
This has propelled the Indian Space Research Organization or ISRO into the big league and its now well poised to enter the US$ 15 billion a year global launch market, Indian satellite images are already popular.
The commercial arm of ISRO the Antrix Corporation has meanwhile been doing brisk business with its total turnover for the last fiscal rising to Rupees 664 crores. ISRO is all set to rake in the money while travelling to Moon, Mars and Beyond.
The twenty fifth launch of a rocket from the Indian space port, a significant milestone in more ways than one.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or the PSLV placed an Israeli spy satellite TecSAR in orbit on Monday.
This is ISRO’s second fully commercial launch and even though they are not saying how much Israel paid them. Sources said that it is higher than the market rate of 20,000 dollar or 8 lakh rupees per kg. The TecSAR weighs about 300 kg.
For its first commercial launch., the 352 kg Italian satellite Agile. ISRO had charged 11 million dollars or 44 crore rupees. That too was well above the market rate.
PSLV is popular because its considered reliable and the launch site is close to the equator giving the necessary edge.
‘‘People have realized that the PSLV is a real workhorse based on its reliability and cost effectiveness,’’ said Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO.
Now, the Indian space agency gets 75 per cent of its business from foreign clients.
ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation has increased its turnover by 50 per cent this fiscal, earning almost 664 crore rupees.
ISRO has contracts for launching four small satellites for Singapore, Netherlands, Canada and Germany.
And the agency has also won a contract for making two large communications satellites for European customers.
It is not just ISRO’s hardware that is in demand, but the images taken by Indian Remote sensing satellites are much in demand in the international market.
The international experts are all praise for ISRO.
‘‘Indian Space Organisation is good, and more important than the facilities it is the quality of the engineers and scientists and the technicians. They have a great capability,’’ said Dr Michael Griffin, Administrator, NASA, USA to NDTV.
On being asked that whether India is ready to go moon and beyond, he replied, ‘‘Absolutely. India has the technical capability and will soon prove it to send an unmanned scientific spacecraft to the moon.’’
‘‘And frankly India has the intrinsic capability to, within quite a few years to be conducting human space flights if they wish to do so,’’ he added.
India is today a force to reckon with among the comity of space faring nations, with 11 communications satellites in orbit, the largest domestic constellation in all of Asia Pacific and with seven remote sensing satellites in space India today can map at resolution less then a meter. ISRO can now truly dream big.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080039591
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
...... I sincerely hope that in the future, the number of commercial launches increase. There are many areas in which ISRO is foraying into, but are probably outside the scope of this thread. ......
Best wishes for ISRO commercial success. There is tough competition out there, but hey one must try to win.
..... Furthermore, I would like you to clarify when you say that Indian tax payers are paying for foreign launches. It is a well known fact that ISRO was paid handsomely by Israel for this launch.
How much was the cost in $$?
Knowing the cost one can easily see what Israel had to pay for launch to say Russia, Sealaunch etc.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
burqaposhx,
The actual cost was not been revealed to the general public given the sensitive nature of the payload. However, the fact that ISRO was paid handsomely by Israel has been reported in the media openly.
We can do a comparison if we have the exact figure, but the point here is, that Israel would already have done the math to decide to launch the satellite from India with Indian launchers.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and other great leaders of their generation must have turned in their graves when the UPA government offered India as the launching pad for Israel’s satellites to spy on the Palestinians and the Iranians in order to help it direct its bombs more accurately. India’s founding fathers, leading a struggle for freedom from colonial slavery, found their natural place with the Palestinians in their struggle to free themselves from another colonial power that had taken their land, freedom, livelihood and dignity. It is sad to see those who claim to follow in the footsteps of those Indian leaders throwing the principle of nonalignment into the dustbin and putting the age-old friendly relationship with Palestinians, Arabs and Iran at risk by providing all facilities to make it easy for Israel and America to wipe people off the face of the Earth. Perhaps, in order to rub salt into the wound, the launching from the Shar Center in Sri Harikota near Chennai in south India was timed to coincide with the brutal Israeli blockade of Gaza. The fact that India’s Foreign Ministry has sat tightlipped about the horrible Gaza blockade is an indication of the shift in India’s position.
The UPA government has chosen its side in this historical struggle between the aggressor and the aggrieved — it has chosen to be in the US-Israel camp. Yasser Arafat used to refer to Indira Gandhi as “My Sister.” That was not surprising, considering the history of the relationship between the two. India was the first country in the world that that allowed the Palestinians to open an embassy with all diplomatic privileges and full protocol that other sovereign nations were entitled to. The present government is putting India at risk by aligning the country with the great evils of modern times. The shelving of the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, the removal of Petroleum Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar from his post , the launching of the Israeli spy satellite — all these are proof of India’s dancing to the tune of its new master.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
^ha ha, this was the last thing I expected from you. Mahatma gandhi practiced non-violence, but even during Nehrus era, India started on nuclear energy generation and development of space research. I think they will be happy to see India doing well in all these fields.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Mercenary...from where did you did that copy and paste?:D...i have never seen you speaking like that:D
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
ooo..it is from here
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Mahatma Gandhiji, Nehruji and Indira Gandhi don't have any graves to turn within. They were all cremated.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
and neither nehru and indira gandhi are soo holy as that guy is telling!!
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
burqaposhx,
The actual cost was not been revealed to the general public given the sensitive nature of the payload.
Look Pegs! You don't have to sound so "conspiratorial" about the cost. Payload may be sensitive, but the cost in $million has nothing to do with that.
Come to think of it. If it was a regular joe shmoe TV booster satellite, at launch cost of $30 million, then it won't matter much if this "sensitive" satellite was launched at higher than normal $40 mils.
"sensitivity of the payload" has little to do with announcing the cost.
I bet the reason is that ISRO launched it for way-below cost just to get at least 2 launches in the whole of 2007.
And guess what! Indian taxpayers were duped in the name of "sensitivity". Which by the way is an old trick to fool people.
burqaposhx,
...... but the point here is, that Israel would already have done the math to decide to launch the satellite from India with Indian launchers.
You bet Israel had done the math and found out that it would be pennies on the dollar. They are smart. It was just the Indian media and public who got duped, and ended up financing the project of a third country who by the way is pretty rich.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
I tend to believe this…This is with regard to the italian satellite that was lauched some time back
If the PSLV-C8 cost Rs.65 crore to build, it received about Rs.50 crore from the ISA to put Agile into orbit. Besides, it was able to test its own AAM.
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2409/stories/20070518003003100.htm
But what if israel also allows india to use the satellite that was lauched???..So it might be worth it if it was charged below the actual rate.
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Singh bro! Thanks for the info.
Spy satellites use country specific encryption codes and target based “secret” orbits. Those codes and the orbit data are never shared (They are simply stolen, but they are never shared. Not even with the allies).