In a groundbreaking development at the intersection of space exploration and commerce, Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL), a prominent satellite company, has successfully completed its merger with OneWeb, a global low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications network. This historic union represents the epitome of India-France space cooperation, transitioning from the purview of governmental space agencies into the dynamic realm of space commerce. Despite its initial financial challenges, OneWeb has emerged as a formidable competitor to StarLink, effectively dismantling the latter’s monopoly in the satellite internet industry. This flourishing and diverse satellite internet business bodes well for our increasingly digitised world. As…
Author: Team Interstellar
Read More
India has put space cooperation on a tall pedestal in its high-power multilateral engagements during the recent BRICS and the G20 Summits. The economic cooperation envisaged for the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor. In this episode of Orbital Rendezvous, Prof. Chaitanya Giri (Editor, Interstellar News) converses with Amb. Dr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan. The conversation ranges from small modular reactors to biofuels to space-based solar power on the energy front. And how space technology will be central to the new industrial cities, new mutidomain corridors built from India to Europe via Arabian peninsula. Do watch our interesting rendezvous and please Like, Share, and Subscribe…
India’s stake in the global space market has surged to 3% of the $360-billion industry, propelled by a network of 500+ domestic suppliers, including 165 SMEs. Among these, the Ankit Group, located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has emerged as a standout contributor to the Chandrayaan program. The spotlight shines on Ankit Group’s involvement in the imminent Chandrayaan-3 mission, that successfully made its lander touch the lunar surface near its South Pole on August 23rd, 2023. Having unveiled 3D-printed Grid Fins for ISRO’s human space program in early 2023, the Group showcased pioneering prowess and dedication. In a strategic role reversal, Chandrayaan-3…
Recently, an Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between Ananth Technologies, and University of Hyderabad to work on some of the ongoing research efforts at UoH with tunable microwave devices and sensors. Ananth Technologies is a Hyderabad-based pioneering industry that works in the space and strategic sector. UoH scientists led by Prof. James Raju have developed a laser based process to reduce the crystallization temperature of ferroelectric thin films from 750 to 250 degrees Centigrade making them compatible with polymer substrates which are widely used in industry. UoH scientists led by Prof. James Raju have developed a laser based process…
Interstellar brings you an exclusive video series titled “Tiranga on the Moon” as we all await the landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon in August 2023. In this second episode of the series titled “The Real Story behind Lunar Helium 3 & Chandrayaan” we lay bare who was involved in establishing the narrative of the presence of Helium 3 on the moon. The answer to this question takes us back to the Apollo era astronauts and a nuclear fusion research lab at an American university. Much later, when the conjecture based narrative got established, it were Chandrayaan planners who…
Recently, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft revealed that cryovolcanic plumes emerged from Saturn’s moon Enceladus showing the presence of phosphorus-containing minerals. This discovery has immense value, as Enceladus is considered a moon of great astrobiological significance and could potentially harbour simple forms of life. The discovery of phosphorus, an important element that acts as the energy currency of biological cells on Earth, further substantiates the impression about Enceladus and its potential to harbour life of its own. This first episode of Interstellar Insights discusses Enceladus, phosphorus on comets, on our Moon, and why we must maintain the sanctity of astrobiologically relevant sites…
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour 2023 has commenced with an ‘out of the world’ launch, quite literally. The World Cup trophy is on a worldwide tour before it eventually lands in India, where the tournament will be held. However, before going around the world, the International Cricket Council has decided to first send the trophy into outer space. This extraordinary endeavour witnessed the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Trophy being propelled into the stratosphere, elevating it to 36 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, 28 km higher than the highest peak on Earth, the Sagarmatha, also known as…
Since the beginning of the year, the Indian commercial space ecosystem has been buzzing with the strong possibility of auctioning satellite communication spectrum on the line of 5G and earlier generation telecom spectrum auctions. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) created the buzz. However, more recently, space industry bodies, ISpA, SIA-India, and moreover, Chairman, INSPACe, proactively argued against pursuing such auctioning. So why is India’s commercial space ecosystem opposing TRAI’s stand? Why is auctioning not favoured anywhere in the world? Do we need new methodologies to allocate space-based 5G+ spectrum? What has the US and other countries adopted while…
In this episode of ORBITAL RENDEZVOUS, Interstellar Editor Prof. Chaitanya Giri interviews Air. Cmde. Terry van Haren (Retd.), President of LeoLabs Australia. LeoLabs, a commercial space situational awareness company, was recently in the news when its global array of ground-based radars detected a Chinese spy reusable spaceplane carrying out rendezvous and proximity operations with another object, demonstrating in-orbit propulsive activity, formation flying, change of altitude and docking. Interstellar interviews van Haren where he speaks about the significant capabilities of the Chinese spaceplane, the abilities of LeoLabs to detect such rendezvous and proximity operations, the significance of a commercial company bringing…
Who are the stakeholders in the Indian space program? Scientists? Technologists? Entrepreneurs? Government? Or is the stakeholder list much more comprehensive? To answer these questions, we bring to you an exclusive report produced by Interstellar from its special coverage of the DEFSAT 2023 Conference & Expo organised by Satcom Industry Association – India in cooperation with the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, Centre for Air Power Studies, and Centre for Land Warfare Studies. In the previous episode of this 2-part video series, we interviewed India’s leading strategic thinkers. In this episode, we cast a wider net. We have interviewed a…
