US Space agency NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon on Monday on its way to a record-breaking lunar orbit. It is the first time a capsule has visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo programme 50 years ago, and represents a huge milestone in the $4.1bn test flight that began last Wednesday. The close approach of 130 km (81 miles) occurred on Monday, as the crew capsule and its three wired-up dummies were on the far side of the moon. Due to a half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers did not know if the critical engine firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind the
India’s first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S, will be launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s launch pad at Sriharikota on Tuesday, November 15, said Hyderabad-based space start-up Skyroot Aerospace. The rocket is part of the maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, Prarambh (the beginning), which will carry payloads of two Indian and one foreign customers. The Chennai-based aerospace start-up, Spacekidz will fly ‘Fun-Sat’, a 2.5 kg payload developed by students from India, the US, Singapore and Indonesia on the sub-orbital flight on board Vikram-S. With this mi
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is prepared for the first runway landing experiment (RLV-LEX) of Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) from aeronautical test range in Chitradurga, Karnataka. The ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that the weather is being monitored. The ISRO officials informed that the RLV wing body will be carried to an altitude of 3-5 km by a helicopter and dropped at about 4-5 km ahead of the runway with a horizontal velocity. After the release, the RLV will glide, steer towards the runway, and land with a landing gear in the defence airfie
In an attempt to revolutionise treatments for people with blood disorders, scientists in the United Kingdom have transfused lab-grown blood into people. While the bulk of blood transfusions will always depend on human donors, the eventual goal of the world’s first clinical trial of lab-grown blood is to manufacture vital, ultra-rare blood groups that are hard to find, said the UK researchers. The research project combines teams in Bristol, Cambridge, London, and at NHS Blood and Transplant. It focuses on the red blood cells (RBCs) that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the
India on Wednesday successfully conducted the flight test of phase-II ballistic missile defence interceptor, AD-1 missile, off Odisha coast. The AD-1 interceptor missile is one of the two interceptor missiles of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Phase 2 system. The second interceptor missile, AD-2, is still under development. The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both "low exo-atmospheric" and "endo-atmospheric" interception of long-range ballistic missiles and aircraft. It would be able to intercept ballistic
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility at Vadodara, Gujarat, on October 30, 2022. The facility will be set up by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space. The C-295 will replace the Avro aircraft in service with IAF. The joint venture between Airbus and TASL will manufacture 40 C-295 military transport planes at the new facility as part of a Rs.22,000 crore deal to supply 56 aircraft. The other 16 planes will be supplied by Airbus from Spain. In addition to 40 aircraft, the facility at Vadodara wou
In a historic mission, Indian Space Research Organisations' heaviest rocket, LVM3-M2, on its very first commercial mission on Sunday, successfully placed 36 broadband communication satellites of a UK-based customer into the desired orbits, the space agency said. OneWeb Ltd is the UK-based customer of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, and a global communication network powered from space, activating internet connectivity for governments and businesses. Bharti Enterprises is one of the key investors in OneWeb. With Sunday's success, ISRO put behind the divergence experienc
Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudia has signed an agreement with German air taxi manufacturer Lilium to buy up to 100 of its aircraft for use on Saudia's domestic network, the state carrier's chief executive said on Wednesday. Saudia CEO Ibrahim Koshy said the planes would be "a premium service" that could carry four to six passengers, adding "it shows Saudia's commitment to sustainability because we're talking about 100% electric aircraft and we are the first airline in the MENA region that's introducing this as part of their network." He added that certification by Saudi regulators is expecte
India has given environmental approval for indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) mustard seeds, experts said on Thursday, making the start for commercial use of its first GM food crop. India is the world's largest importer of edible oils, on which it spends tens of billions of dollars a year. More than 70% of its demand is met by Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, and Ukraine. "I can call it a landmark development," said Deepak Pental, a geneticist and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University, who, along with his team, developed the seeds in an endeavor spannin
After Mumbai, Bengaluru on Thursday became the second city in India to have a 90-meter aerial ladder platform system for Fire and Emergency Services, with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai dedicating it to the city. Describing it as the "biggest strength" for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the Chief Minister said the 90-meter aerial ladder platform is a crucial provision and it will work as a "real friend in need". Pointing out the importance of fire safety and its rules, he said the Department of Fire and Emergency Services needed to reach high-rise buildings during an em