Page 2 - Isro Chief

US envoy, Isro Chairman Somanath discuss space collaboration in Bengaluru

During his visit to Bengaluru, Garcetti also spoke with industry leaders and members of the American Chamber of Commerce India

India targets debris-free space missions by 2030: Isro chief Somanath

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Tuesday announced that India aims to achieve debris-free space missions by 2030. Addressing the 42nd Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) annual meet here, he said ISRO has a very clearly laid out plan as far as space exploration and space utilisation are concerned for the coming days. "It is one of the intent or initiative of India to ensure that debris-free space missions are conducted so as to ensure the sustainability of space. I would like to make this initiative a declaration today, possibly this can be discussed and debated in the coming days," Somanath, also Secretary in the Department of Space, said. "This initiative aims to achieve debris-free space missions by all Indian space actors, governmental and non-governmental, by 2030. India also encourages all state space actors to follow this initiative for long-term sustainability of outer space," he said. "Currently, we have 54 spacecraft in orbit, plus there are non-functional .

Diagnosed with cancer on day of Aditya L1 launch, cured now: Isro chief

ISRO chairman S Somanath has revealed that he learnt about being diagnosed with cancer on the day of the launch of India's Aditya L1 mission. In an interview with Tarmak Media House, Somanath said he underwent an operation to remove the growth in his stomach, followed it up with chemotherapy and was now completely cured of the disease. "Undoubtedly, they would have been shocked. But now, I perceive cancer and its treatment as a solution. There is a message that it is not incurable," he said when asked about the reaction of his family members to the diagnosis. He said he had realized that there were some health issues during the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission but was not very clear about it. "I was uncertain about a complete cure at the time, I was undergoing the process," he admitted, highlighting the ongoing nature of his battle against cancer. Somanath said he would be undergoing regular checkups and scans, but he was now completely cured and has resumed duties. "No, I do

ISRO successfully deploys magnetometer boom on board Aditya-L1 spacecraft

ISRO has successfully deployed the magnetometer boom on board the Aditya-L1 satellite to measure the low intensity interplanetary magnetic field in space. The six metre-long magnetometer boom is deployed in the Halo orbit at the Lagrange point L-1, on January 11, the space agency said, noting that the boom had been in stowed condition for 132 days since the Aditya-L1 launch. According to ISRO, the boom carries two state-of-the-art, high-accuracy fluxgate magnetometer sensors that measure the low intensity interplanetary magnetic field in space. "The sensors are deployed at distances of 3 and 6 metres from the spacecraft body. Mounting them at these distances minimises the impact of the spacecraft generated magnetic field on measurements, and using two of them assists precise estimation of this influence. The dual sensor system facilitates cancelling out the spacecraft's magnetic influence," it said. The boom segments are constructed from carbon fibre reinforced polymer and serve a

Aditya L1 mission: Everything you need to know about the ISRO probe

"Satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun," is 'Aditya-L1'. It is India's first space-based observatory-class solar mission launched to undertake a comprehensive study of the Sun

First Indian astronaut on moon by 2040, says Isro Chairman Somanath

Four test pilots from the Indian Air Force have been selected as astronaut designates for the mission and they are undergoing mission-specific training at the ATF in Bengaluru

Gaganyaan mission astronauts ready, waiting for 2025 flight: Isro chief

Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath said here on Saturday that the astronauts selected for India's first human space flight programme Gaganyaan are ready and waiting for the flight to happen for the 2025 mission. The Gaganyaan programme aims to send four astronauts into space for a three-day mission in 2025 and bring them back safely to Earth. ISRO, whose Chandrayaan-3 made a historic landing near Moon's south pole in August, is working day and night to develop technology to make it happen, Somanath said. For the first mission we have selected four of them, and it is our endeavour to send them at least by 2025 to space and bring them back safely. Bringing them back safely is a very important element of this mission, Somanath said while addressing graduating students at the 11th convocation of Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU). A lot of technology needs to be developed in the coming days to make it possible. And at ISRO we are working day and night to make

Deregulation imperative for space sector growth: Isro chairman Somanath

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Saturday emphasised the necessity of deregulating unnecessary controls in the space sector to foster improved growth. He also attributed India's significant progress in the space industry to the opening up of the sector. Speaking to media here during the celebration of 60 years since India's first sounded rocket launch, Somanath highlighted that the involvement of the private sector in space science development has led to remarkable expansion in India's satellite-building capabilities. "Earlier, it was only ISRO for the development and production of satellites, launch vehicles, and related technologies. ISRO has only 17,000 people and a budget of Rs 13,000 crore. It remained so for all these years," Somanath said. He said that India now has more than 130 startups in the space sector, with some companies boasting a workforce of 400 to 500 employees and a turnover ranging from Rs 500 to 1000 crores. "Some of them are paying better salaries than ISRO, and

Isro 'very busy' with various exploration missions in pipeline: Chairman

ISRO has lined up a series of exploration missions including to Mars, Venus and to the Moon again, apart from the maiden human spaceflight programme, Chairman S Somanath said on Sunday. The space agency also has drawn up plans to launch missions for studying climate and weather conditions of the Earth, the space agency chief said, speaking to reporters. Besides, ISRO is also working on regular scientific missions including communication, remote sensing satellites, Somanath, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, said here. Speaking about the Gaganyaan programme, he said the maiden TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for October 21. Elaborating about the upcoming missions undertaken by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, he said, We have exploration missions. We have plans to go to Mars, Venus, again sometime to the Moon. We also have programmes to look at the climate and weather of Earth. Stressing that the scientists at ISRO would be focused on taking up regular .

Mission to Venus already configured: Isro chairman post Chandrayaan-3 plans

Calling it an interesting planet, Isro chief S Somnath said that studying Venus could answer several questions in the space science field

Isro excels as no individual here is penalised for failures, says Somanath

Failures are a very natural part of the space sector but no individual is penalised for it at ISRO which encourages scientists to take novel approaches in decision-making, the space agency's chairman S Somanath said on Wednesday. Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the All India Management Association (AIMA), Somanath, who played a key role in the soft-landing of a spacecraft on the moon, noted that even he had faced failures several times, but never got criticised for it by his seniors. "We make sure that no single individual is penalised for failures because no decision is made by a single individual. All these decisions are taken by collective wisdom," he said in an interactive session here. Somanath said in the space sector, there is a clear understanding that one person cannot understand everything which leads to collective decision-making. "So, collective decision means that you own the responsibility of failures as well. Management owns the responsibility, it is not fixed on

'Fairly good chance': Ex-Isro chief on Vikram lander and Pragyan waking up

Chandrayaan-3: Isro is gearing up to wake the Vikram lander and Pragyan from 'sleep mode' to face the sun's rays after they were put into deep sleep having completed their set tasks

Chandrayaan-3: After landing on Moon, here's what Pragyan rover will do now

Chandrayaan-3 updates: After Vikram's successful landing on the Moon, now it is up to Pragyan rover to take up the next phase of the mission. What are its goals? Here are the details

Chandrayaan-3 landing on August 27 if conditions are unfavourable: Isro

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has kept an alternative date for Chandrayaan-3 landing on August 27, if it will not be appropriate to land the Vikram module on August 23

Chandrayaan-3: Vikram lander to separate from propulsion module today

Chandrayaan-3 location: On Wednesday, the Chandrayaan-3 mission hit another mark when its spacecraft successfully underwent a fifth and final lunar-bound orbit manoeuvre

Consider rockets like baby: Isro chief Somanath after Chandrayaan-3 launch

Expressing his deep love and association with rockets, ISRO chairman S Somanath on Saturday said he considers the launch vehicles as babies. Somanath said he enjoyed the launch of Phase-I of Chandrayaan-3 on Friday, while adding that he had gone through the entire data and marvelled at "how beautiful the rocket was". ISRO on Friday successfully launched its third moon mission, this time a far more complicated 41-day voyage to reach the lunar south pole where no other country has gone before. The space agency said the technically challenging soft landing on lunar surface, which Chandrayaan-2 could not achieve, has been planned for 5.47 pm on August 23. Delivering his address at the 12th Convocation of IIT Hyderabad in neighbouring Sangareddy district, Somanath said "As an engineer and scientist, I have a love for rockets. I consider the rocket like a baby, seeing its birth, its growth, its problems of growth, its emotions and developing a deep understanding of its mechanics and ...

Need for cooperation among G20 nations on space technologies: ISRO chairman

ISRO chairman S Somanath on Monday said there was a need for cooperation among the G20 nations on space technologies. Addressing the precursor meeting of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting (SELM) in Shillong, he said the bilateral relationships between the countries on space technologies also need to be strengthened. "There is a need for cooperation among the G20 nations for the development of space technology and its applications," he said. Twenty-eight delegates from the G20 nations and guest countries attended the meeting. Global experts in the field were also present in the meeting. Somanath said space applications for the benefit of mankind will increase many folds in the future, and it will play the role of an economic contributor and help the global economy. He expressed optimism that the deliberations at the meeting will result in a fruitful outcome, and assist the space community at different levels. He also lauded the Northeastern Space Applications Centre for handli

Isro launches 36 satellites for OneWeb; everything you need to know

This was the second launch by Isro for OneWeb, a UK-based company supported by the UK govt, SoftBank, and India's Bharti Enterprises

India plans to expand NaVIC, make signals more secure, says Isro chief

India plans to expand its regional satellite navigation system NaVIC in a bid to increase its use in the civilian sector and also by ships and aircraft travelling far from the country's borders. The Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC) uses seven satellites to provide real-time positioning and timing services in India and an area extending upto 1,500 km from the country's borders. However, several satellites of the constellation have outlived their lives and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) now plans to replace at least five of these with the improved L-Band, which would enable it to offer better global positioning services to the public. "We have five more satellites in production, they have to be launched periodically to replace the defunct satellites. The new satellites will have L-1, L-5 and S Band," ISRO Chairman S Somanath told PTI in an interview here. Somanath was speaking on the sidelines of the India Space Congress organised by the SatCom Industry ...

Isro likely to launch Chandrayan-3 in June next year: Chief Somanath

Addressing a press conference, Somanath told the reporters that mission Chandrayaan-3 is almost ready to be launched in June of next year