Page 14 - Isro

Pragyan rover spots 160-km-wide oldest geological crater on Moon's surface

Chandrayaan-3 mission discovered a 160-km-wide crater on the Moon's South Pole, revealing key details about lunar geological history. The crater was discovered by the Pragyan rover

Gaganyaan to proceed with caution to avoid Boeing-like incident: Isro chief

Although Gaganyaan is ready for launch by the end of the year, we should proceed with caution, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Friday. Gaganyaan, which is among the projects approved by the Union cabinet on Wednesday, is India's first human mission. I don't want what happened to the Boeing Starliner, so we should be very careful, added Somanath. The first test flight of Boeing Starliner spacecraft with astronauts, launched by NASA on June 5 returned to Earth on September 7, but without the astronauts. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the astronauts Sunitha Williams and Butch Wilmore were forced to extend their eight-day stay in the International Space to eight months, as they will now be picked up by SpaceX Crew Dragon in February. Somanath also stressed the importance of exploring Venus. The Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) is also among the four projects approved by the Union cabinet and it has been allocated Rs 1,236 crore. "Tomorrow Earth may

ISRO chief S Somanath says lunar missions will continue with Chandrayaan-4

Somanath said that the Chandrayaan-4 mission will build upon the successes of Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, and the recently launched Chandrayaan-3.

Gaganyaan to be launched by end of this year: Isro chief Somanath

Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the building of the first unit of the Bharatiya Anatriksh Station by extending the scope of the Gaganyaan

Bharatiya Antariksh Station: First module of India's space station approved

India's own space station: The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the building of first unit of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1)

Is large asteroid Apophis a threat? Isro, Nasa gear up for 2029 encounter

Initially discovered in 2004, Apophis surpasses the size of India's largest aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, and the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world's largest cricket stadium

Moon's seismic activity likely linked to past meteorite impacts: Isro

Seismic activity in the Moon's soil could be due to impact from meteorites in the past or local heat-related effects, according to ISRO's preliminary analysis of data received from Chandrayaan-3's quake-detecting instrument. However, detailed studies are needed to get more insights from the data, they said. Their research paper, published in the journal Icarus, is a summary of observations made on 190 hours of data recorded by the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA). ILSA is one of the five major major scientific instruments, all of them carried by Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover together. Chandrayaan-3 made a soft-landing on the Moon's south pole on August 23, 2023. The quake-detecting ILSA was operated continuously until September 2, 2023, after which it was switched off and was packed back up, before the lander was relocated to a new point roughly 50 centimetres away from the initial one, the researchers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO

Private space startups gain from Isro's support, but face significant risks

While Isro is deservedly lauded for its cost-effectiveness, there is excessive focus on achievements such as developing moon launch vehicle for $70 mn, when nations like US spend a billion on project

Cybersecurity is more than protecting personal data: Isro chief Somnath

In this era, when infrastructure built over the years is vulnerable to cyber attacks, it is very important to build an ecosystem to develop cyber security tools and solutions, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath said on Thursday. He laid the foundation stone for 'Cyber Nalanda', a state-of-the-art cyber security research and development centre, the brainchild of SISA, a global forensics-driven cybersecurity solutions company, that is coming up in Bengaluru. "I was from a generation of engineers who started their career without knowing computers. The transitioning from that time to now has been tremendous," said Somanath. According to him, at one point, security was nothing but anti-virus. "But now, as applications are expanding, threats are also expanding. Cyber security threat is not limited to theft of personal data alone. It is now at a much greater scale -- it is also to do with the security of the nation itself," said Somanath. He pointed out that the vario

Stationed in space: Recent experience has important lessons for Isro

The stranding of astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore at ISS until February 2025 highlights the challenges involved in manned space missions

BS@50: Metro trains to moon landing - 50 milestones in India's tech journey

From fighting hunger and endless queues at rail ticket counters to reaching for the moon and beyond, here's a look at the country's journey to self-reliance through 50 science and tech milestones

Isro chief S Somanath expects 20-30% additional increase in funding

Asked how much he expected funding to increase, Somanath said "something like an additional 20-30 per cent", though "over a long period of time"

India delays 6 GHz spectrum allocation used for 5G and WiFi services

Tech firms and telecom companies tussle of 6 GHz spectrum allocation, while DoT worries about potential impact on Isro satellite operations

PM Modi, HM Amit Shah extend greetings on first National Space Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted people on the first National Space Day, and said his government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector and will do even more in the times to come. Modi had announced the celebration of the National Space Day last year following India's success in landing its first spacecraft on the moon on this day with the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He said on X, "Greetings to everyone on the first National Space Day. We recall with great pride our nation's achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists." "Our Government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector and we will do even more in the times to come," he added.

Chandrayaan-3 data confirms Moon's surface was once an ocean of magma

Latest Chandrayaan-3 data, as reported by Isro, has confirmed the theory that states that the lunar surface was once covered by an ocean of magma

Moon's surface once a magma ocean, suggests Isro's Chandrayaan-3 data

Data from ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission supports the theory that the Moon was once covered in an ocean of magma, or a 'magma ocean', an analysis, published in the journal Nature, has suggested. The analysis pertained to measurements of the lunar soil, recorded by the Pragyan rover and taken at multiple points along a 100-metre track on the surface. The rover was deployed by the Vikram lander, which made a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023. Chandrayaan-3, consisting of the lander and rover, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bengaluru. The study's authors, including those from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, said that previous missions, such as NASA's Apollo and the Soviet Union's Luna, have mainly relied on samples of soil taken from equitorial and mid-latitude regions of the Moon, respectively. Analysing Pragyan's data, which came from the Moon's south pole, the researchers found that the samples suggested that

Indian likely to fly to ISS by April next year under Nasa-Isro program

An Indian astronaut is likely to fly to the International Space Station by April next year as part of the NASA-ISRO collaborative initiative, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday. Two Indian astronaut-designates Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla and Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair are undergoing training in the US for the Axiom Space Ax-4 mission. ISRO has assigned Shukla for the Ax-4 mission while Nair would be the backup candidate. "An Indian astronaut will travel to the ISS by April next year," Singh told a press conference here ahead of the first-ever National Space Day celebrations to mark the landing of Vikram lander on the Moon on August 23 last year. The theme for the National Space Day is 'Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga'. On the occasion, ISRO will release on August 23 the scientific data collected by the Chandrayaan-3 mission that could be used by researchers. More than one thousand events have been organised across the .

India aims 10% share in global space economy in 10 yrs: Isro chief Somanath

Isro recently commissioned a study to gauge the impact of space missions on the economy

Over 10 consortia evinced interest in SSLV, few shortlisted: Isro chief

More than 10 companies and consortia have evinced interest in manufacturing the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), with a few being shortlisted as potential bidders for the transfer of technology, ISRO chairman S Somanath said on Tuesday. He said the selected industry partner will first develop two SSLVs with assistance from ISRO over a two year period before venturing out on its own to build rockets to place small satellites in low earth orbits. "More than 100 groups/consortia had come forward and showed interest in transfer of technology for the SSLV," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the AICTE and Indian Space Association. Somanath said IN-SPACe had organised a one-day interaction with industry players to understand issues that they may have related to technology transfer and how to do it, and expectations from ISRO for them. He said a few companies/consortia have taken the Request for Proposals (RFP) documents for transfer of technology for the .

Fortunate to have worked with exceptional people who shaped Isro: Somanath

Describing himself as a 100 per cent 'Made in India' product, ISRO chairman S Somanath on Sunday said the skills he acquired were derived from his experience at the Indian space agency. Somanath, who was awarded the Special Life Fellow Award by IIT Kharagpur on its 74th foundation day, reflected on his years at ISRO, crediting his achievements, including Chandrayaan-3, to the great people and leaders he has worked with. "Our work over the past 38 years, including my own, has focused on building key capabilities within this organisation. I am fortunate to have worked with exceptional people, motivators, and leaders who have shaped the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) into what it is today. I have had the opportunity to follow in their footsteps and contribute to projects like Chandrayaan-3 that make us all proud," Somanath said. Addressing the students and faculty of the premier institute, he said, "What you are achieving as an institution is commendable, and it is crucial f