Cochin Space Research Organization

[king of cochin]

In a major setback to CSRO's Space Transportation Project, the first Mark1 Space Freighter met with a serious issue in a routine sortie from Cochin Lunar Base to Earth. The three man crew of the Space Freighter were stuck in space around 230,000 kilometers from earth as both of the GAL X3 Ion Thruster engines got damaged in a freak asteroid impact. The small asteroids damaged the fuel pods and both the engine pods as well as two Cargo Modules however there had been no damage to the core structure or the Crew Cabin itself. A the receipt of news of the accident CSRO immediately launched a GAL Skylark for the rescue of the crew and two Skylons have also been dispatched carrying a GAL Space Tug each to tow the stricken Space Freighter back to repair orbit above earth.

With the a fleet of three Space Freighters in operation and a fourth and fifth Mark 1 Space Freighters stated to be launched in the coming weeks this is a serious setback for CSRO which is now forced to re-assess the design capabilities of the Mark 1 Space Freighters. Sources within CSRO however state that this incident though undoubtedly a setback for CSRO in short term would not affect the other programs on anvil. A second version of Space Freighter is apparently in the design phase in which lessons learned from the operation of the first Mark 1 Space Freighter would be incorporated. The current fleet of Mark 1 Space Freighters would be grounded to immediate effect and would undergo a through structural stability test based from Trisanku Space Station. The Mk1 Space Freighters would hereon serve only in LEO, MEO and at most in GEO orbits with the Lunar resupply missions once again falling on the aging Pushpak Space Shuttles. The grounded fleet of 10 Pushpak Space Shuttles at SLC Dagring are now being prepared for Orbital duties. At least 4 of the Pushpak Space Shuttles are expected to be launched into space in the coming few weeks so that the chemically powered spacecrafts could assume the logistical responsibilities for Cochin Lunar Station. CSRO has also ordered launch of Chemical fuel tanks to orbit, to be tethered to the ORS-A.

[king of cochin]

[center][u][b]SPACE DOCK BHRIGU[/b][/u][/center]

[IMG]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/spacedock.jpg[/IMG]

The latest of Cochin's adventure in Space, the Space Dock Bhrigu is now taking shape at an altitude of 1350 kms above the earth. This massive feat of Space Engineering is being accomplished by CSRO's ever increasing force of nearly 250 Space Engineers working from a variety of support Space craft including the Advanced Pushkaks and GAL Skylark. The first step in this monumental construction work, the launch of the structural components, all 55000 tonnes of it was accomplished over a week through a dedicated launch program using the Equatorial Launch Loop. The ELL at SLC Maldives on Foamullah Island has performed logistical operations of this nature for quite some time serving the Ceylon space projects but this is for the first time that it is being used for a Cochin Space project.

The massive structural modules which were launched into space were all tugged to the Assembly Orbit of 1350 kms by the entire fleet of GAL Space Tugs and Skylon Orbital Transfer Vehicles in one of the largest and most complex Space Logistics operations of its kind. It was imperative that the lower orbit be cleared of the structural components as soon as possible. As soon as the tugs started bringing the modules in the Space Engineers had gotten to work on the monumental assembly work. The entire assembly work would take almost an entire year for all the assembly, testing and commissioning process to be completed during which time the Space Engineers would be based mostly out of the Advanced Pushpaks and Trisanku Space Station for their habitat and sustenance requirements. At least 25 Independent Habitat Modules have also been positioned for the temporary usage of the Space Engineers.

[king of cochin]

While most of the CSRO attention is now tasked towards the construction of the Space Dock Bhrigu, a substantial launch was made today of the Mark 2 Space Freighter. The Mark 2 Space Freighter was launched in components through the Equatorial Launch Loop and assembled at an orbit of 460 kms by a team of 15 Space Engineers over a period of 3 days, a feat made much more possible by the vastly increased modularity of the Mark 2 Space Freighter. Learning from the lessons of the Mark 1 Space Freighter which is still in restricted duty in Near Earth Orbits, the Mark 2 is a much more sophisticated and safe design.

[IMG]http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww110/gokulvarmank/Freighter1.jpg[/IMG]

With improved crew quarters and additional safety, navigation and control features, the Mark 2 is almost 500 tonnes heavier than the Mark 1. It is also equipped with a PLS Crew Recovery Vehicle in case of emergencies, capable of fitting the entire expanded crew of 7. Powered by 3 GAL X4 Ion thruster engines, the Mk2 is able to carry 12 Cargo Modules of 200 tonnes each.

With the assembly of the Mark 2 nearing completion, CSRO is launching a full load out of supplies to the Cochin Lunar Base, ie, 2400 tonnes in 12 new design Cargo Modules from the ELL. CSRO has announced that subsequent Space Freighters are more likely to be assembled from the Space Dock Bhrigu.

[king of cochin]

[center][u][b]INAUGURATION OF SPACE DOCK BHRIGU[/b][/u][/center]

The King of Cochin, His Highness Kerala Varma had flown in to the the Bhrigu Space dock aboard a GAL Skylark from the SLC Dagring to inaugurate the newest and largest Space station built by Cochin. Accompanied by Dr. Vignesh Sarabhai, Director of Cochin Space Research Organization, the King was welcomed aboard the Space Dock by Dr. Antonov Pachenko, the Commander of the Space Dock. The inauguration ceremony was conducted from the Mission Control Room aboard Bhrigu where the King of Cochin addressed the 150 strong first permanent crew of the Dock and 200 other engineers and scientists from CSRO and other organizations, individuals who had played pivotal roles in the history of CSRO. The ceremony is also being streamed live to Earth to be shown live on all national TV channels all over the Kingdom.

Addressing this combined gathering, the King of Cochin said,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today I come bearing a good news and a bad news to you, the crew of Bhrigu and the fraternity who enabled this dream to come true. The good news is that in a few moments as I inaugurate this facility we shall have completed one of the most ambitious projects in the history of CSRO. A major milestone indeed, considering the years of development and launch procedures we had to undertake to launch the Trisanku, we have launched the more massive, sophisticated Bhrigu in just under a year. A feat for which the nation thanks you. Without further ado I am thus inaugurating Bhrigu, the largest Space Station Cochin has built."

The King then pressed a button which activated the assembly bay and two cranes brought two components of a Mark 2 Space Freighter. The Assembly Bay now powered on, a team of Operators operated a pair of dexterous robotic arms to connect the two modules together. Two Space Engineers now ventured into the Assembly Bay via an air lock and completed the assembly process, thus a procedure that took a couple of hours earlier was accomplished in a matter of minutes.

"Friends, this is the future, a future we have created and a future we shall continue building. Bhrigu is an invaluable asset to the Kingdom. Albeit now is the time for the bad news."

The assembly listened carefully during the nearly dramatic pause that the King undertook. Everyone except Dr. Sarabhai were exhibiting expressions of puzzlement and worry.

"Bhrigu cannot be granted the prestige, the accolade of being the largest Cochin Space Station, an accolade that hitherto rested with Trisanku Space Station. It is an accolade that unfortunately would be skipped past you."

The people assembled now started murmuring with even greater puzzlement.

The King of Cochin now lifted a pointer and clicked a button to reveal an image on the holographic display behind him.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/Lynneth_del_Serpentas/AE/CNRP/Corp/spacecolonypa1.jpg[/img]

"Citizens of the Kingdom of Cochin, behold Cochin Island Two Habitat. Located at Earth Moon Lagrangian Point 1, this is a facility built and operated by Guyana or Ceylon as they were known just a while back and bought by the Kingdom to be our own Space Habitat. A fully self sufficient biosphere, it can support a population of up to 700,000, a privilege that I declare open to each and every citizen of the Kingdom. In the coming few weeks Cochin shall be throughly staking our claim on our Island Two Habitat and Cochin Space Research Organization shall be overseeing the permits for people seeking to emigrate to this new Habitat. Citizens, this is a historic opportunity. This is a chance to truly live an out of the world life. It is a new vista, with all the complexities, opportunities and dangers like any new world. These opportunities shall be embraced in all its thoroughness by us. I invite you all to populate this newest outpost of the Kingdom of Cochin. This is a dream that can be made a total success only with the full and steadfast cooperation by our friends and colleagues here in Space Dock Bhrigu. So Ladies and Gentlemen of the Bhrigu crew, you are not in the largest Space Station of Cochin but you are in the largest Space Station built by Cochin an accolade that is yours to profess. We count on you to make this new chance come true."

The King thus declared and the Space Dock Bhrigu was formally inaugurated and the Cochin Island Two Habitat unveiled before the Kingdom. The King was then followed by Dr. Vignesh Sarabhai who would answer questions coming from the crew and gathering. Over the past few months hectic planning and organization was being done by a secretive Joint Group composed of members from Cochin Space Research Organization, Ministry of Interior and Royal Cochin Defense Forces to come up with a sound methodology to organize the screening and selection of inhabitants for the Island Two Habitat, which is still to be given a formal name. Several tandem occurring projects involving Transport solutions for mass personnel transportation are also reaching stages of fruition and now that the Space Dock with its immense construction capability is finally commissioned the Kingdom of Cochin is poised to make its new reach to Space possible.

[king of cochin]

SLC Urumqi, SLC Ahmedabad and SLC Ranchi were formally commissioned today into Cochin Space Research Organization. The newest Space Launch Centers would serve vital space logistical needs in the impending mass emigration to the Cochin Island Habitat now being organized by CSRO and Ministry of Interior. The three SLCs were inaugurated by a inaugural launch of a GAL Skylark each from the three newest SLCs carrying various dignitaries from the regions to the Space Dock Bhrigu. The three SLCs would soon be fitted with their full base inventory of ten each of Advanced Pushpak Space Shuttles, GAL Skylarks and Skylon Orbital Transfer Vehicles as the serial production at GAL Space Fabrication Facilities are coming fully on stream.

In another major development, Dr. Vignesh Sarabhai, Director of Cochin Space Research Organization announced in a press briefing from CSRO Headquarters in Dagring, Tibet that henceforth Cochin Space Stations would be named with special call signs. The prefix of Cochin Space Ship aka CSS has been approved for CSRO stations by His Highness Kerala Varma, the King of Cochin. Hence the existing Cochin Space Stations would be renamed as such:

Trisanku Space Station and Annexe - CSS Trisanku
Dhruva Biosphere Facility - CSS Dhruva
Ashwini Research Center - CSS Ashwini
Bhrigu Space Dock - CSS Bhrigu
Orbital Refueling Station A - CSS Ors A
Orbital Refueling Station B - CSS Ors B
Orbital Refueling Station C - CSS Ors C
Orbital Refueling Station D - CSS Ors D

Dr. Sarabhai also said that a road map for future developments in CSRO operations would be announced in the near future, which would include several more manned space stations, new research projects and several innovative projects for Space monetization. With the complete population of the Cochin Island Habitat to be completed within two years, a new frontier would be opened for Space Industries and Space economics for which CSRO would be playing a pivotal role. Dr. Vignesh Sarabhai also hinted about opportunities being opened for private participation in the imminent space boom in which Cochin private companies would be encouraged and supported to increase and improve competition in the opening up Space Economy of Cochin. Avenues including Space Tourism, Space Mining, Space Transportation etc would soon be open to competition from Private entities in now way however lessening CSRO's own massive footprint in the space.

[king of cochin]

Two new Mark 2 Space Freighters have been constructed and launched from the CSS Bhrigu, the first of such launches by the Space Dock. With the launch of these three Space Freighters resupply and logistical connectivity to Cochin Lunar Station has now been once again the duty of the Freighters and the Skylons and old Pushpak Space Shuttles have been withdrawn from their temporary logistical duties.

[king of cochin]

CSRO today announced the successful testing of the launch of a Multi Purpose Passenger Module compatible with the Mark 2 Space Freighter. A modification of the Cargo module designed to carry 200 tonnes of cargo, The Logistic module is designed to be a self contained habitation facility for a group of ten people. Built primarily to transport people to the Cochin Island Habitat the test module was launched from the Equatorial Launch Loop at Foamullah Island and was then attached on to a Mark 2 Space Freighter. The Module carrying an experimental crew of ten Astronauts were then transported to the CIH along with the other cargo loadouts.

With the selection procedure for immigrants to CIH ready to be rolled out by Ministry of Interior and Cochin Space Research Organization, the new MPPMs would become a useful interim measure until the more permanent solution , the upcoming Sampathi Class of passenger ships get ready. The first of the Sampathi space ship which is being fabricated at various plants of CSRO would be assembled at Space Dock Bhrigu and would be a more viable solution for mass transit of people from Earth to the Cochin Island Habitat.