Page 2 - Space

Chennai firm to launch world's first all-women lunar mission by 2027

Space Kidz India plans to send a symbolic lunar payload aboard Japan's iSpace mission in 2027, engaging girl students from 108 countries in design and training

Saturn's moon Enceladus found to have all ingredients needed for life

German scientists analysing Cassini data find complex organic molecules in Enceladus' plumes, raising hopes that its hidden ocean could support life beyond Earth

Space startup Agnikul unveils plans to build fully-resusable rockets

Space start-up Agnikul Cosmos announced on Monday that the rockets it plans to build will be fully reusable, allowing it to offer satellite-launch services at globally-competitive prices. The Chennai-based start-up made the announcement at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney and asserted that it is aiming to ensure that no part of its rockets is fully expended or left behind. Agnikul carried out its maiden sub-orbital test flight of its 3D-printed rocket, Agnibaan SOrTeD, last year and plans to carry out its orbital launch soon. "We have consistently designed our vehicles to ensure that affordability and flexibility are never afterthoughts but are built in from day one," Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, said. "We are grateful to the critical support from IN-SPACe and ISRO. Their willingness to allow us to explore rocket-stage recovery and reuse has empowered us to attempt this feat both from a policy friendliness and tech support standpoint

Spacetech pioneer Agnikul Cosmos draws roadmap for fully-reusable rockets

Agnikul's in-house development facilities are one of the main driving forces of this new attempt, with every patent and system designed to support more affordable, customisable launch services

Nasa introduces new astronauts: 10 chosen from more than 8,000 applicants

NASA introduced its newest astronauts Monday, 10 scientists, engineers and test pilots chosen from more than 8,000 applicants to help explore the moon and possibly Mars. For the first time, there were more women than men in a NASA astronaut class. They included a geologist who worked on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, a SpaceX engineer who flew on a billionaire-sponsored spaceflight that featured the world's first private spacewalk and a former SpaceX launch director. The group will undergo two years of training before becoming eligible for spaceflight. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said one of them could become the first person to step on Mars. It is the 24th astronaut class for NASA since the original Mercury Seven made their debut in 1959. The previous class was in 2021. Only 370 people have been selected by NASA as astronauts, making it an extraordinarily small and elite group composed mostly of men. The latest additions revealed during a ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Centre

Isro to send half-humanoid 'Vyommitra' into space this Dec: V Narayanan

V Narayanan said, 'By the first quarter of 2027, we aim to send our own 'Gaganyatri' to space and bring it back safely'

India, US begin new era of space cooperation with Moon and Mars missions

India and the US signalled the beginning of a new phase of space partnership at a special event hosted by the Embassy of India in Washington DC, with officials and astronauts highlighting how decades of cooperation are now paving the way for missions to the Moon and Mars. An event, titled India-USA Space Collaboration: The Frontiers of a Futuristic Partnership, was held at India House on Monday and celebrated recent milestones, including the joint NASAISRO NISAR satellite and the Axiom Mission-4, which carried Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station. Ambassador of India to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, described the partnership as a dynamic platform for advancing scientific exploration, technology development and commercial cooperation. He said India's space programme has emerged as a global leader in cost-effective exploration, and joint efforts with the US could push the boundaries of human spaceflight in the decades ahead. Dr Karen St Germain, ..

Nasa Rover finds Mars rocks that may be signs of ancient microbial life

In a new paper published in Nature, researchers offer up different explanations for a group of Martian rocks that Perseverance uncovered and sampled in July 2024

Lunar Eclipse: India to witness 'Blood Moon' today; know time, precautions

A lunar eclipse occurs only during the full moon phase, when the Earth comes directly between the Sun and the Moon

Duffy vows Nasa will beat China to moon, says 'I'll be damned' if not

During the meeting, Duffy addressed testimony from Wednesday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing that highlighted concerns over Nasa's ability to return humans to the surface of the moon before China

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