The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, an annual celestial event caused by Earth passing through debris from Halley’s Comet, peaks in early May. This meteor shower is notable for its fast-moving meteors and its origin from one of the most famous comets known, Halley’s Comet. What is a Meteor? A meteor, often referred to as a shooting star or falling star, is essentially space debris—rock and other material—that ignites as it enters Earth’s atmosphere, creating a visible streak of light. These are not actual stars but rather small bits of comet or asteroid material. Meteor showers like the Eta Aquariids occur…
Author: Kanika Sharma
After numerous delays and a series of issues in test flights, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is poised for its first manned launch. The mission, scheduled to depart from Florida on May 6, will transport NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS). This launch represents a significant milestone for the troubled Starliner program. Mark Nappi, vice president and Starliner program manager at Boeing, acknowledged the challenges faced during the spacecraft’s development, especially given its complex nature as a human space vehicle. “Design and development is hard — particularly with a human space vehicle,” Nappi commented in…
India has announced its commitment to Zero Debris or Debris-Free Space Missions (DFSM) by 2030, a pioneering initiative revealed by Shri Somanath S., Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of DOS, during the 42nd Annual Meet of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) held in Bengaluru on April 16, 2024. The initiative encompasses all Indian space entities, both governmental and non-governmental, and extends an invitation to global space actors to adopt similar practices for the sustainable use of outer space. The DFSM initiative is designed to prevent debris generation across all phases of satellite and launch vehicle operations, including operational…
After a period of uncertainty, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is once again transmitting valuable data on its status and health, marking the first time in five months that such information has been received. The historic spacecraft, located more than 15 billion miles from Earth, had stopped sending readable data on November 14, 2023, despite indications that it was still functioning and receiving commands. The issue was traced to a malfunction in one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, specifically the flight data subsystem (FDS). This subsystem is crucial as it packages the science and engineering data before transmission to Earth.…
ISRO has achieved a major milestone in the area of Reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology, through the RV LEX-02 landing experiment. This was the second of the series, conducted at Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga in Karnataka at 7:10 hrs IST on March 22. The RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of RV from off-nominal initial conditions at release from Helicopter. The winged vehicle, called Pushpak, was lifted by an Indian Airforce Chinook helicopter and was released from 4.5 km altitude. After release at a distance of 4 km from the runway, Pushpak autonomously approached the runway along with cross-range…
In a significant move that underscores the robust Indo-Swedish collaboration, Dhruva Space, based in Hyderabad, TS, India, and the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) have announced an expansion of their partnership focused on satellite ground station networks. This initiative, announced on March 6, 2024, is set to enhance the capabilities of both Swedish and Indian space industries, particularly through the support of Dhruva Space’s LEAP-1 mission slated for launch later this year. The collaboration is a milestone in the longstanding relationship between Dhruva Space and SSC, emphasizing their shared commitment to facilitating easier access to space. It leverages Dhruva Space’s comprehensive…
Cabinet has given the green light to amendments in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy concerning the space sector.
ISRO is all set to launch INSAT-3DS, a meteorological and disaster warning satellite, on February 17 at 17:35 hours IST from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch countdown began on Friday.
In a significant stride towards space sustainability, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully managed the end-of-life process of its Cartosat-2 satellite, setting a high standard for space debris mitigation. Launched on January 10, 2007, this 680 kg satellite has been instrumental in providing high-resolution images for urban planning until 2019, from its sun-synchronous orbit at 635 km above Earth. Cartosat-2 Bids Adieu🛰️ ➡️ ISRO’s high-resolution imaging satellite descended into Earth’s atmosphere on Feb 14 ➡️ ISRO lowered its orbit from 635 km to 380 km by early 2020 ➡️ This move minimized space debris & underscored ISRO’s commitment to…
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has unveiled an ambitious Integrated Launch Manifesto, signaling a significant surge in commercial space missions utilizing ISRO’s launch infrastructure. The manifesto, covering fiscal years 2023-24 (Q4) and 2024-25, outlines a robust plan involving ISRO, New Space India Limited (NSIL), and Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs), highlighting a notable increase in private sector involvement in the Indian space sector. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) announced the Integrated Launch Manifesto for space launches utilizing ISRO’s launch infrastructure. — IN-SPACe (@INSPACeIND) February 8, 2024 Aligned with the directives of the recently ratified…
