<ul><li>India has put one more rocket to compete in the global commercial satellite launch market.</li><li>Mittal said OneWeb had put a request to <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> for the launch of its satellites a few months back. </li><li>With the latest successful mission, ISRO has put into orbit a total of 381 foreign satellites.</li></ul> In a historic maiden commercial flight, an Indian heavy-lift rocket <keyword id="4190393" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gslv-mkiii" source="Orion">GSLV MkIII</keyword> - renamed for this mission as LVM3 M2, successfully placed 36 satellites of UK-based OneWeb into orbit. With this, India has put one more rocket to compete in the global commercial satellite launch market. The 43.5 metre tall and weighing 644 ton LVM3 M2 rocket, carrying 36 satellites weighing totally 5,796 kg or about 5.7 ton, blasted off from the second launch pad at the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> at 12.07 a.m. With the thick orange flame at its tail, the rocket lit up the clear midnight sky, and growling it went up. About 20 minutes into its flight, the LVM3 began slinging the satellites of <keyword id="15260980" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="network-access-associated-ltd" source="Orion">Network Access Associated Ltd</keyword> (OneWeb) into low earth orbit (LEO). Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S.Somanath told reporters: "The satellite separation is a slow process. All the satellites got separated successfully. The rocket's cryogenic engine was at its best." OneWeb Chairman <keyword id="6442632" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sunil-bharti-mittal" source="Orion">Sunil Bharti Mittal</keyword> said: "It is a historic day for the Indian space sector. It is a new chapter for India in the space sector." Mittal said OneWeb had put a request to ISRO for the launch of its satellites a few months back and the space agency accepted the challenge to carry out two launches of 36 satellites each. Referring to OneWeb's planned launch of its Gen2 satellites, Mittal said the company may need about 12-16 launches and ISRO will have a major role to play. "There is a shortage of launch vehicles and ISRO now has a great opportunity," Mittal added. According to D.Radhakrishnan, CMD of <keyword id="10244841" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="newspace-india-ltd" source="Orion">NewSpace India Ltd</keyword> (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, the <keyword id="138322" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gslv" source="Orion">GSLV</keyword> MkIII has made a remarkable entry into the commercial satellite launch market. He also said that this is the beginning of many more business associations with OneWeb. With the latest successful mission, ISRO has put into orbit a total of 381 foreign satellites. Another set of 36 satellites from OneWeb is planned to be put into orbit in January 2023. The UK company has contracted with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) to pay over Rs 1,000 crore for both launches. OneWeb is a joint venture between India Bharti Global and the UK government. The satellite company plans to have a constellation of about 650 satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) to offer communication services. According to ISRO, the OneWeb Constellation operates in an <keyword id="15324717" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="leo-polar-orbit" source="Orion">LEO Polar Orbit</keyword>. The LVM3 is a three-stage rocket with the first stage fired with liquid fuel, the two strap-on motors powered by solid fuel, the second by liquid fuel and the third is the cryogenic engine. The ISRO's heavy-lift rocket GSLV MkIII has a carrying capacity of 10 ton to the LEO and four-ton to the Geo Transfer Orbit (GTO). Normally the GSLV rocket is used for launching India's geostationary communication satellites. And hence it was named as GeoSynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The GSLV MkIII refers to the third-generation rocket. As the rocket that flew on Sunday morning was for orbiting the satellites in LEO, the ISRO has renamed GSLV MkIII as LVM3 (Launch Vehicle MkIII). The rocket mission has several firsts for the Indian space sector. It is the first commercial launch of GSLV MkIII and for the first time, an Indian rocket will be ferrying a payload of about six tonnes. Similarly, OneWeb is using an Indian rocket to put its satellites into orbit for the first time. Also, it is the first commercial launch of GSLV MkIII contracted by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, and for the first time, a renamed GSLV MkIII is being used for launching satellites in LEO. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-green-are-green-crackers/articleshow/95039145.cms">How green are green crackers?</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/worlds-capacity-to-capture-carbon-a-crucial-climate-change-mitigation-action-is-likely-to-increase-sixfold-by-2030-but-is-it-enough/articleshow/95029181.cms">World’s capacity to capture carbon — a crucial climate change mitigation action — is likely to increase sixfold by 2030! But is it enough?</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/shows-you-can-binge-watch-during-the-diwali-holidays-on-netflix-apple-tv-and-prime-video/articleshow/95028164.cms">Shows you can binge-watch during the Diwali holidays on Netflix, Apple TV+, and Prime Video</a>

ISRO enters into commercial launch market by placing 36 'OneWeb' satellites into orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) is chalking out the crucial tasks to be done in 2022 and the steps to be taken to increase the number of satellite launches and its manufacturing, said a top official. He also said the regulator for private space sector players Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) having Ahmedabad as the headquarters has started hiring people for the top posts from ISRO. "ISRO is looking at the important tasks that can be done this year and the steps to be taken to increase the number of launches and also to increase satellite manufacturing," S.Somanath, Chairman ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space told IANS. According to him, the space agency will look at increasing the space missions with its rockets - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), upcoming Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). Most of the launches get bunched in the second half of the year and ISRO is looking at expanding it. The Indian space agency has to launch OCEANSAT-3, INS-2B, ANAND- by PSLV-C53 and Micro SAT by the newly developed small rocket Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in May. Further, the launch of four ton communication satellite GSAT-24 is also scheduled during the first quarter of this year using Ariane 5 rocket owned by Arianespace. The space agency is also looking at the government policy to increase the manufacturing of satellites. It is said the government has put ISRO on hold from manufacturing satellites without signing up the users upfront. According to Somanath, the industry feedback on the various draft policies issued for the private and public sector players has been received and the final policies will be announced. Questioned about the Space Activities Bill, he said the Bill is being drafted incorporating INSPACe as the earlier Bill was drafted before the announcement of space sector reforms and the regulator for the private players. The Space Activities Bill is being drafted incorporating INSPACe. The earlier Bill did not have INSPACe. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/itc-paytm-zomato-among-stocks-to-watch-on-march-16/slidelist/90249211.cms">ITC, Paytm, Zomato among stocks to watch on March 16</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/india-logs-2876-new-covid-19-infections-and-98-fatalities-in-last-24-hours/articleshow/90252569.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">India logs 2,876 new COVID-19 infections and 98 fatalities in last 24 hours</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/russias-reliance-on-humanitarian-corridors-in-ukraine-comes-from-its-playbook-in-syria-experts-say/articleshow/90245670.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Russia's reliance on 'humanitarian corridors' in Ukraine comes from its playbook in Syria, experts say</a>

ISRO to chalk out plans to increase number of launches, satellite manufacturing

The <keyword id="116095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-space-research-organisation" source="Orion">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword>) successfully fired the high thrust <keyword id="1142" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vikas" source="Orion">Vikas</keyword> engine that would power India's first rocket that would carry humans. According to ISRO, the Vikas engine for the Gaganyaan/human space mission underwent the qualification test for a duration of 25 seconds at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The Indian space agency said, already two engines have undergone tests under nominal operating conditions for a total duration of 480 seconds. The test carried out on Thursday was to verify the robustness of the engine by operating beyond its nominal operating conditions (fuel-oxidiser ratio and chamber pressure). The performance of the engine met the test objectives and the engine parameters were closely matching with the predictions during the entire duration of the test. Further, three more tests are planned for a cumulative duration of 75 seconds under varying operating conditions. Subsequently, another high thrust Vikas engine will undergo a long-duration test for 240 seconds to complete the Vikas engine qualification for <keyword id="7170026" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gaganyaan-programme" source="Orion">Gaganyaan Programme</keyword>, ISRO said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientist-s-somanath-to-take-over-as-new-isro-chairman/articleshow/88867399.cms">Scientist S. Somanath to take over as new ISRO chairman</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientists-discover-giant-gaseous-planet-almost-three-times-more-massive-than-jupiter/articleshow/88890617.cms">Scientists discover giant gaseous planet almost three times larger than Jupiter</a>

ISRO test fires Vikas engine that that will be used in the Gaganyaan space mission

<keyword id="20021374" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sriharikota" source="keywords">Sriharikota</keyword> (Andhra Pradesh), India on Monday ushered in the New Year in a grand manner by orbiting its X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (<keyword id="18080438" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="xposat" source="Orion">XPoSat</keyword>). At about 9.10 a.m. on the first day of the calendar year 2024, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C58 (PSLV-C58) standing 44.4-metre tall, with a lift off mass of 260 ton blasted off from the first launch pad at the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword>, here. The rocket carried XPoSat and 10 other experimental payloads on its fourth stage. Slowly rising up towards the skies with a thick orange flame at its tail, the rocket gained speed with a sound resembling rolling thunder and went up and up leaving a thick plume while the people assembled at the viewing gallery clapped their hands with pride. Interestingly, this is the first space mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on January 1. At about 21 minutes into its flight, the rocket ejected XPoSat at an altitude of about 650 km. Speaking after the launch ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said: "The orbit accomplished for XPoSat is excellent as the deviation is just three kilometres. The solar panels of the satellite have been deployed." In its normal configuration, the PSLV is a four-stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels, alternatively, with six booster motors strapped onto the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. The ISRO has five types of PSLV rockets -- Standard, Core Alone, XL, DL, and QL. The major difference between them is the use of strap-on boosters which, in turn, largely depends on the weight of the satellites to be orbited. The PSLV uses 6,4,2 solid rocket strap-on motors to augment the thrust provided by the first stage in PSLV-XL, QL &amp; DL variants, respectively. However, strap-ons are not used in the core-alone version (PSLV-CA). The XPoSat is the first dedicated scientific satellite from the ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. The satellite configuration is modified from the IMS-2 bus platform. The configuration of the mainframe systems is derived based on the heritage of IRS satellites. It carries two payloads, namely POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). The POLIX is realised by the Raman Research Institute and XSPECT is by the <keyword id="20021857" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="space-astronomy-group" source="keywords">Space Astronomy Group</keyword> of the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). According to the ISRO, the three objectives of XPoSat are: (a) To measure polarisation of X-rays in the energy band 8-30keV emanating from about 50 potential cosmic sources through <keyword id="20021856" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="thomson-scattering" source="keywords">Thomson Scattering</keyword> by POLIX payload. (b) To carry out long-term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy band 0.8-15keV by XSPECT payload and (c) To carry out polarisation and spectroscopic measurements of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources by POLIX and XSPECT payloads, respectively, in the common energy band. After orbiting the XPoSat in 650km, the rocket's fourth stage -- PS4 stage -- will be lowered to 350km, about 9.6 deg orbit, by restarting it twice. The left-out propellant in the PS4 will be disposed of through the main engines as a precursor to enabling the safety of the PS4 stage in atmosphere reentry experiments planned in future. The oxidiser will be let out first followed by fuel in a predetermined sequence of operations. The existing scheme of spent stage passivation by venting the tank pressure will also be active. Post passivation of PS4, the control of the stage is transferred to the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) avionics, the ISRO said. The POEM is configured as a 3-axis stabilised orbital platform for conducting experiments to space qualify systems with novel ideas. The orbital platform's electrical power requirements are catered by a Flexible Solar Panel in conjunction with 50Ah Li-Ion battery in battery tied configuration. The orbital platform consists of avionic systems to take care of navigation, guidance, control and telecommands and Orbital Platform Attitude Control System to cater to control of the platform to test the payloads, the ISRO added. The 10 payloads are from TakeMe2Space, LBS Institute Technology for Women, K J Somaiya Institute of Technology, Inspecity Space Labs Private Ltd, Dhruva Space Private Ltd, Bellatrix Aerospace Private Ltd (two payloads) and three payloads from the ISRO.

Space success: India ushers in 2024 by orbiting XPoSat successfully

New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword> is just days away from its final destination, the moon. On August 23 the <keyword id="7864315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vikram-lander" source="Orion">Vikram Lander</keyword> of Chandrayaan 3 is expected to make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon. ISRO on Friday released images of the moon as captured by the position detection camera attached to the lander right after the successful separation of the lander from the propulsion module. Here are some of the pictures: The Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme. On Wednesday, the spacecraft carried out the final lunar-bound orbit reduction manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, a week ahead of its scheduled landing on the south pole of the moon on August 23. A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it has been through a series of orbital manoeuvres. It has been a month and three days since the Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14. The spacecraft was launched from the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. ISRO is bidding to make a successful soft landing on the moon, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat after the United States, Russia, and China. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon's surface, and in-situ scientific experiments. The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost). Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO's follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath last week expressed confidence in the progress of the Chandrayaan 3, providing reassurance that all systems were operating as planned. Chairman S Somanath stated, "Everything is going fine now. There will be a series of manoeuvres until it lands (on the Moon) on 23rd August. The satellite is healthy." Moon serves as a repository of the Earth's past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond. Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. (ANI)

Up, close & personal images of the moon from Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander

<ul><li>India on Saturday successfully placed into orbit TeLEOS-2 and Lumilite-4 satellites both from <keyword id="6356662" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="singapore" source="Orion">Singapore</keyword>.</li><li>Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has orbited 424 foreign satellites from 36 countries since 1999.</li></ul>Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) India on Saturday successfully placed into orbit TeLEOS-2 and Lumilite-4 satellites both from Singapore. With this latest rocketing success, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has orbited 424 foreign satellites from 36 countries since 1999. Speaking about the mission Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath said: "The <keyword id="6395832" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="pslv" source="Orion">PSLV</keyword> rocket has placed the satellites at the intended orbit. The PSLV has demonstrated its higher reliability." Adding further Somanath said the ISRO team has done several new things to bring down the rocket's cost as the industry is gearing up manufacture. He said the rocket's upper stage on which seven non-separable payloads are fixed will be orbiting for a month and do the experiments. "For the first time, a deployable solar panel has been fixed on the upper stage," Somanath added. The PSLV Core Alone variant rocket carrying the 741 kg synthetic aperture radar satellite TeLEOS-2 as the primary passenger and the 16 kg Lumilite-4, a technology demonstration nano satellite as the co-passenger blasted off from the first launch pad at <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> (SDSC) here at 2.20 p.m. The rocketing on Saturday was made possible by NewSpace India Ltd-the commercial arm of India's Department of Space -- by contracting with the two parties. These two satellites apart, there are seven non-separable experimental payloads which are part of the rocket's final stage (PS4). They belong to ISRO, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Bellatrix Aerospace, <keyword id="2623423" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="dhruva-space" source="Orion">Dhruva Space</keyword>, and Indian Institute of Astrophysics. The ISRO uses the final stage (PS4) of the PSLV rocket as an orbital platform for in-orbit experiments and has named it as PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM). The four stage expendable, 44.4 m tall PSLV-C55 rocket weighing 228 ton slowly rose-up towards the skies from the first launchpad here with thick orange flame at its tail. The rocket gained speed as it went up while emitting a rolling thunder sound. The PSLV rocket is powered by solid (first and third stages) and liquid (second and fourth stages) fuels alternatively. The PSLV in normal configuration is a four stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels alternatively with booster motors strapped on to the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments. The rocket that flew on Saturday was the 57th flight of PSLV and 16th mission of the Core Alone variant, without any strap-on motors. According to ISRO, The TeLEOS-2 satellite is developed under a partnership between DSTA (representing the government of Singapore) and <keyword id="275424" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="st-engineering" source="Orion">ST Engineering</keyword>. Once deployed and operational, it will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the government of Singapore. The TeLEOS-2 carries a synthetic aperture radar payload. TeLEOS-2 will be able to provide all-weather day and night coverage, and is capable of imaging at 1m full-polarimetric resolution, ISRO said. The Lumelite-4 satellite is co-developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of A*STAR and Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) of the National University of Singapore. The Indian space agency said Lumilite-4 is an advanced 12U satellite developed for the technological demonstration of the High-Performance Space-borne VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). Using the VDES communication payload developed by I2R and STAR's scalable satellite bus platform, it aims to augment Singapore's e-navigation maritime safety and benefit the global shipping community. Just over 19 minutes into its flight, the PSLV-C55 first orbited TeLEOS-2 and followed it by Lumilite-4 - both into an Eastward low inclination orbit. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in) SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/bard-to-magi-googles-latest-weapon-in-the-battle-for-search-supremacy/articleshow/99576251.cms">From Bard to Magi: Google's latest weapon in the battle for search supremacy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ai-generated-images-and-videos-a-game-changer-or-a-threat-to-authenticity/articleshow/99560443.cms">AI-generated images and videos: A game-changer or a threat to authenticity?</a>

India successfully orbits 2 Singapore satellites (Ld)

India on Friday successfully placed three satellites into orbit on a rocket completely developed by a four-year-old startup, marking the entry of the private sector into space activities, currently dominated by the state-run behemoth ISRO. <keyword id="7537495" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="skyroot-aerospace" source="Orion">Skyroot Aerospace</keyword>-designed Vikram-S, named in a befitting tribute to the father of the country's space programme <keyword id="29151" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vikram-sarabhai" source="Orion">Vikram Sarabhai</keyword>, tasted success in its maiden mission. Skyroot Aerospace become the first privately held company in India after the space sector was opened for private players by the Centre in 2020. "I am happy to announce the successful completion of Mission Prarambh, The Beginning, by Skyroot aerospace," a smiling Pawan Goenka, Chairman of the country's space regulator, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), said from ISRO's Mission Control Center here. The rocket achieved an altitude of 89.5 km and a range of 121.2 km, "exactly what was planned by Skyroot Aerospace," he said. The rocket "worked as planned" and Skyroot Aerospace has demonstrated various capabilities of sub-systems that will go into the orbital launch vehicle, he added. The rocket integrated into the launcher soared after lifting off at the prefixed 11.30 am from the sounding rocket complex at the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, here, about 115 km from Chennai. The Mission unveiled by ISRO Chairman S Somanath has three payloads with two belonging to domestic customers and one from a foreign client. The 6-metre tall launch vehicle is one of the world's first few all-composite rockets that has 3-D printed solid thrusters for spin stability of the launch vehicle. "This is a new beginning for the Indian private sector entering aerospace and a historic moment for all of us," Goenka said. The three payloads riding piggyback on the rocket are from Chennai-based start-up SpaceKidz, Andhra Pradesh-based N-SpaceTech and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab. Vikram-S launched the payloads in about 500 km low inclination orbit. In a departure from the routine, Friday's mission was launched from the complex where sounding rockets were used by ISRO. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in <keyword id="6355143" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sriharikota" source="Orion">Sriharikota</keyword> has two launch complexes, each capable of providing complete support for vehicle assembly, check out and launch operations for any kind of missions -- Low Earth Orbit, Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. PSLVs and GSLVs are launched from here. Friday's mission is considered to be a significant milestone for Skyroot Aerospace as it would help test and validate the majority of the technologies in the <keyword id="1091" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vikram" source="Orion">Vikram</keyword> series of orbital class space launch vehicles, including many sub-systems and technologies that would be tested before lift-off and post-lift off phases of the launch. 'Fun-Sat', a 2.5 kgs payload belonging to Chennai-based aerospace startup Spacekidz, has been developed by students from India, the United States, Singapore and Indonesia. The 545 kg Vikram launch vehicle consists of the Vikram II and Vikram III series. The technology architecture of the launch vehicle offers unique capabilities like multi-orbit insertion and interplanetary missions while providing customised, dedicated and ride-share options covering a wide spectrum of small satellite customer needs, Skyroot Aerospace said. The company added the rockets can be assembled and launched within 24 hours from any launch site. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sensex-makes-a-positive-opening-tracking-gains-in-the-asian-markets-paytm-lic-among-the-stocks-to-watch-out-for/articleshow/95593276.cms">Sensex makes a positive opening tracking gains in the Asian markets – Paytm, LIC among the stocks to watch out for</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/even-a-single-attack-is-one-too-many-pm-modi-at-anti-terror-conference/articleshow/95597270.cms">'Even a single attack is one too many': PM Modi at anti-terror conference</a>

Vikram-S marks "The Beginning" of private venture in Indian space programme with maiden success

<ul><li>A new Jupiter-like gaseous planet has been discovered through the help of citizen scientists.</li><li>Citizen scientists are volunteers who look through NASA’s TESS data for clues about <keyword id="122247" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="exoplanets" source="Orion">exoplanets</keyword>.</li><li>The gaseous planet has the same diameter as Jupiter’s but it’s three times more massive.</li></ul>The hunt for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/major-skywatching-events-in-2022-from-alignment-of-planets-meteor-showers-to-eclipses-and-more/slidelist/88697991.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">new planets</a> is always on and every new discovery gives us more clues about the unknown cosmos. A new Jupiter-like planet that is around 379 light years away from Earth has been discovered through NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-james-webb-fully-deployed-whats-next-for-the-space-telescope/articleshow/88802086.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">NASA </a>launched TESS in 2018 on an all-sky survey mission to help discover exoplanets around nearby bright stars. How this <keyword id="438857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-planet" source="Orion">new planet</keyword> was spotted is actually quite interesting. Data of this planet was actually lying hidden in NASA’s TESS data and it was spotted by Tom Jacobs, a former US naval officer. Jacobs has been a long time “citizen scientist” who are basically volunteers that look through NASA telescope data for signs of planets beyond our solar system. By going through data from TESS, Jacobs helped spot the gaseous planet now identified as TOI-2180 b. Jacobs and his group of citizen scientists along with two veteran astronomers are collectively called the “Visual Survey Group” and they use a programme called LcTools to inspect telescope data by eye. But finding more about the planet and details like its size and mass required the help of professional astronomers as well as citizen scientists. The Jupiter-like planet orbits a star with the same mass as the sun and it has a 261-day year which is long in comparison to other known <keyword id="2834439" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gas-giants" source="Orion">gas giants</keyword> outside our solar system, according to <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac415b" data-type="tilCustomLink">The Astronomical Journal</a>. Planet TOI-2180 b is said to have the same diameter as Jupiter but it’s almost three times more massive. It’s also believed to contain 105 times the mass of Earth with elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. More data on this planet is expected to be discovered in February when TESS observes the star again in February. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isros-gaganyaan-programme-is-indias-maiden-human-spaceflight-mission/slidelist/88869250.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">All you need to know about India’s first crewed mission to space — the Gaganyaan programme</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientist-s-somanath-to-take-over-as-new-isro-chairman/articleshow/88867399.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Scientist S. Somanath to take over as new ISRO chairman</a>

Scientists discover giant gaseous planet almost three times larger than Jupiter

<ul><li>Swiggy has made a commitment to make deliveries spanning 8,00,000 kilometres per day through EVs by 2025.</li><li>The partnership is in line with <keyword id="87196" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tvs-motors" source="Orion">TVS Motors</keyword> commitment to expand the presence of its <keyword id="8654075" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tvs-iqube-electric" source="Orion">TVS iQube Electric</keyword> across all major cities.</li><li><keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flipkart" source="Orion">Flipkart</keyword> and Swiggy’s rival Zomato have also committed to adopt EVs for 100% of its fleet by 2030.</li></ul>Food delivery giant Swiggy on Thursday entered a strategic partnership with <keyword id="62356" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tvs" source="Orion">TVS</keyword> Motor Company to add more electric two-wheelers to its delivery fleet. The Bengaluru-based company will test the implementation of TVS Motors’ electric vehicles (EV) for its food delivery as well as other on-demand services like InstaMart, Genie. Notably, Swiggy currently has over two lakh delivery partners working with the platform. The commitment is to make deliveries spanning 800,000 kilometres per day through EVs by 2025, according to Mihir Rajesh Shah, vice president operations, at Swiggy. The partnership will help TVS Motors’ meet its target to expand the presence of its TVS iQube Electric across all major cities by March 2022. The electric scooter is currently available in 33 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Kochi. <div type="image" title="Swiggy will deliver stuff on TVS Motors’ electric scooters" msid="88872757" hostid="261"></div> A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed by the two companies. “Our collaboration with Swiggy is a key step towards strengthening the electrification of mobility in food delivery and last-mile delivery services, furthering the easy adoption of EVs amongst customers,” Manu Saxena, senior vice president of Future Mobility at TVS Motor Company, said. Several companies — including Amazon, Flipkart and Swiggy’s rival Zomato — have committed to adopt EVs for 100% of their delivery fleet by 2030. Zomato’s founder and chief executive Deepinder Goyal, in a blog post published in <a href="https://www.zomato.com/blog/a-sustainable-future">June 2021</a>, said that through 100% EV adoption will not be easy but it will be essential in the long run. The company is currently delivering through EVs in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. He had also noted that limited battery range, lack of charging infrastructure, higher upfront cost and lack of trust in the new technology are some of the challenges that are emerging for faster adoption of electric vehicles. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/tcs-vs-infosys-vs-wipro-how-indias-three-it-giants-stack-up-against-each-other/slidelist/88860676.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">TCS vs Infosys vs Wipro Q3 results – here’s how India’s three IT giants stack up against each other</a> <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-motors-tcs-paytm-and-other-hot-stocks-on-january-13/slidelist/88866954.cms">Tata Motors, TCS, Paytm, and other hot stocks on January 13</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientist-s-somanath-to-take-over-as-new-isro-chairman/articleshow/88867399.cms">Scientist S. Somanath to take over as new ISRO chairman</a>

Swiggy will deliver stuff on TVS Motors’ electric scooters

<ul><li><keyword id="9329367" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lead-school" source="Orion">Lead School</keyword> has raised $100 million in a funding round led by WestBridge Capital.</li><li>The company claims to work with over 5,000 schools across 500 cities in India.</li><li>It is the second startup to make it to the unicorn club this year, after Fractal.</li><li>Check out our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bi-newsletter">weekly explainers</a> on the hottest topics and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/newsletters_signup.cms">sign up</a> if you like them.</li></ul>Mumbai-based Lead School is the second startup to make it to the unicorn club this year, after raising $100 million in a funding round led by WestBridge Capital with participation from GSV Ventures at a valuation of $1.1 billion. The ten-year-old startup joins Byju’s, Unacademy, Eruditus, UpGrad and Vedantu as the sixth edtech unicorn of India. A unicorn, in startup parlance, is a private company that is valued over a billion dollars. Lead School was founded in 2012 by a couple Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah. The company says it offers integrated curriculum and technology solutions to affordable private schools, enabling them to impart advanced education through an online or hybrid model. The nine-year-old startup has raised $166 million to date, with $30 million coming in from the Series D round raised in April last year. Lead School is the second startup to hit a billion dollar valuation in the first fortnight of 2022. The first one was Mumbai and San Francisco-based <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/fractal-raised-360-million-funding-from-tpg-at-1-billion-valuation/articleshow/88712189.cms">Fractal</a>. It also claims to integrate its platform to help children from low-income families secure books and other resources from vendors directly, thereby cutting middlemen. The company claims to work with over 5,000 schools across 500 cities in India. It also claims to have achieved an annual contract value of $80 million in the fiscal year 2022. It now aims to reach 2 million students by the next fiscal year of 2023. Lead School “acts as the Intel inside for affordable schools and guarantees 70%+ mastery in all subjects and all grades for low/middle income students and exceeds the guarantee,” Deborah Quazzo, Managing Partner at GSV Ventures, said. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/tcs-vs-infosys-vs-wipro-how-indias-three-it-giants-stack-up-against-each-other/slidelist/88860676.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">TCS vs Infosys vs Wipro Q3 results – here’s how India’s three IT giants stack up against each other</a> <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-motors-tcs-paytm-and-other-hot-stocks-on-january-13/slidelist/88866954.cms">Tata Motors, TCS, Paytm, and other hot stocks on January 13</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientist-s-somanath-to-take-over-as-new-isro-chairman/articleshow/88867399.cms">Scientist S. Somanath to take over as new ISRO chairman</a>

Lead School joins Byju’s, Upgrad as the sixth edtech unicorn of India ⁠— and the second startup to hit a billion dollar valuation this year

Rising prices of essential kitchen items pushed the <keyword id="513422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Retail-inflation" source="Orion">retail inflation</keyword> to a six-month high of 5.59 per cent in December, close to the Reserve Bank's upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent. The <keyword id="134096" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Consumer-Price-Index" source="Orion">Consumer Price Index</keyword> (CPI) based retail inflation was 4.91 per cent in November 2021 and 4.59 per cent in December 2020. The RBI, which mainly factors in the CPI-based retail inflation while arriving at its bi-monthly monetary policy, has been tasked by the government to keep the inflation at 4 per cent with margin of 2 per cent on either side (that is, in the range of 2-6 per cent). Retail inflation has been rising since October 2021. In July too the rate of price rise was 5.59 per cent but it slowed in the subsequent two months, before starting to move up from October. As per the data released by the <keyword id="7734679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Statistical-Office" source="Orion">National Statistical Office</keyword> (NSO) on Wednesday, food inflation was at 4.05 per cent in December this fiscal compared to 1.87 per cent in the preceding month. In the food basket, inflation was on higher side in 'cereals and products', eggs, 'milk and products', spices, and 'prepared meals, snacks and sweets' segments in December over the preceding month. However, the rate of price rise was slower in case of vegetables, fruits, and 'oil and fats'. In the 'fuel and light' category, though the inflation softened from a month ago, it remained elevated at 10.95 per cent during the month. It was 13.35 per cent in November 2021. The Reserve Bank expects the inflation print to be somewhat higher over the rest of the year as base effects turn adverse. According to the RBI, it is expected that headline inflation will peak in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal and soften thereafter. Aditi Nayar, chief economist at Icra, said the increase in CPI inflation in December 2021 relative to the previous month was primarily led by food and beverages, and clothing and footwear. There was a welcome moderation in the prints for fuel and light, and pan, tobacco etc amidst a mild dip in miscellaneous items and housing, she added. "Overall, we expect the headline CPI inflation to range between 5.7 - 6 per cent in Q4 FY2022, as compared to the MPC's (<keyword id="6375120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monetary-policy-committee" source="Orion">Monetary Policy Committee</keyword>) forecast of 5.7 per cent. "While the CPI inflation has hardened sharply between November and December 2021, the uncertainty triggered by the third wave is sure to take precedence when the MPC meets next month. We now see a negligible likelihood of a change in stance or reverse repo hike in the February 2022 policy review," Nayar said. With a higher inflation target, the MPC can choose to prioritise growth revival for much longer than other major central banks, for many of whom inflation control has become a pressing policy focus, she noted. The RBI's next monetary policy meeting will be held in February. "Food inflation is expected to increase further due to supply bottlenecks and adverse weather conditions. "Although there has been a 68 basis points increase in the inflation rate in December over the previous month, the average inflation for Q3 remained below the RBI's estimates of 5.3 per cent," said M Govinda Rao, Chief Economic Adviser at Brickwork Ratings. The CPI has now remained within the tolerance level for the sixth month in a row with 5.59 per cent this December, D R E Reddy, CEO and Managing Partner at CRCL LLP said. "Inflationary pressures on food are projected to remain low for the foreseeable future. Household income has also increased, indicating a boost in discretionary income in the hands of the average person. Overall, these figures show that the economy is rapidly rebounding from the pandemic's devastation," Reddy said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/icmr-experts-reject-inclusion-of-molnupiravir-in-covid-19-treatment-guidelines-for-fourth-time-citing-safety-concerns/articleshow/88867442.cms">ICMR experts reject inclusion of Molnupiravir in COVID-19 treatment guidelines for fourth time citing safety concerns</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/scientist-s-somanath-to-take-over-as-new-isro-chairman/articleshow/88867399.cms">Scientist S. Somanath to take over as new ISRO chairman</a>

You Searched For "ISRO Chairman S Somanath" and got 11 results

ISRO enters into commercial launch market by placing 36 'OneWeb' satellites into orbit

IANS

ISRO to chalk out plans to increase number of launches, satellite manufacturing

IANS

ISRO test fires Vikas engine that that will be used in the Gaganyaan space mission

IANS

Space success: India ushers in 2024 by orbiting XPoSat successfully

IANS

Up, close & personal images of the moon from Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander

ANI

India successfully orbits 2 Singapore satellites (Ld)

IANS

Vikram-S marks "The Beginning" of private venture in Indian space programme with maiden success

AP

Scientists discover giant gaseous planet almost three times larger than Jupiter

Marcia Sekhose

Swiggy will deliver stuff on TVS Motors’ electric scooters

Kritti Bhalla

Lead School joins Byju’s, Upgrad as the sixth edtech unicorn of India ⁠— and the second startup to hit a billion dollar valuation this year

Kritti Bhalla

Retail inflation rises close to 6% in December on costlier kitchen staples

PTI