On August 15,2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced an ambitious national mission to send an Indian vyomanaut to space on board an Indian spacecraft launched into orbit by using an Indian rocket lifting-off from Indian soil by the year 2022. If successful, the mission codenamed- ‘Gaganyaan-1’, will place India in the big-league of three other space superpowers- the USA, Russia and China which have the capability to launch such complex missions.
Path towards heavy-lift capability
While the history of the Indian space programme dates back to late 1960s, the country became an orbital launch capable nation on July 18, 1980 with the first successful launch of ‘Rohini RS-1’ satellite to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) onboard an SLV-3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle-3) rocket which lifted-off from Sriharikota. ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has come a long way since then. While SLV-3 was the first generation of Indian rockets capable of lifting very lightweight satellites weighing up to 40 kg to LEO, the much-improved ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle) with a lift-off capacity of 150 kg to LEO replaced it as a more robust launcher by the late 1980s. But with the advent of newer platforms like the medium-lift capable PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket during the 1990s and the medium-heavy lift GSLV Mark-1 launcher armed with a Russian made cryogenic upper stage engine during the early 2000s, the foundations were gradually laid towards development of a heavy lift capability.
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Denne historien er fra May 2020-utgaven av Geopolitics.
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Lessons From Gaza And Lebanon
The ongoing war, loosely called the Gaza War, is actually being fought in two different loosely connected segments; against the Hamas with a spill off in the West Bank and East Jerusalem areas against Palestinian factions and against the Hezbollah in Lebanon with a spill off in Syria. Treating Israel-Hamas War and the Lebanon War as separate entities, RAJ MEHTA explains the lessons from these wars
POSITIVE STEPS TOWARDS POTENTIAL REGIONAL COOPERATION
It has been a whirlwind of diplomatic activity for India recently. India participated in both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO) summit that took place in Islamabad on October 15-16, and the 16th BRICS Summit was held in Kazan, Russia, from October 2224, 2024. These back-to-back summits within a short span of time underscore India's active role in shaping regional and global diplomacy, balancing national interests with multilateral cooperation
THE EAGLE'S EYE TEJAS MK-II RADAR PIERCES VEIL OF THE SKY
The Tejas Mk-II, featuring DRDO's GaN-based Uttam AESA radar, marks a major leap in India's defence, enhancing range, precision, and multi-target tracking capabilities, highlights GIRISH LINGANNA
PRIME MOVER
The indigenously developed Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) has received a boost with its first export order from the Kingdom of Morocco
TRANSFORMATIONAL INDUCTION
The GA-ASI MQ-9B will dramatically enhance the ISR and precision strike capabilities of the Indian armed forces
TACAN PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION
Navigation systems have evolved significantly since the Viking era, with Tactical Air Navigation TACAN) now widely used for air and sea travel. Post-World War Il, reliable systems became essential for safety and efficiency, as highlighted by DR. SUJAN KUMAR SARASWATI, in this article on TACAN’s operational principles.
AIRBORNE TRACKER
Indigenous efforts towards AEW&C and AWACS platforms need to be stepped up even as international programmes extend the current state-of-the-art for such aircraft, highlights
AFFORDABLE LETHALITY THE INDIAN DILEMMA
India's defence dilemma is now being complicated by the lessons learnt in the Ukraine and Gaza wars because these conflicts are reshaping the way wars are fought in the modern world.
FROM IMPORTS TO SELF-RELIANCE IN ARMS
Self-reliance in Defence Production needs new ideas, new definitions _es and an appropriate methodology, argues AMIT COWSHISH
"THE INDIAN AIR FORCE IS WORKING HARD TO REMAIN A CREDIBLE AIR FORCE"
Commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on December 21, 1984, Air Chief Marshal AMAR PREET SINGH PVSM AVSM took over as the 28th Air Chief of India on September 30, 2024.
