Page 10 - Isro

CERN's $17 bn Future Circular Collider proposal clears technical hurdles

CERN, in its analysis, has found this next-generation collider to be an essential tool to tackle some of the most perplexing questions about the universe

Isro's satellite images show damages caused by earthquake in Myanmar

Isro released the images captured by its earth imaging and mapping satellite, CARTOSAT-3 -- a third generation agile advanced satellite having high resolution imaging capability

India always contributed to understanding of universe: Isro's ex-chief

India has always been a great nation contributing to the global understanding of the universe from the time of the Vedas to modern-day scientific advances, former ISRO chairman S Somanath said here on Saturday while citing ancient texts like 'Mahasalila' and 'Surya Siddhanta'. Addressing the 60th annual convocation of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, he emphasised the need for a connection between research organisations, academia and industry, which he, however, added remained a "distant dream." "On this occasion, I would like to highlight the rich and glorious knowledge tradition that India had, which has now been brought to light. From the Vedas to the modern-day scientific advances, India has always been a great nation contributing to the global understanding of the universe," said Somanath. Science and other forms of human knowledge progressed considerably in this part as the world's first source of knowledge, providing scientific insight into astronomy, geography, ...

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

House panel 'dismayed' at avoidable expenditure on GSAT-18 satellite

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has expressed "dismay" at the avoidable expenditure totalling Rs 17.27 crore on the launch of GSAT-18 communication satellite, which had six extended C-band transponders for use in 2027. The committee, chaired by Congress member K C Venugopal, noted that the satellite with 48 transponders (24 C Band, 12 Extended C Band and 12 Ku Band) was launched on an urgent basis in October 2016 to meet the immediate requirement of protecting the existing users/services of INSAT-3C in its C and Extended C Band and INSAT4CR in its Ku Band which were reaching their end of life in Nov 2016 and June 2019, respectively. "Consequent to the launch of GSAT 18, the committee found that it replaced 24 C band transponders and 6 extended C Band transponders of INSAT 3C and balance, six extended C-Band transponders of GSAT-18 satellite were not put to use since its launch as these transponders were already available in GSAT-14 satellite," said the report that was tabled i

Need to scale up applications of space tech to drive growth: ex-Isro chief

India's space sector is on the cusp of a significant transformation but there is a need to scale up commercial applications of space technology to drive economic growth, former ISRO chairperson S Somnath said on Thursday. Speaking at a conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) highlighted the shift required to unlock the full potential of space technology. Somnath highlighted that while India has made remarkable strides in space technology, its application has largely been confined to government programs. The application of space technology has been focused on societal and governmental programs. Now, bringing it into the commercial domain and monetising it is key, he said. He pointed out that the penetration of space applications in India remains limited, with only about 10 per cent of the potential market being explored. India is a huge country with 145 crore people, but the application

How space travel reshapes the body: From muscles to mental health

In the absence of gravity, muscle mass disappears because the resistance training stops. When the astronaut returns to normal gravity, the heart may have weakened and may not function properly

Private sector in Indian space tech: Progress, challenges, and future

Sunita Williams' return in a SpaceX capsule has put the focus back on the role of private sector in space journeys

Why is Isro keeping Gaganyaan astronauts away from public attention?

Union Minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha that keeping astronauts out of the public eye was a deliberate decision

Isro welcomes Sunita Williams home: 'Your resilience continues to inspire'

While appreciating the astronauts, Isro Chairman Dr V Narayanan expressed the organisation's desire to utilise Sunita Williams' expertise in space exploration

Kulasekarapattinam spaceport will see first SSLV launch in 2027: Isro chief

The Kulasekarapattinam spaceport in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, the second launch complex for ISRO outside Andhra Pradesh, will see the maiden launch with the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in 24 months, chairman of the space agency V Narayanan said on Monday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) SSLV will primarily support polar launches of upto 500 kg, with Indian industry involved in its production. "All facilities will be commissioned for launch in 24 months. The first launch will take place in two years. Don't think it will be literally small in size. It will be a 500 kg satellite," Narayanan told reporters after inaugurating a new research centre at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras - S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence for Research in Fluid and Thermal Science (ISRO-IITM).' Named after the former director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and a distinguished alumnus of IIT Madras, the Centre inaugurated in the presence of IIT-Madras directo

Centre has given go ahead for Chandrayaan-5 mission to moon: Isro chief

Isro has successfully executed three Chandrayaan missions, and the latest, Chandryaan-3, resulted in a safe and soft landing on the moon

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

Assam to launch its satellite, talks on with Isro for ASSAMSAT project

Assam is preparing to launch its very own satellite, named 'ASSAMSAT', to collect data for socio-economic projects and border surveillance, said the state government

Isro's POEM-4 successfully completes one thousand orbits on March 4

ISRO on Friday announced that the fourth edition of the PSLV Orbital platform Experiment Module (POEM-4), the repurposed spent upper stage of the PSLV vehicle used for the space docking experiment mission, has successfully completed 1,000 orbits on March 4. The PSLV-C60 Mission was launched on December 30, 2024, and POEM-4 began its operations subsequent to the successful injection of the SPADEX spacecraft, it stated. In a statement, ISRO said, "POEM-4 was configured as a three-axis stabilised platform that carried 24 payloads including 10 payloads from Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) and 14 payloads from ISRO. All the payloads including those from NGEs have completed the intended experiments in orbit." According to ISRO, POEM-4 carried out experiments in space robotics, germination of seeds and growth of bacterium in microgravity, green propulsion, laser ignition of pyro thrusters, amateur radio transmission and advanced sensors. A space start-up also tested the uplinking and ...

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

ISRO to back technological innovations across key sectors in Chhattisgarh

A state government spokesperson said as part of the initiative, a high-level team of ISRO experts would soon visit Chhattisgarh to conduct a comprehensive study leveraging satellite imagery

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's first private PSLV to launch TDS-1 to test 35 technologies: Isro

Isro chief in an interview with TOI revealed that the first privately manufactured PSLV will carry a technology demonstration satellite TDS-1 that will test up to 35 technologies