Junior Digest

BEIJING, Oct 5,2023: China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its lifespan.

The operational lifetime of the Chinese space station will be more than 15 years, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a unit of China’s main space contractor, said at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.
That would be more than the 10 years previously announced.
China’s self-built space station, also known as Tiangong, or Celestial Palace in Chinese, has been fully operational since late 2022, hosting a maximum of three astronauts at an orbital altitude of up to 450 km (280 miles).

At 180 metric tons after its expansion to six modules, Tiangong is still just 40% of the mass of the ISS, which can hold a crew of seven astronauts. But the ISS, in orbit for more than two decades, is expected to be decommissioned after 2030, about the same time China has said it expects to become “a major space power”.

Chinese state media said last year as Tiangong became fully operational that China would be no “slouch” as the ISS headed toward retirement, adding that “several countries” had asked to send their astronauts to the Chinese station.

But in a blow to China’s aspirations for space diplomacy, the European Space Agency (ESA) said this year it did not have the budgetary or “political” green light to participate in Tiangong, shelving a years-long plan for a visit by European astronauts.

“Giving up cooperation with China in the manned space domain is clearly short-sighted, which reveals that the U.S.-led camp confrontation has led to a new space race,” the Global Times, a nationalist Chinese tabloid, wrote at the time.

Tiangong has become an emblem of China’s growing clout and confidence in its space endeavours, and a challenger to the United States in the domain after being isolated from the ISS. It is banned by U.S. law from any collaboration, direct or indirect, with NASA.

Russia, a participant in the ISS, has similar space diplomacy plans, suggesting that Moscow’s partners in the BRICS group – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – could construct a module for its space station.

Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said last year it was planning to build a space station comprising six modules that could accommodate up to four cosmonauts.

BENGALURU, Jan 6,2024: 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.

Chennai, Aug 23,2023: Marking a monumental event in its space journey, India scripted history by becoming the first country to explore the South Polar region when its third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully soft landed on the Moon’s surface on Wednesday evening.
The powered descent of the Lander Module (LM), carrying a Rover, on board the Chandrayaan-3, started at 5.44 pm and after the challenging task of performing rough and fine braking maneuvres, it made a soft landing on the moon’s surface at 6.00 pm.
This was ISRO’s third attempt to land Chandrayaan on the Moon four years after its predecessor crashed on the lunar surface.
ISRO came out trumps during the critical process of soft-landing, which was dubbed by many including ISRO officials as 17 minutes of terror.
The lander fired its engines at the right times and altitudes, and used the right amount of fuel, besides scanning the lunar surface for any obstacles before it finally touched down on the Moon.
The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.
The soft-landing was attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.
After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the LM was placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon.
ISRO had been releasing a series of up-close images of the moon, assisting the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.

A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it was through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface.
Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO had been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remained “normal”. On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit with multiple key manoeuvres thereafter.

Bengaluru, Aug 26,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and interacted with Chandrayaan-3 team and other ISRO scientists after Vikram Lander successfully landed on the uncharted South Pole of the Moon.
By doing this, India became the first country to soft land on the South Pole of the Moon.
An almost tearful PM Modi addressed ISRO scientists and was briefed about the updates on Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, that landed softly on the lunar surface.
He also named Chandrayaan-3 landing point as Shivashakti and Chandrayaan-2 point as Tiranga. PM Modi also announced that August 23 will be celebrated as National Space Day.
He also said, “I was in South Africa but my mind was with the scientists.” In a choked voice, PM Modi further said, “I first wanted to meet the scientists ….”

He said this is the new Bharat that spreads light across the world. “This is today’s Bharat on full blown display. This is Bharat that thinks new. This is that Bharat that spreads light across the world. India will lead the solutions for the world. I keep reliving every second before touchdown. That moment of touchdown is unforgettable. Moment of touchdown is eternal for India.”

PM Modi said Chandrayaan’s success is not only the success of India, but also it is the success of humanity once again.

“I want to congratulate all scientists, technicians and all of you who are part of this mission,” he said.

Earlier, the Chandrayaan-3 team demonstrated the soft-landing of Vikram and rolling out of Pragyan (rover) from its belly.
ISRO Chairman S Somnath updated the Chandrayaan-3 mission to PM Modi.

After landing in Bengaluru from South Africa where he attended the 15th BRICS meeting, addressed people chanting “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan.”

He said the picture which he saw at Bengaluru, is the same picture he saw in Greece and Johannesburg as well.

He added, “It’s really surprising that you all are here and even kids are also here too early in the morning.”

Local performers were seen dancing and playing dhol on the streets in front of HAL airport.
People were seen excitedly waving the national flag and posters made for the PM’s arrival and to celebrate the over-the-moon success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
After the US, China and Russia, India achieved a significant milestone by becoming the fourth country to achieve a successful Moon landing.
The mission was launched on July 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre situated in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Chennai, Aug 21,2023: Ahead of its eagerly awaited soft landing on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday released the images of far side of Lunar area captured by Chandrayaan-3.
ISRO said the images of Lunar far side area were captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). In all four images captured by LHDAC were released by ISRO.
This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area–without boulders or deep trenches–during the descent is developed by ISRO at Space Applications Centre (SAC), Bengaluru. SAC is one of the major centres of ISRO that focuses on the design of space-borne instruments for ISRO missions and development and operationalisation of applications of space technology for societal benefits.
The applications cover communication, broadcasting, navigation, disaster monitoring, meteorology, oceanography, environment monitoring and natural resources survey.

Bengaluru , August 28,2023: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday announced that it will launch the Aditya-L1 Solar Mission, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun on September 2, 2023.
The launch of the solar mission will take place on September 2, 2023, at 11:50 am from Sriharikota.

Taking to X (former Twitter), ISRO said, “The launch of Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is scheduled for September 2, 2023, at 11:50 Hrs IST from Sriharikota. Citizens are invited to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at Sriharikota by registering here: https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/index.jsp. Commencement of registration will be announced there.”
Aditya L1 shall be the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time.

The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.
ISRO also mentioned the the objectives of Aditya-L1 mission.
“Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics. Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares. Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun,” an official statement issued by ISRO said.
“Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events. Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona. Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind,” it added.

Earlier India took a giant leap on September 23 evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago.
Overall, India became the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface

Chennai, Aug 30,2023: In a significant breakthrough, payloads on board the Chandryaa-3 spacecraft, the third Lunar Mission, has found presence of several chemical substances including aluminium, sulphur, calcium,iron, chromium and titanium on the south polar region of the moon and the search is on for finding Hydrogen.
This is the first major revelation captured by the cameras carried by the Rover, which was deployed on August 23 on the lunar surface, by the Lander Module on board the spacecraft.
ISRO said “The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole.”
“These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters”, it said.
ISRO posted in X “Chandrayaan-3 Mission : In-situ scientific experiments continue ….Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) instrument onboard the Rover unambiguously confirms the presence of Sulphur (S) in the lunar
surface near the south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements”.
“Al, Ca, Fe, Cr, Ti, Mn, Si, and O are also detected, as expected. Search for Hydrogen (H) is underway”, it said.
LIBS is a scientific technique that analyzes the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses.
A high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the surface of a material, such as a rock or soil.
The laser pulse generates an extremely hot and localized plasma. The collected plasma light is spectrally resolved and detected by detectors such as Charge Coupled Devices. Since each element emits a characteristic set of wavelengths of light when it’s in a plasma state, the elemental composition of the material is determined. it said, in an update.
Preliminary analyses, graphically represented, have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr) and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface.
Further measurements have revealed the presence of manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), and oxygen (O).
Thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway.
LIBS payload is developed at the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems

Chennai, Sep 1,2023: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said its maiden Solar exploratory Mission Aditya-L1 is not a complete one to study the Sun due to limited mass, power and volume of the spacecraft
that carries scientific payloads in space.
“Is Aditya-L1 a complete Mission to study the Sun. The obvious answer is a ‘NO’ which is not only true for Aditya-L1 but in general for any space mission”, ISRO said.
The reason is that due to the limited mass, power and volume of the spacecraft that carries the scientific payloads in space, only a limited set of instruments with limited capacity can be sent onboard the spacecraft, the Space Agency said.
In case of Aditya-L1, all the measurements will be made from the Lagrange point L1. As an example, the various phenomena of the sun are multi-directional and therefore the directional distribution of energy of explosive/eruptive phenomena will not be possible to study with Aditya-L1 alone, it added.
Another Lagrange point known as L5 is a good vantage point for studying the Earth directed CME events and assessing the space weather.
Also, the polar regions of the sun are not well studied due to technological challenges of achieving spacecraft orbits for such studies.
The sun polar dynamics and magnetic fields are believed to play important role in deriving the solar cycles. Further, the polarisation measurements of solar radiations at different wavelengths are required to understand the various processes occurring in and around the sun, ISRO said.

Vladivistok, Sep 28,2023: Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos announced that two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut have safely returned to the Earth on Wednesday after living for a year in the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, carrying Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Frank Rubio, had undocked from the Prichal module of the ISS earlier Wednesday and landed in Kazakhstan at 14:17 Moscow time (1117 GMT), Roscosmos said on its official website.

After a 371-day stay in space, Prokopyev and Petelin made the longest flight program in the ISS history.
During his two space flights, Prokopyev accumulated more than 567 days and more than 55 hours in total for eight spacewalks. Petelin, who made his first space flight, accumulated more than 39 hours in total for six spacewalks.

Aug 26,2023: C Radhakrishna Rao, one of India’s greatest mathematicians and statisticians, died in the US at the dawn of August 23, about two weeks before his 103rd birthday.
Known as Dr Rao to his colleagues and students, the former director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) had hit the headlines earlier this year after he was awarded the International Prize in Statistics, which many consider equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
Rao studied mathematics at Andhra University and obtained a degree with top honours. Recognising his talent, his father encouraged him to study higher mathematics.
After his father’s death in 1941, Rao was called to Calcutta for an interview pertaining to his job application to the Indian military. A chance meeting with a person who knew of the ISI brought Rao to the Presidency College where Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis had established ISI (before it was moved to its own campus). By speaking with some faculty members and workers, Rao felt that ISI was the right place for him.
In an interview in 2013, Rao stated: “I went back to Visakhapatnam and told my mother [that he would like] to get admitted to ISI for training in statistics, and it would cost me Rs 30 a month to stay in Kolkata. She said she would raise the money somehow and that I should go to Kolkata to join ISI. I travelled to Kolkata with `30 in my pocket and joined ISI on 1 January 1941.”
Rao’s seminal contributions have been in areas of statistics that deal with designing an experiment for efficient extraction of information and testing scientific hypothesis using the results of the experiment.
After he had obtained his MA, Rao was offered a technical apprenticeship in ISI. He also began to teach statistics at Calcutta University. In 1944, he derived a seminal result with which his name is associated — the Cramer-Rao bound. In 1945, he proved a result that is now known as the Rao-Blackwell theorem.
Often, we need to obtain knowledge of an unknown feature of a population like, say, the average monthly income of an Indian. Data can be collected only from a small number of people. From these data, one can obtain an approximate knowledge of monthly income. There are several ways of obtaining estimates from data, but the method proposed by Rao, and two years later by David Blackwell, results in highly reliable estimates.
He went to Cambridge and obtained a PhD under Ronald Fisher, a founder of modern statistical science. During his PhD, he discovered a method, now known as Rao’s Score Test, which is used in all branches of science.
Rao returned to India in 1948 and became a professor in ISI at 28; in 1964, he was appointed its Director. After his retirement from ISI, he moved to the US. In 1982, he established the Center of Multivariate Analysis at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Pennsylvania State University in 1988. In 2007, the University of Hyderabad opened the C R Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. Around 2010, Rao moved to the University of Buffalo at Amherst. He published his last scientific work in his 100th year.
Rao was hugely creative. He used to categorise creativity in two kinds.
“At its highest level, it is the birth of a new idea or a theory which is qualitatively different from and not conforming to or deducible from any existing paradigm, and which explains a wider set of natural phenomena than any existing theory. There is creativity of another kind at a different level, of a discovery made within the framework of an existing paradigm but of immense significance in a particular discipline.”
Rao had excelled in creativity of both kinds.
C. R. Rao was born to a Telugu family in Hadagali, Bellary, Madras Presidency (now in Karnataka), India. His schooling was completed in Gudur, Nuzvid, Nandigama, and Visakhapatnam, all in the present state of Andhra Pradesh. He received an MSc in mathematics from Andhra University and an MA in statistics from Calcutta University in 1943. He obtained a Ph.D. degree at King’s College in Cambridge University under R. A. Fisher in 1948, to which he added a DSc degree, also from Cambridge, in 1965.
The Indian American statistician was recently awarded International Prize in Statistics, which is statistics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The most distinguished exponent of the subject, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao’s monumental work across several branches of statistics and its applications, is noteworthy.
He joined the ISI as a student when it was set up by Dr. P.C. Mahanobilis when statistics as a subject was still in its early years and yet to be taught as a distinct subject at the post-graduate level.
He was sent by Dr. Mahalanobis to Cambridge University, United Kingdom to use certain statistical techniques for anthropological analysis, and from where he earned a doctorate under the supervision of Ronald Fischer, among the pioneers of the field.
On returning to the ISI in India, where Dr. Rao spent the next 40 years of his career, he conceived and established several undergraduate and graduate programmes in statistics and was instrumental in establishing several bureaus of the Indian Statistical Institute in various States.
Dr. Rao was also a member of several government committees for the development of national statistical systems, statistical education and research in India. He served as chairman of the Committee on Statistics (1962-69), chairman of the Demographic and Communication for Population Control (1968-69), chairman of the Committee on Mathematics, Atomic Energy Commission, AEC (1969-78), member of the Committee on Science and Technology, COST (1969-71).
After his retirement, Dr. Rao moved to the United States and worked at several universities. Former U.S. President George Bush conferred on him the National Medal of Science. He was awarded India’s highest honours the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1969 and 2001, respectively.
Reference: Partha P Majumder(The Indian Express),Deccan Chronicle,The Hindu

SINGAPORE, Sept 6,2023: Singapore is planning to expand a pilot project that boosts the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide emissions, using one of several emerging technologies that supporters hope can play a decisive role in the global battle against climate change.

As scientists call for more research into ocean carbon dioxide removal (OCDR), PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, has built a plant that uses electricity to extract CO2 from seawater, allowing it to absorb more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere when it is pumped back out into the ocean.

The project, built at a desalination facility on Singapore’s western coast, extracts 100 kilograms of CO2 a day using technology designed by U.S. firm Equatic, founded by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

At the plant, seawater is run through an electrolyser, which converts dissolved CO2 into calcium carbonate and produces hydrogen.

PUB is aiming to secure funds by the end of the year to build a demonstration plant with a daily capacity of 10 tons, and will look at expanding further, said Gurdev Singh, a PUB general manager who leads the project.

“We have shown that the technology works, but the key now is to optimise the technology at scale,” he said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said the removal of CO2 in the atmosphere will be as important as cutting emissions when it comes to curbing temperature rises.

But while OCDR has been described by one environmental group as an “unsung hero” in the fight against global warming, it remains unclear whether the new technologies are feasible when deployed at scale.

Equatic founder Gaurav Sant stressed the commercial potential.

“What makes this a resilient commercial opportunity is that you can essentially have the same equipment to give you two products: carbon credits and hydrogen,” he said.

It could also profit by selling calcium carbonate to the local building industry, he added.

The project is one of several pilot OCDR ventures around the world. Some rely on bringing nutrient-rich deep-sea water to the surface to stimulate seaweed growth, while others aim to reduce ocean acidification levels and thereby boost CO2 uptake.

Some experts warn that the potential ecological impact of these technologies is still unknown. On Tuesday, more than 200 scientists said in an open letter that OCDR research should be prioritised not only to maximise its potential, but also head off potential risks.

Sir David King, head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and one of the letter’s signatories, said he favoured nature-based approaches, and was sceptical about the efficacy of energy-intensive OCDR technologies like the Equatic venture, which will cost a lot to pump water in and out of the plant.

But billions of tons of CO2 need to be removed from the atmosphere, and more investment in OCDR research was needed urgently, he said.

“What is needed today is to shorten the experimental timeline, and that really demands much more funding,” he said.

“If somebody came up with a few billion dollars, I believe we would accelerate these programmes to the level that is really needed.”

Vienna, August 23,2023:: International Labour Organisation (ILO) asserted that the impending surge of artificial intelligence (AI) is more likely complement and not destroy jobs by automating some tasks rather than taking over a role entirely.
A report released this week by ILO, encompassing a global perspective, provides crucial insights into the potential impact of generative AI on various occupations and tasks.
Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, or ChatGTP, has been stoking worldwide discussion around the benefits and drawbacks of AI since its launch last November.
The chatbot responds to prompts and generates text. Companies and the general public use it in many ways, including managing workflows, quickly responding to queries, writing code, composing essays, planning vacations, and creating personalised content for social media.
The ILO report found that clerical work was the job category with the highest exposure to technology. In other occupational groups – managers, professionals and technicians, for example – only a small share of tasks was found to be at risk of redundancy.
“As a result, the most important impact of the technology is likely to be of augmenting work – automating some tasks within an occupation while leaving time for other duties – as opposed to fully automating occupations,” the report said.
The study documents notable differences in the effects on countries at different levels of development linked to current economic structures and existing technological gaps. In wealthier countries, 5.5 percent of total employment is potentially exposed to the automating effects of Generative AI, whereas the risk is only around 0.4 percent in low-income countries.
“Such insights are necessary for proactively designing policies that can support orderly, fair, and consultative transitions, rather than dealing with change reactively,” the report added, highlighting the need to design policies that support an orderly, fair and consultative transition.
In conclusion, the report noted that the socioeconomic impacts of Generative AI will largely depend on how it is adopted and rolled out.

Sriharikota ( Andhra Pradesh), September 2,2023: The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter, lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 am on Saturday.
The successful launch of the maiden solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission — Chandrayaan-3.
The ISRO successfully placed a lander on the unexplored lunar South Pole, a feat that put India in the record books as the first country to do so.
According to the agency, the Aditya-L1 mission is expected to reach the observation point in four months.
It will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the sun.
It will carry seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.
The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC.
VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.
This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real time. Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.
Major objectives of India’s solar mission include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather.
According to the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the atmosphere of the sun, the corona, is what is seen during a total solar eclipse. A coronagraph like the VELC is an instrument that cuts out the light from the disk of the sun, and can thus image the much fainter corona at all times,
Earlier, on August 23, India became the fourth country after the US, China, and Russia to have successfully placed a lander on the moon’s surface.
After the historic touchdown, the ‘Vikram’ lander and the ‘Pragyan’ rover performed different set tasks on the lunar surface, including finding the presence of sulphur and recording relative temperature.
The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, were a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, the rover moving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.
Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

New Delhi , August 23,2023: After watching live telecast of moon landing of Vikram lander, President Droupadi Murmu conveyed her congratulatory message to ISRO and everyone associated with Chandrayaan-3 mission.
Taking to Twitter President Droupadi Murmu said, “There are days when history is made. Today, with the successful moon landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, our scientists have not only made history, but also remade the idea of geography! It is truly a momentous occasion, the kind of event that happens once in a lifetime, making all Indians proud. I congratulate ISRO and everybody involved in this mission, and wish them greater accomplishments ahead.”
President Droupadi Murmu further wrote, “The success of Chandrayaan, I believe, is also a major achievement for the whole of humankind. It shows how India has harnessed its rich traditional knowledge base along with modern science in the service of humanity.”
India has become the fourth country- after the US, China and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.

Bengaluru, Aug 23,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the momentous moment of Chandrayaan-3’s successful soft-landing on the South Pole of the Moon is the triumph of the New India, and it is about crossing the ocean of difficulties, besides it is the cry of developed India.

“When we see such a history being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed. Such historical events become the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life. This moment is unforgettable. This moment is unprecedented. This moment is the victory cry of a developed India. This moment is the triumph of the new India. This moment is about crossing the ocean of difficulties. This moment is about walking on the path of victory,” he said.

“When we see such a history being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed. Such historical events become the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life,” he added.

Modi further said: “This moment holds the capability of 1.4 billion heartbeats. This moment signifies new energy, new belief, and new consciousness in India. This moment is the call of India’s ascending destiny.”

The first light of success in the dawn of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ has showered this year, and India took a pledge on Earth, and fulfilled it on the Moon, PM Modi said, adding, “And our scientific colleagues also said, “India is now on the moon.” Today, we have witnessed the new flight of New India in space.”

Extending his heartfelt congratulations to Team Chandrayaan and all the scientists of the country who worked tirelessly for years for this moment, Modi said though he is currently in South Africa to participate in the BRICS Summit, his heart was also focussed on the Chandrayaan Mission.

“As a new history unfolds, every Indian is immersed in celebration, and festivities have begun in every household. From my heart, I am also connected with my fellow countrymen and my family members with enthusiasm,” he said.

Modi said through the hard work and talent of India’s scientists, the country has reached the South Pole of the Moon where no other country in the world has ever reached.

From today onwards, the myths associated with the Moon will change, narratives will change, and even proverbs for the new generation will change, Modi said.

“In India, we refer to the Earth as our mother and the Moon as our ‘Mama’ (maternal uncle). It used to be said that “Chanda Mama is quite far away.” Now a day will come when children will say, “Chanda Mama is just a ‘tour’ away,” he said.

On this joyous occasion, Modi said India’s successful moon mission is not India’s alone and this success belongs to all of humanity.

“This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G-20 presidency. Our approach of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is resonating across the globe. This human-centric approach that we represent has been welcomed universally. Our moon mission is also based on the same human-centric approach. Therefore, this success belongs to all of humanity,” he said.

This will also help moon missions by other countries in the future, Modi said and expressed confidence that all countries in the world, including those from the Global South, are capable of achieving such feats. “We can all aspire for the moon and beyond,” he said.

MOdi said this achievement of the Chandrayaan Mission will propel India’s journey beyond the Moon’s orbit.

“We will test the limits of our solar system and continue working to realize the infinite possibilities of the universe for humanity. We have set many big and ambitious goals for the future,” he said.

Soon, PM Modi said ISRO will launch the ‘Aditya L-1’ mission for in-depth study of the Sun, and following that, Venus is on ISRO’s agenda.

Through the Gaganyaan mission, the country is diligently preparing for its first human spaceflight mission, and India is repeatedly proving that the sky is not the limit.

Modi said science and technology are the foundation of a bright future for India, and this day will inspire all Indians to move towards a brighter future.

“The country will remember this day forever. This day will inspire all of us to move towards a brighter future. This day will show us the path to fulfilling our resolutions. This day symbolizes how victory is achieved by taking lessons from defeat. Once again, heartfelt congratulations to all the scientists of the country and best wishes for future missions! Thank you very much,” he said.

Earlier, India made history on Wednesday after its Chandrayaan-3 mission succeeded in soft-landing on the South Pole of the Moon.

India became the first nation to land on the south pole of the moon, and fourth to land on the north pole of it.

This was ISRO’s third attempt to land Chandrayaan on the Moon four years after its predecessor crashed on the lunar surface.

ISRO came out trumps during the critical process of soft-landing, which was dubbed by many including ISRO officials as 17 minutes of terror.

The lander fired its engines at the right times and altitudes, and used the right amount of fuel, besides scanning the lunar surface for any obstacles before it finally touched down on the Moon.

The Rs 600 crore Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 onboard Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole.

The soft-landing was attempted days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.

After the second and final deboosting operation on August 20, the LM was placed in a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the Moon.

Chennai, Aug 23,2023: Just two hours after making it successful landing on South Polar region, the Lander Module (LM) on board the third Lunar Mission Chandrayaan-3 captured images, confirming the communication link it established with the Ground stations.
ISRO released four pictures taken by the Lander Camera during the powered descent while soft landing on the moon’s surface, the first country in the world to achieve this monumental feat, that brought accolades to the Indian Space Agency from across the world.
“ISRO said “Chandrayaan-3 Mission Updates: The communication link is established between the Ch-3 Lander and MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru”.
“Here are the images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent”, it said.
Earlier, soon after the soft landing, ISRO said “Chandrayaan-3 India reached my destination and you too!”.
“Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon. Congratulations, India”, it said.

Los Angles, Sept 15,2023: NASA announced Thursday it has appointed a director for study on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Now officially known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), ‘UFOs’ have certainly long captivated our curiosity.
Mark McInerney was appointed as NASA director of UAP research. He will centralize communications, resources, and data analytical capabilities to establish a robust database for the evaluation of future UAP.
He also will leverage NASA’s expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and space-based observation tools to support and enhance the broader government initiative on UAP, according to NASA.
The move came in response to recommendation by an independent study team for NASA to play a more prominent role in understanding UAP.
The team is a counsel of 16 community experts across diverse areas on matters relevant to potential methods of study for UAP.
NASA commissioned the independent study to better understand how the agency can contribute to ongoing government efforts to further observation of events in the sky that cannot be identified as balloons, aircraft, or as known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective.
NASA released a report of the independent study team on UAP, containing its findings and recommendations which aim to inform NASA on what possible data is available to be collected and how the agency can help shed light on the origin and nature of future UAP.
NASA commissioned a study team in 2022 to investigate such hard-to-easily-classify reports, and tomorrow they’re revealing the highly anticipated findings at a media briefing.

Stockholm, Oct 4,2023: Three scientists, Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday.

“These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, among many other things,” it added.

“(I am) very surprised, unexpected, and very honored,” Bawendi said in the onsite telephone interview of his reactions.

The prize is 11 million Swedish kronor (about 997,700 U.S. dollars) and will be shared equally between the three laureates.

Chennai, Sep 15,2023: The fourth earth-bound manoeuvre of the Aditya L­1 mission to study the sun was successfully performed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday morning.
The orbit raising was performed at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru at 0200 hrs early today.
ISRO posted “Aditya L1, India’s first space-based mission to study the Sun, successfully completed its fourth earth-bound manoeuvre in the early hours of Thursday/Friday.
“The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully”, it said. ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal
currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations,” the space agency wrote on X.
The new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973 km. The next manoeuvre, Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I), which marks a send-off from the Earth, is scheduled for around 2 am on September 19.
“Aditya L1, India’s first space-based mission to study the Sun, successfully completed its fourth earth-bound manoeuvre in the early hours of Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced.
“The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully. Isro’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations,” the space agency said.

Washington, Sep 6,2023: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday the company was waiting for the approval of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to launch another Starship spacecraft.

“Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval,” Musk said on X (formerly known as Twitter).

SpaceX said on X earlier in the day that it had “fully stacked Starship on the launch pad at Starbase” in Texas.

SpaceX carried out the first combined launch of the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy first-stage booster in April. The spacecraft was deliberately blown up during the test flight after it began to lose altitude when multiple engines failed. The spacecraft climbed to an apogee of about 39 kilometers (24 miles) over the Gulf of Mexico, which is the highest point any Starship spacecraft has reached to date.

Musk said in late June that SpaceX would launch another Starship spacecraft in about six weeks, adding that the new launch has about a 60% probability of making it to orbit.