Page 11 - Isro

Cowpea seedlings onboard Isro's POEM-4 sprout first leaves in space

Cowpea seedlings onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 module sprout their first leaves in space, signifying a milestone in space-based plant research, ISRO said on Monday. According to India's national space agency, the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS), developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), is an automated platform designed to cultivate and sustain plant life in the microgravity environment of space. One of its recent experiments involved growing cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds within a controlled, closed environment equipped with active thermal management, said ISRO. The system monitored various parameters, including oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, relative humidity, temperature, and soil moisture, while capturing images to track plant growth, added ISRO. According to the space agency, this setup successfully supported the germination and development of cowpea plants up to the two-leaf stage in space. "This accomplishment not only demonstrates ISRO'

Isro delays SpaDeX docking to Jan 9 for validation by ground simulations

ISRO on Monday said the docking experiment of SpaDeX satellites scheduled for January 7 is now postponed to January 9. The Bengaluru-based space agency said the docking process requires further validation through ground simulations based on an abort scenario identified on Monday. "The SpaDeX Docking scheduled on (January) 7th is now postponed to 9th. The docking process requires further validation through ground simulations based on an abort scenario identified today," ISRO said in a post on 'X'. ISRO had successfully launched the ambitious Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission on December 30. The PSLV C60 rocket carrying two small satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), along with 24 payloads, had lifted off from the first launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, and about 15 minutes after liftoff, the two small spacecraft weighing about 220 kg each were launched into a 475-km circular orbit as intended. According to ISRO, SpaDeX mission is a ...

Indian space industry's funding falls 55% to $59.1 mn in 2024, data shows

Globally, space companies raised about $28 billion over the last five years, while their Indian counterparts secured approximately $354 million in the same period, Tracxn data showed

Cowpea seeds sent to space germinated under microgravity conditions: Isro

ISRO on Saturday said the cowpea seeds it had sent to space onboard the PSLV-C60 POEM-4 platform have germinated under microgravity conditions within four days of the launch of the mission. The space agency sent eight cowpea seeds as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) experiment conducted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to study plant growth in microgravity conditions. "Life sprouts in space! VSSC's CROPS experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon," ISRO said in a post on X. The PSLV-C60 mission placed two SpaDeX satellites in orbit on the night of December 30. The fourth stage of the rocket carrying the POEM-4 platform has been orbiting the earth with 24 onboard experiments at an altitude of 350 km since Tuesday. The CROPS experiment aims to understand how plants grow in the unique conditions of space, which is essential for future long-duration space missions. The experiment

News updates: US NSA Jake Sullivan set to visit India early next week

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Prep for Chandrayaan-4, Gaganyan to NISAR: What's in Isro's kitty for 2025

Apart from the SPADEX, Isro is focussing on multiple missions, ranging from the conventional satellite launches to unconventional space exploration programmes

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ISRO’s SpaDeX mission: India to become 4th nation to achieve feat

India on December 30, launched its ambitious Space Docking mission. If successful, India will only be the fourth country to achieve this historic feat after US, Russia, and China.

Isro's SpaDeX satellites first to be built by industry on its own: Official

The launch of two satellites for the space docking experiment (SpaDeX) also marked a first for the industry, which built the two spacecraft on their own under guidance from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) engineers. The two satellites -- SDX01 (chaser) and SDX02 (target) -- each weighing 220 kg were integrated and tested by Ananth Technologies Limited (ATL), which has been associated with a number of ISRO projects for the past several years. "So far, large satellites have not been realised in the industry by themselves. This is the first time that the two satellites have been integrated and tested in the industry," said U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) Director M Shankaran after the two satellites were placed in a 476 km circular orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) on Monday night. Shankaran described the launch of the two satellites a trailblazer for the industry. "We hope that this is going to be the first of the several such satellites done by the

India achieves space docking with indigenous system: Jitendra Singh

Taking to X, Singh said, India has become the fourth country to join the select league of nations to achieve space docking, through its own indigenously developed Bharatiya Docking System

ISRO SpaDeX mission, farmer protest, Adani Enterprises, IND vs AUS & more

ISRO will launch its Space Docking Experiment mission at 10 PM tonight. This mission marks India’s first in-space docking technology demonstration using two small spacecraft.

ISRO to launch satellites to demonstrate docking, undocking of spacecraft

ISRO is set to launch two satellites on Monday night from the Sriharikota spaceport to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) warhorse rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will place the two satellites -- SDX01 and SDX02 -- in a 476-km circular orbit and attempt the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEx) in the first week of January, the space agency officials said. "This mission will mark India's entry into the exclusive league of nations capable of mastering space docking," Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said. The SpaDEx mission is expected to be a stepping stone for India's future endeavours in space exploration which include getting rocks and soil from the moon on Earth, the proposed Bharatiya Antariksha Station and landing an astronaut on the lunar surface. Only the US, Russia and China have mastered space dockin

India's growing space ambitions: List of Isro's major achievements in 2024

India's premier space agency Isro had an eventful 2024, a year marked with ambitious new launches and technology demonstrations. Here's a look at the highlights

Govt planning to send human into deep sea in early 2026: Jitendra Singh

The Centre is planning to send a human into the deep sea with the mission likely to coincide with the human space mission in early 2026, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science, Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. Speaking at the 'Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami' at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), he recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned the Deep Sea Mission in the past Independence Day address. "We are also planning to send a human into the deep sea. I was telling Ravichandran (Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences) that it would be a strange coincidenceone human in space and another in the deep sea. This will happen almost simultaneously," Singh said. The human space mission, initially planned for 2025, may not take place next year, but is now expected in early 2026, he added. "... one Indian up there, and one Indian in the deep sea. That will be once again, a record of ...

SpaDeX mission for space docking tech to be launched on Dec 30: Isro

India's SpaDeX mission, intended to develop and demonstrate technology required to dock and undock spacecraft in space, will be launched using PSLV-C60 on December 30 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, ISRO said. On December 21, the launch vehicle was integrated and moved to the First Launch Pad, for further integration of satellites and launch preparations. ISRO has also put up the fast time-lapse video of the moving of PSLV-C60, which was fully integrated up to PS4 at the PIF facility for the first time, to the First Launch Pad, in its X account. On December 30, people can witness the launch live at the Launch View Gallery after registering for it. The registration started on Monday at 6 pm, ISRO said in its website. SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of 'in-space docking' using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV, ISRO said in an explainer on the subject. This technology is essential for India's space ambitions

ISRO's POEM-4 to test seed germination, debris capture, green fuel in space

Demonstration of seed germination in outer space, a robotic arm to catch a tethered debris there, and testing of green propulsion systems are some of the experiments planned on the POEM-4 -- the fourth stage of ISRO's PSLV rocket that remains in orbit after launching a satellite. The PSLV-C60 mission, slated for an yearend launch, is scheduled to place the twin satellites 'Chaser and Target' to demonstrate the space docking technologies that are crucial for building India's space station. The PSLV Orbital Experiment Module (POEM) will carry 24 experiments -- 14 from various ISRO labs and 10 from private universities and start-ups -- to demonstrate various technologies in space. ISRO plans to grow eight cowpea seeds from seed germination and plant sustenance until the two-leaf stage in a closed-box environment with active thermal control as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. The Amity Plant Experimenta

Isro, European Space Agency sign agreement for advancing human spaceflight

According to Isro, the agreement establishes a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and research

US set to revise MTCR export policies to boost space cooperation with India

The outgoing Biden administration is in the process of finalising a national security memorandum that will update America's export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a move that is likely to facilitate more cooperation between India and US companies in the space sector, the White House said Tuesday. The goal of updating export control policies under the MTCR is to be able to advance commercial space cooperation even further with close partners like India, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told reporters during a conference call here. We are continuing to take steps to further knock down barriers to private sector cooperation, and importantly, we are in the process of finalising national security memorandum that will update our own export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Finer said. Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra visited Houston on ...

Proba-3 mission would help in understanding Sun's Corona: Ex-Isro scientist

ISRO's successful launch of European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 satellites onboard PSLV-C59 rocket is a 'groundbreaking mission' and would significantly advance the understanding of Sun's corona and solar wind, a former ISRO scientist said. According to P V Venkitakrishnan, former director of Capacity Building Programme Office, ISRO headquarters, the 'innovative design and advanced technologies' used in the mission would pave the way for future space weather forecasting and solar physics research. "This mission is a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation. Proba-3 is a pioneering mission designed to explore the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun", he told PTI. It aims to study the Corona, which is hotter than the Sun's surface, and explore the solar wind which is a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, Venkitakrishnan said. "The data from Proba-3 satellites would help scientists better ...

Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as CM, Bitcoin crosses $100k, and more

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister for the third time today. Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde were also sworn-in as deputy chief ministers.