Page 4 - Isro

400 scientists worked 24x7 during Operation Sindoor, says Isro chief

More than 400 scientists worked round-the-clock to provide support using earth observation and communication satellites during Operation Sindoor, ISRO chairperson V Narayanan said on Tuesday. The space agency provided satellite data from its spacecraft for national security requirements, Narayanan said in his address at the 52nd National Management Convention of the All India Management Association (AIMA). "During Operation Sindoor, all satellites were working 24x7 perfectly, enabling all requirements," he said. "Over 400 scientists were working 24x7, full-time and all the satellites used for earth observation and communication were working perfectly during the mission," the ISRO chief added. The role of the space sector in armed conflicts came into sharp focus during Operation Sindoor, which saw extensive use of drones and loitering munitions and tested the capabilities of air defence systems such as indigenously developed Akash Teer. According to Narayanan, ISRO has completed 7,

What is Vikram 32-bit processor? India's first indigenous space chip

What is the Vikram 32-bit Processor: India unveiled the Vikram 3201, its first indigenous 32-bit processor for rockets and satellites, at Semicon India 2025. Built by Isro and SCL Chandigarh

Isro charts plan for Mars landing, Moon base and deep-space missions

India plans to set up 3D-printed dwellings on Mars and launch precursor missions to land humans on the Red Planet in the next four decades, according to a roadmap for the future drawn up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The roadmap is an outcome of nationwide consultations carried out by the space agency, which culminated at the National Space Day celebrations here last weekend. According to the roadmap, India plans to build a crew station on the Moon by 2047, mine for minerals and other resources, operate crewed lunar terrain vehicles and also have propellant depots that could fuel inter-planetary missions and support the stay of astronauts on the Earth's only natural satellite. ISRO has also drawn up plans to upgrade its launch vehicles significantly that would aim to carry 150-tonne payloads to orbit in a single mission. At present, ISRO's launch vehicle GSLV Mark-III can haul up payloads up to 4 tonnes to the geosynchronous transfer orbit and 8 tonnes payload to

IN-SPACe transfers five Isro technologies to Indian firms for local use

India's space sector promoter IN-SPACe on Wednesday said it has facilitated the transfer of five technologies developed by ISRO to Indian companies, which could reduce the country's dependence on imports in the related fields. The tripartite agreements were signed between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the recipient industries, and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) at its headquarters in Ahmedabad. The transfers are aimed at driving commercialization, strengthening self-reliance, reducing imports, and enabling wider applications of space technologies in sectors such as automotive, biomedical, and industrial manufacturing, an IN-SPACe statement said. One of the technologies, the Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) Multi-Chip Module, developed by SAC, enables the integration of multiple semiconductor chips into a single compact module. This has been acquired by Voltix Semicon Pvt Ltd, Pune, for biomedical use, particularly in RT-PCR kits requirin

Shubhanshu Shukla gets hero's welcome in Lucknow after historic space feat

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla returned to his hometown Lucknow on Monday to a rousing reception after becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station. Although he arrived in India from the US on August 17, he is visiting the Uttar Pradesh capital now after participating in multiple outreach events, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18. Family members, including his parents Shambhu and Asha Shukla, wife Kamna, and son Kiash, were present at the airport to greet him. They were joined by cheering crowds waving the tricolour and chanting "Vande Mataram". Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, a troupe played drums and trumpets, while students from Shukla's alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), came dressed in vibrant costumes representing space missions and celestial objects. CMS manager Geeta Gandhi Kingdon was among those personally welcoming the school's celebrated alumnus. From the airport, Shukla embarked on a

From shy to living India's space dream: Shubhanshu Shukla's journey

IAF's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla grew as a "shy and reserved" person, hearing stories of the 1984 spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in his childhood days. On Sunday, Shukla, India's second astronaut to travel to space after Sharma, was signing autographs for school students and obliging fellow air warriors queuing up to get clicked with him. Life, like his recent space sojourn in a spacecraft orbit, has indeed come full circle for Shukla. The occasion was the felicitation of Shukla and three other chosen Gaganyaan astronauts by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here. During the event, Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his journey of joining the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). "I grew up as a shy and reserved person. We used to hear stories of the spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in our childhood days," he said. Shu

Isro completes first integrated parachute test for Gaganyaan crew module

The test, involving IAF, DRDO, Navy and Coast Guard, proved the parachute-based deceleration system that will ensure Gaganyaan crew module's safe splashdown

India aims to establish its own space station by 2035: Anurag Singh Thakur

Former Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday said that India aims to establish its own space station by 2035 and achieve the target of an Indian-crewed lunar landing by 2040. Interacting with students at the PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Una on National Space Day, Thakur highlighted India's growing strides in the space sector. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made a big leap in space sector. On this very day in 2023, our country achieved success in the Chandrayaan Mission 3. On this day, India became the fourth country to land on Moon and the first country to land near the Moon's southern pole, joining the group of leading space nations," he said. The MP said this was the result of tireless work by the country's great and diligent scientists. "Behind those scientists, Prime Minister Modi stands firmly as a visionary leader who embraces them during mission failures and pats their backs on successes," he said. "In 2014,

India to launch more than 100 satellites over next 15 years: Jitendra Singh

India plans to launch more than 100 satellites over the next 15 years, and it will be a mix of government technology missions and private sector-led operational missions, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Saturday. He also released a roadmap for the space sector for the next 15 years during the second National Space Day celebrations in the presence of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan, INSPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka and four astronauts short-listed for the Gaganyaan mission. Singh said the roadmap will guide India's space journey to 2040 and beyond, supporting the vision of Viksit Bharat by leveraging space technology for food and water security, disaster resilience, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth. He said India's space programme has entered a transformative phase, where it is no longer confined to symbolic achievements but has become a vital contributor to the country's scientific progress, technological ...

Co-astronaut Nair likens Shubhanshu Shukla's return from space to Diwali

Astronaut Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair on Thursday likened Shubhanshu Shukla's return to India after a successful space mission to the festival of Diwali, which is celebrated to mark Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya. Group Captain Nair, who was the backup astronaut for Shukla for the Axiom-4 mission, also likened himself to Laxman, the younger brother of Lord Ram. "A few months from now, we will celebrate Diwali. That's the time when Shri Ram entered Ayodhya. We are here right now with Ram that is Shux, and I can call myself Laxman. It feels like Diwali today, and all our countrymen are here to receive us," Nair said at a press conference here. Shukla, who had the callsign 'Shux' during the Axiom-4 mission, and Nair returned to India earlier this week after nearly a year-long stay in the US, during which they trained for the mission to the International Space Station (ISS). "Remember, I am elder to Shux. But I would love to be Laxman to this Ram every day. Ram and Laxman got a lot of he

India to launch first uncrewed Gaganyaan spacecraft in December: Isro chief

Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from the successful Axiom-4 Mission, said the experience from the International Space Station (ISS) would be very useful for the Gaganyaan mission

Isro developing 40-storey rocket to launch 75-tonne satellite: Narayanan

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Tuesday said the space agency has been working on a rocket as high as a 40-storey building to place 75,000 kg satellite in low earth orbit. Delivering the convocation address of Osmania University here, Narayanan said this year, the space agency has lined up with projects such as NAVIC (Navigation with India Constellation system) satellite and the N1 rocket, besides placing a 6,500 kg communication satellite of the USA into orbit using Indian rockets. "You know, what is the capacity of the rocket? The first launcher, (Dr APJ) Abdul Kalam ji, which he built was a 17 tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing 35 kg in low earth orbit. Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low earth orbit. The rocket is of 40-storey building height," he said. ISRO has planned to launch Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and GSAT-7R, a Indian military communication satellite, specifically designed for the Indian Navy to replace the existing GSAT-7 ...

India needs 40-50 astronauts for future space missions: PM Modi to Shux

Meeting ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that India must build a pool of 40-50 astronauts to power its future space programme, including the Gaganyaan mission

IIT Guwahati, Isro scientists decode flickering X-rays from black hole

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, in collaboration with UR Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO and Haifa University, Israel, have uncovered a mysterious X-ray signal pattern emitted from a blackhole, located nearly 28,000 light-years from the Earth, according to officials. Using the data from India's space observatory AstroSat, the researchers observed the X-ray brightness from the black hole alternated between bright and dim phases, each lasting several hundred seconds, they said. The findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Researchers from across the world are working towards understanding the phenomena of black holes. While drawing gas from the outer layers of their companion stars, they produce extreme heat and emit X-rays. By studying these X-rays, scientists can learn about the environment near the black hole. According to Santabrata Das, Professor at the Department of

Arunachal minister inaugurates Isro-backed space lab at Mechuka school

A state-of-the-art space laboratory was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Education Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona at remote Mechuka in Shi-Yomi district. The lab at Mechuka Government Higher Secondary School, established in collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Muskaan Foundation, aims to provide students with hands-on experience in space science and technology, fostering curiosity, innovation, and scientific thinking among the youth, an official statement said on Friday. The facility has been named Pasang Wangchuk Sona ISRO Space Laboratory, in honour of the minister's father and in recognition of his lifelong belief in the transformative power of education, it said. "Today marks an emotional and proud moment for me as I inaugurated the 'Pasang Wangchuk Sona ISRO Space Laboratory' -- dedicated to my late father. This laboratory is not just an educational facility, it is a tribute to his unwavering belief in the power of education and curiosity. I hope

Shubhanshu Shukla returns Sunday after historic space mission, to meet PM

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to India on Sunday after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS) and is eager to share his experiences with friends and colleagues back home as ISRO eyes its maiden human spaceflight in 2027. Shukla, who has been in the US, training for the Axiom-4 mission to ISS for the past one year, is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown Lucknow soon after. He is expected to be back in the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on August 22-23. Shukla posted on Instagram a smiling photograph of himself sitting in an aeroplane, and said in its caption that he was filled with mixed emotions as he left the US and could not wait to return to India to share his experiences with everyone back home. "As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family f

Isro to launch 6,500 kg US-made communication satellite from India

After marking a humble beginning in the Indian space programme with a tiny rocket supplied by the United States, ISRO would launch a 6,500 kg communication satellite built by the US in the next couple of months, the chairman of the space agency, V Narayanan said on Sunday. Following the historic launch of NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission onboard a GSLV-F16 rocket on July 30, ISRO would be launching another satellite for the United States, he said at an event near Chennai. Narayanan, who is also the secretary of Department of Space, was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of Science, by the Governor of Maharashtra C P Radhakrishnan, during the 21st Convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology at Kattankulathur near Chennai. In his acceptance speech, Narayanan recalled that the ISRO was set up in 1963 and the country was 6-7 years behind advanced countries then. In the same year, a tiny rocket was donated by the United States marking the beginnings

Xovian Aerospace raises $2.5 million to launch AI-native RF satellites

Funds will help the firm launch its maiden spacecraft on ISRO rocket, expand capacity, deploy nanosatellite and pilot its real-time RF sensing tech for customers by 2026

India's much-maligned factory floor gets a radical deep-tech makeover

Deep-tech startups target $1.3 trillion manufacturing goal with robotics, AI, and precision engineering, as Indian manufacturing gets a much-needed technological reboot

Best of BS Opinion: India must not shy away from trade negotiations

Our Opinion page today makes a case for more trade talks, note less; benefits for Isro from partnering with Nasa; a sustainable fix for urban congestion; and the need for a framework for digital fraud