ISRO successfully carries out first rocket launch test with satellite in UP's Kushinagar; details here
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted a rocket launching test in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar on Saturday, June 14. This marks a historic moment for the state as it was the first time a payload was launched through a rocket from the state, officials informed PTI.
"The rocket was launched at 5:14 PM and 33 seconds, which went up to a height of 1.1 km. After this, a small satellite (payload) came out. As soon as it fell down to 5 metres, its parachute activated and the satellite landed within 400 metres on the ground." PTI quoted ISRO scientist Abhishek Singh as saying.
The test was carried out in collaboration with Thrust Tech India Limited. During rocket launch test, the spacecraft ascended 1.1 km at 5:14:33 PM before setting off the satellite, marking a complete success. It is important to note that both the satellite and the 15 kg rocket descended safely.
The latest rocket launch test is in many ways different from previous tests conducted in Ahmedabad using drones, since this was the first time a satellite was directly launched using rocket in UP, proving entirely successful, ISRO scientist said.
This test sets the stage for future satellite tests scheduled for October-November, where nearly und 900 youth-built satellites will be tested.
Director of Thrust Tech India Vinod Kumar confirmed the company's motor test success and said, 'This event is being organised to generate interest in space technology among children across the region and the whole of India.'
The space agency dropped latest update on the long-postponed Axiom-4 commercial mission to the International Space Station and in a post on X stated, 'Observations on Falcon-9 LOX leak have been resolved by @SpaceX @Axiom_Space is coordinating with @NASA on the ISS Zvezda module anomaly. The earliest possible launch date for #Ax4 is being worked out.'
This upcoming space mission is notable as it includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla among its four crew members. According to an official release by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday, a follow-on coordination meeting was held between ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX, where it was confirmed that the issue of liquid oxygen leak observed in the Falcon 9 launch vehicle was successfully resolved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Elon Musk posts throwback to SpaceX's garage days after the 500th Falcon rocket launch; his caption reads...
Elon Musk posts throwback to SpaceX's garage days after the 500th Falcon rocket launch In a historic milestone in commercial space travel, SpaceX concluded its 500th mission with the Falcon family of rockets. The occasion was celebrated with the launch of 26 Starlink satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:54 p.m. EDT on June 12, 2025. The mission not only represents technological excellence and reliability but also accentuates the transformation of a company that started its journey a little over a decade ago in a small garage. While the world witnessed Falcon rocket B1081 mark its 15th flight and come back successfully to a droneship off the coast of Southern California, the space community celebrated not just a launch, it was remembering SpaceX's evolution into a world leader in reusable space technology. With more than 7,600 satellites orbiting Earth and a frenetic mission cadence, SpaceX is redefining the playbook for space access, connectivity, and sustainability. Elon Musk's nostalgic post captures SpaceX's journey from garage to 500 launches As the aerospace community basked in the glow of the 500th Falcon mission, SpaceX founder Elon Musk commemorated the event with a nostalgic post on X. Posting a photo taken in 2006 of himself amidst early rocket parts in a humble garage, Musk captioned the photo: by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Médico: Eu imploro que os Brasileiros usem isso para emagrecer Palmilha Emagrecedora Compre já Undo "How it started." The photo was originally shot by Hans Koenigsmann, one of the original engineers at SpaceX, who posted: 'I am glad I took that picture in 2006.' This photo was a powerful reminder of the company's humble roots. From a spare, garage-dwelling group of engineers pursuing the vision of space accessibility at a reasonable price, the company has grown into a company that has launched more space missions per year than any previous company in history. Elon Musk's nostalgic post captures SpaceX's journey from garage to 500 launches 500th Falcon launch: A milestone noted with Starlink advancements The June 12 launch was one of the regular missions for SpaceX's continuous Starlink program, an international satellite broadband internet initiative to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to remote and underserved communities across the globe. The 26 satellites launched on this mission contributed to the constellation of more than 7,600 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), further cementing Starlink's status as the largest satellite network ever constructed. Within an hour of the release, SpaceX verified successful deployment of the satellites. A congratulatory tweet from the company's official X (formerly Twitter) handle read: "Falcon completes its 500th overall mission! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team for making the impossible possible on the road to rapidly reusable rockets!" The 500-mission milestone demonstrates not just operational effectiveness, but also the scalability and reliability of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, which are the backbone of SpaceX's fleet. Falcon 9 B1081: The booster that keeps coming back One of the main features of the mission was the utilization of Falcon 9 booster B1081, which flew for the 15th time. Having lofted the satellites to orbit, the booster successfully landed on autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You deployed in the Pacific Ocean. This recovery keeps SpaceX's high booster reuse rate trend going. While B1081's 15 flights are impressive, the single Falcon 9 booster flight record is currently 28, a record Musk will break in the near term. The company has consistently demonstrated the viability of its reusable approach, with reused boosters becoming a standard part of almost every launch. To date in 2025, SpaceX has launched 72 Falcon 9s, with 54 aimed at building out Starlink. Numerous satellites contain direct-to-cell functionality, enabling cell phones to get messages and limited internet services even without standard cellular systems. From failure to dominance: The long road to 500 The path to 500 Falcon missions has not been without a few setbacks. SpaceX experienced several launch failures in its early life, including the first three failed Falcon 1 launches between 2006-2008. Success on the fourth Falcon 1 mission preserved the company from financial ruin. SpaceX has changed very quickly since then: 2010: First successful Falcon 9 flight. 2012: Dragon capsule docks at ISS. 2015: First booster landing completed. 2018: Falcon Heavy first launch with a Tesla Roadster in orbit. 2020: First crewed mission with NASA astronauts on board Crew Dragon. 2024: First fully stacked Starship goes to orbit. With a mix of both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions, SpaceX has attained a mission cadence superior to national space agencies and private rivals alike. Reusability and cost savings: The SpaceX edge At the heart of SpaceX's success is its groundbreaking emphasis on reusability. Expendable, single-use rockets were the norm previously, making access to space expensive. By being able to recover and reuse Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters, and fairings, SpaceX has reduced the cost of launch and boosted turnaround speed. The price of a Falcon 9 launch is estimated at less than $30 million much less than in the past launch vendors. This reduced cost facilitates high-frequency missions, deployment flexibility, and increased access to space-based services by governments and corporations. Starlink's growing footprint and telecom disruption With more than 7,600 active satellites and growing, Starlink is a major player in the international internet scene. It is currently operational in over 70 nations with further rollout planned across the globe in 2025. Notably, new releases have also had direct-to-cell features, enabling certain smartphones to access satellites to provide fundamental services such as text messages and emergency notifications, perfect for far-flung regions and areas struck by disaster. SpaceX has teamed up with carriers in the United States such as T-Mobile, Australia's Optus, and Canada's Rogers for these types of services, essentially making itself a complementary telecom player. What's next: Starship and Mars on the horizon As the Falcon family sets records, SpaceX is already looking toward the next frontier. The Starship program dedicated to deep space travel, lunar landing, and eventual colonization of Mars is the next chapter in SpaceX's quest. Starship-Super Heavy, the completely reusable system, successfully tested an orbital back in 2025, and the subsequent key test flight should happen later this year. Starship has been chosen by NASA to fly on its Artemis III mission returning humans to the Moon, solidifying SpaceX's position in future human space travel. In the meantime, the Falcon program remains the backbone of global launches, particularly for Starlink growth, commercial payloads, and crew flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Global impact and industry disruption SpaceX's 500th Falcon mission marks more than company success. It marks a disruption of the conventional aerospace model, compelling legacy participants such as Arianespace, ULA, and Roscosmos to evolve or be left behind. The company's reach now touches on: Driving launch costs down across the industry. Accelerating satellite-based internet availability. Redefining expectations around launch cadence and recovery. Serving as a model for lean, engineering-focused innovation. Also read | Bill Gates and Warren Buffett give credit to this 'one word for' for their success; it might change your life too
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Axiom space flight tentatively scheduled for June 19 after repeated delays: Science Minister
The Axiom-4 mission, that is set to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to take off on June 19, 'as of now', Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said at a press conference on Sunday. This comes a day after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had first declared and then deleted the date of the repeatedly postponed launch. On Saturday, ISRO had posted on its official channels that the liquid oxygen leak on the Falcon-9, which is supposed to ferry the astronauts to the ISS, had been 'successfully resolved', and that it was looking to a 'June 19th launch'. Later in the day, however, it removed the specific reference to the date, modifying its post to say: 'The earliest possible launch date for #Ax4 is being worked out.' With the launch having been delayed multiple times already, Dr. Singh said that June 19 is 'being seriously considered', but that there were 'imponderables' such as the weather and other factors. 'Mutual cooperation' with SpaceX In response to a question by The Hindu, the Minister played down perceived differences between ISRO and the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX — which owns and operates the Falcon — on the threat posed by the discovery of an 'oxygen leak'' during a engine test on June 8. On June 10, ISRO had said on its website that it 'recommended' on-site repairs or replacement and a 'low temperature leak test' before the vehicle was cleared for launch. A media report claimed that ISRO had to insist on such a test. 'As far as our understanding goes, there's been an optimum amount of mutual cooperation. As soon as the leakage was pointed out, both teams joined together and agreed to address that [the leakage],' said Dr. Singh, who is also the Minister-in-charge for Space. Oxygen leak detected The astronauts were originally scheduled to lift off on May 29, which was postponed to June 8, then June 10, and then June 11, when SpaceX, the provider of the launch rocket and the space capsule, detected a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket. The delays were also due to a snag in the Zvezda service module aboard the ISS. Axiom, the company coordinating the launch, has said it was 'coordinating with NASA on the module anomaly'. Former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, Peggy Whitson, will command the commercial mission, while Mr. Shukla, the ISRO astronaut, will serve as the pilot. The two mission specialists are European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The 14-day mission will 'realise the return' to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Business Standard
Test trials of rocket launch held in UP ahead of student competition
Successful test trials of rocket launch systems were conducted here as part of the preparations for a student competition in model rocketry scheduled to be held in October this year. The launch trials were conducted on Saturday and Sunday by the Astronautical Society of India in association with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The model rocket launcher is developed by Thrust Tech India Pvt. Ltd, under the guidance of the experts from IN-SPACe and ISRO, shall be used for the upcoming 'IN-SPACe CANSAT and Model Rocketry India Student Competition 2024–25' to be held in Kushinagar.
