Page 4 - India Space Mission

Dragonfly to Titan: Nasa's bold mission to unlock life's ancient recipe

Titan has intrigued astronomers ever since it was discovered. The moon orbiting Saturn is replete with rivers, lakes and seas. This is a frigid world laden with organic molecules

India to launch 52 spy satellites over next five years: INSPACe chairman

India will put in orbit a constellation of 52 satellites over the next five years to step up space-based surveillance capabilities, Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said on Wednesday. He said the move will see strong participation from the private sector. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference 2025 here, Goenka said, "We have fairly strong capabilities already. It is just that it needs constant enhancement." He said the plan is intended at increasing surveillance capabilities of the defence sector. "So far, this was primarily done by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). We will bring in the private sector as we move forward," he said. The satellites will help the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force track enemy movements, monitor borders, and improve real-time coordination during military operations. "The private sector will deliver half of the 52 satellites, while the rest will

Karnataka, In-SPACe sign MoUs to boost NewSpace with R&D manufacturing

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Karnataka government on Wednesday announced the signing of MoUs to accelerate the state's emergence as India's leading commercial space launchpad. Signed by the Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology on behalf of the state government, the MoUs include the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Space Technologies in Bengaluru and the development of a public-private Space Manufacturing Park to anchor next-generation satellite and launch vehicle production. The agreements set the framework for collaboration between the Karnataka government and IN-SPACe in establishing the Centre of Excellence and the manufacturing park, according to a release. Karnataka already boasts a mature ecosystem across the space sector value chaincomprising government agencies, private players, MSMEs, ISRO headquarters, DRDO labs, and public-sector undertakings such as HAL, .

'Indian rockets carry more than payloads': PM Modi on space exploration

PM Modi addressed the Global Conference on Space Exploration 2025 and stated that by 2035, India will have its own 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station'

Shubhanshu Shukla set to become first Indian to fly to ISS on May 29

Indian Air Force's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to make history on May 29 as the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station, piloting the Axiom Mission 4

IN-SPACe invites private companies to develop satellite-bus platforms

As part of this initiative, IN-SPACe will support the realisation of satellite bus platforms through a two-phase approach

Indian envoy lauds space policy, says changes will boost growth trajectory

Ambassador Ray said that India is a responsible participant and also responsibly observes all rules, such as avoiding and mitigating debris

Space startups face uncertainty as US cuts federal spending: Report

Space startups which garnered $2.1 billion in investments in the first quarter have largely relied on government contracts over the past few years

LunaRecycle Challenge: Nasa offers ₹25 crore to solve human waste in space

Nasa is offering a ₹25 crore prize to anyone who can help solve a surprisingly basic problem in outer space-the challenge of managing human waste

From rockets on bicycles, India has come a long way in space: Isro chief

From carrying rocket parts on bicycles and satellites on bullock carts in the 1970s, India has become one of the world leaders in the space sector through its successful Mars orbiter and Chandrayaan missions, which have also made several world records, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said here on Saturday. Speaking at the 27th convocation of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) - Kozhikode, Narayanan said the country has come a long way from when it launched its first satellite - Aryabhata -- on a Soviet rocket. Now India has 131 satellites in orbit, has launched 433 satellites for 34 countries and successfully completed its 100th launch on January 29 this year, he said. Besides that, India was the first country to discover water molecules on the Moon through its Chandrayaan-1 mission and the first to land on its south pole through the Chandrayaan-3 mission, placing it among the leaders in the space sector, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. "India i

Isro achieves major breakthrough in semicryogenic engine for launch vehicle

ISRO has announced significant progress in the design and development of a Semicryogenic engine or Liquid Oxygen / Kerosene engine with a high thrust of 2,000 kN (kilonewton) that will power the Semicryogenic booster stage of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3). The first major breakthrough in the semicryogenic engine development programme was achieved on March 28, when the first successful hot test of Engine Power Head Test Article (PHTA), was carried out at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, it said. Highlighting that the Friday's test demonstrated the smooth ignition and boost strap mode operation of the engine for a test duration of 2.5 seconds, the space agency said the objective of the test was to validate the integrated performance of the critical subsystems such as the pre-burner, turbo pumps, start system and control components by carrying out a hot-firing for a short-duration of 2.5 seconds. "The test proceeded as predicted and all the engine parameters were a

Sidbi VC to manage Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund for space sector

SIDBI Venture Capital Limited has been selected as the fund manager for Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund announced by the government to support private sector firms in the space technology domain. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) made the announcement in this regard on Friday. "M/s SIDBI Venture Capital Limited is selected as the Fund Manager / Investment Manager for the Rs 1,000 crore Venture Capital Fund for the Indian Space Sector," the IN-SPACe said in a statement. The fund will deploy the amount earmarked for it over a period of five years, with a planned deployment of Rs 150 crore in the 2025-26 financial year followed by Rs 250 crore each in the next three financial years and Rs 100 crore in 202930. "The indicative range of investment is proposed to be Rs 10 crore-Rs 60 crore, contingent upon the stage of the company, its growth trajectory and its potential impact on national space capabilities," the government said in an ...

Isro successfully tests cryogenic engine for upcoming LVM3-M6 mission

ISRO on Saturday said it has successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot testing of the cryogenic engine identified for the sixth operational mission of LVM3 launch vehicle (LVM-M6) at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. The LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The cryogenic engine of every mission undergoes hot testing as part of its acceptance process for the flight, ISRO said in a statement. Hot tests for the indigenous cryogenic engine (CE20) used in the Cryogenic Upper Stage of LVM3 were so far performed at the High-Altitude Test (HAT) facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) where vacuum conditions are simulated with complex installations, limiting the maximum hot test duration to 25 seconds. "In the current test, the engine was tested for a longer duration of 100 seconds for the first time using an innovative Nozzle Protection System under non-vacuum ...

India among 4 nations to achieve satellite docking, undocking: Isro chief

Recalling the preparations the organisation did before the mission, Narayanan mentioned that they carried out over 120 computer simulations of the mission to make sure there wouldn't be any mistakes

Digantara commissions world's first commercial space surveillance satellite

The world's first commercial space surveillance satellite, capable of tracking objects as small as 5 centimetres orbiting the Earth, was commissioned on Saturday as it captured images over South America, the Bengaluru-based start-up Digantara said. Digantara had launched the space surveillance satellite SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) on January 14 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 rocket. The satellite started operations on Saturday. "Space just ran out of hiding spots," the start-up said in a post on X. In a statement, the company said the SCOT satellite achieved first light on Saturday and its inaugural image while passing over South America -- a breathtaking view of Earth's limb, with the city of Buenos Aires glowing against the planet's curvature. "SCOT's first image is more than a technical milestone; it's a symbol of our team's resilience and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Earth's orbits for generations to come," said Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma. The satellite

We don't outsource our critical software system : Ex-Isro chief Somanath

Software development at ISRO has always been an internal responsibility, driven by our own scientists and engineers across domains from environmental science to physics, computer scienceand more, the space agency's former chief S Somanath said. "We don't outsource these critical software systems because the deep integration between science, technology, and applications requires intimate domain understanding" he said at Software Product Management (SPM) Summit held by IIMB. The two day summit was held on February 28 and March 1, celebrating its 7th edition around the theme 'Software Product Management Excellence at Scale'. Somanath elucidated the evolution of software product management and development for space programs, emphasising the shift from environmentally focused missions to commercially operated systems. "Every piece of software, whether for satellite operations, data analysis, or mission simulations, is built in-house to ensure accuracy, security, and scientific rigor. Ov

NISAR space plan with US example of India's cost-effectiveness: Somanath

Former ISRO chairman S Somanath has highlighted the cost-effectiveness of India's space programmes and noted that for the same satellite and share of work, the country will incur five-time less expenditure compared to the US for an upcoming mission. He was referring to the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. The joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) project will map the entire globe and provide data for understanding changes in Earth's ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards. Somanath on Wednesday stressed on greater private sector role to push India's contribution in the global space economy from current 2 per cent to 10 per cent. Taking about NISAR, a joint Earth-observing radar mission, he said one part of the payload is being developed by the US, and the other by India. The former ISRO chief was speaking at an interactive session on the topic, "Indi

India to conduct two crewed space flights under Gaganyaan by 2028: Govt

India has broadened the scope of the Gaganyaan mission and plans to carry out two crewed space flights by 2028, Parliament was informed on Thursday. According to the enhanced scope, the Gaganyaan programme will have eight missions -- two crewed and six uncrewed -- Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. Singh said the earlier Gaganyaan programme entailed one crewed mission and two uncrewed ones. The total funding for the programme has been enhanced to Rs 20,193 crore to address the programmatic requirements, according to the revised scope that includes new developments for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and precursor missions, he said. The allocation also covers additional requirements to meet the ongoing Gaganyaan programme, he further said. The Gaganyaan project was announced in 2019 with the first manned space flight planned for 2022. Singh said the delay was due to the slow pace of work in the industry

India to launch Chandrayaan-4 in 2027, aims to bring back moon rocks

The Chandrayaan-4 announcement comes alongside several other major projects including the Gaganyaan, India's first crewed spaceflight mission set for launch next year

Meet Shubhanshu Shukla: India's first astronaut on a private space mission

IAF's Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's first astronaut on a private ISS mission, flying aboard SpaceX's Dragon under Axiom Mission 4. Here's all you need to know