India Space Prospects 2023: Science, Spaceflight, Startups, International Synergies

The New Year ahead promises much for India: ISRO air-drop Runway Landing Experiment (RLV-LEX) for its for reusable launch vehicle prototype is planned Q1 from Karnataka Aeronautical Test Range. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Demonstration 2, carrying an Earth observation satellite for India, may launch in February from Satish Dhawan in Sriharikota as stated by (L-R) VSSC Director S. Unnikrishnan Nair. Aditya solar mission (led by K. Sankarasubramanian) is slated for March launch via PSLV-XL to Earth-Sun L1. ISRO Chair S. Somanath details reconfigured Chandrayann-3 lunar lander (with upgraded legs, software and redundant sensors) aiming to achieve touchdown mission success and rover deployment in the south pole region. It could launch as early as June 2023 from Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (formerly GSLV). Working toward late 2024 crew launch, Gaganyaan G1 uncrewed orbital flight could be Q3 2023, followed by Q2 2024 G2 uncrewed test. The Astronauts, selected from the Indian Air Force, will enter their second semester of training this year. Among the NewSpace sector, Skyroot Aerospace Vikram rocket next flight and Agnikul Cosmos Agnibaan first flight may occur early 2023; Dhuruva Space communication satellites are operating in LEO; and Astrogate Labs is building systems for optical & laser comms. International agreements are in place with USA, Japan and UK for future space missions, while Mexican Space Agency is seeking a partnership with ISRO for remote sensing satellites. (Image Credits: ISRO, IISC,Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Dhuruva Space, Astrogate Labs)

MONDAY

☆ Jan 9 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 68 seven-member crew working with experiments involving bacteria, grip force, nutrient microbes, fluid particle vibration, veggie-5 growth; Soyuz MS-22 / Cosmonaut crew return to Earth solutions continue.

☆ Jan 9 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 15 three-member crew sharing high-res images / video of Earth, working with Tianzhou 5 cargo; Shenzhou 16 launch set for 25 May.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Scandinavian Nations Striving to Achieve Domestic Orbital Launch Capability, Mitigate Climate Change in 2023

Several spaceport initiatives in far northern Europe are set to bear fruit in the coming year, led by the soon-to-be inaugurated Orbital Launch Complex at Esrange Space Center located 40 km east of Sweden’s northernmost city, Kiruna, in Lapland province (67.9° N, 21.1° E). Europe Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and King Carl XVI Gustaf to participate in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan 13, which will be broadcast by owner / operator Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). While over 575 suborbital rocket and 675+ high altitude balloon launches have occurred at Esrange since 1966, the facility has yet to send satellites to orbit. SSC SmallSat Express is to offer service for up to 1000 kg satellites to polar SSO from Esrange, and ArianeGroup will begin test hops of its reusable Themis launch vehicle, powered by 50% 3D printed, methane-fueled Prometheus engine. Newspace ventures Rocket Factory Augsburg and Isar Aerospace have tested their RFA One and Spectrum rockets at Esrange, but will be launching from Andøya Space Center’s (69.3° N, 16° E) new Spaceport currently being constructed under $36M funding provided by the Norway government. Operated by the Norwegian Space Agency, Andøya also supports Svalbard Rocket Range (78.9° N, 11.8° E), the northernmost launch facility on Earth. Norway will also host the IAF 2023 Global Space Conference on Climate Change in Oslo May 23-25. (Pictured L-R: Carl Gustaf, Ursula von der Leyen, SSC CEO Stefan Gardefjord; Image Credits: EU, SSC)

★ NET Jan 9 — ABL Space Systems, Launch RS1 / Inaugural Flight, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Kodiak Island AK: ABL to attempt first flight of RS1 rocket carrying communications CubeSats VariSat-1A and VariSat-1B for VariSat LLC.

☆ NET Jan 9 — Virgin Orbit, Launch Cosmic Girl / LauncherOne / ‘Start Me Up’ mission, Spaceport Cornwall, United Kingdom: Cosmic girl aircraft to lift LauncherOne to launch 9 payloads to LEO in 1st launch from UK.

☆ Jan 9 — CNSA, Launch Long March 7A / Shijian 23, Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan, China: CNSA to launch Shijian 23 communications satellite, 08:00 Beijing Time.

☆ Jan 9 — Beijing Xinghe Dongli Space Technology (Galactic Energy), Launch Ceres-1 (Gushenxing-1) / Xiguang-003, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China: 5th Ceres-1 rocket launch to carry Xiamen SciTech 1 (Xiguang-003) satellite, and possibly MinoSpace satellite and others for mission dubbed “Give Me Five”.

● Jan 9-11 — NASA Science Mission Directorate, Galveston TX: Technology Showcase for Future NASA Planetary Science Mission; at Moody Gardens.

☆ Jan 9 — Aten Asteroid 2021 TL: Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)

☆ Jan 9 — Apollo Asteroid 226554 (2003 WR21): Near-Earth Flyby (0.072 AU)

☆ Jan 9 — Aten Asteroid 2011 EP51: Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU)

Continued From…

● Oct 15 – Jun 15, 2023 — International Space Elevator Consortium, Online: Space Elevator Academic Challenge: Improving Humanity’s Future; for students 17-25.

● Nov 14 – Jan 17, 2023 — Wichita State University, Wichita KS and Online: Registration Open for 2023 Interstellar Seminar ‘LASI 150G’; 1-credit hour seminar which begins Jan 18, every Wednesday 14:30-15:20, led by Prof. Mark Schneegurt.

● Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2023 — JPL, NASA, Online / Pasadena CA: Prepare for the Science Fair; video series for students in grades 3-12, teachers and parents.

☾ Dec 11 – Apr 25, 2023 — Hakuto-R / ispace Mission 1, Lunar Landing Trajectory: Carrying UAE Rashid 10-kg rover, 0.25-kg JAXA rover, Hakuto-R performing orbital control maneuvers to reach Lunar Orbital Insertion, followed by Moon touchdown nominally ~4.5 months after launch.

● Jan 8-12 — American Astronomical Society, Seattle WA: 241st Meeting of the AAS; held jointly with the Historical Astronomy, High Energy Astrophysics, and Laboratory Astrophysics Divisions; at Washington State Convention Center.

● Jan 8-12 — American Meteorological Society (AMS), Denver CO: 2023 AMS Meeting: Data – Driving Science, Informing Decisions, Enriching Humanity; at Colorado Convention Center.