Page 14 - 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

Isro, Skyroot, Agnikul eye share in small satellite launch market in India

ISRO's latest satellite launch vehicle '?SSLV'? is the first rocket in its category to be ready for commercialisation with two others, 'Vikram' from Skyroot and 'Agnibaan' from Agnikul Cosmos, expected to vie for market share to place small satellites in orbit. According to industry estimates, the satellite launch market in India is expected to grow from USD 720 million in 2022 to USD 3.5 billion by 2033 and small satellites are likely to be the most preferred modes for a number of applications ranging from providing internet connectivity to earth observation. Space start-ups such as Pixxel and Satsure have already announced plans to have constellations of small satellites for the range of services they plan to offer and Indian launch vehicles will vie to be the preferred rockets to place these satellites in orbit. "Larger launch vehicles are there, but with a large number of satellites being launched, companies do not want to wait, they want to launch a satellite as soon as they ca

Assembly elections 2024, ISRO launches EOS-8, National film awards & more

National news The Union Health Ministry has mandated that in case of violence against healthcare workers on duty, the head of the institution must file an institutional FIR within six hours.

Countdown begins for Isro's final developmental flight SSLV-D3-EOS8 mission

The countdown for the launch of an earth observation satellite, onboard the third and final development flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-03 commenced on Friday, ISRO said. The SSLV-D3-EOS-08 mission follows the second successful launch of the second test flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2-EOS-07) in February 2023. Today's mission is the third for the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency in 2024, after the successful PSLV-C58/XpoSat in January and GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS missions in February. In an update on Friday, ISRO said, "SSLV-D3-EOS-08 Mission -- Six-and-a-half-hour countdown leading to the launch commenced at 02.47 hrs IST". The smallest SSLV rocket, which measures about 34 metre in height, was planned to be launched on August 15 at 9.17 am and was later rescheduled to August 16, at 9.19 am from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre here. The primary objectives of the SSLV-D3-EOS-08 mission include designing and developing a microsatellite

Isro reschedules launch of EOS-08 Earth Observation Satellite to August 16

The 175.5 kg EOS-08 satellite, designed to generate 420 W of power, was originally scheduled to take off on August 15, aligning with India's Independence Day celebrations

MEA, NSIL sign agreement to assist launch of Nepalese Munal satellite

The Ministry of External Affairs and ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) signed an agreement on Saturday to grant assistance for the launching of the Nepal-built Munal satellite, according to an official statement. Munal is an indigenous satellite developed in Nepal under the aegis of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the MEA said. Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN), a Nepalese space startup, has assisted Nepalese students in the design and fabrication of this satellite. The satellite aims to build a vegetation density database of the earth's surface, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the statement. The MoU was signed by Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary (North) from MEA and Arunachalam A, Director from NSIL. Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Secretary, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Surendra Thapa, Charg d'affaires of Nepali Embassy and Abhas Maskey, Founder, Antarikchya Pratishan Nepal (APN) were also present on the ...

Joint satellite to port, unrest to stall key India-Bangladesh projects

The satellite launch project was the cherry on top of a long list of projects the two countries had agreed upon in recent years

Not possible to locate people under debris using space tech: Isro chief

In view of the recent natural disasters like the landslide in Kerala, where many people are trapped under debris, ISRO chairman S Somanath on Saturday said only a certain depth of filtration is possible with space technology and could not be relied on for finding those people. The ISRO chief was answering a question in this regard in the outreach programme organised by ISRO, #asksomanatisro on Instagram. There are limitations of space-based sensors to locate objects that are buried under debris, which is currently an issue. It is not possible to detect what is deep under the ground from space. A certain depth of filtration is always possible by radar signals, but it is not possible to find, say, underground channels or petroleum deposits and deep minerals, added Somanath. Answering another question during #asksomanathisro, on the Space Flight Agreement with NASA-identified service provider announced on August 2, through which two Gaganyatris' will train to be backup mission pilots,