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SRE 1, 2

SRE 1 [ISRO]

SRE (Space Capsule Recovery Experiment) is intended for demonstrating the capability to recover an orbiting space capsule. The experiment envisages the development of a 500 kg recoverable capsule and the associated technologies. SRE was launched on board ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) during the second half of 2005.

After its launch by a PSLV, SRE will remain in orbit for a few days during which it will be used to perform experiments in micro-gravity environment. The capsule will then be de-orbited and it re-enters the earth's atmosphere. On re-entry, after initial aerodynamic braking, a parachute system will reduce the touch down velocity. The SRE will splashdown in the Bay of Bengal, about 140 km east of Sriharikota coast. A floatation system will keep the SRE afloat and enables its recovery.

The SRE capsule has four major hardware, namely Aero Thermostructure (ATS), Spacecraft platform, deceleration and floatation system and payloads.

The SRE is intended to test reusable thermal protection system, navigation, guidance and control, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, management of communication blackout, deceleration and floatation system, recovery operations, etc.

Additionally to the technological experiments, the capsules carry micro gravity experiments: SRE–1 carried two experiments, an Isothermal Heating Furnace (IHF) and a Bio-mimetic experiment. SRE-2 carries a larger number of experiments:

  • Advanced Iso-thermal heating furnace (IHF-MK2): Gravitational Effects during Liquid Phase Sintering of Powder metallurgy Products and Study on the potential of carbon nano tubes for Composites
  • CCMB Bioreactor: Biological Effects of Micro-g on E-coli bacteria
  • JAXA Bioreactor: Growth of Plant Kingdom based Microbials (Cyanobacteria)
  • BIOPAN: Microgravity and radiation exposure studies on Seeds
  • Dosimeter: Orbital radiation measurement (cumulative and instantaneous)
  • Langmuir Probe: Electron flux density measurement during re-entry

The SRE 1 capsule was launched on 10. January 2007 and was recovered successfuly on 22 January 2007.

The SRE 2 has been delayed to technical issues in the development of thermal protection system for several years from its originally planed launch date in 2008. The launch was deferred to June 2014. The current status is unknown.

Nation: India
Type / Application: Technology, re-entry
Operator: ISRO
Contractors: ISRO
Equipment: ?
Configuration: ?
Propulsion: Retro engine
Power: Batteries
Lifetime:
Mass: 550 kg
Orbit: 622 km × 639 km, 97.95° (#1)
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
SRE 1 2007-001C 10.01.2007 Sr FLP PSLV-G (3) with Cartosat 2, LAPAN-Tubsat, PehuenSat 1
SRE 2 - ? Sr PSLV with ? / status unclear

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