Space Archives - Defence Monitor

04 Sep

Gujarat leaders congratulate ISRO on successful GSLV-F17 launch, EOS-05 deployment

Gandhinagar, Sep 4 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Friday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), following the successful launch of the GSLV-F17 carrying the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite and described the mission as a "significant achievement" for India’s space programme. The GSLV-F17 lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2:55 a.m. on Friday and successfully placed EOS-05 into a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit. ISRO said the mission marks the first time India has placed an imaging Earth observation satellite in a geosynchronous orbit.…

09 Jun

India enters new space era as startups power deep tech push: Report

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) India’s space sector is witnessing a significant transformation as startups increasingly emerge as key players in deep tech innovation, marking a shift from a traditionally state-led model to a more collaborative state–private ecosystem, according to a report. A report by The Diplomat noted that the development comes after Indian startup GalaxEye successfully launched the world’s first OptoSAR satellite, a milestone that underscores the growing capabilities of domestic private firms in advanced space technologies. GalaxEye’s OptoSAR technology integrates optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, enabling high-resolution earth observation even in challenging weather conditions such as…

30 Apr

US warns of China, Russia threats as space turns battlefield

Washington, April 30 (IANS) The United States has warned that outer space is rapidly emerging as a contested military domain, with China and Russia expanding capabilities that could threaten global security, satellite infrastructure and international stability. Eminent lawmakers and experts, during a Congressional hearing, described a shifting strategic landscape in which competition is intensifying across military, commercial and diplomatic fronts. “Space is now a congested and contested domain, one that the US Space Force characterises as a warfighting domain,” said Congressman Keith Self, chairing the House subcommittee hearing. He added that “the realities in outer space are very much different…

26 Mar

US warns space is now a key warfighting domain

Washington, March 26 (IANS) The United States warned that space is now a contested warfighting domain, with China and Russia developing capabilities to threaten American satellites. Senior defence and intelligence officials told lawmakers on Wednesday (local time) that modern warfare depends heavily on space systems. These include communications, navigation, and intelligence. “Outer space is an increasingly complex and contested warfighting domain,” Assistant Secretary of War for Space Policy Marc Berkowitz said. He said adversaries are building systems to deny the US access to space and weaken its military edge. He described China as the “pacing competitor” shaping US strategy. Officials…

08 Feb

Space can be used as force multiplier to enhance combat capabilities: CDS

New Delhi, Feb 7, Space can be used as a force multiplier to enhance combat capabilities in traditional domains of land, air, sea and even cyber space, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, said on Wednesday. He called upon all the stakeholders of the defence space ecosystem to work on bolstering the counter-space capabilities as deterrent for safeguarding the country’s space assets. Inaugurating 'DEFSAT', a three-day space seminar and exhibition, here on Wednesday, General Chauhan also highlighted the vitality of space for the mankind and also for the armed forces engaged in combat. Detailing the major initiatives of…

16 Apr

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirms largest comet nucleus ever seen

Los Angeles: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed the largest comet nucleus ever seen by astronomers, the agency has said. The estimated diameter of the largest icy comet nucleus is approximately 80 miles (128 km), making it larger than the state of Rhode Island, NASA said on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. The nucleus is about 50 times larger than that found at the heart of most known comets. Its mass is estimated to be a staggering 500 trillion tons, a hundred thousand times greater than the mass of a typical comet found much closer to the sun, said NASA. The…

08 Feb

ISRO to start 2022 space romance with RISAT launch on Valentine’s Day

Chennai: The Indian space agency will begin this year's romance with space missions on the Valentine's Day, on February 14, by having one more eye in the sky, with the radar imaging satellite RISAT-1A or EOS-4. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C52 (PSLV-C51) carrying 1,710 kg EOS-04 is scheduled to lift off at 5.59 a.m. on February 14. The rocket will also carry two small satellites as co-passengers - a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at University of…

27 Aug

NASA’s James Webb space telescope completes testing, ready to ship

Washington: NASA's much-awaited James Webb Space Telescope has successfully completed its final tests, the US space agency has said.Engineering teams have completed Webb's long-spanning comprehensive testing regimen at Northrop Grumman's facilities. The telescope is now being prepared for shipment to its launch site, and will be completed in September, NASA said in a statement on Thursday.The US space agency recently pushed back the target for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, touted as its next great space observatory, to October 2021. Previously, Webb was targeted to launch in March 2021.The launch has been pushed due to impacts from the…

04 Jun

NASA-SpaceX Dragon launches 7,300lb of cargo to space station

Washington: NASA has launched SpaceX's Dragon resupply spacecraft with more than 7,300 pounds of science experiments, new solar arrays, and other cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 1.29 p.m. EDT on Thursday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the US space agency has said. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the ISS around 5 a.m. Saturday, June 5, and remain at the station for about a month.SpaceX will deliver a pair of new ISS Roll-out Solar Arrays (iROSA) to the ISS. After the Dragon docks to the ISS's…

29 Mar

NASA rules out asteroid Apophis hitting Earth in 2068

New York: In a big relief, NASA has ruled out the possibility of asteroid Apophis impacting Earth in 2068, saying that our planet is safe from this notorious space rock for at least a century.The results from a new radar observation campaign combined with precise orbit analysis have helped astronomers conclude that there is no risk of Apophis impacting our planet for the next 100 years at least, NASA said. Discovered in 2004, asteroid Apophis, estimated to be about 340 metres across, quickly gained notoriety as an asteroid that could pose a serious threat to Earth when astronomers predicted that it…