Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shukla to ISS postponed to June 10
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Economic Times
21 minutes ago
- Economic Times
SpaceX probably took leak in Axiom-4 rocket 'lightly': ISRO chief
ANI ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan addresses an ISRO Press Meet, at National Media Centre, in New Delhi on Thursday. SpaceX had probably taken "lightly" the liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket that launched the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, putting at risk the lives for four astronauts, including Shubhanshu Shukla, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said on said it was at the insistence of ISRO engineers that SpaceX examined the leak detected in the oxidiser lines that carry liquid oxygen to the rocket engines and discovered a crack that could have proved fatal."If with the crack the rocket lifts off, with the vibrations, it will give way the moment it lifts off. Once it gives way, it is a catastrophic situation, nothing else," Narayanan said was addressing a press conference along with Axiom-4 astronaut Shukla and his backup for the mission Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair and Union Minister Jitendra Singh."To their (SpaceX's) surprise also, it was a crack. Finally, everything had to be corrected. Probably, they took it a little lightly," the ISRO chief said. Naryanan said the ISRO team, which has worked on liquid oxygen powered engines for over 40 years, insisted on a complete correction, which was carried out by the SpaceX team."But for the complete correction, it would have ended in a catastrophic situation. We have saved the lives of four astronauts," the ISRO chief said at every stage the four astronauts who were part of the Axiom-4 mission were briefed about the delay and the reasons for credited the Indian education system and ISRO training that led to stopping a faulty rocket from taking off and ensuring the safety of the said before the rocket was moved for the June 11 lift-off, an eight-second test was carried out to understand the performance of the engines before giving clearance for the launch."They completed the tests and when we discussed, they did not open up the results, and only said that the Committees have cleared and we are going ahead with the launch programme," Naryanan said."Probably, they thought it was a minor leakage. That is what was the understanding. It was an oxygen sensor that had picked up. Based on ISRO team's insistence, a complete correction was done by the SpaceX team," he said. Shukla said the SpaceX team, the NASA team, the Axiom team and the ISRO team were very transparent to the crew and there was never any time that they did not know what was wrong and what was happening. "Everybody was always aware of what was happening. Nobody was going to send the rocket out if there was a problem," Shukla said."I am ready to put my life in Dr. Narayanan's hand and whenever he makes a rocket and a vehicle, I am ready to go in that. That is the kind of trust I have on him," said Shukla. The crack and other issues were fixed, but on June 12 NASA announced it was working with Russian space agency Roscosmos to evaluate a leak in the Zvezda module, the Russian-built service module of the ISS that houses key life-support and docking systems. The Axiom-4 mission lifted-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on June 25 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast on July 15.
Scroll.in
23 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Why the ban on online games played with money is no solution to gambling, user safety concerns
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, threatens to upend the vibrant, multi-billion-dollar online gaming sector in India. By banning all online money games outright, the government has missed the opportunity to take a calibrated approach to regulating a sector that employs over 200,000 people and contributes significantly to the national exchequer. The Statement of Objects and Reasons to the bill cites concerns such as addiction, money laundering and user safety among other concerns to justify the prohibition on online money games. There always has been a plethora of options to regulate the gaming sector, ranging from creating a licensing framework for operators of real money games, imposing deposit and loss limits to protect users to implementing strict know-your-customer measures and anti-money laundering provisions. Similar models have been successfully adopted around the world. Such an approach would have provided the government with the necessary oversight while allowing the industry to grow responsibly. Instead, a rushed and unilateral law has been enacted, one that will now face years of legal challenges. But even a successful legal challenge will come too late for many businesses that would have already been forced to shut down. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 is here to boost innovation & protect citizens! The Bill encourages e-sports & online social games while prohibiting harmful online money gaming services, advertisements & financial transactions related to them.… — Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) August 20, 2025 The ban is likely to be the death knell for more than 400 Indian companies and threatens to wipe out an industry that was projected to reach a valuation of $9.1 billion by 2029. The loss of revenue from the gaming market could cost the government an estimated Rs 20,000 crore in annual Goods and Services Tax and income tax. The bill not only threatens current jobs but could also stifle talent development. Game developers, graphic designers and engineers – a highly skilled workforce – will be forced to either move to other sectors or leave the country. The gaming sector provides a unique opportunity for India to lead the world in digital regulation. But choosing prohibition over partnership threatens to reverse the course on many laudable steps the government has adopted to create an enabling environment for innovation in India. Furthermore, a prohibitionist approach is a gift to the black market. With the ban on regulated, compliant Indian businesses, the demand for these games is unlikely to vanish. Instead, users may migrate to unregulated, illegal offshore platforms that operate without any safeguards, age verification, or consumer protection. This creates a far more dangerous environment, making users vulnerable to fraud, data theft and financial exploitation. It also starves the government of tax revenue and makes it impossible to monitor illicit financial flows. Gaming is cool. Gambling isn't 🚫 With the new Online Gaming Bill: • Real-money apps out • Betting and gambling banned • No fake monetary-return promises A safe, secure and fun gaming space for India. #OnlineGamingBill2025 @GoI_MeitY @MIB_India — MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) August 20, 2025 The gaming bill could also ward off foreign investors. The gaming industry was viewed as a sunrise sector attracting significant inflows from foreign investors despite the regulatory uncertainty around real money games. However, the move to prohibit online money games and in effect shutter the operations of an entire sector without consultation is likely to dissuade investors from taking risks to invest in sectors that thrive on innovation and push the boundaries of what is permissible. The gaming industry is dynamic, with segments ranging from e-sports and casual social games to much-debated real-money games. Any legislation concerning this sector, therefore, demands a nuanced understanding of its intricacies. Previous conversations about the legislation had explored a measured approach, like getting the sector to establish self-regulatory organisations and making a distinction between games of skill and games of chance. Good governance demands that regulations are proportionate and well-considered. In a complex digital economy, this means working with those who have built the technology and understand the market dynamics. The lack of consultation has led directly to several flaws in the bill itself. Most glaringly, the gaming bill fails to make a clear distinction between games of skill and games of chance. This is not a trivial legal point, but the very foundation upon which the industry has operated for years. Several courts, including the Supreme Court, have upheld the legality of skill-based games such as poker and fantasy sports. By lumping all real-money games into the same category, the gaming bill ignores judicial precedent and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the sector. The implementation of the gaming bill should be put on hold until a more workable solution is found. Good regulation is not about wielding a regulatory hammer but about building a stable and predictable framework that fosters innovation and protects citizens in a way that is smart, effective, and sustainable.
New Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
EAM Jaishankar meets Russian President Putin in Moscow amid US tariff tensions
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin and is understood to have discussed ways to further expand India-Russia ties. The meeting came hours after Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that largely focused on expanding the trade ties between the two countries. "We believe that relations between India and Russia have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War," Jaishankar said at a joint media briefing with Lavrov. "Geo-political convergence, leadership contacts and popular sentiment remain its key drivers," he said. The external affairs minister landed in Moscow on Tuesday to fine tune various elements of President Putin's visit to India either in November or December. The meeting comes amid rising tensions rise between New Delhi and Washington over India's continued imports of discounted Russian crude, with the US slapping a combined 50% tariffs on Indian imports. On Wednesday, Russia said it had activated a 'special mechanism' to shield its energy partnership with India from possible US sanctions. Russia's Charge d'Affaires Roman Babushkin defended India's energy ties with Russia, calling Western pressure 'unjustified' and 'neo-colonial.' His comments followed renewed warnings from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about possible secondary sanctions, in addition to existing tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
