logo
Indian Space Agency's Satellite Mission Fails Due to Technical Issue in Launch Vehicle

Indian Space Agency's Satellite Mission Fails Due to Technical Issue in Launch Vehicle

Asharq Al-Awsat18-05-2025
The Indian space agency's mission to launch into orbit a new Earth observation satellite failed after the launch vehicle encountered a technical issue during the third stage of flight, officials said Sunday.
The EOS-09 Earth observation satellite took off on board the PSLV-C61 launch vehicle from the Sriharikota space center in southern India on Sunday morning, The Associated Press said.
'During the third stage ... there was a fall in the chamber pressure of the motor case, and the mission could not be accomplished,' said V. Narayanan, chief of the Indian Space Research Organization.
Active in space research since the 1960s, India has launched satellites for itself and other countries, and successfully put one in orbit around Mars in 2014.
After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole in 2023 in a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold reserves of frozen water. The mission was dubbed as a technological triumph for the world's most populous nation.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pakistan hails ‘significant milestone' as satellite launched with China to boost disaster response, food security
Pakistan hails ‘significant milestone' as satellite launched with China to boost disaster response, food security

Arab News

time4 hours ago

  • Arab News

Pakistan hails ‘significant milestone' as satellite launched with China to boost disaster response, food security

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday announced the successful launch of its Remote Sensing Satellite in collaboration with China, calling it a 'significant milestone' and expressing hope that the development will aid disaster management, food security and environmental protection. The launch marks another step in Pakistan's growing engagement with outer space with Chinese assistance. The two countries are also preparing to send the first Pakistani astronaut into space aboard China's Tiangong space station, with training programs currently underway. 'Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the National Space Agency of Pakistan, proudly announces a historic achievement with the successful launch of Remote Sensing Satellite from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), China,' SUPARCO said in a statement. 'Remote Sensing Satellite will provide imaging capabilities to revolutionize urban planning, disaster management, food security and environmental protection,' it added. 'It will also greatly aid in monitoring climate change, managing water resources, mapping agricultural patterns and tracking deforestation.' The satellite was launched with technical cooperation from the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) and MICROSAT China. SUPARCO said the satellite will also support national development initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by mapping transportation networks and identifying geohazard risks. The statement noted the launch would serve as the foundation for an integrated Earth Observation System aimed at supporting national priorities and sustainable development. It informed that Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also praised the efforts of engineers and technical experts from both countries, calling the launch a symbol of 'unwavering commitment to technological progress.'

Radar satellite launched by India and NASA will track minuscule changes to Earth's land and ice
Radar satellite launched by India and NASA will track minuscule changes to Earth's land and ice

Arab News

time20 hours ago

  • Arab News

Radar satellite launched by India and NASA will track minuscule changes to Earth's land and ice

FLORIDA: NASA and India paired up to launch an Earth-mapping satellite on Wednesday capable of tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice. The $1.3 billion mission will help forecasters and first responders stay one step ahead of floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters, according to scientists. Rocketing to orbit from India, the satellite will survey virtually all of Earth's terrain multiple times. Its two radars — one from the US and the other from India — will operate day and night, peering through clouds, rain and foliage to collect troves of data in extraordinary detail. Microwave signals beamed down to Earth from the dual radars will bounce back up to the satellite's super-sized antenna reflector perched at the end of a boom like a beach umbrella. Scientists will compare the incoming and outgoing signals as the spacecraft passes over the same locations twice every 12 days, teasing out changes as small as a fraction of an inch (1 centimeter). It's 'a first-of-its-kind, jewel radar satellite that will change the way we study our home planet and better predict a natural disaster before it strikes,' NASA's science mission chief Nicky Fox said ahead of liftoff. Fox led a small NASA delegation to India for the launch. It will take a full week to extend the satellite's 30-foot (9-meter) boom and open the 39-foot-in-diameter (12-meter) drum-shaped reflector made of gold-plated wire mesh. Science operations should begin by the end of October. Among the satellite's most pressing measurements: melting glaciers and polar ice sheets; shifting groundwater supplies; motion and stress of land surfaces prompting landslides and earthquakes; and forest and wetland disruptions boosting carbon dioxide and methane emissions. NASA is contributing $1.2 billion to the three-year mission; it supplied the low-frequency radar and reflector. The Indian Space Research Organization's $91 million share includes the higher-frequency radar and main satellite structure, as well as the launch from a barrier island in the Bay of Bengal. It's the biggest space collaboration between the two countries. The satellite called NISAR — short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar — will operate from a near-polar-circling orbit 464 miles (747 kilometers) high. It will join dozens of Earth observation missions already in operation by the US and India.

Pakistan to launch new remote-sensing satellite to monitor resources, boost disaster management
Pakistan to launch new remote-sensing satellite to monitor resources, boost disaster management

Arab News

time4 days ago

  • Arab News

Pakistan to launch new remote-sensing satellite to monitor resources, boost disaster management

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be launching another remote-sensing satellite from a Chinese launch center next week to monitor resources and boost disaster management efforts, its space research commission SUPARCO announced on Sunday. The launch of the satellite will mark a major milestone in Pakistan's space program, significantly enhancing its Earth observation capabilities. It will support a wide range of national applications, including precision agriculture to boost crop yields, monitoring infrastructure growth and urban sprawl, and enabling regional planning, according to SUPARCO. The satellite will strengthen disaster management efforts by providing timely warnings for floods, landslides, and earthquakes, while tracking glacier recession and deforestation. In addition, it will support national development initiatives by mapping transportation networks and identifying geo-hazard risks. "The launch of this remote sensing satellite, along with its integration into Pakistan's existing remote sensing fleet — including PRSS-1 (launched in July 2018) and EO-1 (launched in January 2025) — will further strengthen the country's space-based infrastructure, aligning with the National Space Policy and SUPARCO's Vision 2047, aiming to position our nation at the forefront of space technology and innovation," SUPARCO said in a statement. The satellite, whose data acquisition capabilities under various environmental conditions make it a vital asset for environmental monitoring and resource management, will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC), China on July 31. Pakistan has taken strides in its space research program in recent years months. In January this year, China launched Pakistan's indigenously developed Electro-Optical (EO-1) satellite into space from its Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, aiming to predict natural disasters and monitor resources, Chinese and Pakistani state media reported. In Nov. last year, SUPARCO announced its rover will join China's Chang'E 8 mission to explore the moon's surface in 2028. Prior to that in May 2024, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China's Chang'e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store