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ISRO on Saturday said its Aditya-L1 solar mission has provided new insights into how a powerful solar storm can impact Earth's magnetic shield. "The most severe effects occurred during the impact of the turbulent region of the solar storm, the space agency said in a statement. In a breakthrough study published in the Astrophysical Journal in December 2025, ISRO scientists and research students analysed a major space weather event that struck Earth in October 2024. The study used observations from Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory, along with data from other international space missions to decode the impact of a massive eruption of solar plasma from the Sun. Space weather refers to conditions in space caused by transient activity on the Sun, such as solar plasma eruptions, which can affect satellites, communication and navigation services, and power grid infrastructure on Earth, the statement said. According to ISRO, the turbulent region of the solar storm strongly compres
ISRO will kick off its 2026 launch calendar on January 12 with the PSLV C62 mission to deploy the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite and 14 other payloads into space. Undertaken by the NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, the 14 other co-passenger satellites belong to domestic and overseas customers. "The integration of the vehicle and the satellites has been completed and pre-launch checks are in progress. The PSLV-C62 mission is proposed to lift-off on January 12 at 10.17 hrs, from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota," ISRO said on Saturday. The 25-hour countdown is scheduled to commence on January 11, for the mission which would be the 64th flight of PSLV. The Earth Observation Satellite has been built jointly by Thailand and the United Kingdom, ISRO said. The entire mission is expected to be more than two hours after lift off at 10.17 am on January 12. The primary payload - 'Earth Observation Satellite' built by Thailand and the U
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 Bluebird Block-2 satellite, which was successfully deployed by ISRO's Bahubali rocket LVM3-M6 on December 24 is set to commence operations in the coming weeks. The next-generation communication satellite, developed by US-based AST SpaceMobile, became the first spacecraft to be launched from Indian soil on December 24 into the intended orbit by ISRO. "In the coming weeks it will start operations," AST SpaceMobile COO Shanti B Gupta said. In a statement, AST SpaceMobile said, Bluebird 6 has become the largest commercial communications array ever deployed in the Low Earth orbit as it spans 2,400 sq ft, three times larger than the previous Bluebird satellites 1-5 launched in September 2024. The satellites have been engineered to deliver commercial and government applications, including high-speed 4G and 5G space-based cellular broadband directly to standard, unmodified smartphones and government applications. AST SpaceMobile Chairman and CEO Abel Avellan had said, "This launch ...
India remains very constantly engaged with the United States to find a mutually beneficial and balanced trade arrangement as early as possible, India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra said. "On trade and tariff...we remain very constantly engaged with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) with the hope to find a mutually beneficial and a balanced trade arrangement as early as possible, Kwatra told PTI in an exclusive interview here. Our effort all along, right through this whole year, the tone for the relationship was set during Prime Minister's visit in early February. We agreed to a very, very significant and substantial outcome document across range of areas. Space was one of them, he said. Kwatra termed India's successful launch of an American communication satellite on Wednesday as a very important and big day for partnership between Washington and New Delhi, saying it caps a series of achievements in 2025 in bilateral space cooperation between the countries. I
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 ...
A series of qualification tests for drogue parachutes, which have been carried out to develop a deceleration system for ISRO's Gaganyaan crew module, were successful, the space agency said on Saturday. These tests were completed at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh, on December 18 and 19, the ISRO said. The deceleration system of the Gaganyaan crew module comprises a total of 10 parachutes of four types, the agency said in a statement. According to ISRO, the descent sequence begins with the separation of two apex cover separation parachutes, which remove the protective cover from the parachute compartment. This is followed by the deployment of two drogue parachutes that stabilise and decelerate the module. "Upon release of the drogues, three pilot parachutes are deployed to extract three main parachutes, which further slow down the crew module to ensure a safe touchdown," ISRO said. The space agency said
Former ISRO Chairman S Somnath said that India will be a "superpower" in 2047, with space technology and manufacturing being a supplier to the world. Somnath made these remarks during the inauguration of the 71st convention of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) here on Friday. He asserted that "science and spirituality can coexist, just as faith and reality complement each other", adding that our sages and saints explored mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy, architecture, and medicine, and that our spirituality embodies the insights of modern science. Somnath said that everyone knows that India is progressing, which is instilling a new confidence in the people. He said, "This is the first time that India is being viewed differently in the world, and this is possible because we are pillars of democratic stability." "Today's India is a youthful India, with 25 per cent of the population being young, and this will remain the case for the next 25 years, a position that is ...
Two scientists from a top ocean institute will pilot a 28-tonne indigenously built manned submersible up to 500 metres deep off Chennai coast early next year, marking India's entry in the coveted group of select countries with such capabilities. India's own aquanauts Ramesh Raju and Jatinder Pal Singh from the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will pilot the Matsya-6000 to unravel the mysteries of the ocean as part of India's Deep Ocean Mission. "We have explored the ocean bed at greater depths using remotely operated vehicles. This is for the first time we will be sending humans at a depth of 6,000 metres and safety is paramount for this mission," Balaji Ramakrishnan, Director, NIOT, told PTI here. India's Samudrayaan project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is also considered as a reflection of the spirit of self-reliance as global tenders were issued twice to procure a manned deep sea submersible, which ran into technology denials, prompting the ...