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The DRDO has successfully conducted a high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity, validating some of the key safety parameters including complete aircrew recovery. The test has placed India in "an elite club of nations" with advanced in-house escape system testing capability, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. In a rocket-sled test, the system coupled with a rocket propulsion mechanism is run at a high speed on a pair of rails to simulate a moving aircraft in mid-air, a senior official said. Defence Minster Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, IAF, Aeronautical Development Agency, and HAL on the successful test. He described it as a significant milestone for India's indigenous defence capability towards self-reliance. "Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully conducted a high-speed rocket-sled test of fighter aircraft escape system at precisely controlled velocity of 800 km/h- validating canopy severance, .
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite launched onboard GSLV-F16 on July 30 this year successfully deployed 12-metre diameter antenna reflector and entered science phase, ISRO said on Friday. The antenna plays a key role for both ISRO's S-Band and NASA's L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, it said. "The first image of S-Band SAR acquired on August 19, 2025, captures the fertile Godavari River Delta in Andhra Pradesh, India. Various vegetation classes like mangroves, agriculture, arecanut plantations, aquaculture fields, etc. are clearly seen in the image. The image highlights NISAR's S-Band SAR ability to map river deltas and agricultural landscapes with precision," ISRO said in a statement. On the 100th day of NISAR in orbit, the S-SAR images were released to the public by the Chairman, ISRO. With this, the commencement of the science phase has also been announced, it said. The antenna was launched in a stowed condition on a 9-metre-long boom, which was ..
ISRO Chairman Narayanan on Tuesday said he was pleased to see private companies stepping into the complex work of building navigation systems for spacecraft and defence, adding that their efforts would support PM Modi's vision of making India a developed nation by 2047. He noted that navigation systems are highly complex and critical, which ISRO alone could not develop. "When we talk about Viksit Bharat 2047, it is our responsibility to ensure no imports are required. Navigation is a very critical area, and ISRO alone cannot develop it. So I am extremely happy that in Thiruvananthapuram, Ananth Technologies has entered this field," Narayanan said. He was speaking to the media after inaugurating a Centre of Excellence in Navigation by Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies, a company closely working with organisations like ISRO, DRDO, and BrahMos, at Kinfra Park here. According to Narayanan, the facility, which he personally inspected after the inauguration, is world-class and would ..
ISRO would launch a US communication satellite using LVM3 on a commercial basis next month, the space agency's Chairman V Narayanan said on Monday. Delivering the keynote address on the occasion of 68th Annual Day celebrations of Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET) here, he also said the country's space programme would be on par with any other advanced nation in terms of launches, satellites and others by 2040. "Launch date is not yet decided. It will be next month. It is a communication satellite, we are planning to launch. A commercial basis communication satellite we are going to launch in our LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark - III), vehicle," he told reporters. It is not a collaboration with the US, but an American satellite which would be launched on a commercial basis, he said. According to him, the ISRO, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm of affairs, is working on a lot of programmes. Right now, 57 satellites are in orbit, an
The ISRO on Wednesday announced that it has successfully demonstrated the boot-strap mode start test of the CE20 Cryogenic engine, which powers the upper stage of the Launch Vehicle Mark -3 (LVM3) rocket. The test was conducted for 10 second under vacuum conditions at the High-Altitude Test (HAT) facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri on November 7, it said. According to ISRO, the CE20 cryogenic engine is already qualified for operation at thrust levels between 19 and 22 tonnes with a single start in flight and is cleared for use in the Gaganyaan missions. Under normal conditions, the engine ignition begins under tank head pressure, followed by a turbopump start up using a stored gas start-up system, the space agency said. For future missions, multiple in-flight restarts of the CE20 engine will be required for mission flexibility, towards multi-orbit missions. With the current configuration, each restart requires an additional start-up gas bottle and associated systems,
India is fast emerging as a preferred global destination for space sector engagement and investment, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. Inaugurating the India International Space Conclave, Singh said India's space sector was undergoing a decisive transformation and the government's reforms have created an enabling ecosystem where talent, technology and investment can converge to shape the future of the space economy. Reforms introduced since 2019, including opening the sector to private players, establishing IN-SPACe as a single-window regulatory body and releasing the space policy in 2023, have helped India expand its role in the global space landscape, the minister said. He said the unlocking of the space sector has brought start-ups, students, industry and citizens into what was once a closed domain. Singh said that India's most significant contribution has been the application of space technology for governance and citizen welfare. Nearly 70 per ce
ISRO is gearing up for one of its busiest times with seven more launches planned this financial year, even as India's first human spaceflight remains scheduled for 2027, its chairman V Narayanan said. In an interview with PTI, he said ISRO is preparing for a phase of rapid scaling in science, technology and industry capacity. Narayanan said ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is targeting seven more launches before the end of the current financial year, including a commercial communication satellite, and multiple PSLV and GSLV missions. A milestone will be the launch of the first PSLV manufactured entirely by the Indian industry. The ISRO chief said the government has approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission, designed as a lunar sample-return mission and it will be India's most complex lunar endeavour yet. "We are targeting 2028 for Chandrayaan-4," he said. Another key mission is LUPEX, the joint lunar polar exploration programme with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). IS
ISRO on Saturday said it has collected advanced data from the Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter to gain a deeper understanding of the Moon's polar regions, including parameters describing the physical and dielectric properties of its surface. This is India's major value addition towards future global exploration of the Moon, it said. According to an ISRO statement, the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has been in orbit around the Moon since 2019 and has been providing high-quality data. One of the payloads, the Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR), is the first instrument that has mapped the Moon using the L-band in full-polarimetric mode and in the highest resolution (25m/pixel). This advanced radar mode sends and receives signals in both vertical and horizontal directions, making it ideal for studying surface properties, it said. The space agency said that since its launch, about 1,400 radar datasets have been collected and processed to create polarimetric mosaics of the north and sou
India and the US signalled the beginning of a new phase of space partnership at a special event hosted by the Embassy of India in Washington DC, with officials and astronauts highlighting how decades of cooperation are now paving the way for missions to the Moon and Mars. An event, titled India-USA Space Collaboration: The Frontiers of a Futuristic Partnership, was held at India House on Monday and celebrated recent milestones, including the joint NASAISRO NISAR satellite and the Axiom Mission-4, which carried Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station. Ambassador of India to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, described the partnership as a dynamic platform for advancing scientific exploration, technology development and commercial cooperation. He said India's space programme has emerged as a global leader in cost-effective exploration, and joint efforts with the US could push the boundaries of human spaceflight in the decades ahead. Dr Karen St Germain, ..
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to his hometown Lucknow on Monday to a rousing reception after becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station. Although he arrived in India from the US on August 17, he is visiting the Uttar Pradesh capital now after participating in multiple outreach events, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18. Family members, including his parents Shambhu and Asha Shukla, wife Kamna, and son Kiash, were present at the airport to greet him. They were joined by cheering crowds waving the tricolour and chanting "Vande Mataram". Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, a troupe played drums and trumpets, while students from Shukla's alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), came dressed in vibrant costumes representing space missions and celestial objects. CMS manager Geeta Gandhi Kingdon was among those personally welcoming the school's celebrated alumnus. From the airport, Shukla embarked on a
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Tuesday said the space agency has been working on a rocket as high as a 40-storey building to place 75,000 kg satellite in low earth orbit. Delivering the convocation address of Osmania University here, Narayanan said this year, the space agency has lined up with projects such as NAVIC (Navigation with India Constellation system) satellite and the N1 rocket, besides placing a 6,500 kg communication satellite of the USA into orbit using Indian rockets. "You know, what is the capacity of the rocket? The first launcher, (Dr APJ) Abdul Kalam ji, which he built was a 17 tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing 35 kg in low earth orbit. Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low earth orbit. The rocket is of 40-storey building height," he said. ISRO has planned to launch Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and GSAT-7R, a Indian military communication satellite, specifically designed for the Indian Navy to replace the existing GSAT-7 ...
A state-of-the-art space laboratory was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona at remote Mechuka in Shi-Yomi district. The lab at Mechuka Government Higher Secondary School, established in collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Muskaan Foundation, aims to provide students with hands-on experience in space science and technology, fostering curiosity, innovation, and scientific thinking among the youth, an official statement said on Friday. The facility has been named Pasang Wangchuk Sona ISRO Space Laboratory, in honour of the minister's father and in recognition of his lifelong belief in the transformative power of education, it said. "Today marks an emotional and proud moment for me as I inaugurated the 'Pasang Wangchuk Sona ISRO Space Laboratory' -- dedicated to my late father. This laboratory is not just an educational facility, it is a tribute to his unwavering belief in the power of education and curiosity. I hope