Isro takes the first step in developing reusable launch vehicle

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Monday successfully took a first step in developing a ReusableLaunch Vehicle (RLV).

The organisation successfully tested RLV-TD (technology demonstrator). It is a small, aircraft-like, winged structure.

A spokesperson from Isro said that RLV-TD HEX-01 mission was accomplished successfully. The lift-off happened at 7 am.

The RLV-TD is a rocket-aircraft combination measuring about 17 m, whose first stage is a solid propellant booster rocket and the second stage is a 6.5-m long aircraft-like winged structure sitting atop the rocket.

The RLV-TD is a series of technology demonstration missions that has been considered as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully re-usable vehicle. 

A winged Reusable Launch Vehicle technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) has been configured to act as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies, namely, hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion.

These technologies will be developed in phases through a series of experimental flights. The first in the series is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX), followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX). Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator Hypersonic Experiment (RLV-TD HEX1) wherein the hypersonic aero-thermo dynamic characterization of winged re-entry body along with autonomous mission management to land at a specified location and characterization of hot structures are planned to be demonstrated.

Earlier Dr K Sivan, director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, where the RLV-TD was designed, assembled and where it underwent basic tests, said that the objective is to achieve hypersonic speeds to test the characterisation of the winged body’s re-entry, its control and guidance systems, autonomous mission management to land at a specific location at sea and testing of hot structures that make up the structure of the RLV.

The test is termed as Hypersonic Experiment 1 (HEX-1).

The first test launch HEX1 is a very preliminary step and Isro has to go a long way before it could be called a re-usable launch system. But these are very essential steps Isro has taken.

A reusable launch vehicle is the unanimous solution to achieve low cost, reliable and on-demand space access, says the space organisation.

He was quoted saying a conventional launch vehicle (LV) spends the lowest time of its flight in the atmosphere, whereas the RLV system spends all the time in the atmosphere.

The technology of an RLV is much more complex basically arising from the design of the control and guidance systems, he pointed out.

The objective of the RLV programme of ISRO is to enable the vehicle traverse a very wide range of flight regimes from Mach 0 to Mach 25 based on air-breathing propulsion for achieving two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) launch capability.

The international context of Narendra Modi's Iran visit

It is the world's worst kept secret that China's chequebook diplomacy is giving the world a new definition of friends and foes. India has its task cut out

New Delhi has invested heavily in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Tehran visit but it is going to be equally closely tracked in three world capitals – Islamabad, Beijing and Riyadh.

What is the context?

Several political pundits in Delhi noted the reception Iranian President Hassan Rouhani got during his two-day visit toPakistan in March this year. It was the first visit by any Iranian head of state to Pakistan in 14 years. Sunni-dominated Pakistan has tended to side with Saudi Arabia rather than majority-Shia Iran in the two states’ long-running competition for regional influence.

Moreover, in the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Iran’s (covert) blessings to a section of Islamic militants in that country has complicated things for Pakistan in the past.

So for Pakistan, Rouhani’s visit was a sign of cautious political normalization. 

Initiatives between Pakistan and Iran are also crucially important in the context of the gradual lifting of US sanctions on Iran. During the Rouhani visit, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif somewhat optimistically claimed that the two countries would grow annual trade volumes to $5 bn by 2021. Trade between Pakistan and Iran fell to $432 mn in 2010-11 from  $1.32bn in 2008-09, and reached a record low of USD 229mn in 2013-14 mainly because of sanctions. 

During the Rouhani visit, Iran committed to investing in a number of areas to develop Pakistan’s infrastructure including increasing Pakistan’s imports of electricity from Iran from the current 100 megawatts to 1000 megawatts, accelerating the pace of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and importing iron and steel from Iran. 

Where Pakistan is, China is. Eventually, much of the infrastructure will service the $46 bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India is opposed to the CPEC because it runs through territory India claims belongs to it. On the other hand, the railroad that China wants to build between Iran and China could be extremely useful for India which could then leverage the creation of that infrastructure without spending a rupee itself.

It is the world’s worst kept secret that China’s chequebook diplomacy is giving the world a new definition of friends and foes. China is spending money it – possibly – does not have, to create infrastructure through the world, creating assets that it will then use diplomacy to protect. India cannot compete – it neither has the power, nor the money. Lofty pronouncements about how India does not believe in transactional relationships are all very well, but New Delhi has to create counterbalances.

Iran is one such counterbalance. In February this year, Iran’s former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani asked Tehran to expand special economic zones on the offshore islands of Kish and Oeshm to attract private investment. There was a time this would not even have been counternanced, let alone been possible. India believes it is best-positioned in the region to take advantage of this economic opportunity and others as Iran integrates more fully with the world, working off previous trade and investment ties – the automotive, pharma and heavy manufacturing sectors are the most obvious.

Prime Minister Modi’s Iran trip comes weeks after his Saudi Arabia visit. Although there is no word from Riyadh on the PM’s Iran tour, former Indian ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Talmiz Ahmad provides a perspective when he writes: “The contentions between Iran and the Arab sheikhdoms pose a far greater challenge, because the continued conflict and proxy war between the Islamic giants could easily deteriorate into an all-out conflict, with horrific consequences for India, the region and the rest of Asia. India should give up its traditional posture of non-involvement in contentions issues outside South Asia and lead a diplomatic effort to address the mutual grievances and loss of trust between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

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Isro space shuttle completes first successful test demo

Isro space shuttle completes first successful test demo
The test was a step towards developing the final space shuttle as part of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator

In a milestone towards developing its own reusable launch vehicle, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully carried out a technology demonstration of its reusable space launch vehicle at Sriharikota on Monday at 7am.

A reusable launch vehicle will be capable of taking satellites to space and then landing back on earth so that it can be used more than once and is expected to drastically reduce the cost of space missions in the future.

“Mission has been accomplished and all the parameters and trajectories were fulfilled. The liftoff was sharp at 7am and then the vehicle landed in the Bay of Bengal,” an Isro spokesperson told Mint. “This was the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX), the next test will be focussed on landing the vehicle,” added the Isro official.

The Monday test was one of the many tests and demonstrations towards developing the final space shuttle as part of Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD). For the test, Isro scientists had developed a scaled model of the vehicle which was one-fifth the size of the final reusable launch vehicle. This scaled model was capable of going up to an altitude of 70 km, which was not designed to land on a runway.

“Hearty congratulations to our space scientists at ISRO on successful launch of India’s first-ever indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD,” said President Pranab Mukherjee in a tweet after the technology demonstration was carried out.

A Winged Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator will be used in a series of tests to assess various technologies, including hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion.

“We are not even looking at landing. This is more of an experiment to see whether we are able to achieve certain conditions on flight. We need a vehicle that can come from a speed of Mach 25 to Mach Zero, has material that can survive very high temperatures and also test our own mission management software,” said K. Sivan, director of Isro’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

According to the space agency’s last annual report, the agency has completed studies related to the rocket by carrying out various simulations. It also validated the on-board software and conducted a successful test of the solid booster motor (HS9) with Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control system.

This scaled model is nowhere near the real Two Stage to Orbit reusable vehicle the space agency is aiming to develop which is expected to bring the cost of launches to a tenth of what they are today.

“Many such experiments will be carried out in the future, such as for the parachute system which will be put together eventually. We are looking at frugal engineering, developing advanced systems efficiently,” said K. Sivan, director of Isro’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. “The final reusable launch vehicle will not be ready for another decade,” he added.

Fact Sheet on Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects

Fact Sheet on Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects

The scheme for “Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects” has been rolled out by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy on 12-12-2014. The Scheme has been conceived on the lines of the “Charanka Solar Park” in Gujarat which is a first-of-its-kind large scale Solar Park in India with contiguous developed land and transmission connectivity.

This scheme envisages supporting the States in setting up solar parks at various locations in the country with a view to create required infrastructure for setting up of Solar Power Projects. The solar parks will provide suitable developed land with all clearances, transmission system, water access, road connectivity, communication network, etc. This scheme will facilitate and speed up installation of grid connected solar power projects for electricity generation on a large scale.

Objectives

The scheme aims to provide a huge impetus to solar energy generation by acting as a flagship demonstration facility to encourage project developers and investors, prompting additional projects of similar nature, triggering economies of scale for cost-reductions, technical improvements and achieving large scale reductions in GHG emissions. It would enable States to bring in significant investment from project developers, meet its Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mandate and provide employment opportunities to local population. The State will also reduce its carbon footprint by avoiding emissions equivalent to the solar park’s installed capacity and generation. Further, the State will also avoid procuring expensive fossil fuels to power conventional power plants.

Programme Targets

Under this scheme, it is proposed to set up at least 25 Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects targeting over 20,000 MW of solar power installed capacity within a span of 5 years starting from 2014-15.

Projects Underway

Approvals have been accorded to 33 Solar Parks of aggregate capacity of 20,000 MW to be set up in 21 States

Modi @ 2: A path for steady reforms

Modi @ 2: A path for steady reforms
The overall verdict will depend on a philosophical question: Does one see the glass half full or half empty?
As the Modi administration completes two years, it’s but fair to say that the government while tempering expectations, realizing the challenges on political and economic fronts, is laying a steady and robust foundation for economic reforms. The Economist aptly sums up the Modi government’s achievements by underpinning the fall of “rent-seeking” trends in India’s bureaucracy. Improved rating in the 2015 World Bank report and World Economic Forum’s index on business competitiveness speak for themselves on achievements thus far. With sustained growth momentum, India is in a sweet spot, pulling its weight to positively influence growth trends in the region, given the slowdown in China.

Among crucial achievements, a proactive foreign diplomacy, unprecedented emphasis on attracting FDI (foreign direct investment) and foreign institutional portfolio investors without jeopardizing prospects of a “Make-in-India” pitch, progressive legislation and decisive executive actions stand out. Macroeconomic indicators project a clearer picture on fiscal discipline, with short-to-medium term GDP growth strategy range-bound between 7.5-8%. Structural reforms in the form of subsidy management and distribution, and social security platforms (Jan Dhan Yojana) combined with financial inclusion will certainly yield long-term results. Steady growth in foreign exchange reserves and benign inflationary trends are encouraging, as the government reaffirms its commitment to growth in public spending, particularly on roads, ports, railways and rural electrification.

The government’s diplomacy has led to a rise in the country’s stature; India’s demands for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group now appear closer to realization. As the world takes note of India’s economic resilience, a gush of foreign investments has been witnessed over the past 24 months. Latest OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) statistics show FDI in India grew by 31% in 2015, as compared to a decline in major emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and Indonesia.

Independent surveys suggest an unprecedented climb in foreign inflows which permit tapping potential of key sectors such as insurance, defence, retail trade and pharmaceuticals. In tandem with equity market reforms, the charismatic central bank governor has shown the way for conservative though sensible monetary policy and debt market reforms. The government’s bold initiative for liberal foreign borrowing guidelines has allowed wider access to relatively cheaper sources of debt for infrastructure project development, given restricted ability of Indian financial institutions.

On structural reforms, a host of legislative and policy reforms with stress on innovation in sectors such as railways, roads, coal and energy seem to be the mantra of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s colleagues. Most recently, enactment of a comprehensive insolvency and bankruptcy law underlines credibility of the government’s endeavours to address balance-sheet woes of public sector banks, force delinquent borrowers to rearrange their balance sheets and kick-start stalled projects.

The legislation promises an entrepreneur-friendly legal framework for speedier, transparent and efficient resolution of corporate insolvencies, and will inspire confidence (of investors) in stalled infrastructure projects, innovation-intensive and risky start-up ventures. Amendments to the SARFAESI (Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest) law and debt recovery statute will allow investors time-bound exits, and recalibrate distressed and non-performing investments. Amendments to the Arbitration Act will facilitate speedier resolution of commercial disputes. Enactment of a real estate law is a big leg-up for the industry to establish accountability and protect consumer interest.

New defence procurement procedures and a draft national civil aviation policy are milestone moves in India’s aerospace and defence industries which hold untapped investment potential and consumer interest. An overhauled hydrocarbon exploration and licensing policy regime heralds a change from a profit- to revenue-sharing model and a way to avoid disputes that have historically plagued interests of international investors in this important sector. A regulatory framework for start-ups is expected to lay a strong foundation for a rapidly growing industry which holds potential for growth of entrepreneurship and employment generation.

Tax policy and administrative reforms have been at the forefront with bold budgets and successive administrative announcements. Beginning from the 2015 budget, tax proposals and legislative amendments have been calibrated with a view to providing a predictable and transparent regime, both to domestic and foreign investors with focus on taxpayer service. While the government has been adhering to its promise to refrain from retrospective legislations, its announcements have instilled confidence in tax administration. With G20’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project led by OECD taking centre stage, it is clear that the tax policy stance on General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), transfer pricing documentation, tax treaty abuse, transparency in information sharing, dealing with tax crimes, etc., will be to align domestic policies with global best practices. Recently introduced equalization levy for e-commerce enterprises, enhanced documentation requirement for transfer pricing, impending GAAR legislation and amendments to the India-Mauritius tax treaty are obvious fallouts of BEPS initiatives.

Though the goods and services tax (GST) legislation continues to hang fire, its passage never seemed as close as it appears now. Both GST and the land bill have been obvious casualties of the government’s lack of legislative majority in the Upper House. However, the record of bills passed in last two Parliament sessions has given a sense of optimism to investors. The success factors for the future lie in keeping up the momentum to increase public expenditure, actualize reforms in public sector banks, implementation of several flagship schemes, and a thrust on infrastructure and social sectors.

The overall verdict will depend on a philosophical question: Does one see the glass half full or half empty? Considering where the economy stood in 2014, I certainly see the glass more than half full as the new government comes close to completing its first innings.

Intellectual Property Rights: New policy may power R&D, national growth

Intellectual Property Rights: New policy may power R&D, national growth
The announcement of the new IPR policy has been a much sought after reform considering the unfavourable regulatory environment prevalent in the country. The new policy is expected to encourage the IPR regime, making it more efficient.
- At last count, a total of 2.37 lakh patent applications and over 5.44 lakh trademark registrations were deemed as pending, some of these hanging fire for years. The main reason for these pendency figures (updated March 10, 2016) has been attributed to the shortage of manpower in the country’s intellectual property offices. The unclogging of the pendency and quality examination are at the heart of improving the robustness of India’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) system, something that the government has moved towards by announcing the country’s first IPR policy.
The new National Intellectual Property Rights policy seeks to put in place a legal framework that will encourage the IPR regime and reduce the time taken by the government to approve a trademark to a month by 2017. Currently, the process takes more than 12 months on an average. The policy, approved by the Cabinet last Thursday, nominates the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) as the nodal agency for regulating intellectual property rights in the country.
For those in industry, the government’s move to streamline the IP related laws under a single department is a big positive, considering that this will help in streamlining of the intellectual property framework in the country. As of 2014, India’s spend on research and development (0.8 per cent of GDP) significantly lagged global counterparts such as China (1.9 per cent), Korea (3.8 per cent) and the US (2.7 per cent). In 2015, India ranked a dismal 29th out of 30 countries in the International IP Index released by the Global Intellectual Property Center of the US Chamber of Commerce, a ranking that measures the overall IP environment in a country. China was ranked 19th in the same list.
A major factor behind the lag in India’s country-level performance over global counterparts, according to a January 2016 PwC-Assocham study on ‘Innovation-driven growth in India’, has been the lacklustre performance of its enterprises. For instance, India has just five companies among the leading 500 brands worldwide, while China has 32. In terms of creating global businesses, only three Indian firms were listed on the NYSE International 100 Index as of 2013, as compared to 22 Canadian firms and 16 from the UK. The IP issue is even more compelling in the context of the state of India’s SME (small and medium enterprises) sector, which employ 40 per cent of India’s overall workforce but contribute only 17 per cent to the nation’s GDP. This is mainly due to an unfavourable regulatory environment, marked by the need for multiple procedures and high paid-in capital to start a new business, according to PwC. As a result, a whopping 94 per cent of SMEs are currently unregistered, which leaves them struggling with issues such as shortage of skilled workers, limited market exposure and restricted access to capital. Of the total number of SMEs, only 0.2 per cent are medium-sized firms, employing between 100 and 1,000 people. The lack of access to funds results in limited technology adoption within these firms, leading to system inefficiencies that lower national productivity. On the other hand, the German Mittelstand (GM), comprising SMEs is an example that highlights the potential within this segment to contribute to national growth. GM firms account for almost 60 per cent of the employment within Germany and contribute more than 50 per cent to the national economic output. In India too, there are exceptions. The Indian telecom industry, for example, has leapfrogged to mobile telephony, skipping fixed-line technology and within a space of 20 years (1995-2014), the sector recorded 910 million mobile-phone subscriptions —18 times the number of landline connections in 2006 (50 million), the year when landline subscriptions reached their peak. In India, these innovations, according to the PwC paper, could be categorised into three broad categories: * Technology-driven innovation, which involves the development of new advanced technology systems, such as the Aadhaar platform, Bajaj Auto’s DTS-i technology or Vortex Engineering’s solar powered ATMs. * Market-driven innovation, which includes products that create innovative value propositions for new customer segments. Examples include Tata Ace one-tonne commercial vehicles and GE India’s low-cost ECG machines. * Operations-driven innovation, which includes innovations in processes achieved by adopting cost-efficient practices or by creating new supply and distribution channels, Examples include companies such as the Narayana Health Group and Aravind Eye Hospital that have lowered the cost of heart and eye surgeries through operational efficiencies achieved from volume-driven business models. The objectives of the government’s new IPR policy, officials said, focus on strengthening the legal and legislative framework of IPRs, their commercialisation; and reinforcing the enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms for IPR infringements. This has been a work in progress. In the run up to the policy, the government has sanctioned 481 additional posts in the office of Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks under the Twelfth Plan as part of the Plan Scheme for Modernisation and Strengthening of Intellectual Property Offices. The selection process to fill up 458 vacant posts of Examiners of Patents and Designs has already been completed and the approval of competent authority for appointment to these posts has been accorded, officials said. Besides, as a short-time measure, 263 contractual posts of Examiners of Patents and Designs and 100 contractual posts of Trademarks Examiners have also been created. 
Incidentally, India’s IPR policy comes at a time when developed economies are trying to force it to put in place even stronger IPR frameworks through mega-regional trade agreements, including the WTO’s agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In April, the US Trade Representative kept India, China and Russia on its “Priority Watch List” for inadequate improvement in IPR protection. According to the government, the new policy will try to safeguard the interests of rights owners keeping in mind the wider public interest while combating infringements of IPRs. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, while announcing the new policy, said that the country would retain the right to issue so-called compulsory licences to its drug firms, under “emergency” conditions, and would not immediately need to change patent laws that were already fully WTO-compliant. “Compulsory licences are already provided in our patent law. That existing provision will continue,” Jaitley said. Compulsory licences enable a domestic drug manufacturer to produce patented drugs that are not available to the public at a reasonable price. -