Warning: This report contains accounts of sexual assault and violence that some readers may find distressing. Ramia was preparing for a family picnic, on a warm summer day in her village in Latakia province in western Syria, when a white car drove up, she said
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here in the national capital. Pichai is here for the Global AI Impact Summit 2026 and will deliver the keynote address on February 20 at the summit. New Delhi: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra
The back-and-forth between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association has taken another turn. On Tuesday afternoon, the WNBPA submitted a new counterproposal, only to have it shot down yet again by the league, as negotiations intensify ahead of the new season
The leadership has made it clear that performance and public perception will be key criteria in deciding nominations The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing for a major organisational overhaul in Assam ahead of the assembly elections
An avalanche in California's Lake Tahoe region has left 10 backcountry skiers missing, authorities say, with six more people stranded and awaiting rescue. The avalanche was reported about 11:30PST (19:30GMT) in the Castle Peak area near the town of Truckee
Political and strategic considerations will overshadow economic ones in the choices that countries make going forward, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation 2026 summit organised by the Future Economic Cooperation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón at Hyderabad House in New Delhi amid high-level engagements at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026. The meeting between the two leaders followed President Sanchez’s arrival in the national
Warner Bros Discovery is in talks with Paramount Skydance Corp. for a potential takeover. The Ellison family's bid has seen a slight increase. Warner boss David Zaslav is negotiating to secure the best possible deal for shareholders. Paramount needs to address remaining concerns to surpass
How reusability can lead to sustainable, cost-effective access to space
How reusability can lead to sustainable, cost-effective access to space Premium
After four decades of government-led space exploration, the new millennium has ushered in a commercial revolution where private companies now lead and fund the industry's most significant breakthroughs. Space is now a fast-growing industry, expected to exceed $1 trillion in value by 2030. The application of innovative technologies, notably partial reusability of rockets by these new players, has reduced the cost of access per kg to space by a factor of 5-20 compared to expendable rockets and increased the launch cadence considerably.
Human space missions are 3-5-times more expensive than satellite missions because of the more complex requirements for life support, safety, redundancy, and mission planning. These systems require higher investment in technology and infrastructure compared to uncrewed satellite missions. In contrast, most satellite missions are one-way trips built with comparatively simpler hardware/software architectures.
Rockets have to face two major hurdles on their way to orbit through the atmosphere: gravity and aerodynamic drag. To move forward, the rocket has nothing to push against; hence, it must eject engine exhaust backward in a supersonic jet.
The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation connects how fast a rocket can go to the amount of fuel it burns and how much it weighs. It shows that space travel has a weight problem: because fuel is so heavy, the rocket needs more fuel just to lift the first load of fuel. This creates a cycle where over 90% of a rocket's mass is dedicated to propellant and tankages, leaving less than 4% for the actual satellite.
Staging splits a rocket into independent propulsion units that are discarded sequentially to shed dead weight. It's an engineering trick used to beat the ‘trap' of the Tsiolkovsky equation by discarding spent stages in-flight so that the propellant-to-mass fraction of the remaining vehicle improves. In traditional expendable rockets, including PSLV and LVM-3, each stage is used once and thrown away, usually falling into the ocean.
The private company SpaceX brought in many path-breaking technologies, including 3D printing rocket parts, modular design, making most parts in-house (called vertical integration), and reusing rocket stages. Together they have cut costs sharply and increased launch frequency.
Reusability is widely considered the single most significant game-changer for human access to space, fundamentally shifting the industry from a ‘disposable' model to a ‘transportation' model. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's first stage comes back to the earth using a mix of smart engineering and automation. Here, the stage fires its engines to slow down as it nears the ground, removing most of its kinetic energy. The remainder is dissipated by the aerodynamic drag during its journey through the air.
SpaceX has successfully recovered the first stages of its Falcon 9 rockets more than 520 times. It's currently developing its next generation multi-purpose rocket, Starship, as a fully reusable vehicle with a more efficient architecture. It has enough power to carry crew and cargo to the earth's orbit, the moon, and even Mars.
Worldwide there are more than a dozen private companies and start-ups actively developing reusable rocket technology. At least three of them are working on the more challenging fully-reusable rocket technology. Washington-based Blue Origin has successfully demonstrated recovery of the booster for its New Glenn vehicle via vertical landing. The commercial space sector in China is also rapidly advancing, with companies like LandSpace recently attempting to recover parts of its orbital-class Zhuque 3 rocket.
The number of times a recovered rocket stage can be used is limited primarily by structural and material fatigue, especially in the main engines and fuel tanks.
The extreme temperature swings from cryogenic propellants to combustion heat, combined with immense pressure and g-force cycling during ascent and re-entry, cause fatigue and microfractures. The practical limit is also set by refurbishment economics and acceptable risk. As the number of flights increase, the cost and time required for rigorous inspection, testing, and replacement of vulnerable components, to maintain high reliability, will eventually outweigh the cost savings compared to building a new stage. SpaceX has been known to reuse the first stage more than 30 times for launch missions.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been working on different models of recovery technologies. One option is the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), a winged spacecraft, like a mini shuttle, that can be launched to space on a rocket and then made to re-enter to land on a runway. The other option is recovering the spent first stage of a rocket with a combination of aerodynamic drag and retro-propulsion to land on a barge or land. Technology development activities are progressing in these domains.
In order to be competitive in a rapidly emerging space market where fully reusable launch vehicles are about to be a usual feature, the need of the hour is inducting disruptive technologies that will lower the cost of accessing space. Therefore, future launch vehicles should target configurations with a minimum number of stages with partial or full recovery and with reuse of stages as a non-negotiable design driver.
Today, advances in propellant density and engine efficiency allow two-stage systems to perform missions that previously required three or more stages. A careful balancing of the energy delivered by each stage, its cost share, innovative technologies for high performance, compact engine development, recovery of stages, and refurbishment for increasing launch cadence are some of the aspects to be seriously addressed while designing any future launch vehicle.
Unnikrishnan Nair S. is former director, VSSC and IIST; founding director, HSFC; and an expert in launch vehicle systems, orbital re-entry, and human spaceflight technologies.
Published - January 21, 2026 08:30 am IST
Text and Context / The Hindu Explains / space programme / India in Space / space programme
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: BNP says Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India will not deter New Delhi-Dhaka ties Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Extends New Year Greetings To China A fireworks store explosion in China kills 8 ahead of Lunar New Year Rubio calls for ‘new Western Century’ as Europe weighs cost of US alignment Heavy rain batters New Zealand's South Island Bangladesh to get new PM as Tarique Rahman set to take oath today Rajkummar Rao explains viral new look New Aadhaar App 2026 RBI’s New Lending Rules To Reshape Broker Model China Showcases Kung Fu Robots At Lunar New Year Gala
For the fourth time in less than two weeks, a sea of red and blue descended on the Wankhede Stadium. And it turned out to be a case of fourth-time lucky for Nepal as it ended its T20 World Cup sojourn by gifting the 19,000-odd fans a much-anticipated win against Scotland
1 hours ago
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said his net worth is almost entirely due to... New Delhi: Even as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is another step towards becoming the world’s first trillionaire, the US entrepreneur said that the actual amount of cash he is sitting on is much lesser
1 hours ago
One of the biggest changes is the renumbering of several commonly used tax documents, including salary and tax-credit statements used by millions of taxpayers. New Delhi: The government has proposed major changes to income-tax compliance forms under the Income-tax Act, 2025
1 hours ago
Pakistan's water crisis to worsen with approaching summers as India plans to halt excess Ravi river water flow to Pakistan with the completion of Shahpur Kandi barrage. Pakistan’s water crisis is deepening amid the Indus Waters Treaty suspension and is not going to end soon
1 hours ago
A clip circulating on X (formerly Twitter) has once again brought attention to an old but persistent exam-time practice where students slip currency notes inside answer sheets during board exams. Though authorities have repeatedly warned against it and tightened monitoring
1 hours ago
Vikrant Massey and Sheetal Thakur had been together for several years, officially registered their marriage on February 14, 2022, before hosting a traditional wedding ceremony on February 18, of the same year. New Delhi: Actor Vikrant Massey marked his fourth wedding anniversary with wife Sheetal
1 hours ago
French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron met Bollywood stars in Mumbai, the delegation will travel to Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Mumbai: Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej met French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday
1 hours ago
The United States has significantly increased its military presence in West Asia, deploying dozens of fighter jets to the region amid rising tensions with Iran and ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The developments come alongside strong warnings from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah
1 hours ago
After a relatively chaotic first day on Monday (February 16, 2026), the AI Impact Summit saw smoother operations on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), with more areas opened to attendees and fewer surges of crowding, even as turnout remained strong. Students bused in from local colleges, schools
1 hours ago
A widespread YouTube outage on Tuesday disrupted video access worldwide, including India and the US. YouTube suffered a widespread outage on Tuesday, halting video access for users across multiple countries, including India and the United States
1 hours ago
Tech giant Microsoft on Wednesday announced at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that the company is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help the Global South access artificial intelligence (AI)."Our five-part program is designed to make AI diffusion real at scale
1 hours ago
A massive wildfire emergency has unfolded across the US Plains. In the northwestern part of Oklahoma, a fast-moving fire on the southwest side of Woodward forced evacuations on Tuesday. Wind gusts near 60 mph pushed flames through the red cedar-filled neighbourhoods
1 hours ago
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on the date for his swearing in as CM when 58 party MLAs had supported him back in 2014. Sharing what he called his “days of distress" in the Congress
1 hours ago
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called the AI Summit a disorganized PR spectacle. He alleged that Chinese products were displayed at the event. This comes amid controversy over a robotic dog at the summit. Critics claim it was a Chinese-made product, not an Indian innovation
1 hours ago
The Delhi Traffic Police has launched a dedicated ‘Digital Lok Adalat’ system to make the traffic challan settlement easier for the citizens, making the process quicker and more convenient. This initiative, introduced in collaboration with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) and
1 hours ago
India is discussing age-based restrictions with social media companies, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Tuesday, following moves by Australia and other countries to ban young teens from popular platforms. Vaishnaw, speaking at a global artificial intelligence conference in New Delhi
1 hours ago
Gold Rate Today: Gold retreats from record highs as 24K prices fall and futures dip on MCX. Check today’s city-wise rates and expert insights. Gold Rate Today: Gold prices have taken a breather after scaling record highs, with fresh data showing a noticeable dip in both domestic and global
1 hours ago
A new leak has offered a closer look at the upcoming Infinix GT 50 Pro, pointing to design changes and hardware upgrades over last year’s gaming-focused model. The smartphone, from Infinix, has surfaced in alleged renders alongside a detailed specification sheet shared by tipsters online
1 hours ago
Nissan Gravite vs Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: The Gravite’s smaller engine may feel underpowered, particularly when the car is loaded with seven people and luggage. In contrast, the Ertiga’s larger engine make it more practical for real-world family use and long-distance driving
1 hours ago
Ameesha Patel has been issued a non-bailable warrant by a Moradabad court in connection with a 2017 fraud case, she is accused of accepting money for a wedding performance and issuing a cheque that later bounced. Legal trouble has resurfaced for Ameesha Patel as a Moradabad court issued a
1 hours ago
The Ministry of Education on Tuesday organised a special session titled “Ministry of Education – Pushing the Frontier of AI in India" at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended the session
1 hours ago
The reactor involved was Ward 250, which belongs to a new class of compact microreactors. Washington: The United States has carried out an operation that has drawn global attention in the field of advanced energy technology. A nuclear reactor moved through the sky
1 hours ago
Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3,000-year-old gold processing city in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Discover the ancient smelting furnaces, residential districts, and the 628 'Ostraca' library fragments rewriting history.Beyond the mines: Archaeologists uncover a massive 3
1 hours ago
Even as debate around AI intensifies across industries, concerns about the technology are also growing. In an interview with CNN-News18 at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales discusses artificial intelligence, misinformation risks, open-source innovation
1 hours ago
PAK vs NAM live streaming, match time, broadcasters and weather update as Pakistan fight for Super 8 qualification. Pakistan face Namibia in a high-stakes ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 18 at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, with Super 8 qualification hanging in the balance
1 hours ago
Salim Khan Health Updates: On Tuesday night, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was seen leaving the Lilavati Hospital where his 90-year-old father and veteran screenwriter Salim Khan has been admitted following complaints of swelling. The actor stepped out of the hospital premises late at night and
1 hours ago
New Delhi: Massive traffic congestion hit several parts of the national capital as global leaders arrived for the high level AI summit. New Delhi: Heavy traffic congestion was reported across several key routes in the national capital as global leaders arrived to attend the high-profile AI summit
1 hours ago
