Latest news with #SpaDeX
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Science
- The Hindu
India's space research accomplishment on par with developed nations: ISRO chief
'With the success of SpaDeX mission, India has become the fourth country to successfully achieve docking and undocking in space,' said V. Narayanan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation and Secretary to Department of Space, Government of India. Governor and Chancellor R.N. Ravi presided over the event and conferred degrees to the graduands. While addressing students during the 36th convocation of Alagappa University here on Monday, Mr. Narayanan said that India, from being behind many countries in space research in around 1950s, has risen to the level of competing with many developed and developing countries. Tracing the growth of Indian Space programme, he said that the first rocket was launched from India on November 21, 1963. Since then, India has launched 4,000 rockets and so far, the country has developed six generation of launch vehicles such as SLV3, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 and SSLV and has launched 102 launch vehicle missions. Further, he added that through intensive research and various experiments the life of satellites has been increased from seven to 15 years and through that, a total of 133 satellites were serving in various applications. 'Also, about 400 satellites from 32 foreign countries have been carried by Indian space vehicles,' he added. Mr. Narayanan referring to the success attained by the country in various domains since Independence, said: 'Movements like Green Revolution, White Revolution, Grey Revolution and Blue Revolution have also jointly contributed to making India the fourth largest economy in the world.' In various aspects like education, health and connectivity, the feat achieved by the country could be claimed as exemplary. The gradual growth of educational institutions starting from primary schools to institutions like Alagappa University to medical colleges have all played a key role in increasing the literacy level of the country from 12% to 79.7% in the last 78 years, he noted. G. Ravi, Vice-Chancellor, delivered the welcome address and recounted significant events, achievements, activities and programmes of the university that happened in the last year. Mr. Ravi handed over degrees to 314 candidates during the event. In total, 43,163 candidates were conferred with degrees. Sivaganga District Collector K. Porkodi, District Superintendent of Police R. Shiva Prasad, among others were present during the event.
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Fake News Watchdog dismantles India's space mission claims
An explosive new report from the Fake News Watchdog has cast a shadow of doubt over the authenticity of India's much-publicised Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. The 65-page white paper, released recently, claims that the mission was largely a media spectacle rather than a scientific achievement. The watchdog reported that live visuals of the moon landing, which were broadcast to millions worldwide, were created using computer-generated graphics (CGI). The "live" footage of Chandrayaan-3's descent and landing was, according to the report, fabricated and presented within a staged environment. The command centre scenes shown on national television were also described as being choreographed, giving viewers the impression of a high-stakes space mission. The report raises concerns about the transparency of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and challenges the space agency's claim of landing at the Moon's south pole. Read: India's satellite launch fails after technical fault in PSLV rocket The watchdog contends that the actual landing site was 630 kilometers away from the claimed location. Moreover, Chandrayaan-3's mission reportedly failed to deliver scientific data or post-landing rover footage, with alleged faults in the lander's navigation system and mechanical limitations preventing the rover from operating as claimed. International experts, particularly from China, have questioned the scientific validity of the mission, calling into doubt the authenticity of ISRO's findings. The report criticizes India's use of the space programme for political purposes, rather than genuine scientific exploration, alleging that the mission served as a tool for regional posturing and image-building. Pro-government media in India, according to the report, presented the mission as a triumph of national pride without providing verifiable results. Furthermore, the report highlights India's broader military ambitions in space, linking the Chandrayaan-3 mission to defence objectives. The watchdog accuses the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of leveraging ISRO's advancements for military purposes, especially in its rivalry with Pakistan and China. Read More: India achieves space docking milestone with SpaDeX mission The paper references India's 2019 anti-satellite test, "Mission Shakti", and the establishment of military institutions like the Defence Space Agency (DSA) as evidence of militarisation of space. The report also sheds light on India's satellite programme, revealing that 10 out of the country's 56 satellites are used by the military for surveillance, navigation and communication during operations like 'Operation Sindoor'. It criticises the Indian government's 'Space Vision 2047' and 'Make in India' initiatives, labelling them as propaganda tools to foster a brand of technological nationalism rather than serving public interest. While India's defence budget has surpassed $86 billion – nearly nine times the size of Pakistan's – the report underscores the stark contrast between this investment and the fact that over 300 million Indians still lack access to necessities such as clean water, electricity and sanitation. The report concludes by accusing India's media of using artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate national narratives and promote fake news, a practice that has backfired on global platforms. The Fake News Watchdog claims that India's space missions, including Chandrayaan-3, are primarily for political optics, raising serious concerns about the country's space programme's ethics, transparency and intent.
New Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Axiom-4 takes India's space dreams higher
This January 16, Isro's Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) saw two unmanned spacecraft attaching with each other in space, making India only the fourth country to achieve such a feat after the US, Russia and China. SpaDex itself was part of Isro's fourth Orbital Experiment Module, which carried 24 payloads from the government's department of space and non-government entities such as academic institutions and startups. Payloads from startups were received through the National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, the nodal agency promoting space-related activities in the country. That mission allowed the scientific community to carry out various in-orbit microgravity experiments that will help the missions planned for the future. On his 14-day Ax-4 mission, Shux will carry out seven experiments aboard the space station to study the impact of microgravity and space flight on the germination and growth of two strains of seeds, on the genetic activity of microalgae, on skeletal muscles, on computer screens' cognitive effects, and on tardigrades, the highly resilient micro animals. The momentum and range of India's space experiments—involving the government, private startups and the academia—have never looked more intense. That holds a lot of promise for a country planning to send its first human space flight under the Gaganyaan mission by 2027, set up the Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035, and send astronauts to the Moon by 2040. So far, India's space odyssey is on course.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
ISRO readies SpaDeX-2 mission to dock satellites in elliptical orbit
After successfully bringing together two satellites in space, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are drawing up plans for a second SpaDeX mission — this time to dock two satellites in an elliptical orbit. The ability to join two satellites in space, known as docking, is critical for India's upcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission and the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the country's planned space station. In the first SpaDeX mission, two 220-kg satellites were launched into a 470-km circular orbit. With a small relative velocity introduced between them, the satellites were allowed to drift apart before being progressively brought closer. On January 16, they successfully docked. The experiment also demonstrated power sharing between the satellites and their ability to receive commands as a single composite unit. With this, India became only the fourth country, after the US, Russia, and China, to demonstrate in-space docking capabilities. However, the feat was carried out in a relatively easier circular orbit. 'Docking in a circular orbit is much easier than docking in an elliptical orbit. This is because the trajectory and velocity of the satellites remain constant in a circular orbit, whereas they keep changing on an elliptical orbit. What this essentially means is that calculations done for one point will not be relevant after a few minutes,' said a scientist in the know of the matter. 'This is, however, what the SpaDeX 2 experiment will attempt.' This capability is likely to play a vital role in future missions, such as Chandrayaan-4, where multiple modules may be launched separately, and docking and undocking will be required in both Earth and lunar orbits. For moon missions, ISRO typically launches spacecraft into an elliptical Earth orbit, gradually raising the apogee (farthest point) through engine burns at perigee (closest point) to use minimal fuel. This process sets up a slingshot trajectory toward the Moon, making docking in elliptical orbits a practical requirement for complex missions. The first docking operation took a considerable amount of time, as the agency approached it with extreme caution. 'This was the first time ISRO was attempting docking and undocking, so everything had to be meticulously planned and tested. In fact, several of the sensors being used were developed for this mission itself and had to be calibrated to readings in space. Once that was done, the readings were used to conduct several simulations on Earth before the actual docking was attempted. And, even then, the satellites were brought closer very slowly. With all the knowledge gathered during the first docking, the second became easier. It was quicker, without the satellites needing to stop and go as many times as the first time,' the scientist said. During the initial attempt, the SpaDeX satellites were brought progressively closer, halting at designated checkpoints – 5 km, 1.5 km, 500 m, 225 m, 15 m, and 3 m – before finally docking. In the second attempt, post-separation, the process was smoother and faster, with fewer halts en route to redocking. 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
24-05-2025
- Science
- Hans India
Over 7,200 tests have been completed, says ISRO chief
New Delhi:Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief V. Narayanan has said that 7,200 space mission tests have been completed as of now and 3,000 others are still pending by the Indian space agency, highlighting the importance of year 2025, which has been declared the 'Gaganyaan' year. 'This year is a very important year for us. We have declared it Gaganyaan year. Before sending the humans, we have planned three uncrewed missions and the first uncrewed mission is planned this year... Till date, more than 7,200 tests have been completed and about 3,000 tests are pending, work is going on 24 hours,' he said. '...As you are aware, this year we had major achievements and accomplishments. On January 6, we rolled out one year's worth of scientific data collected by the Aditya L1 spacecraft. You are all aware that Aditya L1 is one of its kind, and India is one of the four countries to have placed a satellite for studying the Sun. A vast wealth of scientific data was released to the scientific community on January 6. And on January 16, we had another very important and major accomplishment...,' the ISRO Chief told IANS. The Gaganyaan Programme, approved in December 2018, envisages human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and establishing technologies required for a long-term Indian human space exploration endeavour. V. Narayanan expressed his happiness over the completion of SpaDeX mission. He asserted that ISRO 'accounted for ten kilos of fuel to do this mission'. He also told that a number of missions are planned in 2025 which includes a NASAISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite, which will be launched by India's own launch vehicle. 'Today, we are happy to report that the SpaDeX mission has been successfully completed. We accounted ten kilos of fuel to do this mission, but we did it with only half the fuel and the rest of the fuel is available, and in the coming months, you will hear that a lot of experiments are planned... This year, a number of important missions are planned and there is going to be a NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite and it will be launched by our own launch vehicle and we are going to have a commercial mission and a communication satellite for commercial aspects, which we are going to launch', he added. According to ISRO's official website, the SpaDex mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission that uses two small spacecraft launched by PSLV to demonstrate in-space docking. The ISRO chief said that by December 2025, the first uncrewed mission to be called as 'Vyommitra', followed by two uncrewed missions, will be launched by ISRO. In contrast, the organisation targets the first human space flight by the first quarter of 2027. 'By December this year, there will be the first uncrewed mission, followed by two uncrewed missions, and we are targeting the first human space flight by the first quarter of 2027. In fact, almost every month this year, a launch is scheduled. The first uncrewed mission with a robot called 'Vyommitra' will be launched by the end of this year,' V. Narayanan told reporters.
