"Another milestone": ISRO rocket accomplishes zero orbital debris mission
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO on Monday said its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has accomplished zero orbital debris mission, and described it "another milestone".
This was achieved on March 21, when the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) met its "fiery end" through a re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
"The PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has practically left zero debris in orbit," the space agency said.
The PSLV-C58 mission was accomplished on January 1.
According to ISRO, after completing the primary mission of injecting all satellites into their desired orbits, the terminal stage of PSLV was transformed into a 3-axis stabilised platform, the POEM-3.
The stage was deorbited from 650 km to 350 km, which facilitated its early re-entry, and was passivated to remove residual propellants to minimise any accidental break-up risks, it said.
POEM-3 was configured with a total of nine different experimental payloads to carry out technology demonstrations and scientific experiments on the newly developed indigenous systems. Out of these, six payloads were delivered by Non-Government Entities (NGEs) through Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN'?SPACe).
The mission objectives of these payloads were met in a month.
The orbital altitude of the upper stage continued to decay under the influence of natural forces, primarily atmospheric drag with the module (NORAD ID 58695) expected to have impacted the North Pacific Ocean (Lat 6.4 N & Long 158.7 W) on March 21, 2024, at 14:04 UTC (19:34 Hrs. IST), ISRO said.
Through the POEM, which serves as a very cost-effective platform for carrying out short-duration space-borne experiments, ISRO has opened up new vistas for academia, startups, and NGEs to experiment with their new payloads, it said.
This novel opportunity has been effectively utilised by numerous startups, universities, and NGEs for carrying out experiments in space, which included electric thrusters, satellite dispensers, and star-tracking.
POEM also incorporates new features such as total avionics in single-chain configuration, industrial-grade components in avionics packages including Mission Management Computer, standard interfaces for electric power, telemetry & telecommand, and new in-orbit navigation algorithms making use of rate-gyro, sun sensor, and magnetometer, the space agency said.
For the effective conduct of experiments onboard in POEM-3, the body rates were stabilised to less than 0.5 deg/s throughout, and innovative schemes like controlled dumping of residual propellant after the main mission were introduced for minimizing disturbances due to passivation, it added.
Noting that the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has taken the lead in conceptualising and realising the POEM by augmenting the 4th stage of PSLV, ISRO said PSLV-C58/XPoSat is the third such mission in the series, with POEMs being successfully scripted each time.
The payload operations were carried out effectively by the spacecraft operations team from the mission operations complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) and ISRO's System for Safe and Sustainable Spacecraft Operations Management (IS4OM) has been monitoring and analysing the orbital decay all through, it said. Till near re-entry, POEM-3 was tracked by ISTRAC ground stations.
The Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) at Shriharikota also tracked the PS4 stage till the morning of March 21. POEM-3 was also supported by other Centres like U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).
ISRO said it will continue its commitment to providing a cost-effective orbital experiment platform, as the growing menace due to space debris, especially with multiple small satellite constellations coming up, poses a significant threat to space activities, including satellite launches, human spaceflight, and space exploration missions.
ISRO, being a responsible space agency, is committed to mitigating this threat through the development and implementation of advanced debris tracking systems, space-object deorbiting technologies, and responsible satellite deployment practices, thus safeguarding orbital environments for present and future space endeavors, it added.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
