SpaceX Launched Rocket from Historic NASA Launchpad
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted from a storied Kennedy Space Centre launch site on a mission to resupply the International Space Station on February 19, 2017. Falcon 9 is a family of two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicles, named for its use of nine first-stage engines, designed and manufactured by SpaceX.
- The Falcon 9 versions are the Falcon 9 vl.O (retired), Falcon 9 vl.l (retired), and the current Falcon 9 Full Thrust, a partially-reiisable launch system. Both stages are powered by rocket engines that bum liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants.
- The current Falcon 9 (Full Thrust) can lift payloads of up to 22800kg (50300 lb) to low Earth orbit, and up to 8300 kg (18300 lb) to geostationary transfer orbit.
ISRO Tested India’s Largest Cryogenic Engine
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successful tested the country’s largest cryogenic engine for a full 10 minutes on February 17, 2017.
- The engine will power its mammoth Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III rocket capable of propelling a 4 tonnes class satellites into geo-synchronous orbit the altitude where satellites revolve in sync with the Earth’s rotation.
- India is all set to test the GSLV Mark III rocket which is almost 50 m high and weighs 414 tonnes—equal to 75 Asian elephants.
- The rocket will be a successor to-the GSLV Mark II which was first launched in 2001 and can carry a heavier payload than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
ISRO Developed Telemetry and Telecommand Processor
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) developed Telemetry & Telecommand and Processor (TTCP) indigenously on February 7, 2017.
- The processor, whose indigenous development was taken up by ISRO as part of ‘Make in India’ campaign, replaces the expensive imported equipment.
- TTCP will be used in Integrated Spacecraft Testing of Low Earth Orbit, Geostationary Orbit and Interplanetary Spacecraft.
- The interplanetary spacecraft use an international standard known as CCSDS, and presently equipment are being imported for telemetry reception and telecommand transmission requirements.
NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Completed Fourth Flyby of Jupiter
- NASA’s Juno spacecraft completed a close flyby of Jupiter for the fourth time on February 2, 2017. Juno is probing beneath j the obscuring cloud cover of Jupiter and studying the gas giant’s auroras to learn more about the planet’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
- During the flyby, all of Juno’s eight science instruments and the spacecraft’s Juno Cam were on to collect data that is now being returned to Earth.
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