Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS): News & Updates

[Gautam]

Recently saw this tweet from GS:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1807740788358471698

I thought this was an exaggeration. I thought ISRO's plan for the 25ton space station would be an Indian space station. Like the Chinese & Russian space stations, the Indian space station would have very little if any foreign participation.

ISRO just put out the revised plan for the space station:

The revised model is essentially twice the weight of the original (25 tons vs 52 tons). It also has twice the crew capacity (3 vs 6). There will also be a Cupola module.

With the ISS going down by 2030s, it is hard to imagine this will not draw foreign attention & participation.

The Gaganyaan capsules are getting ISS standard docking ports. The space station will probably have the same.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809633203516211366

All this assuming we can get the NGLV operational in time.

 

[Gautam]

Recently saw this tweet from GS:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1807740788358471698

I thought this was an exaggeration. I thought ISRO's plan for the 25ton space station would be an Indian space station. Like the Chinese & Russian space stations, the Indian space station would have very little if any foreign participation.

ISRO just put out the revised plan for the space station:
View attachment 34579
The revised model is essentially twice the weight of the original (25 tons vs 52 tons). It also has twice the crew capacity (3 vs 6). There will also be a Cupola module.

With the ISS going down by 2030s, it is hard to imagine this will not draw foreign attention & participation.

The Gaganyaan capsules are getting ISS standard docking ports. The space station will probably have the same.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809633203516211366

View attachment 34580
All this assuming we can get the NGLV operational in time.

More details on the BAS:

So, all the modules of the space station will be launched on LVM3 rocket. First 2 modules will be launched on the current version of the rocket & the rest 3 on the upcoming upgraded version of the LVM3 rocket.

These is so much that depends on this rocket:

and on this engine:

 

[Gautam]

Let's post all updates related to ISRO's space station project in this thread.

 

[Gautam]

Bharatiya Antariksh Station Large Space Simulator Chamber/TVAC testing facility:



Video of the model:
View attachment BAS-thermal vacum test chamber.mp4

 

[Gautam]

 

[Gautam]

Long term comprehensive lunar plan:


Higher res photos:



Let's keep this here for now. Will make a separate thread a few years later when we have more info.

 

[Gautam]

Fantastic graphics

https://twitter.com/x/status/1847660528195227659

 

[Parthu]

From a recent presentation by Dr S. Somanath

 

[Gautam]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1854496241813541360

https://twitter.com/x/status/1854496543681769740

 

[Gautam]

Better quality images:





Source:

 

[Gautam]

Long term comprehensive lunar plan:

Higher res photos:

Let's keep this here for now. Will make a separate thread a few years later when we have more info.

Better representation:

 

[Gautam]

URSC Kannada Technical Seminar 2024 (taken from reddit):










continued next post...

 

[Gautam]

continued from above...










continued next post...

 

[Gautam]

continued from above...

 

[Gautam]

Posting this here because this tech will eventually make it on BAS:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875421219652301144

 

[Gautam]

Thread:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1877725294536032288

Relevant slides:

This is mislabeled. This should've been called BAS-2:

 

[Gautam]

PSLV's POEM platform has become the proving ground for a lot of the tech that will go into BAS:

In POEM-3 we saw tests of power systems:

Flight Demonstration of Si-Gr anode based High Energy Density Li-ion Cells

January 5, 2024

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)/ISRO has qualified 10 Ah Silicon–Graphite anode based high energy density Li-ion cells as a low weight and low-cost alternative to present cells being used. The flight demonstration of the cells as a battery was successfully completed by powering a resistive load on-board the POEM-3 platform of PSLV-C58. The on-orbit voltage, current and temperature values of the battery were acquired through telemetry and found to match well with the predictions.

Compared to conventional Li-ion cells which use pure graphite as anode material, this cell uses Si-Graphite composite as anode material. This helps in accommodating more Lithium ions for a given unit mass of anode material and thus improves the energy density of the cell. In addition to the material change, this cell also employs cost effective hardware which are readily available and a crimped sealing based design which reduces the hardware cost and fabrication cost significantly. The energy density of the Silicon High energy Li-ion cells is 190 Wh/kg with an operating voltage of 4.2 to 2.8 V, against Lithium-ion cells (157 Wh/kg). During flight the battery system worked for 21 hours in 15 orbits delivering a capacity of 8.9 Ah with final drained voltage of 0.4 V.

Before inducting any new systems in operational vehicles &missions, VSSC subjects the system to rigorous qualification and flight demonstration as piggy back payloads. Same approach is followed for these cells also. The capability of the cells to survive and perform in harsh space environment was also successfully demonstrated through the POEM experiment.

Based on the confidence gained through this performance, these cells are poised to be used in upcoming operational missions where 35-40% battery mass saving is expected. The system find application both in space and ground use.



10 Ah Silicon-Graphite anode based High Energy Density Li-ion cells

Configuration (Mass: 4.3 kg)

ISRO’s Fuel Cell flight tested in PSLV C58

January 5, 2024

ISRO has successfully tested a 100 W class Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell based Power System (FCPS) in its orbital platform, POEM3, launched onboard PSLV-C58 on January 1, 2024. The objective of the experiment was to assess Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel cell operation in space and to collect data to facilitate the design of systems for future missions. During the short duration test onboard POEM, 180 W power was generated from Hydrogen and Oxygen gases stored on onboard in high pressure vessels. It provided a wealth of data on performance of various static and dynamic systems that formed part of the power system and the physics at play.


Fuel cell payload

Hydrogen Fuel Cells produce electricity directly from Hydrogen and Oxygen gases, along with pure water and heat. It is an electric generator which works on electrochemical principles, as in batteries, as against the combustion reactions employed in conventional generators. The ability to produce electricity directly from fuels without any intermediate step renders them very efficient. With water as the only byproduct, they are totally emission free. These features make them ideal candidates for space missions involving humans where electric power, water and heat are essential since a single system can meet multiple requirements in the mission.

Fuel Cells also possess significant societal application potential. They are also considered to be the most appropriate solution to replace the engines of various types vehicles in use today and to power standby power systems. Fuel Cells can provide range and fuel recharge time equaling that of today’s conventional engine, which gives them a distinct advantage over batteries, and are expected to facilitate emission free transportation. Fuel cell is ideal power source for Space Station as it provides both power and pure water.

And in POEM-4 aside from the walking 7-axis robot, we also have:

Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA)

The payload is developed by IISU. The objective of the payload is to study the attitude stabilisation of the POEM platform. It consists of three Reaction Wheels of 0.02 Nm torque and 5 Nms (at 10,000 Rotations per minute) momentum storage capacity, and three independent FPGA-based MIL-STD-1553B interface automotive-grade Wheel Drive Electronics (WDE) integral to the wheels. The Wheel Drive Electronics module for POEM-4 consists of a single PCB containing Brushless DC motor (BLDC) control circuits, FPGAs, and secondary power management ICs.

Multi-Sensor Inertial Reference System (MIRS)

The MIRS payload is developed by IISU. The objectives of the payload are technology demonstration and performance evaluation of newly developed miniaturized inertial sensors in space. The sensors include ISRO Coriolis Resonating Gyro-Digital (ICRG-D), Tuning Fork Gyroscopes (TFG), Advanced Geomagnetic Sensors (AGS), and an Electronic Dosimeter.

MEMS-based Rate Sensor

MEMS Rate Sensor is developed by VSSC to meet the high angular rates that were likely to be experienced by the Crew Module in the Air-Drop Test, Pad-Abort Test, and CARE missions. MEMS Rate Sensors have been inducted into the Lead Exempt Experimental System (LEXS) payload in POEM-4. The primary objectives of the payload are to measure angular rates along three axes, study the sensor’s behaviour in space, and validate its performance with the LEXS payload.

 

[Gautam]

 

[Gautam]

Work on Micrometeoroid Orbital Debris (MMOD) shield has started:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1895343677633110334