International Space Station

Boeing's Starliner won't carry crew on next flight amid safety concerns

Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company's next Starliner flight and instead perform a trial run with cargo to prove its safety. Monday's announcement comes eight months after the first and only Starliner crew returned to Earth aboard SpaceX after a prolonged mission. Although NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams managed to dock Starliner to the International Space Station in 2024, the capsule had so many problems that NASA ordered it to come back empty, leaving the astronauts stuck there for more than nine months. Engineers have since been poring over the thruster and other issues that plagued the Starliner capsule. Its next cargo run to the space station will occur no earlier than April, pending additional tests and certification. Boeing said in a statement that it remains committed to the Starliner program with safety the highest priority. NASA is also slashing the planned number of Starliner flights, from six to four. If the cargo mission goes

Japan successfully launches new H3 rocket carrying cargo spacecraft to ISS

Japan's space agency on Sunday successfully launched its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully lifted off atop the No. 7 H3 rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The spacecraft was separated and placed into a planned orbit, JAXA said. If everything goes smoothly, it is expected to arrive at the ISS in a few days to deliver supplies. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, currently at the ISS, is set to catch the craft with a robot arm in the early hours of Thursday. The HTV-X is the successor to JAXA's unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle known as Kounotori, or stork in Japanese, which flew nine missions to the ISS between 2009 and 2020. The new freighter can carry a bigger payload and supply power during flight, enabling transport of cells and other lab samples that requires storage in low ..

Northrop Grumman cargo ship reaches ISS a day late after engine glitch

A supply ship arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday after a day's delay due to a premature engine shutdown. Astronauts used the space station's robot arm to pluck Northrop Grumman's Cygnus capsule from orbit as they soared over Africa. The 5,000-kilogram shipment should have reached the space station Wednesday, three days after blasting off from Florida. But when the capsule tried to climb higher, its main engine shut down too soon. Engineers traced the problem to an overly conservative software setting. This is the first flight of the extra-large version of the Cygnus, which is packed with food, science experiments and equipment for the space station's toilet and other systems. NASA holds contracts with Northrop Grumman as well as SpaceX to keep the orbiting lab well stocked. Russia also sends supplies, and Japan is about to resume deliveries as well. Northrop Grumman named its latest capsule the S S Willie McCool after the pilot of the doomed 2003 flight of space

Axiom-4 proves Gaganyaan crew selection standards are among world's best

As part of the Axiom-4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station and only the second Indian to travel to space

From shy to living India's space dream: Shubhanshu Shukla's journey

IAF's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla grew as a "shy and reserved" person, hearing stories of the 1984 spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in his childhood days. On Sunday, Shukla, India's second astronaut to travel to space after Sharma, was signing autographs for school students and obliging fellow air warriors queuing up to get clicked with him. Life, like his recent space sojourn in a spacecraft orbit, has indeed come full circle for Shukla. The occasion was the felicitation of Shukla and three other chosen Gaganyaan astronauts by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here. During the event, Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his journey of joining the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). "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. Shu

India aims to establish its own space station by 2035: Anurag Singh Thakur

Former Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday said that India aims to establish its own space station by 2035 and achieve the target of an Indian-crewed lunar landing by 2040. Interacting with students at the PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Una on National Space Day, Thakur highlighted India's growing strides in the space sector. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made a big leap in space sector. On this very day in 2023, our country achieved success in the Chandrayaan Mission 3. On this day, India became the fourth country to land on Moon and the first country to land near the Moon's southern pole, joining the group of leading space nations," he said. The MP said this was the result of tireless work by the country's great and diligent scientists. "Behind those scientists, Prime Minister Modi stands firmly as a visionary leader who embraces them during mission failures and pats their backs on successes," he said. "In 2014,

We saved lives of four astronauts by detecting oxygen leak: Isro chief

V Narayanan said Isro engineers' insistence on a full check forced SpaceX to fix a leaking oxygen line, failing which the Axiom-4 launch would have been catastrophic

India needs 40-50 astronauts for future space missions: PM Modi to Shux

Meeting ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that India must build a pool of 40-50 astronauts to power its future space programme, including the Gaganyaan mission

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns to India after Nasa's Axiom-4 mission

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

Nuclear reactor on the Moon? Nasa's Sean Duffy has an elaborate plan

Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy sees the plan to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon as a new space race, especially given China's and Russia's growing ambitions in space

In-space industry set to unlock multi-billion dollar mkt in manufacturing

In-space manufacturing uses the near-weightless environment of space to produce materials and products of superior quality

'India's flag being hoisted on ISS a moment of pride': PM Modi ahead of Monsoon Session

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday remarked that the Monsoon Session of Parliament is commencing during a moment of “national pride and celebration,” following India’s historic feat

PM Modi calls Monsoon Session 'celebration of victory', cites Op Sindoor

Calling the Monsoon session a 'victory celebration', Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India's ISS mission, operation Sindoor's success, and anti-Naxal push

Cabinet congratulates Shubhanshu Shukla on historic ISS mission

The Cabinet hailed Shubhanshu Shukla for completing his 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station, stating that it marked the beginning of a new chapter in India's space programme

Shukla conducts 7 Indian experiments aboard ISS during Axiom-4 mission

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian on the ISS, led seven Indian-designed experiments during Axiom-4, advancing life sciences for future space travel

Shubhanshu Shukla back from space after 18 days: What happens next?

Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth after spending 18 days in microgravity. After splashdown, he will undergo a number procedures as part of his post-spaceflight recovery process

PM Modi hails Shubhanshu Shukla's return after historic space mission

Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts returned aboard the Dragon 'Grace' spacecraft, which splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California, after a 22.5-hour journey from space

India's space odyssey begins anew with ambitious plans for the future

With government investments of ₹1.5 trillion expected by 2035, the size of the Indian space economy is expected to grow significantly from its current $8 billion

India looks full of ambition, fearless from space: Shubhanshu Shukla

India looks full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride from space, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said on Sunday. "Even today, Bharat looks 'saare jahan se accha' from above," Shukla said reprising the iconic words of India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma in 1984. Shukla was speaking at a farewell ceremony for Axiom-4 mission astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) who are set to begin their return journey to Earth on Monday. "It almost seems magical to me... It has been a fantastic journey for me," Shukla said of his stay at the ISS which began on June 26. The Indian astronaut said he was taking with him a lot of memories and learning that he will share with his countrymen. The Axiom-4 mission undocks from the ISS on Monday and is expected to splash down off the California coast on Tuesday.

Axiom-4 crew to undock from ISS on Jul 14, arrive on Jul 15: Jitendra Singh

Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida