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A Chennai-based space startup is all set to demonstrate its technology that would allow re-fuelling of satellites orbiting the earth, extending their lifespan and help address the challenges of space debris. OrbitAid Aerospace is set to launch AyulSAT, a dedicated tanker-satellite, onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday to perform internal propellant transfer, power transfer and data transfer using its Standard Interface for Docking and Refuelling Port (SIDRP). "We will first demonstrate transfer of fuel from one tank to another within the satellite," Sakthikumar Ramachandran, founder and CEO, OrbitAID, told PTI. Sakthikumar said AyulSAT will be India's first commercial docking and refuelling interface deployed in-orbit. "We will soon have fuel stations in orbit that will enable life extension of satellites - both in low earth and geo synchronous orbits," he said. Sakthikumar said later this year OrbitAID will launch another satellite -- the designated chaser
Satellite communication services will be rolled out in the country after players in the segment, including Elon Musk-owned Starlink, comply with the demands of security agencies, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said. The minister, in an interview to PTI, said the government will soon be in a position to allocate spectrum to satcom players - Starlink, Eutelsat One, and Jio SGS - once Department of Telecom (DoT) finalises spectrum pricing. "There are two issues that need to be addressed. One by the licence holders OneWeb, Reliance Jio, and Starlink, which is to comply with security clearances regarding international gateways, ensuring data remains in India, and so on," Scindia said. The minister added that the government has already allocated provisional spectrum to satcom companies to demonstrate compliance capability with security agencies. "They are in the process of doing that, so they need to comply," Scindia said. He noted that the government is in the process of
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
More than 90 per cent of large farm fires in Punjab and Haryana are now going undetected by the official monitoring systems as farmers are shifting stubble-burning activities to late afternoons, according to a new analysis published on Monday. The Stubble Burning Status Report 2025 by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST) said this led to major underestimation of the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's air pollution this year. iFOREST said the government's current monitoring protocol, run by the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (CREAMS) of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, is unable to detect most farm fires as it relies mainly on polar-orbiting satellites that observe India only between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. This narrow time window no longer matches farmers' burning practices, it said. At the same time, the report finds real progress on the ground, with burnt areas in Punjab and
NASA and ISRO are all set to declare their first-ever jointly developed NISAR satellite operational on Friday, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said here on Wednesday. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), said to be the most expensive Earth observation satellite ever built, has the ability to monitor most of the planet's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. The 2,400 kg NISAR satellite was launched on July 30 from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre using the GSLV rocket. "Entire data calibration has been completed, and we will have a conclave on November 7 to declare the satellite operational," Narayanan said at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) here. The NISAR mission is the first to carry two SAR systems the L-Band and S-Band sensors. The L-band radar can penetrate forest canopies and measure soil moisture, forest biomass, and the motion of land and ice surfaces. The S-band radar is more sensitive to small vegetation, and can observe cer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday congratulated ISRO scientists on the successful launch of the heaviest communication satellite from Indian soil. The prime minister's remarks came soon after ISRO placed the 4,410 kg CMS-03 satellite in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) using an LVM-3 rocket. "Our space sector continues to make us proud! Congratulations ISRO on the successful launch of India's heaviest communication satellite, CMS-03," Modi said in a post on X. Besides placing the satellite in the desired orbit, ISRO scientists also demonstrated the re-ignition of the thrust chamber of the C-25 cryogenic engine after it placed the satellite in the orbit. The experiment will help ISRO restart the cryogenic stage and give it the flexibility to place satellites in different orbits. "Powered by our space scientists, it is commendable how our space sector has become synonymous with excellence and innovation. Their successes have furthered
An ISRO heavylift rocket with communication satellite CMS-03, the 'heaviest' to be carried by an Indian launch vehicle and into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), lifted off from the spaceport here on Sunday. After the 24 hour countdown concluded, the 43.5 metre tall rocket soared into the skies at the prefixed time of 5.26 pm from the second launch pad at this spaceport, about 135 km from Chennai, emanating bright orange coloured fumes on its tail. The satellite riding piggyback on the LVM3-M5 rocket, after a flight journey of about 16-20 minutes, is expected to be separated upon reaching an altitude of about 180 km, ISRO said. The CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite that would provide services over a wide oceanic region including the Indian landmass, ISRO said. It is the heaviest satellite to be carried by a domestic rocket, launched from the Indian soil and into the GTO. The Indian space agency has been utilizing the Kourou launch base in French Guiana for ...
The ISRO on Sunday said its LVM3 launch vehicle is scheduled to lift off with the CMS-03 communication satellite on November 2, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. "India's LVM3 launch vehicle is scheduled to launch the CMS-03 communication satellite in its fifth operational flight (LVM3-M5) on November 2, 2025," ISRO said in a statement. According to the space agency, CMS-03 is a multi-band communication satellite designed to provide services across a wide oceanic region, including the Indian landmass. Weighing about 4,400 kg, it will be the heaviest communication satellite to be launched to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Indian soil. "The previous mission of LVM3 launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission, wherein India became the first country to land successfully near the lunar south pole," ISRO added. ISRO further said that the launch vehicle has been fully assembled and integrated with the spacecraft and was moved to the launch pad on October 26 for final ..