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Episode 72: Satish Dhawan Space Centre

By Gurbir Dated: June 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

ep72
From left to right. V. Seshagiri Rao Associate director, Dr M.Y.S. Prasad SDSC director, Dr S.V. Subba Rao Deputy Director

Located about 80km from Chennai on India’s east coast, Satish Dhawan Space centre is used by ISRO to launch all of its satellites including those to the Moon and Mars. Also known as Sriharikota, it was established during the late 1960s but today it has a vehicle assembly building, two launch pads and a state of the art mission control centre.

In this episode, Dr MYS Prasad, the director at Satish Dhawan Space Centre describes the key services and activities that take place at India’s 21st century rocket launch complex. This interview was recorded in January 2014 and Dr Prasad stood down as director on 31st May 2015.

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Episode 71: TATA Institute for Fundamental Research

By Gurbir Dated: May 25, 2015 Leave a Comment

 

Homi Bhabha 1909 - 1966
Homi Bhabha 1909 – 1966

The Indian Space Program was initiated by a brilliant nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha who pretty much immediately handed over the space program to Vikram Sarabhai. Bhabha himself pursued the goal of establishing premier scientific institutions for fundamental research in India. At the time he regarded scientific institutions to be critical for the new emerging independent India. Whilst working in the Indian Institute of Science, in 1945 he came up with the idea of an institution for fundamental research and went on to establish the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) which continues to operate today.

Opening ceremony  in 1954
Opening ceremony in 1954

Although separate organisations, the connection between ISRO and TIFR remains strong to this day. Many of the instruments and subsystem onboard ISRO’s satellites are designed and constructed within TIFR. In this episode, the former director of TIFR, Professor Mustansir Barma talks about Homi Bhabha, his achievements in physics and the role of the TIFR in modern India.

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Episode 70: India’s Deep Space Network and ISRO Satellite Centre

By Gurbir Dated: April 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

Indian Deep Space Network India’s space program is now over half a century old. During this time its Infrastructure has evolved. This episode looks at the current communication capabilities used to support space vehicles during launch, in Earth orbit or on a interplanetary missions.

ISRO has an extensive network of ground stations on the Indian mainland, off-shore and neighbouring countries (Mauritius and Fiji) and collaborates with Norway, Russia, USA and European countries for mission specific needs. ISRO also has ship borne resources it deploys to meet individual mission profiles.

 

ISRODish1 copy‘s flagship deep space antenna is the 32m fully steerable dish at Byalalu close to Bangalore. It was established for the 2008 Moon mission and has been the primary resource for communicating with its Mars Orbiter Mission. Byalalu is also the central site for India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System IRNSS due to come in to full operation in 2016.

This conversation was recorded in March 2014 with the then director of the ISRO Satellite Centre SK Shivakumar who had been project leader that established the 32m antenna.

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Episode 69: Mars Orbiter Mission

By Gurbir Dated: November 18, 2014 Leave a Comment

Dr Mylswamy Annadurai is the program director for the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched in 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. He served as the program director for the 2008  Chandrayaan-I mission to the Moon and is continuing that role for the Chandrayaan-2 currently in development.

ISROThis interview  was recorded in his office at   the ISRO’s Satellite Centre  in Bangalore on 26th March 2014 after MOM had been launched but before it had arrived at Mars.

 

 

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