Satellite Launch

Isro set to launch much-delayed Proba 3 mission satellites from Sriharikota

Spacecraft will be carried by the PSLV-C59 vehicle into a highly elliptical orbit as a dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)

Russian rocket launches Iranian satellites as Moscow, Tehran expand ties

A Russian rocket on Tuesday blasted off successfully to carry a pair of Iranian satellites into orbit, a launch that reflected growing cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. The Soyuz rocket lifted off as scheduled from Vostochny launchpad in far eastern Russia and put its payload into a designated orbit nine minutes after the launch. It was carrying two Russian Ionosphere-M Earth observation satellites and several dozen smaller satellites, including the two Iranian ones. Iran's two satellites, named Kowsar and Hodhod, were the first launched on behalf of the country's private sector. In 2022, a Russian rocket launched an Iranian Earth observation satellite that was built in Russia on Tehran's order. Tuesday's launch comes as Russia and Iran have expanded ties in various spheres. Ukraine and the West have accused Tehran of providing Moscow with hundreds of exploding drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine and helped launch their production in Russia. The Iranian drone deliveri

SpaceX's rival AST SpaceMobile soars 1,300%; now comes the satellite launch

AST's stock is up about 1,300% since hitting a record low in April and the best performer in the small-capitalization Russell 2000 Index over the past six months

China to launch first satellites of constellation to rival Starlink: Report

The competition to occupy Earth's lower orbits also has military implications, with the potential to affect the balance of power between warring countries

North Korea informs Japan of plan to launch satellite rocket by June 3

Japan said Monday that North Korea has informed it of a plan to launch a satellite by June 3. Japan's coast guard said it has been notified by North Korea about its planned launch of a "satellite rocket" beginning Monday through midnight June 3. The launch plan likely refers to the North's efforts to launch its second military spy satellite into space. South Korea's military said Friday it detected signs that North Korea is engaging in activities believed to be preparations to launch a spy satellite at its main Tongchangri launch facility in the northwest. Last November, North Korea sent its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit as part of its efforts to build a space-based surveillance network to deal with what it calls US-led military threats. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later told a key governing party meeting that the country would launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024. The UN bans North Korea from conducting satellite launches, considering

SpaceX rocket deploys Tata's indigenous military-grade satellite into orbit

Named TSAT-1A and manufactured at the Vemagal facility in Karnataka, the satellite was part of SpaceX's payload aboard the Bandwagon-1 mission

Sub-metre optical satellite assembled in India deployed into space: TASL

Tata Advanced Systems Limited on Monday announced the "successful deployment" into space of its sub-metre optical satellite that was assembled and tested in India. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched TSAT-1A satellite from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the US on Sunday (April 7), Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) said in a statement. "TSAT-1A will deliver high-resolution optical satellite images with increased collection capacity, dynamic range, and low-latency delivery through its multispectral and hyperspectral capabilities," the company said. A wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, TASL is a significant player for aerospace and defence solutions in India. TASL, India's leading private sector player for aerospace and defence solutions, and Satellogic Inc, a leader in sub-metre resolution Earth Observation data collection, "today announced the successful deployment into space of TASL's TSAT-1A satellite aboard the Bandwagon-1 mission, which SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket", the

Ananth Technologies claims crucial role in 55 modules for launch system

For the satellite INSAT-3DS, ATL has supplied complete power control system, solar array generation system, power distribution system, DC-DC power converters, star sensors

Countdown for launch of INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite begins: Isro

The countdown for the launch of INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite onboard a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle commenced on Friday, the ISRO said on Friday. The lift-off for the GSLV-F14 in its 16th mission is scheduled at 5.35 pm on Saturday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The INSAT-3DS satellite is a follow-on mission of the third generation meteorological satellite to be placed in a geostationary orbit, and it is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. "GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS Mission: 27.5 hours countdown leading to the launch on February 17, 2024 at 17.35 hrs has commenced" ISRO said.

Iran launches satellite that is part of Western-criticised programme

Iran on said Saturday it had conducted a successful satellite launch into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program the West fears improves Tehran's ballistic missiles. The announcement comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and just days after Iran and Pakistan engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes in each others' countries. The Soraya satellite was placed in an orbit at some 750 kilometers (460 miles) above the Earth's surface with a three-stage rocket, the state-run IRNA news agency said. It did not immediately acknowledge what the satellite did. The launch was part of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' space programme alongside Iran's civilian space program, the report said. There was no immediate independent confirmation Iran had successfully put the satellite in orbit. The United States has previously said Iran's satellite launches defy a UN Security Council resolution and called on Tehran to undertake no ...

Kim's sister rejects US offer of dialogue, vows more satellite launches

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed US calls for a return to diplomacy and lambasted condemnations of the North's recent spy satellite launch, vowing more launches in violation of UN bans. During a UN Security Council meeting earlier this week, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, called the North's satellite launch a "reckless, unlawful" action that threatens its neighbours. But she reiterated the US offer for dialogue without any preconditions, saying North Korea "can choose the timing and topic". Kim's sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, rejected the US overture and threatened more satellite and other weapons launches. "The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations, and therefore, (North Korea) will never sit face to face with the US for that purpose," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. "(North Korea) will continue to make efforts to develop ...

North Korea restores border posts amid tensions over spy satellite: Seoul

South Korea said on Monday North Korea is restoring frontline guard posts that it had dismantled during a previous period of inter-Korean rapprochement, deepening tensions that spiked over the North's recent spy satellite launch. The two Koreas each earlier dismantled or disarmed 11 of their guard posts inside their heavily fortified border under a 2018 deal meant to ease frontline military confrontations. But the deal is now in danger of being scraped, as both Koreas openly threaten to breach it amid rising animosities over the North's satellite launch. After North Korea claimed to place its first military spy satellite into orbit last Tuesday, South Korea said it would partially suspend the deal and resume front aerial surveillance in response. South Korea called its step a minimum defensive measure to respond to the launch that it says involved the North's intentions of improving its missile technology as well as establishing a space-based surveillance system. North Korea ...

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Iran puts imaging satellite successfully into orbit amid tensions with West

Iran claimed on Wednesday that it has successfully put an imaging satellite into space. The state-run IRNA news agency, quoting the country's communication minister, said the Noor-3 satellite had been put in an orbit 450 kilometres (280 miles) above the Earth's surface. There was no immediate acknowledgment from Western officials of the launch or of the satellite being put into orbit. Iran has had a series of failed launches in recent years.

Aeroflex Industries in talks to enter aerospace sector, says top official

Following the recent success of its lunar mission, India launched its first solar mission, the latest step in its efforts to increase its share of the global satellite launch market by fivefold

World's largest private satellite Jupiter-3 to be launched by Falcon Heavy

The Maxar Technologies-owned communication satellite, named JUPITER-3, is the largest commercial communications satellite ever built and will provide internet to North and South America

Ahead of launch, Isro team visits Tirupathi temple with Chandrayaan-3 model

The countdown for the launch will begin later on Thursday, ahead of take-off on Friday from Sriharikota

Space startups welcome GST exemption for satellite launch services

The Indian private sector on Wednesday welcomed the government's decision to exempt satellite launch services by private organisations from GST, saying the move will help them offer competitive rates to put satellites in orbit. The GST Council, at a meeting on Tuesday, decided that GST exemption on satellite launch services supplied by ISRO, Antrix Corporation Limited and New Space India Limited (NSIL) may be extended to such services supplied by organisations in the private sector also to encourage start-ups. The Indian Space Association-EY report had said that the space launch segment was expected to grow rapidly by 2025 at the rate of 13 percent per annum. "This step will give financial relief to the players and will incentivise growth of this nascent sector. We believe it will help enable the growth of indigenous launch capabilities and ensure a level playing field for all," Lt Gen A K Bhatt (retd.) Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA) said. He said the satellite

Industry welcomes GST exemption for startups into satellite launch services

ISpA says step will give financial relief to the players, incentivise segment's growth and help spawn indigenous launch capabilities, creating a level playing field for all

Will transfer SSLV to industry amid demand for small satellite: Isro chief

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday announced that it will transfer its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to the private sector amid growing demand for small satellites. The SSLV, which has had two development flights, seeks to provide on-demand services to put satellites weighing up to 500 kg in a low-earth orbit. "We have built our own SSLV which will be transferred to the industry and produced in large numbers to meet the growing demand," ISRO chairman S Somanath said at the inauguration ceremony of the India Space Congress organised by SIA India. The space agency has decided to opt for the bidding route to transfer the mini-rocket to the industry, a senior official said. The SSLV is the sixth launch vehicle developed by ISRO and has undergone two development flights in August last year and in February this year. The maiden flight of the SSLV in August last year was a failure due to vibration disturbance for a short duration on the Equipment Bay deck dur