Latest news with #GLEX-2025
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Astronaut, IISc prof pitch for back-up control for safer re-entry
BENGALURU: Isro astronaut Group Captain Angad Pratap and Assistant Professor Jishnu Keshavan from IISc, are in the final phases of their research to demonstrate the viability of a manual control system as an additional safety measure during the critical atmospheric re-entry phase of a manned spacecraft returning to Earth. The re-entry phase involves complex aerodynamics and narrow margins for error. Too steep an entry could lead to excessive heating, while too shallow a path risks the capsule skipping off the atmosphere. Pratap and Keshavan's research focuses on a possible scenario of a failure in the primary automatic Navigation, Guidance and Control (NGC) system of a crew module during re-entry. To address this, the team explored whether an astronaut could manually guide the spacecraft in such conditions with support from a partially degraded NGC system. Their system is not being designed to replace the primary NGC architecture but to complement it. The objective of automated guidance during re-entry is to ensure accurate tracking of a predefined reference trajectory all the way to touchdown. This requires designing a guidance law capable of countering potential disturbances that could otherwise alter the spacecraft's descent profile and cause deviations from the intended landing point—an outcome that must be avoided in practice. As per the abstract of their research presented at the recently concluded Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX-2025), to mitigate this possibility, the study explored the feasibility of incorporating 'a novel bank-angle based manual control scheme in a manned spacecraft during re-entry in the atmospheric altitudes of 120km - 10 km'. 'Bank-angle manipulation' used here is the same fundamental principle employed by automated systems, but adapted for human operation, as per the abstract titled 'Robust Manual Guidance Law For Manned Spacecraft Re-Entry Applications'. Using sophisticated 6-DOF (six degree-of-freedom) modelling incorporating both translational and rotational dynamics, researchers demonstrated that human pilots could successfully guide a representative manned spacecraft from re-entry altitude to parachute deployment while maintaining all critical parameters within safe limits. Manual mode is proposed as an additional backup to the multiple chains of automated modes of reentry control in case of the flight profile either exceeding predefined perturbation models, or identical failure across all automated control chains. Incorporating this additional degree of manual redundancy may enhance mission reliability for the crew capsule. The manual control scheme was explored from the standpoint of guiding the manned spacecraft manually from a predefined reentry altitude to the terminal altitude thus guaranteeing subsequent touchdown at the predefined target location. The study describes the design and testing of a 'reduced-order' flight display and manual control setup intended for emergency use. Drawing from operational precedents such as Nasa's Apollo missions, the system provides a pilot with essential information through an intuitive interface. This would allow the crew to steer the capsule towards a pre-designated landing area, even in the absence of automated controls.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as transport service for our upcoming space station, says US firm CEO
NEW DELHI: Max Haot , chief executive officer of US-based company Vast , which is planning to launch the world's first commercial space station , has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its upcoming orbital laboratory. In an interview to TOI , Haot, who recently visited India to attend an international space conference GLEX-2025, said, 'There is a possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as a transport service for our space station.' The space-habitation company, which has 750+ team members, is in the race to build a space station called Haven-2 that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031. The CEO said, 'We want to work with all nations that are engaged in human spaceflight missions and see that India is about to be a leader in human spaceflight, which is really a great thing. We look forward to collaborating with India. We are open to many levels of collaboration. In space stations, we are open to technology exchange within the confines of the export control (regime).' Haot said, 'We are very impressed with Isro and the Indian govt in achieving new capabilities, especially in regard to their upcoming Gaganyaan programme and Axiom-4 mission to the ISS that will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the capability to send an astronaut to space.' Before Haven-2, the California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. The Haven-1 spacecraft has a 45-metre-cubed volume and is designed to support up to four crew members for missions of an average of two weeks in length. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to be launched in 2028. Vast is planning to have the first operational module in 2028 and a fully built and functional space station in 2032. This will be designed for both govt and commercial use. It will have nine modules, 500 cubic metre of habitable volume and 86KW of total power. 'We are seeking Nasa aid for the Haven-2 project, which will be managed by VAST. Once operational, this commercial space station will be open to all.' Isro is going to launch its crewed Gaganyaan mission in 2027 and if the mission is successful, more such crewed missions will be launched to space. Though India is making its own Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the collaboration with VAST for its commercial space station is likely to be beneficial to India as Isro will gain from the company's expertise in setting up a space station.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
IAF pilot chosen for Gaganyaan mission recalled for active duty amid Indo-Pak tensions
NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Group Captain Ajit Krishnan , one of the four astronaut-designates chosen for the , has been urgently recalled by the IAF amid rising military tensions with Pakistan following Operation Sindoor. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I have been called back by the IAF... due to the current situation,' said Group Capt Krishnan while attending the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX-2025) in Delhi's Yashobhoomi Convention Centre on Wednesday. Group Capt Krishnan was attending the 3-day international space conference with another astronaut-designate Angad Pratap when he received the information from the IAF to return to active duty. Krishnan, who had received specialised training for space journey along with Group Capt Pratap, Group Capt Shubhanshu Shukla and Group Capt Prasanth B Nair in Russia and later at an IAF facility in Bengaluru in preparation for India's first human spaceflight mission, is an ace pilot. Commissioned in 2003, Group Captain Krishnan is a flying instructor and test pilot with nearly 2,900 flying hours. His experience spans aircraft like the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Dornier, and An-32 aircraft. His expertise in various fighter aircraft showcases his adaptability and proficiency in the air. During the space event, Krishnan said his training for the Gaganyaan manned mission will likely continue until the programme is launched, slated for lift-off in 2027. Gaganyaan mission aims to send a three-member crew into low Earth orbit for three days before returning them safely to Earth. Born in Chennai on April 19, 1982, Krishnan is an alumnus of NDA, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and a recipient of President's Gold Medal and Sword of Honour at Air Force Academy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He was commissioned into the fighter stream on July 21, 2003, marking the beginning of a distinguished career. Krishnan and Angad Pratap are currently training in India, while the other two, Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth B Nair, are in the US preparing for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, which is likely to be launched in June.
India Today
08-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Nasa is not attending the global space meet in Delhi. Here's why
The global space exploration conference underway in New Delhi has delegates from 35 countries across the world, except one. The American space agency, Nasa, has not sent delegates to the global space meet being hosted by India where thirty-five countries, space agency officials from China, Japan, Canada and Europe, 1,700 delegates and ten astronauts representing various countries are huddled in New Delhi. When asked about Nasa's absences, officials noted that it was likely to a transition at the American space agency with US President Donald Trump rolling out a new Nasa budget and slashing manpower. Donald Trump's newly proposed budget for Nasa, unveiled as part of the White House's 2026 "skinny budget," marks the largest single-year cut to the agency in American history, slashing top-line funding by 24%-from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. US President Donald Trump watches the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. (Photo: AFP) The move has alarmed space experts and advocates, who warn that the cuts will have severe repercussions for US space exploration and could hand China a decisive advantage in the modern race to the Moon. The GLEX-2025 is organised by the International Astronautical Federation and the Indian Space Research Organisation. Inaugurating the global conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said for India, space was about exploration as well as empowerment, and listed out plans to set up the Bharatiya Anatariksh Station by 2035 and land an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040. "India's space journey is not about racing others. It is about reaching higher together. Together, we share a common goal to explore space for the good of humanity," he said in the video message that was recorded on Tuesday. An Indian astronaut will travel to space as part of a joint Isro-Nasa Mission to the International Space Station. The Axiom-4 mission is stated for launch on May 29 and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others will undertake a 14-day sojourn to the orbital laboratory.
NDTV
08-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
NASA Absent From Space Exploration Summit From Delhi, Reason Is...
New Delhi: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts and scientists were not present at the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX-2025) in Delhi, likely a result of the budgets cuts for the body under US President Donald Trump's second term. Delegates from 37 countries are attending the conference but NASA remains absent even as the US administration has proposed to cut the space agency's budget by 24.3 per cent with major organisational restructuring underway. Further, a conflict of interest between NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX is likely to also have played a key role. Some experts claimed that amid the NASA funding cut, fears are that many space contracts will go to SpaceX. Musk is one of Trump's closest advisors and oversees his cost-cutting efforts for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, Trump's pick to lead NASA, has flown to space with SpaceX twice -- raising further concerns about conflicts of interest. NASA's absence at GLEX conference comes when Musk's affordable internet service Starlink has come closer to its India launch, after it received a Letter of Intent (LoI) from the Department of Telecom (DoT) after the company agreed to comply with the new national security guidelines for satcom operators. When asked about the absence of the American space body, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan refused to comment on individual space agencies. At the GLEX summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on Wednesday that India was marching ahead with renewed confidence in the field of space exploration and its astronauts' footprints will be on the Moon. He added that Mars and Venus were also on the the country's radar for exploration missions, apart from setting up the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035. At NASA, workforce reduction and closure of several key offices began as early as March after an order by Trump directing that federal agencies be streamlined. Among the office shut was the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility branch within the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, a program aimed at by the administration across various organisations.
