ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission launches into space
Published 25 Jun 2025, 12:02 PM IST
ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission launches to ISS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Nasa's SpaceX Crew-10 splashes down in Pacific after 5-month stay on Space Station
The four members of Crew-10 made a successful water landing off the US's California coast on Saturday at 11:33 am ET (9:03 pm IST), splashing down near San Diego in their SpaceX astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov returned to Earth after the crew successfully undocked from the International Space Station on Friday has made significant contributions to advancing scientific knowledge and technology demonstrations during its five months aboard the work encompassed hundreds of experiments spanning biology, material science, and human physiology, key research that supports future long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Among their studies were investigations of how microgravity impacts plant growth and protein yields in microalgae, vital for sustaining life on long-term mission underscores the reliability and growing capabilities of commercial crew flights, with SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft continuing to play a pivotal role in maintaining a continuous human presence in low Earth orbit.- Ends
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Skyroot test fires India's largest privately developed rocket stage ahead of maiden flight of Vikram-1
Hyderabad-based space start up firm Skyroot Aerospace has announced that it had successfully static test fired the rocket's stage 1 carbon composite solid fuel booster stage for the country's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, Vikram-1, ahead of its maiden flight, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR in Sriharikota. The static test, conducted at the spaceport under the aegis of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), validated the performance of the 30-tonne booster stage of Skyroot's Vikram-1, which is targeted for its maiden flight later this year, said an official release on Friday night. Named 'Kalam-1200', after former President and rocket scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, the rocket stage is the largest monolithic solid rocket motor developed in India's space sector. At a length of 11 metres, it can generate nearly 1200 kN of peak vacuum thrust, nearly 10 times as much as that of an engine on a Boeing 737 Max. The casting of Kalam-1200 — a complex process of pouring and shaping the bespoke solid fuel propellant inside the carbon composite casing — was accomplished by ISRO's SDSC-SHAR. The static test validated the ballistic performance, burn rate, and thermal protection system of the motor, among other parameters, as well as the composite flex nozzle system. The flex nozzle system is a steering mechanism for the rocket, controlled by Vikram-1's Mission Computer — the onboard command and control computer that runs the algorithm guiding the rocket autonomously from the launchpad to orbit. The rocket stage was fired for around 110 seconds and generated the desired thrust within the estimated lower and upper bounds throughout its burn time. During flight, Kalam-1200 will lift Vikram-1 from the launch pad to an altitude of over 50 km, before a precise and advanced pneumatic system enables seamless stage separation, paving the way for the upper stages of the rocket to continue its flight to Earth's orbit. 'Witnessing Kalam-1200 roar to life at the test stand was an exhilarating yet humbling experience. It is the culmination of years of hard engineering by the young team at Skyroot,' said co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana. 'It validates the entire stage as an integrated system — from propulsion performance and flex-nozzle actuation to thermal protection and structural integrity,' pointed out co-founder and COO Naga Bharath Daka. IN-Space chairman Pawan Goenka congratulated Skyroot for 'this landmark achievement' said it 'readies Skyroot to create history with the orbital launch.' Vikram-1 launch vehicle, designed and developed by Skyroot, is poised to be the first privately developed rocket to reach the orbit in the country. The launch vehicle will provide on-demand and customised launches for global small satellite operators — both in India and the world, added the release.
NDTV
14 hours ago
- NDTV
ISRO Announces Successful Static Test Of Skyroot's KALAM 1200 Rocket Motor
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday announced that Skyroot Aerospace has successfully carried out the first static test of its powerful KALAM 1200 solid rocket motor, the first stage of the Vikram-1 launch vehicle, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. The test, conducted at 9:05 am at SDSC's Static Test Complex, marks a significant step in the development of Vikram-1, being built by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. According to ISRO, the KALAM 1200 motor is an 11-metre-long, 1.7-metre-diameter monolithic composite motor carrying 30 tonnes of solid propellant. It is the longest monolithic motor prepared at the Solid Propellant Plant in Sriharikota. ISRO also designed the special test stand used for the trial. The achievement is in line with the Government of India's Space Policy 2023, which encourages private players to use ISRO's technical infrastructure and expertise for boosting India's space economy, according to ISRO. ISRO called the test "a major milestone" on X. ISRO wrote, "Successful static test of KALAM 1200 solid motor, the first stage of Vikram-1 Launch Vehicle by Skyroot Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., conducted at 09:05 hrs on 08.08.2025 at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, ISRO. A major milestone in Vikram-1 development." ✅ Successful static test of KALAM 1200 solid motor, the first stage of Vikram-1 Launch Vehicle by Skyroot Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., conducted at 09:05 hrs on 08.08.2025 at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, ISRO. A major milestone in Vikram-1 development. For more information:… — ISRO (@isro) August 8, 2025 Earlier this week, ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayanan also lauded the successful launch of the jointly built NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, calling it "one of the most precise launches ever" using an indigenously developed GSLV rocket.
