Space

Avantel wins ₹122.58 cr antenna order from ISRO arm NewSpace India

Avantel Ltd secures a ₹122.58 crore order from NewSpace India Limited for supply, installation and commissioning of S/X-band antennas, to be completed by August 2027

Bezos' Blue Origin to halt space tourism flights to focus on moon mission

Blue Origin holds a $3.4 billion contract with Nasa to develop its Blue Moon lander, designed to shuttle astronauts to and from the moon, with a landing originally targeted for 2029

Pixxel-led group wins India's first private national EO satellite project

Pixxel-led consortium will design, build, own and operate India's first privately led national Earth Observation system under a public-private partnership, deploying 12 satellites over five years

Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams retires after stellar 27-year career

Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams, a record-holder with 608 days in space and nine spacewalks, has retired after 27 years, capping a career marked by leadership, endurance and historic missions

Space industry seeks PLI, tax sops and procurement push in Budget

India's space industry has sought PLI incentives, tax holidays and a strong government procurement push in the Budget to spur private investment and global competitiveness

GalaxEye gears up for Mission Drishti, plans 10 satellite constellations

Space start-up Galaxeye is set to launch its first-of-a-kind satellite that would generate images of the earth fusing data from optical and radar sensors, which have applications in sectors ranging from defence to agriculture. The start-up plans to launch "Mission Drishti", a multi-sensory earth observation satellite, in the first quarter of this year and scale it up to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030. "Mission Drishti represents a global first: a single satellite platform that has integrated radar sensing and optical imaging, while also standing as India's largest privately developed satellite," Suyash Singh, co-founder and CEO of GalaxEye, told PTI. GalaxEye plans to deploy two more satellites by the end of the next few years and six-seven more satellites by the end of the decade, scaling the total satellite constellation to 10 by 2030, enabling near real time data delivery at scale, Singh said. "This dedicated constellation will unlock time sensitive applications across

PSLV suffers stage-3 failure in Isro's first 2026 launch: What went wrong?

PSLV-C62's third-stage malfunction derailed India's first 2026 space mission, with DRDO's Anvesha and multiple co-passenger satellites now presumed lost

Space startup OrbitAid to showcase in-orbit refuelling tech for satellites

A Chennai-based space startup is all set to demonstrate its technology that would allow re-fuelling of satellites orbiting the earth, extending their lifespan and help address the challenges of space debris. OrbitAid Aerospace is set to launch AyulSAT, a dedicated tanker-satellite, onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday to perform internal propellant transfer, power transfer and data transfer using its Standard Interface for Docking and Refuelling Port (SIDRP). "We will first demonstrate transfer of fuel from one tank to another within the satellite," Sakthikumar Ramachandran, founder and CEO, OrbitAID, told PTI. Sakthikumar said AyulSAT will be India's first commercial docking and refuelling interface deployed in-orbit. "We will soon have fuel stations in orbit that will enable life extension of satellites - both in low earth and geo synchronous orbits," he said. Sakthikumar said later this year OrbitAID will launch another satellite -- the designated chaser

Russia plans to build nuclear power plant on Moon within a decade

Roscosmos said the purpose of the plant was to power Russia's lunar programme, including rovers

Nasa chief fuels SpaceX-Blue Origin rivalry as US eyes return to moon

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin hold contracts with Nasa to build lunar landers for the agency's Artemis program

200 milestones behind it in 2025, Isro readies for Gaganyaan tests

From a surge in startups to crewed mission preparations, 2025 marks a transformative year as India eyes $44 billion space economy by 2033

Did Altman eye a SpaceX rival? What we know about the Stoke Space talks

Sam Altman explored investing in rocket maker Stoke Space, a move that would have placed him in direct competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX, but the talks stalled

Boeing's Starliner won't carry crew on next flight amid safety concerns

Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company's next Starliner flight and instead perform a trial run with cargo to prove its safety. Monday's announcement comes eight months after the first and only Starliner crew returned to Earth aboard SpaceX after a prolonged mission. Although NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams managed to dock Starliner to the International Space Station in 2024, the capsule had so many problems that NASA ordered it to come back empty, leaving the astronauts stuck there for more than nine months. Engineers have since been poring over the thruster and other issues that plagued the Starliner capsule. Its next cargo run to the space station will occur no earlier than April, pending additional tests and certification. Boeing said in a statement that it remains committed to the Starliner program with safety the highest priority. NASA is also slashing the planned number of Starliner flights, from six to four. If the cargo mission goes

Spacetech startup Grahaa gets approval to launch nanosatellite from Brazil

Bengaluru-based company moves to validate its systems ahead of a larger satellite constellation rollout

SpaceTech startup ULOOK raises ₹19 crore from growX, InfoEdge Ventures

The funding will accelerate ULOOK's mission to build indigenous capability in radio-frequency intelligence, marking a decisive step toward strengthening India's technological sovereignty in space

China's Shenzhou 21 docks with space station in 3.5 hrs, sets speed record

China announced Saturday that its Shenzhou 21 spaceship docked with China's space station with its latest three rotation crew at a record speed after its successful launch. The entire docking process lasted around 3.5 hours three hours shorter than the previous missions, according to China Manned Space Agency. The Shenzhou 21 spaceship took off as planned at 11:44 pm local time Friday from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China. The three astronauts on Shenzhou 21 will enter the Tianhe core module of the space station. The crew includes pilot and mission commander Zhang Lu, who also was on the Shenzhou 15 mission to the space station two years ago. The other two are flying for the first time. Wu Fei, 32, an engineer, is the country's youngest astronaut to join a spaceflight. Zhang Hongzhang is a payload specialist who was a researcher focusing on new energy and new materials before becoming an astronaut. Zhang said the team would turn the space station into a utopia by d

China on track to land astronauts on moon by 2030, ahead of space mission

China said Thursday it's on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 as it introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country's ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration. Currently, each programme of the research and development work of putting a person on the moon is progressing smoothly, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesman for the China Manned Space Programme, citing the Long March 10 rocket, moon landing suits and exploration vehicle, as fruitful efforts of that work. Our fixed goal of China landing a person on the moon by 2030 is firm." China is also preparing to send up its latest rotation of astronauts who make up part of the ongoing mission to complete the Tiangong space station, part of its broader space exploration plans. Each team stays inside the station for six months, conducting research. The latest crew joining others on the station will be made up of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang. They will take off from the

Remembering Dr APJ Abdul Kalam: Humble beginnings to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam embodied the belief that true leadership is service. His work continues to shape India's defence, space, and education frontiers, from missile advancements to Chandrayaan-3's lunar

In space, nationality fades; humanity comes first: Shubhanshu Shukla

IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), said on Friday that when one leaves the planet to be in space, Earth becomes their identity. Shukla, who was in Goa, said that nationality doesn't matter in space, as humanity takes precedence. Describing his experience at the ISS, he said that looking out from the station felt like being in an office with the best view possible. It was just too fascinating, he said, virtually addressing students from schools affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, as part of a session titled Igniting Minds, Exploring Frontiers: The Convergence of Space, Education, and Industry'. During the interactive session, he said people may have different identities in this world, but they blur when one is in space. When you are a kid and going to school, our home and parents become our identity. When we go to college, the college becomes our identity. When you le

Chabahar centre 93% complete, ready for satellite launch: Iran minister

The Chabahar centre, dedicated to medium-heavy liquid-fueled launch vehicles, is Iran's national space launch site and one of several bases currently under construction