Trump's 'new normal' has a name: SNAFU. All's f****d up
Air safety measures are only as good as the lessons we learn from previous accidents. These are not an optional add-on. Rules stand between life and death. DGCA probe results from the surprise checks after the Air India crash show we still don't understand the most basic rules of aviation.
Shukla's presence on Axiom-4 signals global trust for India's space capabilities
Axiom-4's successful launch is a giant leap for India's space ambitions. It will inform ISRO's big-ticket projects such as the planned space station and crewed mission to the moon. Having Group Captain Shukla on board signals global trust for India's space capabilities, and sets the stage for future commercial collaborations.
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Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian back in space after 41 years, Shubhanshu Shukla lifts off on Axiom-4 mission
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from NASA 's Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 pm on Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of being only the second Indian to journey to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in the 14-day trip for the Axiom mission (Ax-4), the four-member crew including NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries aboard the International Space Station (ISS).'Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride,' were the first thoughts shared by Shukla from the Dragon space capsule. He will serve as the pilot on the Shukla said his journey is not the beginning of India's journey to the ISS but the country's pivot to its human space Ax-4 mission will provide valuable operational experience for India ahead of its maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, which aims to carry a three-member crew to low-earth orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission is scheduled for 2027, followed by Bhartiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and a planned human moon landing by Minister Narendra Modi hailed Shukla and wished the mission success.'The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,' the PM wrote on along with his crew, is scheduled to dock at ISS's Harmony module in low-earth orbit at 4:30 pm India time on Thursday. The journey from launch to docking is estimated to take 28 to 29 a statement, NASA said the collaboration with ISRO enabled Ax-4 to fulfill a commitment made by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to ISS. The two leaders had made the announcement during their summit in February, seeking to broaden civil space cooperation.'The space agencies are participating in five joint scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations,' the US space agency said. 'NASA and ISRO share a long-standing relationship rooted in a common vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.'The launch was delayed several times over the last one month due to issues in the electrical harness in the Crew Dragon Module, unpreparedness of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, unfavourable weather conditions, and oxygen leakage in the engine bay of the Wednesday too, engineers at SpaceX resolved a critical issue involving the uploading of real-time wind data, which is necessary to enable the Launch Escape System. Just T-minus 35 minutes before the take-off, the data upload was successfully home, space-tech startups and academia cheered Shukla's journey, hoping for a sustained human space exploration programme that can open new avenues for research and commercial space flights.'Seeing an Indian in orbit will add an 'Indian flavour' to low earth orbit for all of us here. Space will become more relatable in an intangible way,' said Srinath Ravichandran, cofounder of AgniKul body Indian Space Association (ISpA) said the success of the mission will push more companies and startups to build world-class technology in India.'India is now in the final stages of preparation for the Gaganyaan mission, with firms like Larsen & Toubro, Tata and Ananth Technologies playing a critical role alongside our vibrant startups,' said Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), Director General, Kant, former Niti Aayog CEO said Shukla's journey breathes new life into India's space ambitions and reinforces commitment to advancing its space its two-week space mission, the crew will return to Earth, making a splash down off the coast of California.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
For 1st Time in 4 Decades, an Indian Takes Up Space!
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center at 12:01 pm Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of being only the second Indian to journey to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in 1984. On the 14-day trip for the Axiom mission (Ax-4), the four-member crew including Nasa veteran Peggy Whitson, Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments representing 31 countries aboard the International Space Station (ISS). 'Namaskar, my dear countrymen! What a ride! We are back in space once again after 41 years. It's an amazing ride,' were the first thoughts shared by Shukla from the Dragon space capsule. He will serve as the pilot on the mission. Lucknow-born Shukla said his journey is not the beginning of India's journey to the ISS but the country's pivot to its human space programme. The Ax-4 mission will provide valuable operational experience for India ahead of its maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, which aims to carry a three-member crew to low-earth orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) mission is scheduled for 2027, followed by Bhartiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and a planned human moon landing by 2040. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shukla and wished the mission success. 'The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians,' the PM wrote on X. Shukla, along with his crew, is scheduled to dock at ISS's Harmony module in low-earth orbit at 4:30 pm India time on Thursday. The journey from launch to docking is estimated to take 28 to 29 hours. In a statement, Nasa said the collaboration with Isro enabled Ax-4 to fulfill a commitment made by US President Donald Trump and PM Modi to send the first Isro astronaut to ISS. The two leaders had made the announcement during their summit in February, seeking to broaden civil space cooperation. 'The space agencies are participating in five joint scientific investigations and two in-orbit STEM demonstrations,' the US space agency said. 'Nasa and Isro share a long-standing relationship rooted in a common vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.' The launch was delayed several times over the last one month due to issues in the electrical harness in the Crew Dragon Module, unpreparedness of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, unfavourable weather conditions, and oxygen leakage in the engine bay of the ISS. On Wednesday, too, engineers at SpaceX resolved a critical issue involving the uploading of real-time wind data, which is necessary to enable the Launch Escape System. Just T-minus 35 minutes before the take-off, the data upload was successfully confirmed. Back home, space-tech startups and academia cheered Shukla's journey, hoping for a sustained human space exploration programme that can open new avenues for research and commercial space flights. 'Seeing an Indian in orbit will add an 'Indian flavour' to low earth orbit for all of us here. Space will become more relatable in an intangible way,' said Srinath Ravichandran, cofounder of AgniKul Cosmos. Industry body Indian Space Association (ISpA) said the success of the mission will push more companies and startups to build world-class technology in India. 'India is now in the final stages of preparation for the Gaganyaan mission , with firms like Larsen & Toubro, Tata and Ananth Technologies playing a critical role alongside our vibrant startups,' said Lt Gen AK Bhatt (retd), Director General, ISpA.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Yun Hi Chala Chal': Swades song soothes Shubhanshu Shukla nerves before lift-off; Lucknow boy takes mango nectar, sweets to space
'Yun Hi Chala Chal Raahi, Kitni Haseen Hai Yeh Duniya...' That philosophical road song from Shahrukh Khan-starrer 'Swades' is what Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla listened to before heading to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the lift-off on Wednesday. There is an old tradition at Nasa that when astronauts say goodbye to their families and drive towards the launchpad, they listen to their choice of music. The music soothes the nerves of the astronauts and helps them relax in order to focus on the lift-off. The ode-to-life song in the Ashutosh Gowarikar film that Shukla chose, coincidentally, centres around a Nasa scientist. The music playlist also had tracks curated by the rest of the crew: Commander Peggy Whitson (US) picked 'Thunder' by Imagine Dragons, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) went with 'Supermonce', a Polish track, and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) listed 'Bvhely', a traditional Hungarian song, as per a post by Axiom Space on X. The boy from Lucknow, which is famous for its varieties of mango, is carrying mango nectar with him to ISS. While astronauts are usually advised to travel light, Shukla is also carrying some mouth-watering Indian sweets — gajar (carrot) ka halwa, and moong dal halwa — with him to satiate his cravings for home-made food in space. After the 1999 Kargil War, Lucknow boy Shubhanshu Shukla was inspired to join the IAF. So, he applied for the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and cleared it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40세 넘고 PC만 있으면? 이 게임 완전 내 거임! Hero Wars 플레이하기 Undo He completed his military training and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from NDA in 2005. He was then selected for the flying branch and underwent training at the IAF Academy. In June 2006, he was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF as a flying officer. Shukla logged over 2,000 flying hours across a range of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier 228, and An-32. Selected in 2019 for Isro's Gaganyaan mission, Shukla, along with three other selected Indian astronauts, went to Russia in 2020 for basic training at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. After completing basic training in 2021, Shukla and others returned to India and attended training at Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru. During that time, he completed his Master of Technology degree in aerospace engineering from IISc Bangalore. Shukla's name as a member of the Gaganyaan team was officially announced on Feb 27, 2024, when PM Narendra Modi announced the names of the astronaut-designates for India's first human space mission at Isro's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Last year, he was chosen to pilot the Axiom mission 4 to ISS, becoming the first Indian astronaut to do so.
