Ask a sixteen-year-old about a social media ban, and you get an answer sharper than most adults arguing about bans. She says, “It doesn’t prepare us for the real world when we will have to deal with these distractions in our life”. The teenager’s response strikes at the core of the ban vs
How I got hooked on chasing solar eclipses Traveling the globe for celestial events may seem downright loony—until you get a taste of the addictive world of ‘eclipse chasing’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 18:30:10 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link ‘It was glorious
Made-in-India semiconductor chips are now powering key Indian space missions. These domestically manufactured components support lunar and solar exploration efforts. Specialized chips from Mohali's Semiconductor Laboratory are used in Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1
India's space program began with a small rocket range in 1962. It progressed to launching its first satellite and developing indigenous launch vehicles. Chandrayaan-3's lunar landing marked a significant achievement for the nation. The program now includes private sector involvement and ambitious
India plans to establish its own space station by the year 2035. The first module for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station has already received approval. This ambitious project aligns with the nation's growing space capabilities and aspirations. National Space Day celebrates India's achievements and
ISRO gets ready for one of its busiest times in recent memory, lines up seven launches
The first mission in this series is expected as early as next week, signalling a tightly packed launch calendar with both strategic and commercial goals. At the heart of the schedule is India's heaviest rocket, the LVM3. Under a commercial agreement handled by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the LVM3 will place the Bluebird-6 communication satellite of US-based AST SpaceMobile into orbit.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in preparation for one of its busiest periods in recent years, has lined up seven launch missions by March next year, including a key test of indigenous electric propulsion and quantum communication systems, and the first uncrewed flight of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, news agency PTI reported on December 14.
The first mission in this series is expected as early as next week, signalling a tightly packed launch calendar with both strategic and commercial goals.
At the heart of the schedule is India's heaviest rocket, the LVM3. Under a commercial agreement handled by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the LVM3 will place the Bluebird-6 communication satellite of US-based AST SpaceMobile into orbit. Union minister Jitendra Singh recently informed Parliament that this mission marks another step in ISRO's expanding role as a launch service provider in the global market.
The LVM3 will also play a central role in India's human spaceflight ambitions. Early next year, the human-rated rocket will carry the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, with a humanoid robot named Vyommitra onboard the crew module. This mission is designed to test the full sequence of a human spaceflight, from launch to recovery.
According to Singh, the flight will demonstrate end-to-end mission capabilities. These include aerodynamic characterisation of the human-rated launch vehicle, mission operations of the orbital module, and the re-entry and recovery of the crew module. One more uncrewed Gaganyaan mission is planned later next year, ahead of India's goal of sending astronauts into low Earth orbit in 2027.
Alongside human spaceflight, ISRO's launch plan reflects a clear shift towards greater industry participation. Next year will see the launch of India's first industry-built Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. This PSLV will place the Oceansat satellite into orbit and will also carry two additional payloads: the Indo-Mauritius Joint Satellite and the LEAP-2 satellite developed by Dhruva Space.
This development follows a technology transfer agreement signed in September, under which NSIL awarded a contract to a consortium led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Larsen & Toubro to manufacture five PSLV rockets. The move is aimed at increasing the frequency of commercial launches and reducing pressure on ISRO's in-house production lines.
ISRO will, however, continue to use its own PSLVs for several critical missions. One such rocket will launch an earth observation satellite, EOS-N1, for a strategic user, along with 18 smaller satellites from Indian and international customers. Another mission, using the GSLV-Mk II, is expected to place EOS-5, also known as GISAT-1A, into orbit. This satellite will replace GISAT-1, which failed to reach its intended orbit in 2021.
A significant technological milestone in the upcoming schedule is the PSLV63 mission, which will carry the TDS-01 satellite. This mission is intended to demonstrate advanced technologies, including a high-thrust electric propulsion system, quantum key distribution, and an indigenous travelling wave tube amplifier.
The high-thrust electric propulsion system is particularly important for ISRO's future satellite designs. Once proven, it will allow the agency to launch fully electric satellites, reducing reliance on chemical fuels. Singh told Parliament that the technologies tested on TDS-01 will be used in navigation and communication missions in the near future.
The implications are substantial, PTI's report said. A conventional four-tonne communication satellite typically carries more than two tonnes of liquid fuel to power thrusters for manoeuvring in space. With electric propulsion, fuel requirements drop sharply to about 200 kg, according to an ISRO official. As a result, an electric propulsion-based satellite would weigh under two tonnes while delivering the same performance as a four-tonne satellite.
This reduction in mass can lower launch costs and allow more flexible mission planning. It also aligns with ISRO's broader aim of improving efficiency without compromising capability.
The TDS-01 mission will also test an indigenous travelling wave tube amplifier, a critical component of satellite transponders. Success here would strengthen India's self-reliance in satellite communication technologies, an area with both civilian and strategic importance.
Completing the line-up is the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. ISRO plans to launch a dedicated satellite using the SSLV before March 2026, adding another option to its launch portfolio, particularly for smaller payloads, PTI reported.
Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: reliance,ISRO launches,Gaganyaan mission,LVM3 rocket,isro,indian space research organisation,india rocket launches,gaganyaan,hindustan aeronautics
India observed its third National Space Day, commemorating the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing. ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan recalled the agency's humble beginnings and current global standing. He highlighted Chandrayaan-3's soft landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023
1 days ago
The Indian government created the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) to offer students an intellectually vibrant research environment and to bring them into research at a relatively — vis-à-vis the Indian milieu — early stage
1 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to lure global expertise to India's expanding space landscape. He identifies the private sector's potential as a crucial asset for global competition. Key advantages include India’s affordability and its appetite for innovation
1 days ago
The Northeast India Space Workshop 2026 will convene in Guwahati to explore regional transformation. This event aims to leverage space technology for global reach and economic growth. Stakeholders will discuss Northeast India becoming a developer and testbed for space solutions
1 days ago
The dramatic 1° Celsius rise in global temperatures since industrialisation has already proved to have upended the lives of wild flora and fauna: that of at least 15,801 species on the Red List of Threatened Species, according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
2 days ago
India faces a substantial cost gap with the United States for launching payloads. A recent study estimates India's cost at over $13,000 per kilogram by 2025. This contrasts with the United States' estimated cost of $3,225 per kilogram. The study highlights scale and experience as key factors for
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged young space entrepreneurs to innovate for agriculture and daily life. He highlighted the potential of India's private space sector for global impact. Startups were urged to engage with schools and inspire future generations
2 days ago
Rock-solid evidence for the origins of birds Stones in dinosaur stomachs may help understanding of avian evolution Published on: Aug 20, 2026, 21:09:09 IST The Economist Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link How do you know what a dinosaur ate? Guts rot away after death
3 days ago
Was it meat or glucose that fueled the growth of the human brain? If evolutionary science told us, hitherto, that human brain expansion relied on meat to grow, a new study has an interesting addition to this theory. Published in a recent issue of Science
4 days ago
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the GISAT-1A satellite in September, in a mission that will be watched closely for many important reasons. Since the two successive PSLV mission failures, in 2025 and early 2026, ISRO had paused launches as it investigated the reason
4 days ago
The Hara forests are a vital ecological treasure of the Persian Gulf. Spanning the Strait of Hormuz, these mangrove forests consist mainly of grey mangrove trees (Avicennia marina), which have a special filtration system in their roots that allows them to thrive in saline conditions
5 days ago
India spends more to put a kilogram of payload into orbit than any other major spacefaring nation, marring its public image as a cost-effective launcher, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis of more than six decades of rocket launches published in Economics Letters
7 days ago
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” the English novelist L.P. Hartley wrote famously in his 1953 novel The Go-Between. In a peculiar twist, the same cannot be said of the Moon. It is not a foreign country, or even a foreign world: the U.S
7 days ago
The computer did not create a virus. It did not touch a test tube or handle a living cell. What it did may ultimately be more consequential: it helped decide what the virus’s genome should be. Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence (AI) to design
8 days ago
Spectators across Spain watched in wonder, some whipping off their protective glasses and rising to their feet in unison, as a rare total solar eclipse swept across the north of the country on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) evening, plunging it into darkness
8 days ago
Japan's MMX mission will blast off soon to collect Martian moon samples. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for three years and land on Phobos. This mission aims to understand Solar System origins and life's emergence. A rival Chinese mission also plans to return Mars samples around 2031
8 days ago
Draft rules for the SHANTI Act, 2025, mandate financial security for nuclear damage. Operators must maintain insurance or financial security until spent fuel removal. Foreign reactor designs require certification by their country of origin's regulatory body
9 days ago
As a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe on August 12 for the first time since 1999, solar physicists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, along with collaborators, have predicted the magnetic structure of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or its ‘crown’
9 days ago
When a young man was brought to my clinic after his first episode of psychosis, his parents wanted to know when he could return to college. This is not an atypical first interaction. However, in many instances, after a few consultations later and especially once the immediate crisis had settled
11 days ago
Some people can live apparently ordinary lives even when both copies of a gene (one inherited from the mother and the other from the father) have stopped working. Until their DNA is sequenced, they may never know that this has happened. A large study from Pakistan, published in Nature (June 2026)
11 days ago
Physicist Deepak Dhar received the 2026 Dirac Medal for his statistical mechanics work. He shares the award with three other scientists for their complex systems research. Their contributions span biology, finance, computer science, and artificial intelligence
12 days ago
Colombia and Venezuela experienced deadly earthquakes due to tectonic plate friction. The Nazca plate sliding beneath the South American plate caused tremors. Earthquake magnitude and depth significantly influenced the destructive impact. Building codes and terrain also played crucial roles in the
12 days ago
India has been invited to join NASA's Moon Base program. Discussions focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation. Both nations agreed to advance open scientific data sharing under Artemis Accords. They also reaffirmed commitment to UN guidelines for outer space sustainability
12 days ago
A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found that several inherited traits in the mouse genome break the rules Gregor Mendel laid down in the 19th century about how genes work. This is not because the genes mutate but because of chemical modifications of the genome
13 days ago
Urban India’s water emergency will not be fixed by better crisis management alone. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions more people will live and work in Indian cities, driving a sharp increase in the urban water demand. And unless we change how we design, finance
15 days ago
IN-SPACe seeks private partners to manage ISRO's new launch complex. This facility will support small rocket launches and enhance launch efficiency. Private entities will handle end-to-end operations and maintenance of the complex. ISRO will provide initial technical and operational support for
15 days ago
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir on Friday (August 6, 2026) concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station to assemble the modification kit for its power channel that would allow addition of solar arrays. The spacewalk – 281st in support of the space station –
15 days ago
