Launch: GSLV F15 - NVS-02 (aka IRNSS-1K) 29 Januray 2025 06:23 IST

[swesh]

The LAM ( liquid apogee motor) failing on board the Nav 2 satellite, from a faulty oxidiser valve, is a first of its kind for any Indian satellite. ISRO must get this problem fixed, which they surely will.

Former ISRO Chairman To Probe Failure

'The work is already on with various data being studied.'

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Home » News » Former ISRO Chairman To Probe Failure

Former ISRO Chairman To Probe Failure​

By VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN
4 Minutes Read Listen to Article
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February 08, 2025 13:30 IST
'The work is already on with various data being studied.'

IMAGE: ISRO scientists monitor the launch of its 100th mission the NVS-02 navigation satellite aboard the launch vehicle GSLV-F15 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, January 29, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo
The Indian Space Research Organisation on Saturday said it has successfully carried out the ignition trial of the indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine powering the upper stage of LVM3 rocket under vacuum conditions.

According to ISRO on Friday it had conducted the ignition trial of the CE20 cryogenic engine with a multi-element igniter under vacuum conditions, which simulates the engine ignition in the vacuum condition of space.

This test was carried out at the High Altitude Test Facility at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

During this test, the ignition of the engine thrust chamber was carried out with a multi-element igniter in vacuum, under the tank pressure conditions that are expected to prevail at the time of restarting the cryogenic engine in flight.







The performance of the engine and the facility during the test was normal and as expected, ISRO said.

ISRO is exploring the initiation of turbo pumps in bootstrap mode rather than the stored gas system.

'In this approach, both the thrust chamber and gas generator are expected to re-ignite under tank head conditions. ISRO has outlined a series of tests aimed at engine starts in bootstrap mode towards enhancing the capability for multiple cryogenic engine restarts during flight,' the space agency said.

Previously, the engine ignition trial using a multi-element igniter was carried out under ground conditions outside the vacuum chamber.

The engine is already qualified to operate for thrust levels ranging from 19t to 22t in flight with single start and is qualified for India's human space flight mission Gaganyaan.

The engine was developed by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.


Meanwhile, ISRO has formed a committee headed by former Chairman A S Kiran Kumar to look into the causes for the failure of the pyro valve in the country's latest navigation satellite NVS-02 orbited last month.




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Confirming that he is heading the NVS-02 Failure Analysis Committee, Kumar told this correspondent: "The work is already on with various data being studied. No timeframe has been set for the submission of the report."

ISRO usuallt forms a Failure Analysis Committee to study the causes for the failure of a rocket/satellite and recommend measures to prevent such failures in the future.

The 2,250 kg NVS-02 costing about Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) that was placed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) on January 29, 2025 is stuck there as its pyro valve did not open to pump in the oxidiser to fire the motors while the fuel pumps were working.

Only by firing the on-board liquid apogee motors, a satellite can be taken to its intended orbital slot. As per the original plan, the NVS-02 satellite was to be placed in a Geosynchronous Orbit over India so that it moves in line with earth's rotation.

It is reliably learnt ISRO is switching on the various systems in the satellite and found that they are working well. The commissioning process of the satellite is going on, a person in the know said not wanting to be quoted.

While NVS-02 will be in an elliptical orbit and not circular, ISRO said it will nevertheless use the same for navigation purposes.

The satellite can be used for navigation purposes whenever it is over India and if all the systems work well but with a shortened life span, it is learnt.

The NVS-02 was orbited by the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) costing about Rs 300 crore, said a retired senior official of ISRO speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Interestingly, it was the 100th rocket launch at the Sriharikota spaceport.

"We will be raising the orbit using the thrusters with the available propellant. The satellite's condition is healthy," ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan told this reporter. "The satellite will be used for navigation purposes only."

When asked about the pyro valve failure Dr Narayanan reiterated that the satellite would be raised using the thrusters.

 

[swesh]

What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?

ISRO's vendor policy and quality control processes are under scanner.

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Home » News » What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?

What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?​

By VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN
5 Minutes Read Listen to Article
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February 19, 2025 09:20 IST
ISRO's vendor policy and quality control processes are under scanner.

The question is what is the proximate cause for the oxidiser valve not opening?

With the NVS-02 failure heat on, ISRO senior officials are not available for comment.

Industry experts and former senior ISRO officials speaking on condition of anonymity told this correspondent the power supply was not there for the value to open.

According to them, one of the probable reasons is that the power supply connector was not connected after the final tests for reasons not known.

As the stakes are high -- the total mission cost about Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion); a cost equally split between satellite -- critical systems will have redundancies.

In NVS-02, it is said, there was full redundancy in the valve and also electronics and power supplies.

IMAGE: SRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan and other ISRO scientists at the media conference after the launch of rocket GSLV-F15, carrying the NVS-02 satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, January 29, 2025.
So what could have happened in the case of power supply to NVS-02?

In this particular case, the main and redundant power was passing through the same connector which defeated the concept of full redundancy. There should be two separate connectors, an expert said.

Industry experts were of the view that critical systems in a rocket or in a satellite should have two/three full redundancies independent of each other.

Further the components sourced from different vendors avoid the risk of batch failures if sourced from a single vendor.




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In the case of space craft carrying human beings, there should be three/four redundancies for critical systems.

ISRO follows a multiple vendor policy for fabrication, assembly jobs through rate contracts with multiple parties.

For procurement of components the space agency generally goes by general tender with L1 approach.

As regards the NVS-02 the valves, power systems and connected electronics were made by ISRO, it is said.

ISRO follows a policy of two way redundancy in case of system configuration and in some cases four way redundancy for very critical operations like heat shield opening, said a retired senior ISRO official.

In 2017, the IRNSS-1H satellite (the replacement for IRNSS-1A) remained encapsulated in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle as its heat shield failed to open -- another multi-crore mission that failed.

Queried about their vendor policy a top official of a private satellite maker said the company follows a multi-vendor policy unless there is a paucity of choice.

In the case of critical systems it is always a double vendor policy. "In the case of systems with redundancy, we use different vendors for primary and the redundant/secondary," the official said.

While the systems in a satellite and rocket are checked prior to the flight, the fuel systems cannot be checked.

In recent times, there have been two major mission failures for ISRO -- in 2022, the first flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) failed to deliver the satellites in the required orbit and now the NVS-02 satellite.

ISRO should have processes like 'poka-yoke' -- a Japanese term for error or mistake free -- in its manufacturing and quality testing processes.

Under the 'poka-yoke' process, if there is an error in a manufacturing process, then going to the next process will be difficult or impossible.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the commissioning process of the NVS-02 satellite is going on.

While NVS-02 will be in an elliptical orbit and not circular, ISRO said it will nevertheless use the same for navigation purposes.

The satellite can be used for navigation purposes whenever it is over India and if all the systems work well but with a shortened life span, it is learnt.

 

[TopWatcher]

What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?

ISRO's vendor policy and quality control processes are under scanner.

m.rediff.com

HOMENEWSBUSINESSMOVIESCRICKETSPORTSGET AHEAD



Home » News » What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?

What Went Wrong With ISRO's Latest Mission?​

By VENKATACHARI JAGANNATHAN
5 Minutes Read Listen to Article
Share:
February 19, 2025 09:20 IST
ISRO's vendor policy and quality control processes are under scanner.

The question is what is the proximate cause for the oxidiser valve not opening?

With the NVS-02 failure heat on, ISRO senior officials are not available for comment.

Industry experts and former senior ISRO officials speaking on condition of anonymity told this correspondent the power supply was not there for the value to open.

According to them, one of the probable reasons is that the power supply connector was not connected after the final tests for reasons not known.

As the stakes are high -- the total mission cost about Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion); a cost equally split between satellite -- critical systems will have redundancies.

In NVS-02, it is said, there was full redundancy in the valve and also electronics and power supplies.

IMAGE: SRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan and other ISRO scientists at the media conference after the launch of rocket GSLV-F15, carrying the NVS-02 satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, January 29, 2025.
So what could have happened in the case of power supply to NVS-02?

In this particular case, the main and redundant power was passing through the same connector which defeated the concept of full redundancy. There should be two separate connectors, an expert said.

Industry experts were of the view that critical systems in a rocket or in a satellite should have two/three full redundancies independent of each other.

Further the components sourced from different vendors avoid the risk of batch failures if sourced from a single vendor.




https://vdo.ai/contact?utm_medium=video&utm_term=rediff.com&utm_source=vdoai_logo

In the case of space craft carrying human beings, there should be three/four redundancies for critical systems.

ISRO follows a multiple vendor policy for fabrication, assembly jobs through rate contracts with multiple parties.

For procurement of components the space agency generally goes by general tender with L1 approach.

As regards the NVS-02 the valves, power systems and connected electronics were made by ISRO, it is said.

ISRO follows a policy of two way redundancy in case of system configuration and in some cases four way redundancy for very critical operations like heat shield opening, said a retired senior ISRO official.

In 2017, the IRNSS-1H satellite (the replacement for IRNSS-1A) remained encapsulated in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle as its heat shield failed to open -- another multi-crore mission that failed.

Queried about their vendor policy a top official of a private satellite maker said the company follows a multi-vendor policy unless there is a paucity of choice.

In the case of critical systems it is always a double vendor policy. "In the case of systems with redundancy, we use different vendors for primary and the redundant/secondary," the official said.

While the systems in a satellite and rocket are checked prior to the flight, the fuel systems cannot be checked.

In recent times, there have been two major mission failures for ISRO -- in 2022, the first flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) failed to deliver the satellites in the required orbit and now the NVS-02 satellite.

ISRO should have processes like 'poka-yoke' -- a Japanese term for error or mistake free -- in its manufacturing and quality testing processes.

Under the 'poka-yoke' process, if there is an error in a manufacturing process, then going to the next process will be difficult or impossible.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the commissioning process of the NVS-02 satellite is going on.

While NVS-02 will be in an elliptical orbit and not circular, ISRO said it will nevertheless use the same for navigation purposes.

The satellite can be used for navigation purposes whenever it is over India and if all the systems work well but with a shortened life span, it is learnt.

Thats why we need gaganyaan. We need a capability to service satellite itself in space.

 

[ArjunMK1A]

Armed forces got Ls after this entire fiasco. This entire project is major failure from Isro.

The replacement takes eternity to replace them

 

[swesh]

Thats why we need gaganyaan. We need a capability to service satellite itself in space.

????

 

[swesh]

Armed forces got Ls after this entire fiasco. This entire project is major failure from Isro.

The replacement takes eternity to replace them

You know that most countries make navigation satellite in pairs except isro