K. Kasturirangan (1940-2025): In-depth coverage
Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr. K. Kasturirangan passed away in Bengaluru on April 25, 2025. He was 84 years old. The former space scientist's health had been deteriorating for a week prior to his demise.
Dr. Kasturirangan started his career as an X-ray astronomer and he grew up in positions. He made significant contributions in the field of science, technology and education through his academic achievements. He was conferred with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan for his contributions.
He served as the fifth chairman of ISRO between 1994-2003, and also as the Secretary, Department of Space for over nine years. During his four-decade-long career in ISRO, he was part of several key missions.
Dr. Kasturirangan's contributions to the well-debated new National Education Policy 2020, his tenure as a Member of the Rajya Sabha (2003-09) and Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission are glimpses of his tireless contribution to the future of the nation.
Here is a collection of articles on K. Kasturirangan.
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Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
More comfort, safety: How Shubhanshu Shukla's space travel experience will differ from Rakesh Sharma's
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Computational ability and automation Today's spacecraft are more automated and require fewer interventions from the astronauts travelling inside. 'The computational capability of the spacecraft, indeed the entire mission, has increased several times over the last four decades. The kind of automations that are available to the astronauts now were certainly not there when Rakesh Sharma went to space,' said R Umamaheshwaran, the former head of ISRO's Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru. 'For example, any small manoeuvres that were needed to correct the alignment of the spacecraft in the 1980s would have to be done manually by looking at the horizon and stars through the porthole. Now, of course, all of this is fully automated,' Umamaheshwaran said. Improvements in machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms have allowed scientists on the ground to create hyper-realistic simulations of space for astronauts, something not possible in the 1980s. 'These simulations can be very helpful in helping the astronauts with their decision-making process,' he said. Safe and healthier Spacecraft transporting humans are far safer now compared to those used in the 1980s and 1990s. The safety protocols are much more stringent, and the amount of acceptable risk has reduced drastically. For one, the spacecraft is now fitted with precise sensors that enable much better vehicle health monitoring in real time. 'Crew escape systems are put in place to avert any disaster at different points during the ascent. The mission can be aborted on the launch pad or even during the flight in case something untoward happens. In such a scenario, the crew module will have to shoot away from the vehicle at a speed that is faster than the waves of an explosion, but not so fast that the astronauts pass out. All of this requires accurate measurements of different systems and predictions on what could happen. This has really improved over the years, making spaceflight much more safer,' Umamaheshwaran said. Further, there have been several advancements in materials, resulting in safer and better spacecraft. The human-rated crew modules have since become double-walled (a spacecraft with two walls and empty space between them), which reduces the risk of explosions on impact with debris. The crew module designed for the Gaganyaan mission, India's first indigenous human spaceflight initiative, is also double-walled. It will have a pressurised inner structure where the astronauts would be seated and an unpressurised external structure with a thermal protection system. More comfort Space travel has, over time, become more comfortable for astronauts. Newer materials have enabled the designing of lighter space suits, which allow for greater mobility. 'There has also been a lot of research on the foods that can be carried to space. Different laboratories in India have also been working to develop foods such as biryani that can be carried to space,' Umamaheshwaran said. Shukla, for example, will be carrying aamras, gajar ka halwa, moong dal halwa, and rice for Axiom-4. This also matters in the context of Gaganyaan. Since its announcement in 2018, ISRO has been working on crucial technologies and processes, such as design and fabrication of the crew and service module for the astronauts, human rating the country's largest launch vehicle LVM3, testing crew escape systems, developing from scratch a the environment control system to maintain temperature, humidity, and oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels, and setting up a centre and training astronauts. India is also aiming to set up its space station by 2035 and send a person to the moon by 2040. 'This mission (Axiom-4) will give an Indian astronaut the experience of living and working in Zero G, which will help him train and coach the others before our own mission. In addition, he will be able to tell us whether there are any minor changes that can be made, say to the environment control system or the space suit on the Gaganyaan mission, to make the journey more comfortable. Anything we learn on Axiom-4 will help us in our mission,' Umamaheshwaran said. Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
Hans India
9 hours ago
- Hans India
Technical glitch mars Ax-4 launch
New Delhi: The Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station on Tuesday, was put off again to fix a leak in the SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket. SpaceX announced that it was "standing down" from the Falcon-9 launch to allow time for repairs after a post-static inspection of the rocket's boosters identified a liquid oxygen leak. "Once complete and pending Range availability, we will share a new launch date," SpaceX said in an X post. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the liquid oxygen leak was detected in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test on the launch pad. The hot test was to validate the performance of the booster stage of Falcon-9 launch vehicle. "The ISRO team discussed with experts at Axiom and SpaceX and it was decided that the leak would be fixed and necessary validation tests conducted before clearing for the launch,' Narayanan said. Hence, the Axiom-4 launch slated on June 11, 2025 to send the first Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station stands postponed, the ISRO chairman said. Axiom Space spokesperson said that SpaceX teams identified a liquid oxygen leak that requires additional work.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
After bad weather, liquid oxygen leak stalls Shubhanshu Shukla-piloted Axiom-4 lift-off
CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA): Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's lift-off to Indian space history will have to wait. As D-Day dawned in India, Elon Musk-owned SpaceX announced that the Axiom-4 launch had been indefinitely deferred, citing a LOX (liquid oxygen) leak in the Falcon-9 rocket that engineers were unable to troubleshoot immediately. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Axiom-4 was to start its journey to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex-39A at 5.30pm IST on Wednesday. The originally scheduled Tuesday launch was postponed by a day due to adverse weather. "Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon-9 launch of Ax-4 to the International Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOX leak identified during post-static fire booster inspections. Once complete - and pending range availability - we will share a new launch (date)," Space X said in a statement released at 8.45pm Eastern Time Tuesday (6.15am IST, Wednesday). Hours earlier, it had shared a video of Falcon-9 and Dragon at sunrise and said the weather was 85% favourable for lift-off, with teams continuing to monitor highwinds in the ascent corridor. Installing purge to plug leak: SpaceX Hours earlier, it had shared a video of Falcon-9 and Dragon at sunrise and said the weather was 85% favourable for lift-off, with teams continuing to monitor highwinds in the ascent corridor. Isro chairman V Narayanan said, "... Based on the discussion on this topic by the Isro team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation tests before clearing for the launch." TOI had reported on June 10 that SpaceX had unresolved technical snags that were detected during a 10-second pre-static test fire. On Saturday, Dragon and Falcon "went vertical" on the launch pad ahead of a dry rehearsal. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On Sunday (June 8), SpaceX performed the static fire and began analysing data. "We discovered a few things during the static fire that we had to go take a look at. We found a LOX leak that we previously had seen on this booster during its entry on its last mission and discovered that we had not fully repaired the booster during refurbishment, or we actually didn't find a leak and didn't get it corrected," William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX vice-president of build and flight reliability, said late Monday. Stating that teams were trying to fix the issue, he added, "We should get that completed today, and we will have that back in configuration, and we are installing a purge that will essentially mitigate the leak." SpaceX also identified a thrust vector control issue with engine 5. The affected components have since been replaced. Gerstenmaier stressed the company's continued focus on safety and precision, noting that "space flight is really hard, and we are learning every day".
