Page 16 - Isro

Isro Chairman inaugurates HAL facilities, boosting rocket manufacturing

ISRO Chairman S Somanath inaugurated state-of-the-art propellant tank production and computer numerical control (CNC) machining facilities at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Aerospace Division here, boosting rocket manufacturing capacity . HAL said the facilities would provide a major boost to ISRO's ability to meet its growing production needs, particularly for the Launch Vehicle Mark3, India's heaviest and most powerful rocket. Currently, the existing capacity allows for only two LVM3 launches per year, whereas ISRO's requirements stand at six launches annually, according to an HAL statement on Wednesday. The facilities will address this gap, enabling HAL to manufacture enough critical components to support the production of six LVM3 rockets per year, it said. Somanath was quoted as saying in the statement that HAL has enormous capacities and this potential should be explored in the larger interest of both the organisations. "HAL will play a larger role in ISRO's future missions

Space startup AgniKul rockets into history books with Agnibaan liftoff

Agnibaan SOrTeD uses the world's first single-piece 3D printed engine, designed and built indigenously

Space startup Agnikul calls off maiden rocket launch for fourth time

Launches of India's second privately built rocket, and first using a combination of gas and liquid fuel, had been aborted three times before because of technical issues

Mangalyaan-2 unveiled: India poised to become third nation to land on Mars

India's space agency, ISRO, is gearing up for a historic milestone: a mission to land a rover and helicopter on Mars, a feat achieved only by the US and China so far

Space industry offers good opportunity for private players: Isro chief

ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said the Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity to the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development. He said the union government envisages the space sector in the country to become a 9 to10 billion dollar industry in the next 5-10 years from the current levels of 2 billion dollars. Somanath was speaking after unveiling the carbon reduction initiative of SFO Technologies, the flagship company of the NeST Group, in a function here on Saturday, a company release said. He also said that 400 private sector companies have benefited from the technology developed by ISRO for its various missions. Companies like SFO Technologies are well positioned to take further advantage of the new policy initiatives in the space sector by the government of India. "The Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity for the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development," the ISRO chief added. .

Isro working on semi-cryogenic engine that uses liquid oxygen kerosene

ISRO on Monday said it is developing a 2,000 kN (kilonewton) thrust semi-cryogenic engine working on a Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Kerosene propellant combination for enhancing the payload capability of Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) and for future launch vehicles. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is the lead centre for the development of semi-cryogenic propulsion systems with the support of other launch vehicle centres of ISRO. The successful ignition of a semi-cryo pre-burner is a major accomplishment of ISRO in the development of semi-cryogenic propulsion systems, the space agency said. The assembly and testing of the propulsion modules were done at the ISRO propulsion complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri. As part of the engine development, a pre-burner ignition test article, which is a full complement of the engine power head system excluding the turbopumps, is realised, it said, adding, the first ignition trial was conducted successfully on May 2, at semi cryo integrated engine test ...

Private players will make space more accessible: Isro chief Somanath

Private players in space technology will certainly help speed up the research in the field, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath has said while interacting with space enthusiasts, through the official Instagram page of ISRO. Replying to an observation that SpaceX, a private entity, has contributed more to space technology than most countries, Somanath on Saturday said America's tradition of encouraging private companies to involve themselves in building rocket engines and, in the case of SpaceX, to explore human flight vehicles can be replicated by India. He said these companies are playing a crucial role in advancing technology, reducing costs and making space more accessible. It is possible for even private companies in India to develop these kinds of capabilities, he added. However, he said this is only possible if the government supports the private entity, For instance, some of the technology that is owned by NASA is transferred to Space X so that they could

'Don't hesitate to come out to vote': Isro chief S Somanath | Lok Sabha elections Phase 2

Isro chief S Somanath queued up with fellow voters at a polling station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. After casting his ballot, he urged voters to not hesitate and come out and vote.

Isro to have second trial flight of unmanned Gaganyaan mission today

After the airdrop test on April 24, two more uncrewed missions are slated for 2025, leading up to the manned mission by the end of the next year, pending successful operations

Satellite monitoring shows 27% glacial lakes in Himalayas expanding: Isro

More than 27 per cent of the identified glacial lakes in the Himalayas have notably expanded since 1984 and 130 of those are in India, ISRO said on Monday. In a statement, the space agency said long-term satellite imagery covering the catchments of Indian Himalayan river basins from 1984 to 2023 indicates significant changes in glacial lakes. "Of the 2,431 lakes larger than 10 hectares identified during 2016-17, 676 glacial lakes have notably expanded since 1984," it said. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said 601 of the 676 lakes have expanded more than twice while 10 lakes have grown between 1.5 to two times and 65 lakes 1.5 times. It said 130 of the 676 lakes are situated within India, with 65, seven, and 58 located in the Indus, Ganga and the Brahmaputra river basins, respectively. An elevation-based analysis revealed that 314 lakes are located in the 4,000-5,000-metre range and 296 above 5,000 metres. The glacial lakes are categorised based on their formation proces

Aditya solar mission continuously sending data about Sun: Isro chief

ISRO chief S Somnath on Sunday said that the Aditya L I solar mission of the premier space research agency is continuously sending data about the Sun. Somnath, who was speaking to reporters here after being conferred a special award by jewellery major P C Chandra Group, said several instruments of the spacecraft are working continuously to feed data on many aspects. "We are looking into the sun in a continuous manner - UV magnetic charges observation, corona graph observation, X-ray observation and other things," he said. India's first solar mission craft, Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched on September 2, 2023. "As we are keeping this satellite for five years, the observation will be analysed as a long-term measure. It is not like your instant news that something has been reported about the sun today, something else will happen tomorrow, things will happen every day," he explained. All observations will happen now but the results will be known later, he said. "Eclipse happens as

Isro to continue Chandrayaan series until an Indian lands on Moon: Somanath

The Indian Space Research Organisation will continue its Chandrayaan series of lunar probes until an astronaut from the country lands on the Moon, said ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday. Last August, the premier space agency's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft made a soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, making India the first country to achieve the feat. Chandrayaan 3 has done very well. Data has been collected and scientific publication has just started. Now, we want to continue the Chandrayaan series till an Indian lands on the Moon. Before that, we have to master many technologies, such as going there and coming back. That we are trying to do in the next mission, he told reporters on the sidelines of an event. Somnath was in Ahmedabad as the chief guest of a programme organised by the Astronautical Society of India. About India's first-ever human space flight mission, Gaganyaan, Somanath said ISRO will carry out an uncrewed mission, a test vehicle flight mission and a

Isro makes light-weight nozzle for rocket engines, terms it 'breakthrough'

ISRO said it has achieved a breakthrough in rocket engine technology with the development of a lightweight Carbon-Carbon (C-C) nozzle for rocket engines, enhancing payload capacity. This innovation accomplished by the space agency's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) promises to enhance the vital parameters of rocket engines, including thrust levels, specific impulse, and thrust-to-weight ratios, thereby boosting the payload capacity of launch vehicles, it said. Thiruvananthapuram-based VSSC leveraged advanced materials like Carbon-Carbon (C-C) composites to create a nozzle divergent that offers exceptional properties, an ISRO statement said. By utilising processes such as carbonisation of green composites, chemical vapor Infiltration, and high-temperature treatment, it has produced a nozzle with low density, high specific strength, and excellent stiffness, capable of retaining mechanical properties even at elevated temperatures, it said. A key feature of the C-C nozzle is its ...

India targets debris-free space missions by 2030: Isro chief Somanath

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Tuesday announced that India aims to achieve debris-free space missions by 2030. Addressing the 42nd Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) annual meet here, he said ISRO has a very clearly laid out plan as far as space exploration and space utilisation are concerned for the coming days. "It is one of the intent or initiative of India to ensure that debris-free space missions are conducted so as to ensure the sustainability of space. I would like to make this initiative a declaration today, possibly this can be discussed and debated in the coming days," Somanath, also Secretary in the Department of Space, said. "This initiative aims to achieve debris-free space missions by all Indian space actors, governmental and non-governmental, by 2030. India also encourages all state space actors to follow this initiative for long-term sustainability of outer space," he said. "Currently, we have 54 spacecraft in orbit, plus there are non-functional .

Chandrayaan-3 mission receives prestigious US Space Exploration award

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission team was honoured with the prestigious 2024 John L. 'Jack' Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration

Chandrayaan-4 mission in process of developing: Isro chairman Somanath

Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath on Tuesday said the Chandrayaan-4 mission is in the "process of developing". He said space research is a continuous process and the country is on the trajectory of "great progress". He was interacting with the media after attending the twentieth anniversary of the Sat Paul Mittal School here. Dr Somanath said that ISRO is committed to its mission for the moon. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the country's target of landing on the moon in early 2040s and ISRO is on a continuous exploration mission. The ISRO chairman said, besides space research, the organisation is also engaging and involving students across the country in various technology development projects. In August last year, India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole.

'Another milestone': Isro's PSLV accomplishes zero orbital debris mission

ISRO on Monday said its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has accomplished zero orbital debris mission, and described it "another milestone". This was achieved on March 21, when the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) met its "fiery end" through a re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. "The PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has practically left zero debris in orbit," the space agency said. The PSLV-C58 mission was accomplished on January 1. According to ISRO, after completing the primary mission of injecting all satellites into their desired orbits, the terminal stage of PSLV was transformed into a 3-axis stabilised platform, the POEM-3. The stage was deorbited from 650 km to 350 km, which facilitated its early re-entry, and was passivated to remove residual propellants to minimise any accidental break-up risks, it said. POEM-3 was configured with a total of nine different experimental payloads to carry out technology demonstrations and scientific experiments on the newly ...

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Isro successfully executes landing mission of RLV 'Pushpak' in Karnataka

This is the third successful RLV launch mission conducted by the Isro and is estimated to have cost more than Rs 100 crore

Diagnosed with cancer on day of Aditya L1 launch, cured now: Isro chief

ISRO chairman S Somanath has revealed that he learnt about being diagnosed with cancer on the day of the launch of India's Aditya L1 mission. In an interview with Tarmak Media House, Somanath said he underwent an operation to remove the growth in his stomach, followed it up with chemotherapy and was now completely cured of the disease. "Undoubtedly, they would have been shocked. But now, I perceive cancer and its treatment as a solution. There is a message that it is not incurable," he said when asked about the reaction of his family members to the diagnosis. He said he had realized that there were some health issues during the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission but was not very clear about it. "I was uncertain about a complete cure at the time, I was undergoing the process," he admitted, highlighting the ongoing nature of his battle against cancer. Somanath said he would be undergoing regular checkups and scans, but he was now completely cured and has resumed duties. "No, I do