Page 6 - Isro

Isro successfully conducts third hot test of semicryogenic engine

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday achieved a significant milestone with the successful completion of the third hot test of the Power Head Test Article (PHTA) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The test is part of a crucial series of evaluations to validate the performance of India's upcoming semicryogenic engine, ISRO said. This marks the third in a series of hot tests undertaken by ISRO for the PHTA. According to ISRO, the test, conducted on May 28, was aimed at validating the engine's ignition and start-up sequence while optimising the process for integrated engine performance. During the three-second trial, the engine was ignited successfully and operated up to 60 per cent of its rated power level, exhibiting stable and controlled performance throughout. ISRO began this series of performance evaluations in March 2025, focusing on critical components such as low- and high-pressure turbo-pumps, the pre-burner, start-up system, and various .

Women comprise around 20% of Isro workforce: VN Narayanan

ISRO chairman V Narayanan has said women employees comprise around 20 per cent of the workforce of the premier space research organisation and they are doing an outstanding job. He said the percentage of women employees in ISRO should go up to 40 per cent plus in the future. The ISRO chairman, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organised by a private school here on Thursday said, "that in a country like India, having 50 per cent women population, the country cannot progress unless the women contribute in a significant way." Asked about the women workforce in ISRO, Narayanan said, "There are a lot of women employees. The women are doing an outstanding job and they should be encouraged in their contribution. Gradually the number should go up. Right now, maybe there are around 20 per cent women scientists but it should go up to 40 per cent plus." Talking about social reformer Rammohan Roy, he said Roy and other luminaries and polymaths had championed the caus

ISRO chief V Narayanan says 2025 very important, declares it Gaganyaan year

The ISRO chief said that 7200 tests have been completed as of now, and 3000 tests are pending.

Isro forms panel to probe PSLV mission failure: Chairman Narayanan

ISRO has formed a committee to investigate the incident in which a PSLV rocket failed to place an Earth observation satellite (EOS-09) into its intended orbit, Chairman V Narayanan said on Sunday. The committee has held several rounds of discussions to identify the cause, he added. Earlier in the day, ISRO failed to place its Earth observation satellite in orbit after the trusted PSLV rocket developed a fault minutes after launch from Sriharikota, about 135 km from here. "Today, we had the 101st mission from Sriharikota. The rocket is a four-stage vehicle. The first stage comprises a 134-tonne solid propulsion system and has six strap-on motors, each holding 12 tonne of propellant. The second stage has a 40-tonne liquid propulsion system, the third stage an 8-tonne solid propulsion system, and the fourth stage again uses liquid propulsion. These four stages must work in tandem to place a satellite into orbit," Narayanan explained. After a 22-hour countdown, the rocket lifted off as

Axiom 4 mission: India returns to space with IAF pilot Shubhanshu Shukla

IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot Axiom 4 to the ISS, marking India's first human spaceflight since 1984 and a milestone in US-India cooperation and ISRO's Gaganyaan preparations

US firm Vast keen to use Indian rockets for rides to planned space station

US-based company Vast, planning to launch the world's first commercial space station next year, has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its orbital laboratory. Vast CEO Max Hoat met the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) leadership team on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference here to discuss possible collaborations in the area of space technology. The space-habitation company is in the race to build a space station that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031. The California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. "Right now, we are on track with our launch for May 2026," Hoat told PTI in an interview. Vast plans to conduct a series of tests on the space station, before flying astronauts to the orbital laboratory by July next year. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to

Mock drills held at Sriharikota Space Centre and Tirupati airport

Mock drills were carried out at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) in Sriharikota and Tirupati Airport in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, in view of the India-Pakistan military conflict. From 9:30 am to 11:30 am, multiple security teams undertook the mock drill at SHAR, an ISRO rocket-launching facility in Andhra Pradesh. The exercise was aimed at evaluating the preparedness, coordination, and response time of security forces in the event of a potential threat, said an official press release. Under the supervision of CISF DIG Sanjay Kumar, various security and emergency units such as the CISF Quick Response Team (70 personnel), CISF Bomb Disposal Team, CISF Fire Department, and medical staff participated in the drill. A three-member Intelligence Bureau (IB) team, two-member marine police team and local police also partook in the drill, which demonstrated effective communication and swift action for the success of the exercise. Similarly, a comprehensive mock drill was conducted at Tiru

'Indian rockets carry more than payloads': PM Modi on space exploration

PM Modi addressed the Global Conference on Space Exploration 2025 and stated that by 2035, India will have its own 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station'

PM Modi honours ex-Isro chief Kasturirangan, lauds his contributions

Prime Minister Modi said that the former Isro Chairman had the quality of prioritising innovation, further stating that his ability to learn something new was inspiring

Isro flags off second stage of GSLV launch vehicle to Sriharikota

ISRO on Saturday announced that the second stage of it's GSLV launch vehicle was flagged off by Chairman V Narayanan recently from the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, to the launch complex at Sriharikota. The Directors of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) also participated in the flag off ceremony which was held on March 24, it said. "This liquid stage is earmarked for the upcoming mission of GSLV (GSLV-F16), that will launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The launch campaign activities for this mission have already commenced at Sriharikota in the first week of April 2025," ISRO said, in a statement.

Isro takes lead role of 'International Charter Space and Major Disasters'

India, through ISRO, once again demonstrated its initiative in space-based disaster management by assuming the lead role of the "International Charter Space and Major Disasters" for six months from April 2025, the space agency said on Saturday. The lead role tenure started with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)/ISRO organising the 53rd meeting of the Charter in Hyderabad during April 14-17, it said. According to ISRO, it witnessed the participation of major global space agencies (with 22 foreign delegates attending in person) engaged in space-based disaster management activities. "India is signatory to the Charter which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, with ISRO being a founder member. The Charter functions as a collaborative framework involving 17 member organisations, who voluntarily provide Earth observation data and value-added products for managing disasters occurring globally," the space agency said in a statement. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan addressed the board

Former Isro Chairman K Kasturirangan passes away at 84 in Bengaluru

Former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan passed away in Bengaluru on Friday, officials said. The 84-year-old had been unwell for quite sometime. "He left for heavenly abode this morning at his residence in Bengaluru. His body will be kept at Raman Research Institute (RRI) for paying last respects on April 27," the officials said. Kasturirangan, who was chairman of the drafting committee of the new National Education Policy (NEP), had also served as chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and as chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission. He had also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (200309) and as member of then Planning Commission of India. Kasturirangan was also the Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore from April 2004 to 2009. He had steered the Indian Space programme gloriously for over nine years as chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), of Space Commission and Secretary to the Government of India. As an astrophysicist

India to add 100-150 satellites to enhance safety, security in 3 yrs: Isro

India would add another 100-150 satellites to cover the entire country over the next three years as part of enhancing border security and coastal surveillance, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said here on Wednesday. Currently, India operates about 55 satellites and for a country which has a vast border and 7,500 km of shoreline, it is not sufficient, he said. Narayanan, also the Secretary, Department of Space, said it was for these reasons Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced reforms in the Space Sector which allows participation of private players in building rockets and satellites. "We need a lot of satellites to protect our borders. We have 55 satellites working and it is not sufficient to monitor the border and coastal areas. For that we need more satellites. Through Space Sector reforms we can bring in private players to build satellites and we can handhold them. In three years, we will be adding another 100-150 satellites. With all those satellites we can monitor the country ..

Isro achieves 2nd successful satellite docking under SPADEX: Jitendra Singh

This event marked yet another significant milestone in India's space research programme

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla set for space travel next month: Jitendra Singh

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to travel to the International Space Station next month as part of an Axiom-4 mission, four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday. Singh made the remarks after reviewing the work of the Department of Space and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) here. "Group Captain Shukla's journey is more than just a flight it's a signal that India is stepping boldly into a new era of space exploration," Singh said. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan made a presentation on various upcoming space missions. ISRO is set to launch the NISAR satellite developed jointly with NASA in June on board the GSLV-Mark 2 rocket, Singh said, adding that in July the space agency will put in orbit BlueBird Block-2 satellites of US-based AST SpaceMobile Inc. using the heavy-lift LVM-3 rocket. Singh said Group Captain Shukla's mission, scheduled for May, marks a milestone in India

Indian military space doctrine expected in 2-3 months: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan

CDS calls for building a 'space culture' rooted in doctrine, strategy, and original thought

From rockets on bicycles, India has come a long way in space: Isro chief

From carrying rocket parts on bicycles and satellites on bullock carts in the 1970s, India has become one of the world leaders in the space sector through its successful Mars orbiter and Chandrayaan missions, which have also made several world records, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said here on Saturday. Speaking at the 27th convocation of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) - Kozhikode, Narayanan said the country has come a long way from when it launched its first satellite - Aryabhata -- on a Soviet rocket. Now India has 131 satellites in orbit, has launched 433 satellites for 34 countries and successfully completed its 100th launch on January 29 this year, he said. Besides that, India was the first country to discover water molecules on the Moon through its Chandrayaan-1 mission and the first to land on its south pole through the Chandrayaan-3 mission, placing it among the leaders in the space sector, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. "India i

Isro's astronaut-designate Shubhanshu Shukla to fly to space station in May

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been designated as the Mission Pilot for Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station

CERN's $17 bn Future Circular Collider proposal clears technical hurdles

CERN, in its analysis, has found this next-generation collider to be an essential tool to tackle some of the most perplexing questions about the universe

Isro's satellite images show damages caused by earthquake in Myanmar

Isro released the images captured by its earth imaging and mapping satellite, CARTOSAT-3 -- a third generation agile advanced satellite having high resolution imaging capability