Page 2 - Space

Trump likely to move Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama

The move appears to reward a state that overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump's three Republican presidential bids, at the expense of one that opposed them

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

India invites Russian firms to invest in innovative space ventures: Envoy

India has invited Russian companies to invest in innovative space ventures in the country and tap its vast market, Ambassador Vinay Kumar said on Tuesday. "The Government of India has offered lucrative schemes to create a conducive atmosphere in the space industry," Kumar said while addressing a function at the Indian Embassy here to mark the second National Space Day. The event commemorated the deployment of the Pragyan Rover on the Moon aboard Chandrayaan-3 on August 23, 2023. Recalling decades of space cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow, he cited the launch of India's first satellite Aryabhata on a Soviet rocket in 1975, the voyage of Rakesh Sharma aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft in 1984, and the ongoing collaboration on the Gaganyaan human space mission. The event was attended by officials and experts from Russia's space organisation Roscosmos, which is closely working with ISRO. Kumar noted that while space emerged as an industry only a few decades ago, in Indian tradi

Future looks very bright, perseverance key to success: Shubhanshu Shukla

"The entire landscape is changing, and I think the future is extremely bright," said astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla here on Monday, while stressing that it was only perseverance that has defined his success. Shukla reached his hometown this morning for the first time since his historic AXIOM 4 space mission. 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 in Delhi. Speaking to children at his alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), the first Indian to visit the International Space Station said, "In my experience that I have had in the last five years of training and last one year of flying to the International Space Station and coming back -- looking at how this entire landscape is changing, I think the future is extremely bright." "We are at the right time, right opportunities exist

Survival tests, kayaking: 'Shux' shares Ax-4 mission preparation details

Undergoing survival tests in simulated environment, learning photography to document space experiences and a team kayaking off the Mexican coast to foster camaraderie -- these were some of the activities that the crew of Axiom-4 had engaged in before setting off on the mission, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said. During an event hosted by the Indian Air Force on Sunday, Group Captain Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the training he underwent prior to it. After several postponements, the Dragon spacecraft carrying him and other three astronauts was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US on June 25. "It was so powerful, it literally shakes every bone in your body. You are going from 0 km/hr to 28,500 km/hr in 8.5 minutes, and that speaks about the magnitude of it," Shukla recalled the intensity of the lift-off experience. As the spacecraf

SpaceX delays Starship launch citing ground systems trouble before liftoff

Starship was set to take off on its 10th major mission from SpaceX's South Texas launch facility, called Starbase

Axiom-4 proves Gaganyaan crew selection standards are among world's best

As part of the Axiom-4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station and only the second Indian to travel to space

Grew up shy, didn't think will fly to space: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday said he grew up as a "shy and reserved" person and while young, he never dreamt of flying to space. Shukla, who spoke at an IAF event, said he listened to stories of Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight, but the dream to travel to space didn't take root early in his life. "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. The astronaut also shared his experience of being part of the recently concluded Axiom 4 mission, which made him the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who felicitated the four Gaganyaan astronauts, including Shukla, said the Gaganyaan mission symbolises a "new chapter" in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

PM Modi calls for 'deep space explorations' on National Space Day

PM Modi outlines India's space ambitions on National Space Day, including Chandrayaan-4, Venus Orbiter, Bhartiya Space Station, and Moon mission by 2040

We saved lives of four astronauts by detecting oxygen leak: Isro chief

V Narayanan said Isro engineers' insistence on a full check forced SpaceX to fix a leaking oxygen line, failing which the Axiom-4 launch would have been catastrophic

Parliament to hold debate on space programme on Monsoon Session's last day

The Parliament will also hold a special discussion today to honour India's first astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla

Hijacked satellites, orbiting weapons: Space new battlefield in this era

As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to Ukraine. Instead of normal programing, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate, and it was also an illustration that 21st century war is waged not just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer space. Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without a single bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite's security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth. If you can impede a satellite's ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption, said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains. He served in the Marines before working on cyber issues at the Department of Energy. Think about GPS, he said. Imagine if a population l

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

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returns to India after Nasa's Axiom-4 mission

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to India in the early hours of Sunday after his historic visit to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who has been in the US training for the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS over the past year, was welcomed at the airport by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan. Shukla's backup astronaut, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, also returned to the homeland. Shukla is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and travel to his hometown, Lucknow, shortly. He is also expected to return to the capital to participate in the National Space Day celebrations on 2223 August. India's space glory touches Indian soil... as the iconic son of Mother India, #Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla, lands in Delhi in the early hours of this morning. Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India's first human mission Gaganyaan, who

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

IN-SPACe picks Google-backed PixxelSpace for satellite constellation

The PixxelSpace-led consortium won the project, outbidding Indian defence equipment makers Astra Microwave and Bharat Electronics

Meteor that hit a home in Georgia is older than Earth, says scientist

A meteorite that punched a hole in a Georgia home owner's roof after blazing across the sky in a fiery streak is older than the Earth itself, according to a scientist who examined fragments of the space rock. People in several Southern states reported seeing the mysterious fireball in broad daylight on June 26 as it hurtled toward the ground faster than the speed of sound. University of Georgia planetary geologist Scott Harris said in a press release on Friday that he examined 23 grams (0.8 ounces) of meteorite fragments recovered from a piece the size of a cherry tomato that struck a man's roof like a bullet and left a dent in the floor of the home outside Atlanta. Examining the fragments under microscopes, Harris concluded the meteorite formed 4.56 billion years ago. That is roughly 20 million years older than the Earth. "It belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that we now think we can tie to a breakup of a much larger asteroid about

Dhruva Space to deploy two payloads using its home-built satellite platform

Space start-up Dhruva Space is set to launch its first commercial mission, LEAP-1, by deploying payloads for two Australia-based firms using its indigenously developed satellite platform. The Hyderabad-based start-up will launch payloads from Australia's Akula Tech and Esper satellites aboard its P-30 satellite platform on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Q3 of the current fiscal. AI payload Nexus-01 (Akula Tech) and hyperspectral imager OTR-2 (Esper) will fly on Dhruva's P-30 platform, which was successfully tested on ISRO's POEM-3 mission in January 2024. The LEAP-1 mission is officially slated to launch aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 in Q3 2025, marking not just a significant Indo-Australian collaboration, but also growing support from the United States in Dhruva Space's global commercial journey, the company said. "Following a successful qualification of the P-30 onboard ISRO's PSLV-C58, Dhruva Space is excited to take its indigenously developed P-30 satellite platform to the global market

Over 200 startups have come up in space sector alone, says PM Modi

Hailing astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's return from space, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said a new wave of curiosity about space among children is sweeping across India and noted that today more than 200 startups have come up in the space sector alone. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said the road to Viksit Bharat passes through self-reliance and 'vocal for local' is the strongest foundation of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. "Recently, there was a lot of discussion in the country about the return of Shubhanshu Shukla from space. As soon as Shubhanshu landed safely on Earth, people jumped with joy, and a wave of happiness ran through every heart. The whole country was filled with pride," he said. A new wave of curiosity about space among children is sweeping across India, Modi said. Modi said space startups are also coming up at a fast pace in the country. "There were fewer than 50 startups five years ago. Today, there are more than 200 startups in the space sect

CERN discovery could hint at why universe is made of matter, not antimatter

Cosmological models say the Big Bang produced equal matter and antimatter, which destroy each other on contact-so it's a mystery why the universe isn't just energy left from that annihilation