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Indian Space Research Organisation
ISRO is gearing up for its first launch of the new year with the PSLV-C62 mission on January 12 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. According to an ISRO official, the primary payload of the mission is the EOS-N1, an imaging satellite built for strategic purposes by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. "The Launch of PSLV-C62 Mission is scheduled on 12 January 2026 at 10:17 hrs IST from First Launch Pad (FLP), SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota," ISRO said in a post on 'X'. The rocket will also carry a small probe device, Kestrel Initial Demonstrator (KID), developed by a Spanish-based startup, and will remain attached to the PS-4 stage, they said. As many as 17 other commercial payloads from startups and research institutions across India, Mauritius, Luxembourg, the UAE, Singapore, Europe, and the United States are also manifested for this flight, sources said. The post further said that the public can witness the launch from Launch View Gallery at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota by ...
ISRO is in the process of developing a third launch pad at the Shriharikota spaceport and is currently identifying the right vendors for it, a top scientist said. Shriharikota complex, which covers an area of 175 sq km, is located about 135 km east of Chennai. It has been serving the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency for the launch of various satellites using different launch vehicles. To move ahead with its plan of placing bigger satellites weighing over 12,000 - 14,000 kg in various orbits in space, ISRO requires bigger launch vehicles, Padmakumar ES, the Director and Distinguished Scientist of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shriharikota, said. To serve this purpose, ISRO is planning a third launch pad, he said. "We plan to develop, install and commission a third launch pad in four years. Activities are going on for that," he told PTI in a recent interaction. "We are starting the procurement phase and identifying the right vendors to deliver us the support that is needed for the
The successful launch of the Bluebird Block-2 satellite onboard an LVM3-M6 rocket has enhanced confidence in India's human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said on Wednesday. He emphasised the critical role of launch vehicle LVM3, which would be used for the ambitious Gaganyaan programme, the mission to send Indian astronauts to orbit and bring them safely back to earth. Addressing reporters, Narayanan said, "Today, it is a very important mission for us. Because you all know this is the vehicle which is human-rated and identified for the Gaganyaan programme for India. So, with 9 consecutive successful LVM3 launches, it improves our confidence in the Gaganyaan programme. It is also the mandated requirement." Listing highlights of the LVM3-Bluebird Block-2 mission, he said, the placing of Bluebird-Block-2 satellite precisely into the intended orbit is the best accuracy so far achieved ever on Indian soil. According to him, the LVM3 vehicle demonstrated one
In a dedicated commercial mission, ISRO on Wednesday launched a next-generation US communication satellite BlueBird Block-2 onboard its heaviest vehicle LVM3-M6 from here. As the 24-hour countdown concluded, the 43.5 metre tall rocket supported by two S200 solid boosters lifted off majestically at 8.55 am from the second launch pad at this spaceport, situated about 135 km east of Chennai. After a flight journey of about 15 minutes, the spacecraft BlueBird Block-2 riding piggyback on the rocket, is expected to get separated and reach its intended orbit at an altitude of about 520 km, ISRO said. The mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial agreement signed between NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and US-based AST SpaceMobile (AST and Science, LLC). NewSpace India Ltd is the commercial arm of ISRO. BlueBird Block-2 mission is part of the global LEO (Low Earth Orbit) constellation to provide direct-to-mobile connectivity through satellite. This constellation would enable 4G and
ISRO's upcoming LVM3 M6 mission will carry the BlueBird Block-2 satellite into orbit on December 24, as part of a commercial deal with US-based AST SpaceMobile. The historic mission will deploy the next-generation communication satellite designed to provide high-speed cellular broadband directly to smartphones worldwide. AST SpaceMobile (AST & Science, LLC) is building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network, which is accessible directly by smartphones and designed for both commercial and government applications. "We are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today's nearly six billion mobile subscribers and bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected," the company said in its website. AST SpaceMobile has launched five satellites -- BlueBird 1-5 in September 2024, which enable continuous internet coverage across the US and other select countries. The US-based company has planned to launch similar satellites to augment its network ...
India has invited Russian companies to invest in innovative space ventures in the country and tap its vast market, Ambassador Vinay Kumar said on Tuesday. "The Government of India has offered lucrative schemes to create a conducive atmosphere in the space industry," Kumar said while addressing a function at the Indian Embassy here to mark the second National Space Day. The event commemorated the deployment of the Pragyan Rover on the Moon aboard Chandrayaan-3 on August 23, 2023. Recalling decades of space cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow, he cited the launch of India's first satellite Aryabhata on a Soviet rocket in 1975, the voyage of Rakesh Sharma aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft in 1984, and the ongoing collaboration on the Gaganyaan human space mission. The event was attended by officials and experts from Russia's space organisation Roscosmos, which is closely working with ISRO. Kumar noted that while space emerged as an industry only a few decades ago, in Indian tradi
India's space sector promoter IN-SPACe on Wednesday said it has facilitated the transfer of five technologies developed by ISRO to Indian companies, which could reduce the country's dependence on imports in the related fields. The tripartite agreements were signed between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the recipient industries, and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) at its headquarters in Ahmedabad. The transfers are aimed at driving commercialization, strengthening self-reliance, reducing imports, and enabling wider applications of space technologies in sectors such as automotive, biomedical, and industrial manufacturing, an IN-SPACe statement said. One of the technologies, the Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) Multi-Chip Module, developed by SAC, enables the integration of multiple semiconductor chips into a single compact module. This has been acquired by Voltix Semicon Pvt Ltd, Pune, for biomedical use, particularly in RT-PCR kits requirin
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday said he grew up as a "shy and reserved" person and while young, he never dreamt of flying to space. Shukla, who spoke at an IAF event, said he listened to stories of Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight, but the dream to travel to space didn't take root early in his life. "I grew up as a shy and reserved person. We used to hear stories of the spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in our childhood days," he said. The astronaut also shared his experience of being part of the recently concluded Axiom 4 mission, which made him the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who felicitated the four Gaganyaan astronauts, including Shukla, said the Gaganyaan mission symbolises a "new chapter" in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India in the early hours of Sunday after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who has been in the US training for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS over the past year, was welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. Shukla's backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, also returned to the homeland. Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown, Lucknow, shortly. He is also expected to return to the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on 2223 August. India's space glory touches Indian soil... as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla, lands in Delhi in the early hours of this morning. Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India's first human mission Gaganyaan, who
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday said initial health assessments of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned to earth after a 20-day space mission, indicated that he was in stable condition with no immediate concerns. Shukla returned to earth on June 15 when the Dragon Grace spacecraft carrying him and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission splashed down off San Diego coast in California. Preliminary health checks were carried out on the astronauts on the recovery ship soon after they exited the spacecraft. Later, the astronauts were airlifted by helicopter from the recovery ship to the mainland for further medical evaluations and debriefing sessions. Later, Shukla was flown to Houston for a week-long rehabilitation program to mitigate any adverse effect of microgravity. "This is being administered by Axiom's flight surgeon and ISRO's flight surgeon is also participating in this program," ISRO said. The rehabilitation programme includes a series of