Page 2 - Spacecraft

America's Odysseus spacecraft makes 1st commercial moon landing in history

Notably, this landing comes months after India's Chandrayaan-3 lander, which became the first spacecraft from the country to safely reach the lunar surface in August 2023

Japan spacecraft lands on lunar surface, becomes 5th country to reach moon

Japan's space agency said early Saturday that its spacecraft is on the moon, but is still "checking its status". More details will be given at a news conference, officials said. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 am. Tokyo time Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). No astronauts were onboard the spacecraft. If SLIM landed successfully, Japan would become the fifth country to accomplish the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. As the spacecraft descended, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was checking its status" and that more information would be given at a news conference. It wasn't immediately clear when the news conference would start. SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its

Aditya L1 takes STEPS to collect info on energetic particles from space

After India's solar mission Aditya L1 began its journey towards Lagrange point 1 following a key manoeuvre, it has started studying energetic particles in the solar wind from space, and will continue to do so for the rest of its life, a senior astrophysicist said. The study of the solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun which permeates the solar system, will be carried out with the help of a device named Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS), a part of the Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) payload. STEPS is now working from space. However, it was not sitting idle earlier. It has started functioning from within the magnetic field of the Earth since September 10 when Aditya was 52,000 kilometres above our planet, Dr Dibyendu Chakrabarty, professor of Space and Atmospheric Sciences at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) said. STEPS was developed by the PRL with support from the Space Application Centre (SAC) in ...

Isro achieved another big milestone in space research: CM KCR on Aditya-L1

Expressing delight over the successful launch of Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday said ISRO achieved another big milestone in the field of space research. ISRO on Saturday launched the Aditya-L1, eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition, Chandrayaan-3, a few days ago. The Chief Minister said the achievement by the India's scientists in the field of space research stood as a role model for the world and it is a proud moment for every Indian, a release from the Chief Minister's office said. Rao, also known as KCR, said that ISRO achieved another big milestone in the field of space research. KCR congratulated the ISRO Chairman, scientists and other technical staff, the release added.

India's space industry expected to grow from $8 bn in coming years: PM Modi

PM Modi applauded the remarkable achievement of Chandrayaan-3 as a testament to India's scientific prowess in the infinite expanse of space

Chandrayaan-3 is ready to create history, check landing date, time and more

Chandrayaan-3 will land on the moon's surface today at 6.04 pm. The final fifteen minutes are the most crucial period and that will determine the success of the mission

Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon

Russia's robot lander the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country's space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday. The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon, read a statement from the agency. Roscosmos said it lost contact with the spacecraft on Saturday after it ran into trouble while preparing for its pre-landing orbit after reporting an abnormal situation that its specialists were analysing. During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters, Roscosmos said in a Telegram post. The spacecraft was scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, racing to land on Earth's satellite ahead of an Indian spacecraft. The lunar south pole is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may

Chandrayaan-3 landing to be covered on multiple platforms on Aug 23: Isro

India's pursuit of space exploration will reach a remarkable milestone with the Chandrayaan-3 mission poised to achieve a soft landing on the surface of the Moon on August 23 -- and it can be watched live by the nation on multiple platforms. This achievement would mark a significant step forward for Indian Science, Engineering, Technology, and Industry, symbolising our nation's progress in space exploration, ISRO said on Sunday. The eagerly anticipated event will be broadcast live on August 23, 2023, starting from 17:27 Hrs IST. Live coverage of the soft-landing will be available on multiple platforms, including the ISRO Website, its YouTube channel, ISRO's Facebook page, and DD National TV channel. "The soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 is a monumental moment that not only fuels curiosity but also sparks a passion for exploration within the minds of our youth," ISRO said. "It generates a profound sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the prowess of Indian science and

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers glitch in pre-landing manoeuvre

Russia reported an abnormal situation Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month. The country's space agency, Roscosmos, said the spacecraft ran into unspecified trouble while trying to enter a pre-landing orbit, and that its specialists were analyzing the situation. During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters, Roscosmos said in a Telegram post. Roscosmos did not specify whether the incident will prevent Luna-25 from making a landing. The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, racing to land on Earth's satellite ahead of an Indian spacecraft. The lunar south pole is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain water. The frozen water in the rocks could be transformed by future explorers into air and rocket fuel. Also on Saturday, the Rus

Isro releases visuals of Moon captured by Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's Lander

ISRO on Friday released a set of visuals of the Moon captured by cameras positioned on the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. The images, captured after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module of the spacecraft on Thursday, showed the craters on the Moon's surface that were marked on the photographs released by ISRO as 'Fabry', 'Giordano Bruno' and 'Harkhebi J'. The country's space agency shared on X (formerly Twitter) the images captured by the Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC) on August 15, and visuals from the Lander Imager (LI) Camera-1 on August 17 -- just after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module. The Lander Module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) will on Friday be lowered to an orbit that takes it closer to the Moon's surface for the soft landing on the Lunar south pole on August 23.

When dreams come true... On board Virgin Galactic's tourist journey to space

Why the likelihood of UFOs, aliens playing peekaboo with humans is remote

Among those who have reported sightings are highly trained pilots equipped with cutting-edge technology, but…

Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft leaves earth's orbit, heads towards moon: Isro

The ISRO on Tuesday said Chandrayaan-3 has completed its orbits around the earth and is now heading towards the Moon. "A successful perigee-firing performed at ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network). ISRO has injected the spacecraft into the translunar orbit," it said. The key manoeuvre was carried out early on Tuesday to slingshot the spacecraft towards the moon. "Chandrayaan-3 completes its orbits around the Earth and heads towards the moon," the national space agency said, adding, "Next stop: the moon." "As it arrives at the moon, the Lunar-Orbit Insertion is planned for August 5, 2023," ISRO said. An ISRO official told PTI that following the trans-lunar injection, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft escaped from orbiting the Earth and is now following a path that would take it to the vicinity of the moon. The ISRO had said it would attempt softlanding on the lunar surface on August 23. The spacecraft's orbit was progressively increased five times after the Chandraya

Chandrayaan-3 update: Isro to slingshot spacecraft on path to moon

The event has been scheduled between 12:00 am and 1:00 am on August 1 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

NISAR: NASA-ISRO observing satellite that can track entire earth in 12 days

NASA and ISRO are working together to develop the NISAR spacecraft in Bengaluru, set to launch in early 2024. The NISAR satellite can track every part of our planet once in 12 days

With Chandrayaan-3, India to be 4th nation to land spacecraft on moon

After such a quantum rise in our Space expertise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, 'India can no longer wait to be left behind in its march to the Moon,' Jitendra Singh said

India's space start-ups exploring niche markets, global collaborations

From aiming to re-fuel satellites in orbit to monitoring the Earth's health, Indian start-ups in the space sector are exploring niche markets with the hope of striking it big as opportunities for global commercial collaborations open up. India becoming a signatory to the Artemis Accords and the focus on the space sector, particularly on addressing issues related to export control and technology transfer, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the US will open up doors for private players, industry leaders believe. Since India opened up its space sector in 2020, more than 150 start-ups have come up in areas such as building rockets and satellites, setting up astronaut training facilities and exploring possibilities for space tourism. "It is a good start, because it was unheard of for the US to supply any space or defence-related technology 10-15 years ago. It was a taboo. Now, we are talking of working together in sunrise sectors," Manastu Space co-founder Tushar Jadha

China successfully launches new manned spaceship with 1st civilian on board

China on Tuesday successfully sent three astronauts including its first civilian into orbit as it launched the Shenzhou-16 manned mission to its space station for its second crew rotation, signalling another leap forward for the country's ambitious space programme. The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 9:31 AM (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). About 10 minutes after the launch, Shenzhou-16 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared. Hours later the spaceship successfully docked with the space station's core module about 400km above the ground, the CMSA said. After that, it conducted a fast-automated rendezvous and docked with the radial port of its core module Tianhe. The astronaut trio aboard Shenzhou-16 will then enter the Tianhe module and the three ..

Japanese company's 'high probability' spacecraft crashes on moon

A Japanese company lost contact with its spacecraft moments before touchdown on the moon Wednesday, saying the mission had apparently failed. Communications ceased as the lander descended the final 33 feet (10 meters), traveling around 16 mph (25 kph). Flight controllers peered at their screens in Tokyo, expressionless, as minutes went by with no word from the lander, which is presumed to have crashed. We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface, said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of the company, ispace. If it had landed, the company would have been the first private business to pull off a lunar landing. Only three governments have successfully touched down on the moon: Russia, the United States and China. An Israeli nonprofit tried to land on the moon in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact. The 7-foot lander (2.3-meter) Japanese lander carried a mini lunar rover for the United Arab Emirates and a toylike robot from Japan designed

Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft capable of handling harsh launch conditions: Isro

India's national space agency ISRO announced on Thursday that it has reached a new milesone in the pursuit of a soft landing on the Moon, with the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft having successfully completed "the essential tests" that validated its capability to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would face during its launch. The tests were conducted during the first week of March in the facilities located at U R Rao Satellite Centre here, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said in a statement today. "These tests are an essential part of the qualification and acceptance process for any spacecraft," ISRO said, adding that they were particularly challenging, considering the fact that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is a composite of three modules -- Propulsion Module, Lander Module and the Rover module. The vibration and acoustic tests carried out on the integrated spacecraft has provided sufficient confidence about its structural integrit