rajesh khanna

I just read the news that India tested GSLV for 16 minutes. What does it
do, how far does it take us into the space?

pat flannery

This should help: http://www.isro.org/gslvd1/gslvd1.htm
The rocket is designed to put satellites into geosynchronous orbit- this
is an orbit so high that the satellite circles the Earth only once every
day, and therefore seems to stand still in the sky, allowing it to be
used for telecommunications by a receiver or transmitter antennae that
doesn't need to be moved to follow it across the sky. (The lower the
orbit is, the faster the satellite moves across the sky- in very low
orbits a satellite can go around the Earth 16 times a day.)
GSLV is an interesting design in that it's main stage is solid fueled,
with four liquid fueled boosters attached to it... in most cases the
main stage is liquid fueled, and the attached boosters are solid fueled.

Pat Flannery

edkyle99

GSLV is also interesting for its use of Viking engines
(of Ariane 1-4 fame) in the strap-on boosters and second
stage, and for its cryogenic (LH2/LOX) third stage.
The LH2 upper stage, India's first, vaults that nation
into the space launch big leagues by giving GLSV
a Delta II/Soyuz/Fregat-class GTO capability.

The initial GSLV upper stage was powered by a Russian
engine - an engine developed for a never-flown Russian
upper stage. Now India is developing its own LH2
engine to replace the Russian engine. The test
described above was a long-duration test of that new
engine.

- Ed Kyle

thomsona

What ever happened to all the MTCR thrashing that was going
on about that engine a few years ago?

henry

That's why India is developing its own. The US jumped up and down about
MTCR and scuttled the original deal which had the Indians buying the
engine technology from the Russians, a peculiar business since LH2 engines
are not terribly useful for missiles. The replacement deal has them
buying a few engines, but no technology lessons or manufacturing rights.
They're doing their own as a long-term solution. <sarcasm> Hooray for
MTCR. </sarcasm>
--
MOST launched 30 June; science observations running | Henry Spencer
since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending. | henry@spsystems.net