India’s maiden&nbsp;solar mission Aditya L1&nbsp;will reach its destination, the Lagrangian point (L1) which is located 1.5 million km from Earth, on January 6, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said on Friday (Dec 22).

The mission, the first Indian space-based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit L1, was launched by ISRO on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota. “Aditya L1 will enter the L1 point on January 6. That is what is expected. Exact time will be announced at appropriate time,” Somanath told mediapersons on the sidelines of the Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan organised by Vijnana Bharati, an NGO working to popularise science.

“When it reaches the L1 point, we have to fire the engine once again so that it does not go further. It will go to that point, and once it reaches that point, it will rotate around it and will be trapped at L1,” he said. Once Aditya L1 reaches its destination, it will help measure various events happening on the Sun for the next five years. “Once it is successfully placed on L1 point, it will be there for the next five years, gathering all the data which are very important not for India alone but for the entire world.

The data will be very useful to understand the dynamics of the Sun and how it affects our life,” the ISRO chief said. How India is going to become a technologically powerful country is very important, he said while addressing the gathering. ISRO has made a plan to build an Indian space station, called ‘Bharatiya space station’ during the ‘Amrit Kaal’ as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions, Somanath said.

“In the space sector we are seeing an emergence of new actors. We are going to support, encourage and build the economy around the new generation,” he said, adding that India cannot become a leader in everything and that it should focus on those sectors where it can.

&nbsp;

India’s maiden solar mission Aditya L1 will reach its destination, the Lagrangian point (L1) which is located 1.5 million km from Earth, on January 6, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said on Friday (Dec 22).

India’s maiden solar mission Aditya L1 will reach its destination, the Lagrangian point (L1) which is located 1.5 million km from Earth, on January 6, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said on Friday (Dec 22). The mission, the first Indian space-based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit L1, was launched by ISRO on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota. “Aditya L1 will enter the L1 point on January 6. That is what is expected. Exact time will be announced at appropriate time,” Somanath told mediapersons on the sidelines of the Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan organised by Vijnana Bharati, an NGO working to popularise science. “When it reaches the L1 point, we have to fire the engine once again so that it does not go further. It will go to that point, and once it reaches that point, it will rotate around it and will be trapped at L1,” he said. Once Aditya L1 reaches its destination, it will help measure various events happening on the Sun for the next five years. “Once it is successfully placed on L1 point, it will be there for the next five years, gathering all the data which are very important not for India alone but for the entire world. The data will be very useful to understand the dynamics of the Sun and how it affects our life,” the ISRO chief said. How India is going to become a technologically powerful country is very important, he said while addressing the gathering. ISRO has made a plan to build an Indian space station, called ‘Bharatiya space station’ during the ‘Amrit Kaal’ as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions, Somanath said. “In the space sector we are seeing an emergence of new actors. We are going to support, encourage and build the economy around the new generation,” he said, adding that India cannot become a leader in everything and that it should focus on those sectors where it can.

Aditya L1 mission will reach destination on Jan 6: ISRO chief

India's lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, which commenced its journey at 2.35 pm (local time) on Friday, is expected to cover the 3,84,000 kilometres from Earth to Moon in about 40 days and&nbsp;make a soft landing at 5.47 pm&nbsp;(Indian time) on August 23.

In his post-launch media interaction, ISRO Chairman, Dr S Somanath revealed the date and time, referring to it as the targeted landing time, if all went well. With a mission life of one lunar day (14 Earth days), Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land near the lunar south pole (approximately at 80 degrees latitude).

It is imperative for the mission's 'Vikram' lander to touch down on the lunar surface at the start of the lunar day in order to make use of available sunlight (using solar panels and batteries) and operate its science payloads, sensors, gather data and communicate it back to Earth.

ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Moon’s south pole—a region that has largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there.

It is believed that many mysteries of the Moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region.&nbsp;

In case things don’t go as planned and there is a delay in the landing, ISRO also has the option of allowing the spacecraft to circle the Moon and carry out the landing at the break of the following lunar dawn (which could be almost a month after the intended landing date of August 23).

<h2>Chandrayaan 3 successfully launched to the moon | ISRO | Sriharikota</h2>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chandrayaan-3-successfully-launched-to-the-moon-isro-sriharikota-615629/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Lunar landing is a complex process and poses various challenges — the gravity on the Moon is 1/6th that of Earth, therefore an object that weights 60kg on Earth would weigh only 10kg.

The lunar landing has to be done based on the on-board programming and decision-making of the spacecraft, as it would not be possible to communicate the decisions from Earth in real-time. The uneven terrain on the lunar surface, the presence of rocks, mountains, boulders etc. pose challenges for smooth landings.&nbsp;

However, learning various lessons from ISRO's Chandrayan-2, which was unable to make soft lunar landing, ISRO carried out hundreds of tests on its Chandrayaan-3 lander and ensured that it is ruggedised, made more robust, and failure-tolerant.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/indias-chandrayaan-3-is-now-in-space-historic-journey-to-moon-begins-615577">India's Chandrayaan-3 is now in space, historic journey to Moon begins</a>

"We have ensured that the four landing legs can withstand landing impacts of up to 3 metres/second, instead of&nbsp;the five engine configuration on Chandrayaan-2, we've used four engines on Chandrayaan-3, while the previous lander utilised only a single engine for soft-landing, this mission will utilise two engines" M Sanakaran, the Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre had explained to WION.&nbsp;

ISRO has also made several modifications on the software, hardware and sensors to ensure that Chandrayaan-3 can execute the lunar landing and make history for India.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-scripts-new-chapter-pm-modi-about-successful-launch-of-indias-third-lunar-mission-615607">PM Modi about successful launch of India’s third lunar mission</a>

So far, only the US, Russia and China have soft-landed their crafts on the Moon and America has even performed multiple manned lunar missions and will be reviving its manned programme by putting astronauts back on the Moon, as part of the Artemis Programme.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

India's lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, which commenced its journey at 2.35 pm (local time) on Friday, is expected to cover the 3,84,000 kilometres from Earth to Moon in about 40 days and make a soft landing at 5.

India's lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-3, which commenced its journey at 2.35 pm (local time) on Friday, is expected to cover the 3,84,000 kilometres from Earth to Moon in about 40 days and make a soft landing at 5.47 pm (Indian time) on August 23. In his post-launch media interaction, ISRO Chairman, Dr S Somanath revealed the date and time, referring to it as the targeted landing time, if all went well. With a mission life of one lunar day (14 Earth days), Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land near the lunar south pole (approximately at 80 degrees latitude). It is imperative for the mission's 'Vikram' lander to touch down on the lunar surface at the start of the lunar day in order to make use of available sunlight (using solar panels and batteries) and operate its science payloads, sensors, gather data and communicate it back to Earth. ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 is meant to land a few hundred kilometres away from the Moon’s south pole—a region that has largely remained unexplored, owing to the near-nil sunlight illumination there. It is believed that many mysteries of the Moon could be unravelled by performing in-situ probing of this region. In case things don’t go as planned and there is a delay in the landing, ISRO also has the option of allowing the spacecraft to circle the Moon and carry out the landing at the break of the following lunar dawn (which could be almost a month after the intended landing date of August 23). Chandrayaan 3 successfully launched to the moon | ISRO | Sriharikota Lunar landing is a complex process and poses various challenges — the gravity on the Moon is 1/6th that of Earth, therefore an object that weights 60kg on Earth would weigh only 10kg. The lunar landing has to be done based on the on-board programming and decision-making of the spacecraft, as it would not be possible to communicate the decisions from Earth in real-time. The uneven terrain on the lunar surface, the presence of rocks, mountains, boulders etc. pose challenges for smooth landings. However, learning various lessons from ISRO's Chandrayan-2, which was unable to make soft lunar landing, ISRO carried out hundreds of tests on its Chandrayaan-3 lander and ensured that it is ruggedised, made more robust, and failure-tolerant. Also read | India's Chandrayaan-3 is now in space, historic journey to Moon begins "We have ensured that the four landing legs can withstand landing impacts of up to 3 metres/second, instead of the five engine configuration on Chandrayaan-2, we've used four engines on Chandrayaan-3, while the previous lander utilised only a single engine for soft-landing, this mission will utilise two engines" M Sanakaran, the Director of ISRO's UR Rao Satellite Centre had explained to WION. ISRO has also made several modifications on the software, hardware and sensors to ensure that Chandrayaan-3 can execute the lunar landing and make history for India. Also read | PM Modi about successful launch of India’s third lunar mission So far, only the US, Russia and China have soft-landed their crafts on the Moon and America has even performed multiple manned lunar missions and will be reviving its manned programme by putting astronauts back on the Moon, as part of the Artemis Programme. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

India's Chandrayaan-3 to make lunar landing on August 23. Here’s what will happen next

The chief of the Mexican space agency has sought the support of India in building and launching a remote sensing satellite. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will work on this proposal with the support of India's External Affairs Ministry.

This request from Mexico is part of the ongoing cooperation activities between India and Mexico in Earth observation. Remote sensing satellite is used to observe or gather data about a place or a phenomenon, without making physical contact with it. It is the exact opposite of on-site observation. Remote sensing has diverse applications including geology, oceanography, meteorology, military, intelligence-gathering etc.

The discussions were held during a virtual meeting between Dr S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, and D. Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General of Mexican Space Agency (AEM). Dr Pankaj Sharma, Indian Ambassador to Mexico and Gustavo A. Cabrera Rodriguez, Ambassador of Mexico for the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) also participated in the meeting.

<h2>Record number of migrants crossed English Channel to UK in 2022</h2>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/record-number-of-migrants-crossed-english-channel-to-uk-in-2022-548739/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Mexican official thanked the ISRO for developing a mobile application for forest fire monitoring and sharing it with Mexican Forest Department.

The Agencia Espacial Mexicana&nbsp;(AEM), Mexico's national space agency, was established in 2010 and aims to promote and coordinate education, R&amp;D of space-related activities that are performed in the country. The agency does not yet possess the capability to design and build spacefaring rockets and satellites.&nbsp;

The Department of Space, under the Government of India, has been providing training and capacity building in space science related technology,&nbsp;including&nbsp;satellite services to neighbouring small countries and other space-aspiring countries of the world.

Most recently, on November 26, 2022, India launched a jointly developed India-Bhutan SAT, on board a PSLV rocket. The satellite is capable of performing imaging, mapping of resources and helps is text-message based communications needs of Bhutan. A communication satellite ‘South Asia Satellite’ was dedicated by India to South Asian countries in 2017.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: 

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The chief of the Mexican space agency has sought the support of India in building and launching a remote sensing satellite. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will work on this proposal with the support of India's External Affairs Ministry.

The chief of the Mexican space agency has sought the support of India in building and launching a remote sensing satellite. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will work on this proposal with the support of India's External Affairs Ministry. This request from Mexico is part of the ongoing cooperation activities between India and Mexico in Earth observation. Remote sensing satellite is used to observe or gather data about a place or a phenomenon, without making physical contact with it. It is the exact opposite of on-site observation. Remote sensing has diverse applications including geology, oceanography, meteorology, military, intelligence-gathering etc. The discussions were held during a virtual meeting between Dr S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, and D. Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General of Mexican Space Agency (AEM). Dr Pankaj Sharma, Indian Ambassador to Mexico and Gustavo A. Cabrera Rodriguez, Ambassador of Mexico for the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) also participated in the meeting. Record number of migrants crossed English Channel to UK in 2022 The Mexican official thanked the ISRO for developing a mobile application for forest fire monitoring and sharing it with Mexican Forest Department. The Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM), Mexico's national space agency, was established in 2010 and aims to promote and coordinate education, R&D of space-related activities that are performed in the country. The agency does not yet possess the capability to design and build spacefaring rockets and satellites. The Department of Space, under the Government of India, has been providing training and capacity building in space science related technology, including satellite services to neighbouring small countries and other space-aspiring countries of the world. Most recently, on November 26, 2022, India launched a jointly developed India-Bhutan SAT, on board a PSLV rocket. The satellite is capable of performing imaging, mapping of resources and helps is text-message based communications needs of Bhutan. A communication satellite ‘South Asia Satellite’ was dedicated by India to South Asian countries in 2017. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Mexico seeks India's support in building and launching remote sensing satellite

Throwing light on work that is underway to develop a Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV rocket) for India, Chairman, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said that it should be cost-effective, support efficient manufacturing processes, reusable, and be possible to produce faster.

Throwing light on work that is underway to develop a Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV rocket) for India, Chairman, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said that it should be cost-effective, support efficient manufacturing processes, reusable, and be possible to produce faster. Dr S. Somanath, who heads ISRO and also serves as secretary of India's department of space, was addressing a gathering of fellow scientists and engineers from across domains. While firmly stating that India's existing fleet of PSLV and GSLV (with the exception of GSLV MKIII) rockets are 1980s technology and are meant to be retired someday, Somanath touched upon ISRO's future launch vehicle. He was speaking at the 'INAE Engineers Conclave-2022', which was hosted by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre(LPSC) in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram. Read more: ISRO to launch 36 'OneWeb' satellites in maiden commercial flight of GSLV Mk III on Oct. 23 https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fsdhrthmp%2Fstatus%2F1581960954564132864&widget=Tweet × Depictions of the prospective technical specifications of the NGLV indicated that it could carry up to 10 tonnes of payload to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (payload 2.5 times higher than India's current heaviest launcher GSLV MKIII). It was also revealed that this could be a three-stage launch vehicle that is powered by Green fuel combinations such as Methane and Liquid oxygen or Kerosene and Liquid oxygen. In terms of the intended utility of the vehicle, it was mentioned that NGLV could be used for launching multiple communication satellites, for deep space missions, for ferrying cargo, and for performing future human spaceflight missions. It is also intended that this rocket would offer a low cost per kilogramme to orbit. Read more: 'Private consortiums to build GSLV & SSLV rockets, in addition to PSLV', says ISRO chief This is a measure of how much it costs to take one kg of payload to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It is intended that the NGLV would offer launch costs of $1900/kg (in reusable configuration) and $3000/kg (in expendable configuration). Expendable configuration turns out expensive because of how the rocket parts fall back into the sea after their burn time, whereas reusable systems ensure that some or all parts of the rocket are recovered and can be reused in future launches. On the process of realising such a rocket, Somanath said that it is crucial to have the participation of Indian industry, right from the beginning of the definition stage of the rocket. He added that it would help make the rocket, manufacturing-friendly, and operational-friendly whilst making it possible for the Indian industry to build, operate, and launch the rocket with ISRO's technical support and backing. He envisioned this rocket as a 'national asset' and one that could operate for a long period, while also undergoing upgrades, as technology progresses. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

ISRO chairman shares insights into key aspects of India's next-gen rocket

India's heaviest rocket, the GSLV Mk3, will henceforth be used to perform commercial launches, with two such launches being planned in October this year and January next year, ISRO Chairman, Dr S Somanath said.

He mentioned that UK-based OneWeb had signed up as a customer for both these launches. This comes as a welcome development as it would be the maiden launch of the GSLV Mk3 for a commercial mission. Notably, India has been primarily using its workhorse PSLV rocket to orbit customer satellites.&nbsp;

While the PSLV is capable of placing satellites weighing nearly 1,750kg into Polar orbits (where strategic satellites and imaging satellites are placed), the GSLV rocket can place 4-ton class satellites into the higher orbit, known as Geosynchronous Transfer orbit(GTO).&nbsp;

Somanath also said that the Government of India had decided to transfer the ownership of ten communication satellites to NSIL so that the latter could rent it out and generate revenue.

Queried about the much-awaited Space Policy, Somanath replied that the internal review was complete and that the cabinet approval was pending and the final approval could be expected very soon.

He added that the Space Policy was meant to create clarity on the private sector's ability to build their own rockets and satellites.

"The bill is targeted to give teeth to&nbsp;Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe)" he said.&nbsp;

Earlier, based on what the minister in charge of India's Department of Space had said in Parliament, WION had reported that ISRO would have six rocket launch missions in 2022. The minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, had also mentioned about GSLV Mk3 rocket having its maiden commercial flight in 2022.

Radhakrishnan, CMD, NewSpace India Limited, also said that following the space sector reforms announced in 2020, there has been a big mandate to carry out commercial launches and demand-driven missions.

He added that June 2022 alone had seen the successful execution of two missions by NSIL (ISRO's commercial arm)—GSAT-24 launch (carrying a satellite for DTh service provider TataPlay) from Kourou, French Guiana and PSLV-C53 launch carrying Singaporean satellites.

India's heaviest rocket, the GSLV Mk3, will henceforth be used to perform commercial launches, with two such launches being planned in October this year and January next year, ISRO Chairman, Dr S Somanath said.

India's heaviest rocket, the GSLV Mk3, will henceforth be used to perform commercial launches, with two such launches being planned in October this year and January next year, ISRO Chairman, Dr S Somanath said. He mentioned that UK-based OneWeb had signed up as a customer for both these launches. This comes as a welcome development as it would be the maiden launch of the GSLV Mk3 for a commercial mission. Notably, India has been primarily using its workhorse PSLV rocket to orbit customer satellites. While the PSLV is capable of placing satellites weighing nearly 1,750kg into Polar orbits (where strategic satellites and imaging satellites are placed), the GSLV rocket can place 4-ton class satellites into the higher orbit, known as Geosynchronous Transfer orbit(GTO). Somanath also said that the Government of India had decided to transfer the ownership of ten communication satellites to NSIL so that the latter could rent it out and generate revenue. Queried about the much-awaited Space Policy, Somanath replied that the internal review was complete and that the cabinet approval was pending and the final approval could be expected very soon. He added that the Space Policy was meant to create clarity on the private sector's ability to build their own rockets and satellites. "The bill is targeted to give teeth to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe)" he said. Earlier, based on what the minister in charge of India's Department of Space had said in Parliament, WION had reported that ISRO would have six rocket launch missions in 2022. The minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, had also mentioned about GSLV Mk3 rocket having its maiden commercial flight in 2022. Radhakrishnan, CMD, NewSpace India Limited, also said that following the space sector reforms announced in 2020, there has been a big mandate to carry out commercial launches and demand-driven missions. He added that June 2022 alone had seen the successful execution of two missions by NSIL (ISRO's commercial arm)—GSAT-24 launch (carrying a satellite for DTh service provider TataPlay) from Kourou, French Guiana and PSLV-C53 launch carrying Singaporean satellites.

India's GSLV Mk3 rocket to launch Oneweb satellites in Oct'22 and Jan'23: ISRO Chairman

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has plans to build a pair of identical satellites dubbed 'Disha' to study the upper atmosphere. While placed in low earth orbit (nearly 500km above the earth's surface), the spacecraft is meant to study the physics and chemistry of the upper atmosphere, including the distribution of temperature, density, and chemical constituents, and the chemical reactions that occur there. ISRO officials revealed this at a&nbsp;National Meeting on Aeronomy Research, themed&nbsp;"Science of Near-Earth Space and its Applications".&nbsp;

Elaborating on the significance of a mission such as Disha, Dr&nbsp;Shantanu, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, said that the upper atmosphere was the first region of space to feel the wrath of the sun, before it percolates down to lower altitudes. He added that the mission's scientific objective is to perform space weather studies and solar-terrestrial interactions, so as to have advance warning regarding critical space-based weather events. "Once such warnings are available, we can take preventive action to safeguard our space assets." Disha will be a twin satellite aeronomy mission where both satellites carry similar payloads. However, the Disha H satellite will be placed at an 85-degree high inclination from the earth's equator, whereas the Disha L satellite will be placed at a 25-degree low inclination, "he explained.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/what-is-isros-gagan-which-can-aid-gps-and-enable-precise-navigation-of-aircraft-474733">What is ISRO's 'Gagan', which can aid GPS and enable precise navigation of aircraft?</a>

Speaking at the event, Dr&nbsp;Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, emphasised the need for space-based observations such as Disha. He pointed out that ISRO had sounding rockets (small rockets that carry light payloads to conduct upper atmospheric experiments) that could reach up to 500km in space. However, he indicated that sounding rockets only offered a very short-term observational capability, as opposed to the long-term presence and observation capability of dedicated satellites in orbit. He urged the participating scientists to look at upper atmospheric research and how the benefits and findings from the same can be used for the benefit of India. Making a mention of the information gained from global missions. He urged his scientists to ponder over what ISRO's contribution was towards global knowledge and work towards contributing more.

Watch |&nbsp;India: ISRO launches EOS-04 satellite

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-isro-launches-eos-04-satellite-453149/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Besides mentioning India's upcoming space science mission Chandrayaan-3 (Lunar landing and data collection), Somanath also spoke about hosting additional instruments and sensors on regular satellites&nbsp;to enhance their potential and derive more value than the satellite's default capability.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-venus-mission-plan-ready-chairman-urges-academia-scientists-to-work-on-specific-outcomes-476570">'Focus on how it will benefit India and the world' ISRO Chairman tells scientists, on upcoming Venus Mission</a>

Explaining the nomenclature behind 'Disha', Dr Das, an ISRO official, said that&nbsp;Disturbed and Quiet Time Ionosphere-thermosphere System at High Altitudes&nbsp;(DISHA), was a necessary experiment to study the upper atmosphere, which is the first entity that feels the perturbation caused to Earth by solar&nbsp;events and how space weather concerns earthlings.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has plans to build a pair of identical satellites dubbed 'Disha' to study the upper atmosphere. While placed in low earth orbit (nearly 500km above the earth's surface), the spacecraft is meant to study the physics and chemistry of the upper atmosphere, including the distribution of temperature, density, and chemical constituents, and the chemical reactions that occur there.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has plans to build a pair of identical satellites dubbed 'Disha' to study the upper atmosphere. While placed in low earth orbit (nearly 500km above the earth's surface), the spacecraft is meant to study the physics and chemistry of the upper atmosphere, including the distribution of temperature, density, and chemical constituents, and the chemical reactions that occur there. ISRO officials revealed this at a National Meeting on Aeronomy Research, themed "Science of Near-Earth Space and its Applications". Elaborating on the significance of a mission such as Disha, Dr Shantanu, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, said that the upper atmosphere was the first region of space to feel the wrath of the sun, before it percolates down to lower altitudes. He added that the mission's scientific objective is to perform space weather studies and solar-terrestrial interactions, so as to have advance warning regarding critical space-based weather events. "Once such warnings are available, we can take preventive action to safeguard our space assets." Disha will be a twin satellite aeronomy mission where both satellites carry similar payloads. However, the Disha H satellite will be placed at an 85-degree high inclination from the earth's equator, whereas the Disha L satellite will be placed at a 25-degree low inclination, "he explained. Also read | What is ISRO's 'Gagan', which can aid GPS and enable precise navigation of aircraft? Speaking at the event, Dr Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, emphasised the need for space-based observations such as Disha. He pointed out that ISRO had sounding rockets (small rockets that carry light payloads to conduct upper atmospheric experiments) that could reach up to 500km in space. However, he indicated that sounding rockets only offered a very short-term observational capability, as opposed to the long-term presence and observation capability of dedicated satellites in orbit. He urged the participating scientists to look at upper atmospheric research and how the benefits and findings from the same can be used for the benefit of India. Making a mention of the information gained from global missions. He urged his scientists to ponder over what ISRO's contribution was towards global knowledge and work towards contributing more. Watch | India: ISRO launches EOS-04 satellite Besides mentioning India's upcoming space science mission Chandrayaan-3 (Lunar landing and data collection), Somanath also spoke about hosting additional instruments and sensors on regular satellites to enhance their potential and derive more value than the satellite's default capability. Also read | 'Focus on how it will benefit India and the world' ISRO Chairman tells scientists, on upcoming Venus Mission Explaining the nomenclature behind 'Disha', Dr Das, an ISRO official, said that Disturbed and Quiet Time Ionosphere-thermosphere System at High Altitudes (DISHA), was a necessary experiment to study the upper atmosphere, which is the first entity that feels the perturbation caused to Earth by solar events and how space weather concerns earthlings. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

ISRO plans to build two satellites, DISHA-L&H, to study upper atmosphere

In 1994, a young engineer at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) joined two of his seniors to fix a problem with a live Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket that stood ready for launch.

Towards the final leg of the countdown, an issue was detected in the rocket and the highly anticipated launch was put on hold. Setting it right was the most dangerous task that anyone could undertake, as the rocket was loaded with nearly 200 tonnes of hazardous fuels and chemical cocktails.

Following the typical procedures would have meant de-arming the rocket and draining off its fuel, thus delaying the launch. However, within minutes, the problem was resolved and the rocket performed exceedingly well—it was a textbook launch and the first-ever successful flight of the PSLV, which is regarded as India’s workhorse rocket).

That young scientist who undertook that unenviable task is the newly-appointed Chairman of the ISRO and the secretary of the Department of Space —Dr S Somanath. &nbsp;

Hailing from Alappuzha (Alleppey) in India’s southern Kerala state, Somanath had been a science enthusiast right from the time he pursued his schooling, in Malayalam medium.

Despite being a Hindi teacher, Somanath’s father encouraged his son’s passion and aptitude for science by feeding him with science books in both English and Malayalam medium languages.

Even though engineering is considered a tough subject, Somanath pursued&nbsp;B Tech in Mechanical Engineering, during which he developed a deep&nbsp;interest in space.

As a college student, Somanath had specially requested his professor to teach him a course on propulsion —a specific subject in rocketry that is not taught as part of engineering. Interestingly, the faculty, too, readily agreed to teach him.

The TKM College of Engineering in Kollam, Kerala—which had hitherto never taught the course— readily took up the challenge and started teaching propulsion to 10 students who had shown interest at that time.&nbsp;

It was during his final years in college that Somanath applied for a job at the ISRO, when it was recruiting young engineers to join the fledgling PSLV programme.

Thanks to his high scores in the previous semesters, Somanath was recruited. Thus began a journey of realising his childhood dream of aiming to study the planets.&nbsp;

He joined ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as the lead facility for developing rockets in 1985 and was a team leader for the integration of the PSLV rocket during its early phases.

Rising up the ranks, he joined GSLV MkIII Project in 2003 and was the deputy project director responsible for the overall design and integration of India’s heaviest and most powerful rocket.

He was the project director of GSLV Mk-III from June 2010 to 2014. An expert in the area of system engineering of launch vehicles, he made immense contribution in the development of PSLV and GSLV MkIII programmes in their overall architecture, propulsion stages design, structural and structural dynamics designs, separation systems, vehicle integration etc.

Later, he also led the team of LPSC (ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre) to complete the development and qualification of the CE20 cryogenic engine and the C25 stage, which was successfully flown in GSLV MkIII-D1 flight.

He also played a key role in three successful missions of GSLV with indigenous cryogenic stages and eleven successful missions of PSLV with the liquid stages realised by LPSC.

Under his watch, 15 successful satellite missions were accomplished with the propulsion systems supplied from LPSC.

He is also credited with driving the developmental activities of the high-thrust semi-cryogenic engine, throttleable engines for Chandrayaan-2 moon lander, the successful flight of electric propulsion system in GSAT-9, among others.

Dr Somanath secured Gold Medal in Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

He will serve as Chairman ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space for a tenure of three years.&nbsp;

Rocket science is among the most challenging and unforgiving fields of work. But what keeps this man going? This is what he tells his juniors, “We work on rockets, not just because they put satellites up there… Rockets are the only means by which humans can travel from the shores of earth to another planet… There is just no other way!”

An ardent fan of cinema, Somanath was once a member of the Film Society and similar groups in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital. However, owing to his rigorous schedule, cinema was something that had to be put on the backburner. A dynamic public speaker, he’s been an active Keynote speaker at various national and International events and has also delivered TEDx talks.

Dr Somanath is married to Valsala, who works with the Goods and Services Tax department. The couple has two children, both of whom have completed their&nbsp;​Master's in Engineering.&nbsp;

Note: The anecdote of Dr S Somanath having joined his seniors in setting right a live PSLV rocket is excerpted from ‘Ready to Fire’ the Autobiography of ISRO Veteran Padma Bhushan S Nambi Narayanan. As the then Cryogenic Project Director and Project Director for 2nd and 4th stages of PSLV, Nambi Narayanan had selected and led engineers S Somanath and S Ramakrishnan to join him to perform the daredevilry of working to set right a live rocket, on October 15th 1994. Eventually, Ramakrishnan rose up to the post of Director, LPSC, while Dr Somanath rose up to Director, VSSC and now Chairman, ISRO.&nbsp;

In 1994, a young engineer at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) joined two of his seniors to fix a problem with a live Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket that stood ready for launch.

In 1994, a young engineer at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) joined two of his seniors to fix a problem with a live Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket that stood ready for launch. Towards the final leg of the countdown, an issue was detected in the rocket and the highly anticipated launch was put on hold. Setting it right was the most dangerous task that anyone could undertake, as the rocket was loaded with nearly 200 tonnes of hazardous fuels and chemical cocktails. Following the typical procedures would have meant de-arming the rocket and draining off its fuel, thus delaying the launch. However, within minutes, the problem was resolved and the rocket performed exceedingly well—it was a textbook launch and the first-ever successful flight of the PSLV, which is regarded as India’s workhorse rocket). That young scientist who undertook that unenviable task is the newly-appointed Chairman of the ISRO and the secretary of the Department of Space —Dr S Somanath. Hailing from Alappuzha (Alleppey) in India’s southern Kerala state, Somanath had been a science enthusiast right from the time he pursued his schooling, in Malayalam medium. Despite being a Hindi teacher, Somanath’s father encouraged his son’s passion and aptitude for science by feeding him with science books in both English and Malayalam medium languages. Even though engineering is considered a tough subject, Somanath pursued B Tech in Mechanical Engineering, during which he developed a deep interest in space. As a college student, Somanath had specially requested his professor to teach him a course on propulsion —a specific subject in rocketry that is not taught as part of engineering. Interestingly, the faculty, too, readily agreed to teach him. The TKM College of Engineering in Kollam, Kerala—which had hitherto never taught the course— readily took up the challenge and started teaching propulsion to 10 students who had shown interest at that time. It was during his final years in college that Somanath applied for a job at the ISRO, when it was recruiting young engineers to join the fledgling PSLV programme. Thanks to his high scores in the previous semesters, Somanath was recruited. Thus began a journey of realising his childhood dream of aiming to study the planets. He joined ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre as the lead facility for developing rockets in 1985 and was a team leader for the integration of the PSLV rocket during its early phases. Rising up the ranks, he joined GSLV MkIII Project in 2003 and was the deputy project director responsible for the overall design and integration of India’s heaviest and most powerful rocket. He was the project director of GSLV Mk-III from June 2010 to 2014. An expert in the area of system engineering of launch vehicles, he made immense contribution in the development of PSLV and GSLV MkIII programmes in their overall architecture, propulsion stages design, structural and structural dynamics designs, separation systems, vehicle integration etc. Later, he also led the team of LPSC (ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre) to complete the development and qualification of the CE20 cryogenic engine and the C25 stage, which was successfully flown in GSLV MkIII-D1 flight. He also played a key role in three successful missions of GSLV with indigenous cryogenic stages and eleven successful missions of PSLV with the liquid stages realised by LPSC. Under his watch, 15 successful satellite missions were accomplished with the propulsion systems supplied from LPSC. He is also credited with driving the developmental activities of the high-thrust semi-cryogenic engine, throttleable engines for Chandrayaan-2 moon lander, the successful flight of electric propulsion system in GSAT-9, among others. Dr Somanath secured Gold Medal in Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He will serve as Chairman ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space for a tenure of three years. Rocket science is among the most challenging and unforgiving fields of work. But what keeps this man going? This is what he tells his juniors, “We work on rockets, not just because they put satellites up there… Rockets are the only means by which humans can travel from the shores of earth to another planet… There is just no other way!” An ardent fan of cinema, Somanath was once a member of the Film Society and similar groups in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital. However, owing to his rigorous schedule, cinema was something that had to be put on the backburner. A dynamic public speaker, he’s been an active Keynote speaker at various national and International events and has also delivered TEDx talks. Dr Somanath is married to Valsala, who works with the Goods and Services Tax department. The couple has two children, both of whom have completed their Master's in Engineering. Note: The anecdote of Dr S Somanath having joined his seniors in setting right a live PSLV rocket is excerpted from ‘Ready to Fire’ the Autobiography of ISRO Veteran Padma Bhushan S Nambi Narayanan. As the then Cryogenic Project Director and Project Director for 2nd and 4th stages of PSLV, Nambi Narayanan had selected and led engineers S Somanath and S Ramakrishnan to join him to perform the daredevilry of working to set right a live rocket, on October 15th 1994. Eventually, Ramakrishnan rose up to the post of Director, LPSC, while Dr Somanath rose up to Director, VSSC and now Chairman, ISRO.

Who is S Somanath? Here’s all you need to know about newly appointed ISRO Chairman 

To mark 50 years of India-Bangladesh ties and to motivate the next generation of scientific thinkers, the students of both countries will be jointly developing a satellite.

The Indian team led by SpaceKidz India would be imparting training to five students from the neighbouring country in the satellite building.&nbsp;The launch of this satellite is expected by June this year.&nbsp;

<img alt="ISSRO launch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="38988381-a767-4559-a500-e785301d2070" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ISSRO%20launch.jpg" />

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this initiative was signed between SpaceKidz India and Global Law Thinkers Society, Bangladesh’s Global Youth Organization on Monday, January 25. Incidentally, this day also happened to be the eve of India’s Republic Day.&nbsp;

According to Dr Srimathy Kesan, Founder SpaceKidz India, this idea of collaboration in space came up after she heard the story of how India helped in the Bangladesh Liberation war from Gen. Jacob, who then served as the Chief of Staff of Indian Army’s Eastern Command.&nbsp;

“The beauty of coincidence is that Bangladeshi soldiers’ contingent marched today down the Rajpath ” she added.&nbsp;
<img alt="File pic of 10cm cube satellite or 1U satellite" data-caption="File pic of 10cm cube satellite or 1U satellite" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7d31e00d-66f7-466d-b4d8-7688770254b6" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/File%20pic%20of%2010cm%20cube%20satellite%20or%201U%20satellite.jpg" />
Team Spacekidz has requested ISRO to launch this satellite, which would be the first by Bangladesh, and help the children in the neighbouring country learn the basics of satellites. The 1U cube satellite is expected to carry temperature sensors and radiation counters, besides a camera that the team is planning to install.&nbsp;

The Chennai-based team that comprises of school and college students has launched twelve balloon satellites, two sub-orbital satellites and one orbital satellite to their credit. Besides the launch with Bangladesh, a joint effort with the Maldives is also under discussion.&nbsp;

To mark 50 years of India-Bangladesh ties and to motivate the next generation of scientific thinkers, the students of both countries will be jointly developing a satellite.

To mark 50 years of India-Bangladesh ties and to motivate the next generation of scientific thinkers, the students of both countries will be jointly developing a satellite. The Indian team led by SpaceKidz India would be imparting training to five students from the neighbouring country in the satellite building. The launch of this satellite is expected by June this year. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this initiative was signed between SpaceKidz India and Global Law Thinkers Society, Bangladesh’s Global Youth Organization on Monday, January 25. Incidentally, this day also happened to be the eve of India’s Republic Day. According to Dr Srimathy Kesan, Founder SpaceKidz India, this idea of collaboration in space came up after she heard the story of how India helped in the Bangladesh Liberation war from Gen. Jacob, who then served as the Chief of Staff of Indian Army’s Eastern Command. “The beauty of coincidence is that Bangladeshi soldiers’ contingent marched today down the Rajpath ” she added. Team Spacekidz has requested ISRO to launch this satellite, which would be the first by Bangladesh, and help the children in the neighbouring country learn the basics of satellites. The 1U cube satellite is expected to carry temperature sensors and radiation counters, besides a camera that the team is planning to install. The Chennai-based team that comprises of school and college students has launched twelve balloon satellites, two sub-orbital satellites and one orbital satellite to their credit. Besides the launch with Bangladesh, a joint effort with the Maldives is also under discussion.

50 years of India-B’Desh ties: Students from both countries to jointly build Satellite, launch by ISRO

India's Chandrayaan-2 mission has marked one year of its launch by GSLV MkIII-M1 and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that all of its payloads are performing well.&nbsp;

On July 22, 2019, ISRO launched the GSLV MkIII-M1 carrying Chandrayaan-2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It kept revolving around the Earth's orbit for 23 days and on August 14 that craft commenced its journey to the moon.&nbsp;

The Chandrayaan-2 entered the Lumar orbit on August 20, 2019.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISRO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISRO</a> 
Have a look of 3D view of a crater imaged by TMC-2 of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan2</a>. TMC-2 provides images at 5m spatial resolution &amp; stereo triplets (fore, nadir and aft views) for preparing DEM of the complete lunar surface. 
 
For more details visit <a href="https://t.co/urlZqzg3Gw">https://t.co/urlZqzg3Gw</a> <a href="https://t.co/VBvUeH1L8s">pic.twitter.com/VBvUeH1L8s</a>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1194590582678491137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

On Tuesday, India's space agency confirmed that all eight payloads on Chandrayaan-2 were performing well and global mapping of the lunar surface and polar coverage are being carried out as per the mission plan.&nbsp;

In a statement, ISRO said: "Extensive data has been acquired from Chandrayaan-2 payloads and parameters are being derived for (i) presence of water-ice in the polar regions, (ii) X-ray based and Infrared spectroscopic mineral information and (iii) mid and high latitude presence of Argon-40, a condensable gas on the Moon which gets released internally by the radioactive decay of 40 K."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISRO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISRO</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan2</a>’s DF-SAR is designed to produce greater details about the morphology and ejecta materials of impact craters on the lunar surface. Have a look of initial images and observations made by DF-SAR 
 
For more details please visit: <a href="https://t.co/1j7SBcXIpl">https://t.co/1j7SBcXIpl</a> <a href="https://t.co/SEHukoYJMV">pic.twitter.com/SEHukoYJMV</a>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1186640693323862016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISRO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISRO</a> 
Have a look at the images taken by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan2</a>'s Orbiter High Resolution Camera (OHRC). 
For more images please visit <a href="https://t.co/YBjRO1kTcL">https://t.co/YBjRO1kTcL</a> <a href="https://t.co/K4INnWKbaM">pic.twitter.com/K4INnWKbaM</a>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1180145587863220225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Initially, ISRO was planning to release the major findings from Chandrayaan-2 science experiments at the Annual Lunar Planetary Science Conference in March 2020 but it was called off due to coronavirus. Now, the data will be released in October wherein details for accessing the data will be provided, it said.&nbsp;

The Orbiter carrying Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) has clicked 22 orbit images of lunar surface consisting of nearly 1056 sq. km area and is also used to characterise landing sites for future missions.&nbsp;

India's Chandrayaan-2 mission has marked one year of its launch by GSLV MkIII-M1 and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that all of its payloads are performing well.

India's Chandrayaan-2 mission has marked one year of its launch by GSLV MkIII-M1 and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that all of its payloads are performing well. On July 22, 2019, ISRO launched the GSLV MkIII-M1 carrying Chandrayaan-2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. It kept revolving around the Earth's orbit for 23 days and on August 14 that craft commenced its journey to the moon. The Chandrayaan-2 entered the Lumar orbit on August 20, 2019. #ISRO Have a look of 3D view of a crater imaged by TMC-2 of #Chandrayaan2. TMC-2 provides images at 5m spatial resolution & stereo triplets (fore, nadir and aft views) for preparing DEM of the complete lunar surface. For more details visit https://t.co/urlZqzg3Gw pic.twitter.com/VBvUeH1L8s — ISRO (@isro) November 13, 2019 × On Tuesday, India's space agency confirmed that all eight payloads on Chandrayaan-2 were performing well and global mapping of the lunar surface and polar coverage are being carried out as per the mission plan. In a statement, ISRO said: "Extensive data has been acquired from Chandrayaan-2 payloads and parameters are being derived for (i) presence of water-ice in the polar regions, (ii) X-ray based and Infrared spectroscopic mineral information and (iii) mid and high latitude presence of Argon-40, a condensable gas on the Moon which gets released internally by the radioactive decay of 40 K." #ISRO#Chandrayaan2’s DF-SAR is designed to produce greater details about the morphology and ejecta materials of impact craters on the lunar surface. Have a look of initial images and observations made by DF-SAR For more details please visit: https://t.co/1j7SBcXIpl pic.twitter.com/SEHukoYJMV — ISRO (@isro) October 22, 2019 × #ISRO Have a look at the images taken by #Chandrayaan2's Orbiter High Resolution Camera (OHRC). For more images please visit https://t.co/YBjRO1kTcL pic.twitter.com/K4INnWKbaM — ISRO (@isro) October 4, 2019 × Initially, ISRO was planning to release the major findings from Chandrayaan-2 science experiments at the Annual Lunar Planetary Science Conference in March 2020 but it was called off due to coronavirus. Now, the data will be released in October wherein details for accessing the data will be provided, it said. The Orbiter carrying Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) has clicked 22 orbit images of lunar surface consisting of nearly 1056 sq. km area and is also used to characterise landing sites for future missions.

Chandrayaan-2 mapping lunar surface as per mission plan: ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has scheduled the launch of its lunar probe, by a GSLV Mk-III rocket, from the country’s Sriharikota spaceport for 2.51 a.m. And the countdown is set to begin at 6.51 a.m. on Sunday.

ISRO: A jewel in the crown

Chandrayaan-2 to explore south of Moon

Chandrayaan-2: Countdown to India's lunar mission begins

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has scheduled the launch of its lunar probe, by a GSLV MkIII rocket, from the country’s Sriharikota spaceport for 2.51 a.m. And the countdown is set to begin at 6.51 a.m. on Sunday.

ISRO Chairman K.Sivan speaks exclusively to WION

isro-chairman

Isro Chairman, News on Isro Chairman, stories on Isro Chairman, articles on Isro Chairman, Isro Chairman stories at Wion, Isro Chairman news, Isro Chairman latest news

isro chairman