Chandrayan 3 landed successfully : A Giant Leap for India in Space

[Cricket Warrior]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698224462821544411

 

[SalimBhai]

Astounding how sour some Pakistanis are about India's achievement. I bet like USA India will also soon enter space travel industry.. Some big money to be made.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

India’s moon rover completes walk, put into ‘sleep mode’

The rover’s payloads are turned off and data it collected has been transmitted to Earth, India’s space agency says.

The Chandrayaan-3 (“Mooncraft-3” in Sanskrit) lander and rover were expected to operate only for one lunar day, which is equal to 14 days on Earth. ISRO hopes that the rover may reawaken for another set of assignments when the next lunar day starts on September 22.

There was no word on the outcome of the rover searches for signs of frozen water on the lunar surface that could help future astronaut missions, as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.


Aljazeera

 

[Hitman]

Astounding how sour some Pakistanis are about India's achievement. I bet like USA India will also soon enter space travel industry.. Some big money to be made.

Funniest bit is that some are claiming any country can achieve it provided they are willing to spend $74 million, including Saudi Arabia

 

[SalimBhai]

Funniest bit is that some are claiming any country can achieve it provided they are willing to spend $74 million, including Saudi Arabia

Buying other people’s technology and using it does not count. Not does catching a ride on someone else’s rocket. . I would like to come back to this thread in 10 years and see what kinda other markets this opened for India .

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Astounding how sour some Pakistanis are about India's achievement. I bet like USA India will also soon enter space travel industry.. Some big money to be made.

Aren't you a Pakistani?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Funniest bit is that some are claiming any country can achieve it provided they are willing to spend $74 million, including Saudi Arabia

Saudis are your Abrahamic brothers my Christian friend. Don't forget.

 

[Hitman]

Saudis are your Abrahamic brothers my Christian friend. Don't forget.

No, they are not. Neither are the Jews. Anyways, I don’t care about religion of other people.

 

[SalimBhai]

Aren't you a Pakistani?

Yes and your point

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yes and your point

As a Pakistani, what do you believe Pakistan will gain from India celebrating this achievement on a Pakistan based site while led by a hindutva govt which wants to see the demise of Pakistan?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

No, they are not. Neither are the Jews. Anyways, I don’t care about religion of other people.

But you are a champion of your hindutva govt which has made the Hindu religion it's founding principle.

 

[Hitman]

But you are a champion of your hindutva govt which has made the Hindu religion it's founding principle.

I’m a champion of my country irrespective of it’s Government.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I’m a champion of my country irrespective of it’s Government.

Your govt is hindutva, that is a clear and acknowledged fact. If you champion them that makes you one.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Your govt is hindutva, that is a clear and acknowledged fact. If you champion them that makes you one.

What is the meaning of Hindutva?

What's your problem with it?

And why do you think what you say will become the fact?

Government is the government of all the citizens. Thats it.

 

[captain.hansolo]

I find it difficult to justify spending trillions on endeavours like this when there is a massive poverty.

Trillions??? Bro we could colonize mars if we had that kind of a budget. The mission budget was half the budget of an avengers movie.

 

[captain.hansolo]

As a Pakistani, what do you believe Pakistan will gain from India celebrating this achievement on a Pakistan based site while led by a hindutva govt which wants to see the demise of Pakistan?

Simply put, as more people in India turnt to science and reason, the less likely we will have radical right wing governments.

Same applies for you lot.

 

[captain.hansolo]

What is the meaning of Hindutva?

What's your problem with it?

And why do you think what you say will become the fact?

Government is the government of all the citizens. Thats it.

Any kind of jingoistic fervor is harmful. The problem with Hindutva is the Sam problem with America for Whites, or Israel for Jews, or Saudi Arabia for Muslims. Emphasizing a majority will come at the expense of the minority and that gives us totalitarian states as history would demonstrate.

There is nothing inherently good about Hindutva and being critical of Hindutva does not amount to a criticism of Hinduism.

 

[SM1989]

Trillions??? Bro we could colonize mars if we had that kind of a budget. The mission budget was half the budget of an avengers movie.

Even then its too much for such an endeavour.

 

[captain.hansolo]

Even then its too much for such an endeavour.

Then you are gonna really hate the $45M we just dropped on a solar mission, in route to the L1 Lagrange point as we speak

 

[Hitman]

Your govt is hindutva, that is a clear and acknowledged fact. If you champion them that makes you one.

So Christians in India are supposed to hate Modi and BJP by default? It doesn’t work like that.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

So Christians in India are supposed to hate Modi and BJP by default? It doesn’t work like that.

Are they supposed to hate Abrahmic religions by default on account of being born in a Hindu country instead? Is that how it works?

 

[Hitman]

Are they supposed to hate Abrahmic religions by default on account of being born in a Hindu country instead? Is that how it works?

We’ve got nothing to do with people outside our own country. The only thing we share in common with them is humanity, nothing else. Indian muslims are extremely precious to us, always will be. But we don’t share the same bond with non Indian muslims.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

We’ve got nothing to do with people outside our own country. The only thing we share in common with them is humanity, nothing else. Indian muslims are extremely precious to us, always will be. But we don’t share the same bond with non Indian muslims.

Isn't this basically hindutva doctrine?

 

[uppercut]

Isn't this basically hindutva doctrine?

Maybe you should pen down YOUR OWN understanding of what constitutes as "Hindutva Doctrine" first and Indian posters can address it ?

PS: This is a genuine question. I personally wont judge you regardless of what your perception/understanding is on this topic of Hindutva but I 'am pretty sure (based on previous threads) that you will quietly slip away or deflect from this topic. but rest assured I will answer every single question you have got. Just keep it short in the interest of time.

And since the topic of Hindutva is off-topic to this thread which is meant for Chandrayan .. please feel free to either open a new thread or tag/quote me in a more appropriate thread.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Maybe you should pen down YOUR OWN understanding of what constitutes as "Hindutva Doctrine" first and Indian posters can address it ?

PS: This is a genuine question. I personally wont judge you regardless of what your perception/understanding is on this topic of Hindutva but I 'am pretty sure (based on previous threads) that you will quietly slip away or deflect from this topic. but rest assured I will answer every single question you have got. Just keep it short in the interest of time.

And since the topic of Hindutva is off-topic to this thread which is meant for Chandrayan .. please feel free to either open a new thread or tag/quote me in a more appropriate thread.

I'm pretty sure I've got an actual topic about Hindutva doctrine filed away somewhere, will bump it if it's still available. Although the remark itself was aimed at our "Christian" friend because he seemed to be preaching hindutva doctrine.

 

[Rajdeep]

Excuse me as I am little late on this thread but why are we discussing 'Hindutva' on a thread about India's moon mission. I manage to read few posts and is the reason being what I am thinking? Looks like my fellow posters from Bradford are not very happy.

 

[FPresidential]

We’ve got nothing to do with people outside our own country. The only thing we share in common with them is humanity, nothing else. Indian muslims are extremely precious to us, always will be. But we don’t share the same bond with non Indian muslims.

Damn! Translation, " We have to pretend to like Indian Muslim to preserve our image but, the Muslims in the rest of the world are hated by Indian, even humanity is not shared".

 

[rickroll]

Can we please stick to the topic of space missions and progress in science/technology instead of digressing into pointless Hindutva meanings and pointless validation of christian/muslim/hindu Indians? Just a public request.

 

[SportsWarrior]

Damn! Translation, " We have to pretend to like Indian Muslim to preserve our image but, the Muslims in the rest of the world are hated by Indian, even humanity is not shared".

there is no need to pretend. You may not realize it, but most Indians grow up with Muslim and Christian Neighbours or friends in school and their neighborhood. They hardly see any difference apart from praying to a different god, which is not a big deal for Hindus, as we pray to innumerable Gods. There are clearly lots of cultural and religious difference like different festivals and such. Most people invite each other. Almost all my Muslims and Chirstian Neighbours were invited for our deepavali (diwali) and ganesha festivals. Most don't pray, but they come, socialize, have fun and take food and go. We are also invited for lunch and if we are non - vegetarians they stay for great biryanis. A lot of people, even Hindus and those who were in convents, keep Christmas decorations and visit church. Three of my cousins were convent educated and are involved in local churches and no one forces them to get converted and they have no intention of getting converted. It may be difficult to fathom for you, but most people have absolutely no problems with Muslims or Christians. Otherwise, there will be a bloodbath every day in India. There are more issues between Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan than between Hindu and Muslims in India. When was the last time you heard Shia mosque bombing in India.

Anyway lets stick to the topic of this thread and lay off these side discussions..

 

[FPresidential]

there is no need to pretend. You may not realize it, but most Indians grow up with Muslim and Christian Neighbours or friends in school and their neighborhood. They hardly see any difference apart from praying to a different god, which is not a big deal for Hindus, as we pray to innumerable Gods. There are clearly lots of cultural and religious difference like different festivals and such. Most people invite each other. Almost all my Muslims and Chirstian Neighbours were invited for our deepavali (diwali) and ganesha festivals. Most don't pray, but they come, socialize, have fun and take food and go. We are also invited for lunch and if we are non - vegetarians they stay for great biryanis. A lot of people, even Hindus and those who were in convents, keep Christmas decorations and visit church. Three of my cousins were convent educated and are involved in local churches and no one forces them to get converted and they have no intention of getting converted. It may be difficult to fathom for you, but most people have absolutely no problems with Muslims or Christians. Otherwise, there will be a bloodbath every day in India. There are more issues between Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan than between Hindu and Muslims in India. When was the last time you heard Shia mosque bombing in India.

Anyway lets stick to the topic of this thread and lay off these side discussions..

Another cliché response from Indian. As if Muslims of India are not tortured, murdered, raped, humiliated, etc. The news regarding such issues just appear out of thin air with video and audio evidence, must be AI generated?

I have plenty of shia friends but Shia and Sunni conflict has had happened in Pakistan may happen again. There are plenty of Shia on good posts in Pakistan, none of that negate the fact that the conflict does not happen. lol.

Responses such as yours are rather waste of time for the readers, it does not negate nor counter anything regarding plight of Indian Muslims.

Person I responded to mentioned the word 'Muslim', specifically Indian 'Muslims' and in the same breath he tried to distance himself from the rest of the Muslims, while highlighting Indian as champions of Humanity. So either the readers are fool to believe or person can not come out in open to display dislike and hatred openly.

 

[FPresidential]

Can we please stick to the topic of space missions and progress in science/technology instead of digressing into pointless Hindutva meanings and pointless validation of christian/muslim/hindu Indians? Just a public request.

It is an achievement.

Any achievement of India will be overshadowed by how Indian majority treats its minority, particularly in a Muslim dominated forum, both reaching the moon and treating its minority is a reality for everyone. It is a matter of time before the treatment of minority will be highlighted and weaponized by the western world

 

[cricketjoshila]

Another cliché response from Indian. As if Muslims of India are not tortured, murdered, raped, humiliated, etc. The news regarding such issues just appear out of thin air with video and audio evidence, must be AI generated?

I have plenty of shia friends but Shia and Sunni conflict has had happened in Pakistan may happen again. There are plenty of Shia on good posts in Pakistan, none of that negate the fact that the conflict does not happen. lol.

Responses such as yours are rather waste of time for the readers, it does not negate nor counter anything regarding plight of Indian Muslims.

Person I responded to mentioned the word 'Muslim', specifically Indian 'Muslims' and in the same breath he tried to distance himself from the rest of the Muslims, while highlighting Indian as champions of Humanity. So either the readers are fool to believe or person can not come out in open to display dislike and hatred openly.

Murder or Rape are crimes, happen to people of every community.

As an Indian, we are concerned about our fellow citizens, what happens in other countries is a concern of that country and its citizens.

We don't poke our noses in the matters of others nor do we like others poking their noses in ours.

 

[cricketjoshila]

It is an achievement.

Any achievement of India will be overshadowed by how Indian majority treats its minority, particularly in a Muslim dominated forum, both reaching the moon and treating its minority is a reality for everyone. It is a matter of time before the treatment of minority will be highlighted and weaponized by the western world

You mean a Pakistani dominated forum?

 

[SportsWarrior]

Another cliché response from Indian. As if Muslims of India are not tortured, murdered, raped, humiliated, etc. The news regarding such issues just appear out of thin air with video and audio evidence, must be AI generated?

I have plenty of shia friends but Shia and Sunni conflict has had happened in Pakistan may happen again. There are plenty of Shia on good posts in Pakistan, none of that negate the fact that the conflict does not happen. lol.

Responses such as yours are rather waste of time for the readers, it does not negate nor counter anything regarding plight of Indian Muslims.

Person I responded to mentioned the word 'Muslim', specifically Indian 'Muslims' and in the same breath he tried to distance himself from the rest of the Muslims, while highlighting Indian as champions of Humanity. So either the readers are fool to believe or person can not come out in open to display dislike and hatred openly.

for people who have never lived in a multicultural or multi religious society it's a cliche. They can't understand and comprehend it. For people like us it is a lived experience

 

[MenInG]

So the title of this thread is about India's space exploration

Any posts which are irrelevant will be deleted from now on

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Chandrayaan-3: Nasa's lunar orbiter photographs India's Moon lander Vikram

The US space agency Nasa has released a photograph of India's lunar lander on the Moon's surface.

It shows Vikram lander as a tiny speck in the centre of the image with "its dark shadow visible against the bright halo surrounding the vehicle".





BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

India plans crucial test in crewed space mission by October.

The mission is expected to be launched from India main spaceport in Sriharikota before 2024.

India is set to conduct akey test in its ambitious crewed space mission Gaganyaan as early as next month, the project director of the mission R. Hutton told Reuters.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is currently training four astronauts and looking to expand the cohort as it aims for more future manned missions, Hutton said.

The Gaganyaan mission is aimed at developing a human-habitable space capsule that will carry a three-member crew into an orbit of 400 km (250 miles) for three days, before returning to safety in a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean.


Tribune

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Chandrayaan-3: Indian space agency Isro says no signal yet from Moon lander.

India's space agency Isro says it is trying to contact its Moon lander and rover as a new lunar day begins, but has not received any signals so far.

Isro hoped the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken when the Sun rose around 22 September.

But it is possible that the extreme cold of the lunar night damaged the batteries.

On Friday, Isro posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "efforts to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will continue".


BBC

 

[daytrader]

Chandrayaan-3: Hopes of Moon lander reawakening dim as India awaits signal
Chances of India's Moon lander waking up after a freezing cold lunar night are "dimming with each passing hour", space scientists from the country have told the BBC.

But they said that they would keep trying until the end of the lunar day.

A day and night on the Moon each last just over 14 Earth days.

On Friday, space agency Isro said it was trying to contact the lander and rover after a new lunar day began, but had not received any signals.

The lander called Vikram, carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly, touched down near the Moon's little-explored south pole in August. They spent two weeks gathering data and images, after which they were put into 'sleep mode' at lunar nightfall.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) had said that it hoped the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken when the lunar Sun rose around 22 September.

On Friday, Isro posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "efforts to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will continue". There has been no official update since then.

On Monday morning, former Isro chief AS Kiran Kumar told the BBC that "chances of reawakening are dimming with each passing hour".

"The lander and rover have so many components which may not have survived the frigid temperatures on the Moon," he said, adding that temperatures near the lunar south pole are known to plunge to -200C to -250C (-328F to -418F) at night.

"Unless the transmitter on the lander comes on, we have no connectivity. It has to tell us that it's alive. Even if all other sub-systems work, we have no way of knowing that," he added.

Chandrayaan-3: Hopes of Moon lander reawakening dim as India awaits signal

Scientists tell the BBC that chances of the lander's reawakening are "dimming with each passing hour".

www.bbc.com

 

[SalimBhai]

Chandrayaan-3: Hopes of Moon lander reawakening dim as India awaits signal
Chances of India's Moon lander waking up after a freezing cold lunar night are "dimming with each passing hour", space scientists from the country have told the BBC.

But they said that they would keep trying until the end of the lunar day.

A day and night on the Moon each last just over 14 Earth days.

On Friday, space agency Isro said it was trying to contact the lander and rover after a new lunar day began, but had not received any signals.

The lander called Vikram, carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly, touched down near the Moon's little-explored south pole in August. They spent two weeks gathering data and images, after which they were put into 'sleep mode' at lunar nightfall.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) had said that it hoped the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken when the lunar Sun rose around 22 September.

On Friday, Isro posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "efforts to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will continue". There has been no official update since then.

On Monday morning, former Isro chief AS Kiran Kumar told the BBC that "chances of reawakening are dimming with each passing hour".

"The lander and rover have so many components which may not have survived the frigid temperatures on the Moon," he said, adding that temperatures near the lunar south pole are known to plunge to -200C to -250C (-328F to -418F) at night.

"Unless the transmitter on the lander comes on, we have no connectivity. It has to tell us that it's alive. Even if all other sub-systems work, we have no way of knowing that," he added.

Chandrayaan-3: Hopes of Moon lander reawakening dim as India awaits signal

Scientists tell the BBC that chances of the lander's reawakening are "dimming with each passing hour".

www.bbc.com

Any progress on this mission?

 

[Hitman]

Any progress on this mission?

No! ISRO knew the rover wouldn't escape the cold lunar night. They were just hoping against hope. Their primary objective and works have been achieved already.

 

[jeetu]

Any progress on this mission?

Mission is over. Nothing more can be done now. Lander has completed the tasks given to it. In case ISRO plans another such mission then i hope it takes cue from Luna 25 and add radioactive plutonium-238 , so it might survive Lunar night.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Namira Saleem from Pakistan will make history by becoming the first Pakistani woman to travel to space.

He paid $200,000 to buy a ticket for space travel in 2006, and now its current price is $450,000.

Source: Dawn News

 

[Mockingbird]

Namira Saleem from Pakistan will make history by becoming the first Pakistani woman to travel to space.

He paid $200,000 to buy a ticket for space travel in 2006, and now its current price is $450,000.

Source: Dawn News

How is this news related to this thread about India’s moon mission?

 

[FearlessRoar]

As a new lunar night begins, Indian space scientists say chances of the Moon lander waking up are remote.

The Indian space agency Isro did not confirm if further efforts will continue to communicate with it, adding that the lander and rover had completed all their assignments and more.

ISRO had hoped that the Vikram lander would wake up on or after 22 September when a new lunar day began.

A day and night on the Moon each last just over 14 Earth days.

The lander, carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly, touched down near the Moon's little-explored south pole on 23 August. They spent two weeks gathering data and images, after which they were put into "sleep mode" at lunar nightfall.

The landing date was carefully selected to coincide with the lunar daybreak since they needed sunlight to charge their batteries and function.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had initially said that the lander and the rover had a life of 14 Earth days, but later hoped the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken with the lunar sunrise.

But as time went on and no signal was received from the lander, scientists told the BBC that chances of its reawakening were dimming with each passing hour.

On Friday, former Indian space agency chief G Madhavan Nair told the BBC that since Vikram lander has not sent any communication so far, chances of its waking up are extremely remote.

It is not designed to withstand the extreme weather conditions on the Moon where night temperatures can go down to -200C to -250C (-328F to -418F), he said.

Mylswamy Annadurai, chief of India's first Moon mission, told the BBC that attempts will still be made once in a while to communicate with Vikram lander, but they will have to be tapped down.

We can't keep resources locked up indefinitely to wake up the Moon lander. We have to move them to tracking Aditya L-1, India's first mission to study the Sun. Now Aditya needs to be watched and the attention would shift there, he said.

We have to accept that it's there and move on, he added.

ISRO has provided regular updates on the lander and the rover's movements and findings, and shared images taken by them.

It has also said the mission had met all its stated objectives. A few days back, Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel said the lander performing a hop experiment on the Moon was unplanned and exceeded its mission objectives, India Today reported.

India made history with its Chandrayaan-3 mission when it became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.

It also joined an elite club of countries to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the US, the former Soviet Union and China.


Source: BBC

 

[JattMaula]

Sayonara Vikram and Pragyan! Rest on Moon.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

India plans manned moon mission, space station

India plans to send a man to the Moon and set up a space station by 2040, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as the country ramps up its space programme.

The premier's announcement comes as the world's most populous country readies for a key test flight due Saturday for its first crewed space mission.

Modi told space agency officials that they should "build on the success of Indian space initiatives".

The country "should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to moon by 2040," he said in a statement late Tuesday.

Modi asked them to develop plans for "a series of missions" to the Moon.

India runs a low-budget space operation. It became the first to land a craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole in August and, a month later, successfully launched a spacecraft to observe the outermost layers of the Sun.

India plans manned moon mission, space station | The Express Tribune

India aims to send its first astronaut to the Moon by 2040 and establish an Indian space station by 2035, says PM Modi

tribune.com.pk

 

[JaDed]

If it was a loss making entity i could understand the harsh critique but this a 100% win situation for India.

The amount of Space startups that have propped are remarkable , the happiness and awe in eyes of budding students was for everyone to see.

This was probably India’s greatest achievement in last decade.

Finally we are actually making real engineering progress, also if anyone could do it with money they would like Russia tried.

 

[Asad T]

Gaganyaan: India launches test flight ahead of sending man into space

India's space agency has carried out the first in a series of tests flights ahead of its planned mission to take astronauts into space in 2025.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft was launched at 10:00 local time (04:30GMT) on Saturday from Sriharikota.

This was the day's second attempt - the first was put on hold five seconds before the scheduled launch time.

The test was conducted to demonstrate whether the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned.

"I am very happy to announce the successful accomplishment of the TV-D1 (Test Vehicle Demonstration 1) mission," S Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), said after the launch as his colleagues cheered and applauded.

The successful launch will now pave the way for other unmanned missions, including sending a robot into space next year.

Sending a manned mission with three astronauts into low-Earth orbit will happen only after the successful completion of all these tests - and as the government announced last week, it will most likely happen in 2025.

Named after the Sanskrit word for craft or vehicle to the sky, the Gaganyaan project has been developed at the cost of 90bn rupees ($1bn; £897m). It aims to send the astronauts to an orbit of 400km (248 miles) and bring them back after three days. If it succeeds, India will become only the fourth country to send a human into space after the Soviet Union, the US and China.

And earlier this week, India announced ambitious new plans for space, saying it would aim to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

BBC

 

[Asad T]

This is quite an impresive feat, meantime we can't even get PIA to operate

 

[JaDed]

This is quite an impresive feat, meantime we can't even get PIA to operate

The comparison of PIA is Air India and they have been privatised. SUPARCO Is ISRO’s competitor and they are a joke.

Also if you notice the thread majority Pakistanis think ISRO is wasting money, I can tell you that’s what Pakistanis thought when India was funding IT and SEZs in 1990s and early 2000s and GOP woke up later to try the same damn thing but India had taken so much of that market.

It’s exactly the same now with ISRO and all the space startups and majority posters still are having the same view.

 

[FearlessRoar]

XpoSat: India launches space mission to study black holes

India's space agency has successfully launched a rocket that is carrying an observatory which will study astronomical objects like black holes.

It was launched from Sriharikota spaceport at 09:10 local time (03:40GMT) on Monday.

This is only the second mission in the world of this nature after Nasa launched one in 2021.

The space agency said it wanted to help scientists improve their "knowledge of black holes".

"We will have an exciting time ahead," Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairperson S Somanath said after the launch.

A black hole is a region of space where matter has collapsed in on itself. The gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.

Black holes emerge from the explosive demise of certain large stars, and some are truly huge - their size billions of times the mass of our Sun.

Isro's satellite - X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) - will aim to conduct in-depth research on black holes.

Built at an approximate cost of 250m rupees ($30m; £23.5m), the XPoSat satellite is estimated to have a lifespan of five years.

The launch comes after a hugely successful year for Isro. In August, its Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down near the lunar South Pole region, an area that no-one had reached before. Days later, it launched Aditya-L1 - its first observation mission to the Sun.

Monday's launch is just one among several projects Isro has planned to carry out this year.

"2024 is going to be the year for Gaganyaan readiness," Mr Somnath said, referring to the project which aims to send three astronauts into low-Earth orbit and bring them back after three days.

Isro carried out the first in a series of tests flights for the mission in October 2023 and aims to be ready for the manned mission by 2025.

Source: BBC

XpoSat: India launches space mission to study black holes

India has become only the second country to launch such a mission after the US.

www.bbc.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

The Indian Space Research Organisation's inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, has reached its destination within the anticipated four-month timeframe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

Launched on Sept. 2, the spacecraft positioned itself at Lagrange Point 1, from where it will undertake a comprehensive study of the sun, focusing on the solar corona and its influence on space weather.

"India creates yet another landmark. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions," Modi said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The satellite covered approximately 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) over the span of four months, just a fraction of the Earth-sun distance of 150 million kilometers.

The Lagrange Point, where the satellite is stationed, benefits from gravitational forces that allow objects to remain relatively stationary, reducing fuel consumption for the spacecraft.

Equipped with seven payloads, Aditya-L1 is slated to conduct remote sensing of the sun and in-situ observations for an estimated five years.

Named after the Hindi word for the sun, this mission follows India's recent achievement of being the first country to successfully land on the moon's south pole, surpassing Russia's failed Luna-25 with the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Chandrayaan-3 landed on the unexplored south pole of the moon in August last year.

Scientists involved in the project aim to gain insights into the impact of solar radiation on the increasing number of satellites in orbit, with a particular focus on phenomena affecting ventures like Elon Musk's Starlink communications network.

"We definitely need to know more about the sun, as it controls the space weather," said Manish Purohit, a former ISRO scientist.

The low earth orbit is going to get "super" crowded over the coming years, said Purohit.

"Satellites are going to become the main stay of all tech on Earth with Quantum implemented, with internet connectivity, disaster warning system, resource utilisation and many more applications," said Purohit.

Stationing a spacecraft at L1 acts as an early warning system, with roughly one hour advantage, for an upcoming storm from the Sun, he said.

The mission to study the sun is among a slate of projects ISRO has lined up through the year, key among them its first human space mission and a low-Earth orbit observatory system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, called NISAR.

NISAR will map the entire planet once every 12 days, providing data for understanding changes in ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

Source: Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/science/india-isros-aditya-l1-solar-mission-reaches-destination-2024-01-06/?taid=659947d06621b500019d9be5&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

 

[The Bald Eagle]

India's solar observation mission achieved a significant milestone on Saturday by entering the sun's orbit after a four-month journey, marking another triumph for the ambitious space exploration endeavours of the world's most populous nation.

Launched in September, the Aditya-L1 mission is equipped with various instruments designed to measure and observe the sun's outermost layers. Jitendra Singh, India's science and technology minister, shared on social media that the probe has successfully reached its final orbit, aiming to unravel the mysteries of the Sun-Earth connection.

While the United States and the European Space Agency have previously dispatched probes to the solar system's center, India's recent achievement distinguishes itself as the first solar observation mission by any Asian nation to be placed in orbit around the Sun.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the accomplishment as another "landmark" in the country's space programme, emphasising the relentless dedication of Indian scientists. Modi expressed his commitment to continue exploring new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.

Named after a Hindu Sun deity, Aditya has covered 1.5 million kilometres (932,000 miles) from Earth, representing just one percent of the distance between our home planet and the Sun. The orbiter, costing approximately $48 million, has reached a stable halo orbit around the Sun, where gravitational forces from both celestial bodies cancel out.

Aditya's primary focus is to study coronal mass ejections, powerful discharges of plasma and magnetic energy from the sun's atmosphere that can potentially impact Earth's satellites. The mission also aims to enhance understanding of various solar phenomena by imaging and measuring particles in the sun's upper atmosphere.

India's space programme, characterised by a relatively modest budget, has gained substantial momentum since its first lunar orbit in 2008. In recent years, India has achieved notable milestones, including a successful mission to the Moon's south pole in 2019 and becoming the first Asian nation to orbit Mars in 2014. Future plans include a crewed mission into Earth's orbit, a joint lunar mission with Japan, and an orbital mission to Venus within the next two years.

Source : NDTV

 

[hassan918]

Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight​

India has unveiled four Air Force pilots who have been shortlisted to travel on the country's maiden space flight scheduled for next year.

The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days.

India's space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for the flight.

In October, a key test demonstrated that the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned.

After its success, Isro said a test flight would take a robot into space in 2024, before astronauts are sent into space in 2025.

At a function at the Isro centre in the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) on Tuesday, the four astronaut-designates were described as "dreamers, adventurers and valiant men preparing to go into space".

The officers, chosen from the Indian Air Force, were introduced as Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Isro chief S Somanath pinned badges with golden wings onto their shirts and Mr Modi described them as "India's pride".

"These are not just four names or four people. They are four powers who will carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space. I congratulate and wish them all the best," he said.

Officials said the men were selected from a pool of Air Force pilots and had undergone extensive physical and psychological tests before being shortlisted.

They have undergone rigorous training for 13 months in Russia and are now carrying on with their gruelling schedule back home. A video screened at the event showed them working out in the gym, swimming and doing yoga.

Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight

The Gaganyaan mission aims to send astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Indian researcher uses Chandrayaan-2 to find Japan's Slim lander on the Moon

Independent researcher Chandra Tungathurthi analysed data sent by Chandrayaan-2 to find Japan's Slim lander resting on the Moon.

The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter had successfully captured high-resolution images of Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), resting on the lunar surface. The images were taken on March 16, 2024, using the orbiter's high-resolution camera, which boasts an impressive pixel resolution of 16 cm per pixel. The Indian researcher shared three different views of the context of the location.

The timing of the image capture was crucial, as it occurred during a period when the sun's elevation was low, casting long, dramatic shadows across the moon's landscape. This not only added a visual depth to the images but also highlighted the contours and features of the lunar surface around the SLIM lander.

SLIM, which is Japan's first successful moon lander, managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), had previously survived its third harsh lunar night, a testament to its robust design and engineering.

The lander, nicknamed "moon sniper" due to its precision landing capabilities, had initially touched down near the Shioli crater, south of the lunar equator.

The images from Chandrayaan-2 provide valuable data on SLIM's condition and exact location, contributing to ongoing scientific studies and future mission planning. The successful capture of these images shows the capabilities of Chandrayaan-2's instrumentation and the strategic advantage of having such advanced technology in orbit around the moon.

Typically, examining raw data for comprehensive information can be cumbersome. To streamline this process, the researcher has developed his own toolset tailored for working with ISRO data. This toolset seamlessly integrates image data with location information, allowing for the generation of orthographic images for analysis.

This approach facilitates efficient data interpretation, similar to the utilities provided by Nasa's LRO.

Both India and Japan are preparing for more collaborative missions, such as the upcoming Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, aimed at exploring the moon's south polar region, which is believed to contain water ice in its permanently shadowed craters.


India Today

 

[Hitman]

Once again, a big LOL at conspiracy theorists.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1784499427358490873

 

[FearlessRoar]

Chandrayaan-4 gets Cabinet nod to go to Moon and return with lunar soil, rocks​

The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the green light for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, a groundbreaking lunar exploration project aimed at demonstrating technologies for landing on the Moon, collecting samples, and safely returning them to Earth.

This ambitious mission, with a budget of Rs. 2,104.06 crore (approximately $253 million), is set to be a crucial stepping stone towards India's long-term space exploration goals.

Chandrayaan-4 will build upon the success of Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a historic soft landing on the lunar surface.

The new mission will focus on developing and demonstrating key technologies required for future lunar missions, including docking and undocking in lunar orbit, safe Earth return, and lunar sample collection and analysis.

The mission aligns with India's expanded vision for its space program, which includes ambitious targets such as establishing an Indian Space Station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) by 2035 and achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2040.

Chandrayaan-4 is expected to play a vital role in realising these objectives by validating critical technologies and capabilities.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will spearhead the development of the spacecraft and its launch, with the mission expected to be completed within 36 months of approval.

The project will involve significant participation from Indian industry and academia, potentially creating high employment opportunities and driving technological advancements across various sectors of the economy.

A key aspect of Chandrayaan-4 is its focus on indigenous technology development, which aims to make India self-sufficient in critical areas required for manned missions and lunar exploration.

The mission will also establish facilities for curation and analysis of returned lunar samples, which will serve as valuable national assets for scientific research.

As India continues to make strides in space exploration, Chandrayaan-4 represents a significant leap forward in the country's capabilities and ambitions.

This mission will not only demonstrate India's growing prowess in space technology but also positions the nation as a key player in the global effort to explore and understand our celestial neighbor.

Chandrayaan-4, Venus mission get Cabinet nod; big fund boost for Gaganyaan

Chandrayaan-4 will build upon the success of Chandrayaan-3, which achieved a historic soft landing on the lunar surface.

www.indiatoday.in