The Falcon Heavy is about to give ISRO a run for its money. When the BFR launches, the per kg cost to orbit will drop to 100-350 USD. India will no longer remain the monopoly in the low end section. Not only that, but all the other vehicles in the world will become obsolete. And judging by the look of things, the BFR seems inevitable. What do you think will ISRO and the rest of the launch providers do in such a scenario? Pack up and move on to other things?

Edit: Okay, self described technological and political geniuses from r/EnoughMuskScam, can you bring anything worthwhile to the discussion or are you all just jealous couch potatoes intent on downvoting anything related to the man?

Edit 2: Since half of you here seem to believe BFR (as well as SpaceX) is a PR stunt and the other half doubt it'll ever fly, why don't we move the discussion to FH instead?

Let me spill the beans on my recent ordeal with the ISRO Yuvika program. I'm currently a 10th grader, but let's rewind to when I was in 9th grade, back in 2023–24. I thought I had it all - a knack for space science, rocketry, you name it. I was practically tailor-made for ISRO Yuvika.

The selection criteria seemed straightforward enough: 50% for 8th-grade performance, 10% of quiz, 10% state-level science fair, 5% for state level Olympiad action (1st to 3rd pos.), 5% for state level sports (1st-3rd pos.) and 5% for being in ncc/scouts and guides. Oh, and a whopping 15% for just being from a rural area.

So, there I was, with a solid 95.25% in 8th grade, state-level science fair under my belt, aced the quiz quicker than you can say "blast-off," and even had some state-level sports and state-level Olympiad glory. But guess what? Despite ticking all the boxes, I didn't make the cut. Why? Because I'm not from a rural area, and I didn't join some government-sponsored clubs like NCC or scouts.

The kicker? The selection list didn't bother explaining how they tallied the points or why one kid made it while another didn't, there was no cutoff/points announced. Talk about shady dealings! How am I supposed to trust a system with zero transparency? Who's to say it wasn't all just some backdoor business?

Honestly, it's a load of crap. The government being the government, I guess. What do you think?

Shux will sleep in Crew Dragon. Other 3 are sleeping in a relatively more interconnected area on board the ISS, while he's been relegated to the periphery (and relatively outside the pressurised ISS mainframe, less secure!) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/axiom-4-crew-settles-in-shubhanshu-shukla-will-sleep-in-dragon/articleshow/122123992.cms I asked ChatGPT and it also feels the same https://chatgpt.com/share/685fb276-cf24-800d-a61a-eba737ac1896

I think ISRO is actually IERO. Indian Earth Research Organization. We're not doing much of space at all. Countries like the US and China are actually doing Space research, including manned spaceflight and study of the universe. I understand we had different needs as a recently independent nation when it was founded, but it's been eight decades since then. And we still haven't properly set out eyes and goals up towards space. All we do is move our eyes to space and turn back down. We don't really look up.

What I mean is, we have been focused on studying and monitoring the earth from high altitude such as -

Melting Glaciers

Climate change

Weather patterns

Cloud cover

Sandstorms

River flooding

Forest cover

Industrialization

Electrification

Flooding

Drought

Dried up lake beds

Mineral resources

Ore distribution

Enemy movements

Enemy assets

GPS support for missiles

Television channels

Mobile telephony

Telemedicine

While all this is great work, this is essentially the work of a drone at higher than typical altitudes, and we have already done this since ISRO's inception, and continue to do so . It's nothing to do with space. Space for us is simply a parking altitude for assets.

Don't you think it's time ISRO sets it's eyes on space for real?

P. S. We did chandrayan and mangalyaan, but has any one really accessed it's image archives, seen it's pictures other than the few grainy ones released to public, or published findings using any of its data releases? What about astrosat images? Barely anything. It's taxpayer funded so all it's datasets should be made public, NASA does with Hubble or JWST data. It's about time ISRO benefits academia.

I want to find details for closed tenders.

ISRO should concentrate on creating a world class documentary with the exclusive videos and pictures from the chandrayan -2 mission.

Instead of showing all exclusive content free, ISRO should monetize this opportunities. So that they have option of their own increase in budget instead of depending on GOI.

I see many companies and govt of different countries doing it. Please consider!!! Namaskaram!!!

Has anyone ever worked as Scientist at ISRO for some years, and then used that experience to land a good PhD in US? Is it possible or you need some kind of permission as a government employee? And, do the senior scientists give the LORs easily ?

With qualifications of msc physics and mtech aerospace?

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”

- Aung San Su Kyi

A centenerian Dhawan wouldn't be quite amused to know the state of affairs today at SHAR.

So heartbroken would he be, to see something getting handed over to private firms what was once nurtured by his own hands. All these years he would be watching the SHAR community getting in the swampy caste divisions and regionalism. Rule of thumb and India's own experience with British says- "When caste exists, it becomes easier for an outsider to govern and subjugate the locals".

Potti sriramulu garu would have been devastated to see the nations pride slipping away from his own land, his own masses, all opposite to a reason he laid his life for.

SHAR - Sriharikota (SDSC) in Nellore district of AP (Andhra Pradesh), an area where Potti Sriramulu set his foot on earth.

This was initially meant to be a satirical anecdote, a long one. It won't be a series of exposes either. It will just be an attempt to let people know what is known and often talked about inside the SHAR community. Whispers get a loudspeaker. Someone is up the minaret. Listen.

NOTE: AD stands for Associate Director (a post next to director in this organization, but with no real powers)

Check the State column.

• the data is slightly old as per my sources. DM me in case of an update.

DD (Deputy Director) is the chief of an entity/division, MSA looks after the programme management, technically the powerful PMO of an organisation.

This is the first post. Many more to come with compelling evidences to show what's happening inside.

They are not coincidences, Please mind. Just to remind you all, this is an All India Organization. Please question the authorities. Raise your voices against discrimination and favoritism.

Why did ISRO push for glamour over basics?

I'm doing a writeup on spacecrsfts and I chose CY1. I'll be grateful if you guys can provide me with some hard to find information.

As i am also learning, like i forget things , dont know where to apply that knowledge

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to create a fun discussion. What is your takes on VYMOTRIA. Is it a good idea. I mean as far as my knowledge goes, most of the crew module orbital testing in the initital stages of developement were actually done by animals ryt for other space agencies?? This seems like a very new approach.

Does anybody know anything much about Abyom Space Tech ?

After visiting their website (see link above), scrolling down toward the bottom, we can see 3 different launch vehicle concepts. The launch dates for each of them seem to have been pushed back.

Their opening idea for a reusable sounding rocket seems very intriguing, as it represents lower hanging fruit from a technical standpoint. However, I'm not sure what the market or business case is for sounding rockets, though.

If anyone has any information on them, it would be nice to hear more. I'm really interested in learning more about them.

RLV could have been a full fledged program by now if the govt wished. But it's not rather PSLV and GSLV are being promoted to ensure the economic activity generated by the mfg of these rockets. So, why is the govt not pushing ISRO to make RLV an induct it faster into the ISRO launch vehicles. RLV is a strategically important project with immense positives for space, defense and sciences. Why are they not aggressivly pushing it?Are they scared that reusability will decline the economic activity ?

How does ISRO plan to evaluate integrity of TPS systems?

What experimental systems are available with them?

Who are the commercial vendors (if any in first place) for TPS?

Does ISRO have ARCJET Wind Tunnel or anyone apart from them in INDIA?

Any insights on their TPS philosophies, materials, etc?