ISRO – ROSCOSMOS Poised to Energise Space Cooperation
© Photo : Vijainder K Thakur
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Following Prime Minister Modi's visit to Moscow on July 8-9 forthe 22nd bilateral summit, India and Russia in a jointstatement "agreed to explore prospects of mutually beneficialcooperation in rocket engine development, production anduse."
Alluding to past agreements, the statement also recalled the "enhanced partnership between the Indian Space Research Organization and the Russian State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, including in the human spaceflight programs, satellite navigation and planetary exploration."
The following are some significant past agreements on Space science.
An MoU was signed between ISRO and ROSCOSMOS on joint activities for the human spaceflight program at the 19th Bilateral Summit in 2018.
Following the 20th Bilateral Summit in 2019, the joint statement released mentioned "the increased cooperation between the State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" and the Indian Space Research Organization, including the human spaceflight programs and satellite navigation."
The two nations also "agreed that it was necessary to exploit to a greater extent potential of India and Russia in launch vehicles development, construction and utilisation of spacecraft for different applications, as well as research and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, including planetary exploration."
During the 21st bilateral summit in December 2021, the two nations agreed to jointly develop launch vehicles and jointly pursue planetary exploration. They signed an agreement "on technology protection due to cooperation in the field of research and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and building and operation of launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure."
During the past 4 summits spanning 2018 to 2024, the recurring theme as far as space exploration is concerned has been cooperation in
1.
Human Spaceflight 2.
Satellite Navigation 3.
Launch vehicle technology 4.
Planetary ExplorationIn the following paragraphs, we will go over the ongoing cooperation in some detail.
Human Spaceflight Program
Four Indian astronauts trained for the Gaganyaan program at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center from February 2020 to March 2021.
Besides training, Russian support for the Gaganyaan program includes:
1.
Developing life support systems within the crew capsule2.
Developing the crew module, including aspects such as radiation shielding, environmental control, and life support systems3.
Design and development of spacesuits4.
Developing the technologies required for rendezvous and docking5.
Selection of astronaut candidates, their medical examination, and ongoing medical support throughout their training and missionSatellite Navigation Cooperation
Russia operates a global positioning satellite system called GLONASS. India uses a lot of Russian military hardware with GLONASS based SATNAV.
For optimum utilisation of such military hardware, on January 25, 2007, India and Russia agreed to share GLONASS military signals.
India has since developed its own positioning system called NavIC.
Under a MOU signed in 2016, Russia is setting up ground based stations in India for receiving communication signals of GLONASS satellites. Similarly, ISRO will set up NavIC ground stations in Russia. The ground stations will improve the accuracy of the positioning signals from both satellite constellations.
The improved accuracy will make SATNAV dependent military hardware more lethal.
Development of Launch Vehicles
Both India and Russia are developing modern launch vehicles to facilitate lunar exploration. They are also developing reusable launchers and spacecraft aimed at reducing the cost of access to space.
Both are also developing semi-cryogenic rocket engines.
Coincidentally, both Roscosmos and ISRO were initially inclined to facilitate reusability through the use of winged launch stages, which could turn around after burnout and fly back to a runway using a jet engine. Now, both Roscosmos and ISRO prefer to recover their launch stages by landing them back vertically as is the case with SpaceX launchers.
The scope for cooperation in developing and producing rocket engines as envisaged in the joint statement is vast.
For example, ISRO is in the process of developing a reusable winged spacecraft named Pushpak, which can place a scientific payload / satellite into orbit and / or retrieve it back from orbit. The Soviet Union successfully developed and tested a reusable space shuttle named Buran, so Russia already has the know-how and technology to build a Pushpak-like spacecraft.
Planetary Exploration
In 2017, Vitaly Safonov, the General Deputy Director of GK told the press that India and Russia would be collaborating on several deep space missions.
“It is no secret that we are looking forward and planning to go to Mars and deeper space. Manned space programs will go to the moon and to the Mars, and we are allies in this project.”
Lunar Exploration
The Chandrayan-2 lunar landing mission was initially a joint project between India and Russia. Russia was to provide the lander for the mission. However, Russia was forced to withdraw from the project after the failure of its Phobos-Grunt Mars mission. The Russian withdrawal compelled ISRO to develop the lander also indigenously.
Russia and China have agreed to jointly set up a moon base. Both countries plan to independently develop and deliver the hardware required to operate the moon base.
It's conceivable that India could join the lunar base program as an independent contributor.
Mars Exploration
Following the success of ISRO's Mars orbiter, which entered Mars orbit in September 2014, ISRO has not launched a follow-up Mars exploration mission. Budgetary constraints is likely the reason. Joint missions with Russia will enable ISRO to continue pursuing Mars exploration at reduced costs.
Venus Exploration
ISRO is known to be actively working on a Venus orbiter mission. A launch date is yet to be fixed but it could be as early as 2025.
Roscosmos has agreed to contribute a science payload for the mission called VIRAL (Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker). ISRO has already accepted the payload.
When it comes to Venus exploration, Russia is the world leader. The Soviet Union's Venera program successfully landed ten spacecraft on the surface of Venus. These missions provided valuable data about the planet's atmosphere, surface conditions, and more, despite the extreme conditions that limited their operational time on the surface to between 23 minutes and two hours.
Surface conditions on Venus are challenging not just for human life, but even hardened electronics and toughened metal. Temperature is around 464°C, hot enough to melt lead. Atmospheric pressure is about 92 times that of Earth's at sea level, equivalent to being nearly 900 metres underwater. The atmosphere is composed mainly of carbon dioxide (96.5%) with clouds of sulfuric acid, making it highly toxic and corrosive.
No other nation has so far succeeded in landing a spacecraft on Venus. ISRO could learn a lot by collaborating with Russia for Venus exploration.
Russia is working on a Venus mission named Venera-D, targeted for launch in 2029. The mission, which includes an orbiter and lander, is aimed at studying Venus's atmosphere, surface, and plasma environment to understand why Venus evolved so differently from Earth.
Russia is working on a Venus mission named Venera-D, targeted for launch in 2029. The mission, which includes an orbiter and lander, is aimed at studying Venus's atmosphere, surface, and plasma environment to understand why Venus evolved so differently from Earth.
Roscosmos was working on the mission jointly with NASA. However, following sanctions imposed on Russia by the US, Roscosmos has dropped NASA as partner for the mission. If ISRO wants, it could participate in the advanced mission.
Russia has also started working on a mission that would deliver soil samples from Venus early in the next decade. The mission is planned to be launched in 2034.
Past Cooperation in Space
India's cooperation with the Soviet Union started with the dawn of rocketry in India. The Soviet Union helped India setup Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS): Established in 1962.
Later, the two nations cooperated repeatedly on specific space projects. Russia provided launch services for India's first satellite Aryabhata, which heralded the dawn of satellite based services and communication in India.
The Bhaskara 1 (1975) and Bhaskara-2 (1981) remote sensing and meteorology satellites were also placed in orbit by Soviet launchers.
First Indian in Space
Indian - Russian cooperation in manned spaceflight dates back to the early 1980s. On April 2, 1984, Rakesh Sharma, an Indian Air Force pilot, flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft along with Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov to the orbiting Salyut 7 space station.
Sharma spent 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes on the Salyut conducting scientific and technical experiments.
Cryogenic Engine Development
In the late 1980s, when ISRO floated a RFP for supply of a Cryogenic stage for its GSLV launcher, with ToT, the Soviet Union was the only nation willing to cooperate with ISRO.
"Among the few responses received, the French offer of HM-7 stood close to Rs 1000 crore, and with no technology transfer. Japan flatly refused to entertain the Indian request, and negotiations with the US on RL-10 engines did not succeed," authors PV Manoranjan Rao and P Radhakrishnan state in monograph titled 'A Brief History of Rocketry in ISRO'. "But then, the Soviet Union agreed to sign a contract at Rs 235 crore, payable in Indian currency. This price included delivery of two flight-worthy cryogenic stages along with the technology."
Shortly after the contract was signed, the Soviet Union unravelled and then Russian President Boris Yelstin came under intense US pressure to renege on the contract.
Faced with the threat of US sanctions, GK invoked force majeure on the contract and stopped ToT. However, Russia didn't leave ISRO in the lurch. In a follow-up contract, GK agreed to supply two additional flight worthy stages as well as two mock-up stages usable for studies on the ground, all within the original contract value of Rs 235 crore. An options clause, which ISRO exercised, facilitated transfer of three additional flight worthy stages.
It's also been reported that Russia transferred all the drawings for the cryogenic stage and Russian scientists worked with ISRO in their individual capacities.
Conclusion
India differs in its approach from other space powers like Russia, the US and China. Unlike other space powers, who have pursued rocketry and space science for military purposes and reaped benefits from commercial spin offs, India has pursued space for scientific and development use, and reaped benefits from military spin offs.
In other words, India's pursuit of rocketry and space science is more laid back, primarily due to budgetary constraints. Under the circumstances, it makes sense for India to pursue space technology at a measured pace, relying as much as possible on collaboration for technology gains.
Given Russia's outstanding reliability as a partner, space cooperation with the state can help India gain access to new resources and technologies that can be incorporated into the Indian space program. Russia too stands to benefit, as such cooperation can expand Russian influence in South Asia and strengthen its relations with India.
