Page 19 - Space

SpaceX can't launch its giant rocket again until fixes are made: FAA

SpaceX must take a series of steps before it can launch its mega rocket again after its debut ended in an explosion, federal regulators said Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said it closed its investigation into SpaceX's failed debut of Starship, the world's biggest rocket. The agency is requiring SpaceX to take 63 corrective actions and to apply for a modified FAA license before launching again. FAA official said multiple problems led to the April launch explosion, which sent pieces of concrete and metal hurtling for thousands of feet (meters) and created a plume of pulverized concrete that spread for miles (kilometers) around. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in the accident's aftermath that he improved the 394-foot (120-meter) rocket and strengthened the launch pad. A new Starship is on the redesigned pad, awaiting liftoff. It will fly empty, as before. During the initial test flight, the rocketship had to be destroyed after it tumbled out of control shortly after liftof

Japan launches X-ray satellite, Moon Sniper lunar lander. Details here

Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is taking a uniquely long route to the Moon and is scheduled to make a landing in four to six months

India's space economy to reach $40 bn by 2040: Minister Jitendra Singh

There were only four space startups in India in 2014 and that number has increased to more than 150 in 2023, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here Monday, noting that currently, the country's space economy is valued at USD 8 billion and estimated to reach USD 40 billion by 2040. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology shared the information as he inaugurated the S20 Conference under the aegis of G20 at Amity University here. He said India's presidency of G20 is a matter of immense pride and under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has attained remarkable achievements in science and technology. "In 2014, the country had 350 startups but today we have more than 1.25 lakh startups and 130 unicorns. Of the 1.25 lakh startups, 6,000 are in the unicorn sector itself which has transformed the landscape of innovation in the country," Singh said. He said the Global Innovation Index has also risen from 81 to 40, which is yet anothe

Aditya-L1 launch fires up funding prospects for private space companies

With solar mission's successful launch, they have a day in the sun

First earth-bound manoeuvre of Aditya L1 performed successfully: Isro

ISRO on Sunday said it has successfully performed the first earth-bound manoeuvre of the country's maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, from ISTRAC here. The space agency also said the satellite is healthy and operating nominally. The next manoeuvre is scheduled for September 5, 2023, around 03:00 Hrs. IST "Aditya-L1 Mission: The satellite is healthy and operating nominally. The first Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#1) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The new orbit attained is 245km x 22459 km. The next maneuvre (EBN#2) is scheduled for September 5, 2023, around 03:00 Hrs. IST," ISRO said in an update on 'X', formerly Twitter. Aditya L1 was launched on Saturday from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The mission aims to study the outer atmosphere of the sun by placing India's first solar observatory at the Sun-Earth L1 point. L1 stands for Lagrange point 1, where the spacecraft would be stationed. The satellite started generating power after the solar panels were ...

Isro to provide next level of solar data to world with Aditya-L1: Prof

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 am today

G Kishan Reddy lauds Isro scientists for successful launch of Aditya-L1

G Kishan Reddy said that today India was thriving and progressing in the field of scientific know-how

UP CM Adityanath hails successful launch of solar mission Aditya-L1

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday hailed the successful launch of the country's first solar mission Aditya-L1. The Indian Space Research Organisation on Saturday launched the country's ambitious solar mission Aditya-L1 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The 44.4-metre-high Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) soared majestically at the prefixed time of 11.50 am from the spaceport located on the eastern coast about 135 kilometres from Chennai. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Adityanath said, "PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 mission was successfully launched today, symbolises the potential of 'New India' with the mission to serve the entire humanity. Many wishes for the complete success of this prestigious mission to become the 'new Sun' of the hopes of 140 crore countrymen under the leadership of the respected prime minister!" "Along with the Moon, now the Sun will also witness the power of 'self-reliant India'. Hearty congratulations to the entire team including @isro!," ...

Ex-ISRO chief Rao's key role in Aditya-L1 mission's success recalled

With the successful launch of India's ambitious solar mission Aditya-L1, former ISRO chief Prof U R Rao's dream and contribution towards its realisation at the initial stages was fondly remembered. According to ISRO, Prof. Rao, affectionately called the father of India's satellite programme, was particularly excited about the Aditya mission and he ensured that it went through a thorough revamp of its mission objectives including its orbital parameters to make the expedition more meaningful and contemporary. Thanks to Prof. Rao, Aditya-L1 will become the first mission from India to be placed in the Lagrange Point, L1, one of the liberation points in orbital configuration situated 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth, where a satellite upon placing will have the same angular velocity as that of the Earth with respect to Sun and hence, maintain the same position in relation to the Sun as seen from Earth, a tribute to Prof. Rao on ISRO's website states. The launch of Aditya-L1 by ...

Space junk on Moon will rise with future missions, but who will clean it up

With more countries landing on the Moon, people back on Earth will have to think about what happens to all the landers, waste and miscellaneous debris left on the lunar surface and in orbit

Vikram lander's ILSA payload records natural event on lunar surface: Isro

ILSA comprises a cluster of six high-sensitivity accelerometers, which are indigenously fabricated using the Silicon Micromachining process

Auction of space-based spectrum would amount to killing golden goose: ISpA

India's nascent space industry has made a strong pitch for administrative allocation of satellite-based spectrum, saying the auction route could hit the growth of the sector. Indian Space Association (ISpA) Director General Lt Gen A K Bhatt (retd.) said auctioning the satellite-based spectrum will create a barrier to growth and may impact the innovation drive of the space sector start-ups. ISpA is the industry body of private space sector companies that acts as a bridge with the government. In an interaction with PTI, Bhatt said opting for the auction of space-based spectrum would amount to killing the golden goose as the space sector was set to witness rapid growth in the country as it demonstrated its prowess by undertaking complex missions such as Chandrayaan-3. Mobile telecom players such as Reliance Jio have been insisting that the government opt for auction of space-based spectrum. "Many say if you don't give it by auction, you will get less money. Yes, I agree with it. But,

Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover confirms sulphur in lunar region: Isro

Another instrument onboard the Chandrayaan-3 mission's rover 'Pragyan' has confirmed the presence of sulphur in the lunar region by deploying a different technique, ISRO said on Thursday. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS) has detected sulphur, as well as other minor elements on the Moon, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said in a social media post. "This finding by Ch-3 compels scientists to develop fresh explanations for the source of Sulphur (S) in the area: intrinsic?, volcanic?, meteoritic?,......?" read the post. ISRO also released a video of the rover rotating in search of a safe route. The rotation was captured by a lander imager camera. "It feels as though a child is playfully frolicking in the yards of Chandamama, while the mother watches affectionately. Isn't it?" ISRO quipped in the social media post. The space agency released a video showing an automated hinge mechanism rotating the 18 cm tall APXS, aligning the detector head to be ...

LIVE: India to host first edition of 'Global IndiaAI 2023' in October

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

LIVE: Softbank Vision Growth Fund sells Zomato shares via block deal

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

All you need to know about Aditya L-1, Isro's mission to study the Sun

Isro's head S Somanath said that the Aditya-L1 mission, which is all about studying the Sun, is all set to begin its voyage next on September 2

Chandrayaan-3 landing site called Shiv Shakti: Who names sites on the Moon?

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the touchdown point of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon as Shivshakti Point, we explain how these spots are termed and who names them

Cong slams those unable to digest contribution of Nehru in setting up Isro

The Congress on Sunday hit out at those "unable to digest the contribution" of Jawaharlal Nehru that led to the setting up of ISRO and asserted that the India's first prime minister used to encourage the scientific approach. In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said, "Nehru used to promote scientific approach. Those who are unable to digest his contribution in the setting up of ISRO should listen to his speech on the foundation day of TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research)." Ramesh also shared a video from Nehru's speech at the event. "Unlike the person who gave knowledge about the science of clouds providing a shield from radar, he (Nehru) did not just talk big but took big decisions," Ramesh said in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress and the BJP have been engaged in a war of words over Nehru and other Congress prime ministers' contribution to India's space programme with the opposition party ...

Isro's Vikram lander observes Moon temperature, records high of 70 deg C

ISRO on Sunday released a graph of the temperature variation on the lunar surface and a senior scientist of the space agency expressed surprise over the high temperature recorded on the Moon. The national space agency said Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the Moon's surface. "Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander. ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface," ISRO said in an update on social media platform 'X'. Speaking about the graphic illustration, ISRO scientist B H M Darukesha told PTI: "We all believed that the temperature could be somewhere around 20 degree centigrade to 30 degree centigrade on the surface but it is 70 degree ...

Isro shares first observations from Vikram Lander's ChasSTE payload

ISRO on Sunday released a graph of the temperature variation on lunar surface with increase in depth measured by the ChaSTE payload onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander module. According to the space agency, Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the south pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the Moon's surface. Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander. ChaSTE measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's surface, ISRO said in an update on X', formerly Twitter. The payload has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors. The presented graph illustrates the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during