Nasa to launch four astronauts just 16 days after returning India's Shubhanshu Shukla
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry a four-member international crew: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui from Japan, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov from Russia.The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS around on August 2.This mission is the 11th crew rotation flight to the ISS and the 12th human spaceflight using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft since 2020. It underscores not only NASA's commitment to continuous human presence in space but also the strength of international cooperation.While aboard the ISS, the crew will participate in a series of cutting-edge scientific experiments, including studies on the effects of microgravity on the human body, biological systems, and advanced materials.These experiments contribute to both space exploration goals and practical technologies back on Earth.The launch follows the successful return of the Axiom-4 mission on July 15, which was historic for India due to ISRO's involvement and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's participation. That mission marked a major milestone in India's expanding role in space exploration.As Crew-11 prepares for launch, the world is once again reminded that the future of space isn't about one nation, it's about shared missions, global teamwork, and the united pursuit of knowledge beyond Earth.- EndsMust Watch
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India.com
36 minutes ago
- India.com
ISRO-NASA Joint Satellite NISAR Set For Launch On July 30 From Sriharikota
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday stated that the upcoming launch of NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO and NASA, will mark a key milestone in Earth observation technology. NISAR will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on July 30 at 17:40 IST. NISAR is the first mission of its kind, jointly developed by ISRO and NASA. It is an L- and S-band, global, microwave imaging mission, with the capability to acquire fully polarimetric and interferometric data, as per an official statement from ISRO. The unique dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar of NISAR employs the advanced, novel SweepSAR technique, which provides high-resolution and large-swath imagery. NISAR will image the global land and ice-covered surfaces, including islands, sea-ice and selected oceans, every 12 days. The NISAR mission's primary objectives are to study land & ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions in areas of common interest to the US and Indian science communities. The joint mission will accomplish multiple tasks, including measuring the woody biomass and its changes, tracking changes in the extent of active crops, understanding the changes in wetlands' extent, and mapping Greenland & Antarctica's ice sheets and the dynamics of sea ice and mountain glaciers. As per the statement, it will also help characterise land surface deformation related to seismicity, volcanism, landslides, and subsidence & uplift associated with changes in subsurface aquifers, hydrocarbon reservoirs, etc. "One mission to watch Earth. #ISRO #NASA builds, Earth benefits. This marks a key milestone in Earth observation technology. Stay tuned as we bring you closer to the mission that watches our world," ISRO said in a post on X. "The Spacecraft is built around ISRO's I-3K Structure. It carries two major Payloads viz., L & S- Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The S-band Radar system, data handling & high-speed downlink system, the spacecraft and the launch system are developed by ISRO. The L-band Radar system, the high-speed downlink system, the Solid-State Recorder, the GPS receiver, and the 9 m Boom hoisting the 12m reflector are delivered by NASA. Further, ISRO takes care of the satellite commanding and operations; NASA will provide the orbit manoeuvre plan and RADAR operations plan. NISAR mission will be aided with ground station support from both ISRO and NASA for downloading of the acquired images, which, after the necessary processing, will be disseminated to the user community," the statement added. The data acquired through S-band and L-band SAR from a single platform will help scientists understand the changes happening to Planet Earth. The complex payloads and mainframe systems have been designed, developed, qualified and realised over a period of 8 to 10 years. "The S- Band SAR and L- Band SAR were independently developed, integrated and tested at ISRO and JPL/NASA respectively. The Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS), consisting of S - Band and L - Band SAR and other payload elements were intergrated and tested at JPL/NASA and delivered to ISRO," it stated. Mainframe satellite elements and payloads were assembled, integrated and tested at URSC/ISRO. The mission phases can be broadly classified into: Launch phase, Deployment Phase, Commissioning Phase and Science Phase. NISAR will be launched onboard the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle on July 30, 2025 from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), also referred to as Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), located in Sriharikota on the southeast coast of the Indian peninsula. It hosts a 12m dia large reflector which shall be deployed in-orbit 9m away from the satellite by a complex multistage deployable boom designed and developed by JPL/NASA. The first 90 days after launch will be dedicated to commissioning, or In-Orbit Checkout (IOC), the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations. Commissioning is divided into sub-phases of initial checks and calibrations of mainframe elements followed by JPL engineering payload and instrument checkout. The science operations phase begins at the end of commissioning and extends till end of mission life. During this phase, the science orbit will be maintained via regular maneuvers, scheduled to avoid or minimize conflicts with science observations. Extensive calibration and validation (CalVal) activities will take place. The observation plan for both L and S-band instruments, along with engineering activities (e.g., maneuvers, parameter updates, etc.), will be generated pre-launch via frequent coordination between JPL and ISRO, the statement added.
NDTV
38 minutes ago
- NDTV
Exoplanet 35 Light-Years Away Offers Hope for Life Beyond Earth
A team of scientists has studied the L 98-59 planetary system and confirmed the existence of a fifth planet, named L 98-59 f, in the star's habitable zone. The zone has conditions that could allow liquid water to exist. L 98-59 is a small red dwarf located just 35 light-years from Earth. In 2019, NASA's TESS space telescope found that it hosts three small transiting exoplanets. A fourth planet was revealed through radial velocity measurements with the European Southern Observatory's ESPRESSO spectrograph. Now, the team led by the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx) at the Universite de Montreal has found a fifth one in the system. "These new results paint the most complete picture we've ever had of the fascinating L 98-59 system," said Cadieux in the press release. "It's a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve by combining data from space telescopes and high-precision instruments on Earth, and it gives us key targets for future atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope [JWST]." The exoplanet has a minimum mass 2.8 times that of Earth and has been categorised as a super-Earth. L 98-59 f follows an almost perfectly circular orbit around its star, receiving roughly the same amount of stellar energy as Earth. Its location in the habitable zone suggests that liquid water could exist on its surface under suitable atmospheric conditions, making it a potential candidate to support life. If L 98-59 f has an atmosphere, telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be able to detect water vapour, carbon dioxide or even biosignatures. Cadieux said that the discovery highlights the "diversity of exoplanetary systems" and also "strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low-mass stars". "With its diversity of rocky worlds and range of planetary compositions, L 98-59 offers a unique laboratory to address some of the field's most pressing questions: What are super-Earths and sub-Neptunes made of? Do planets form differently around small stars? Can rocky planets around red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?" René Doyon, co-author of the study, who is a professor at UdeM and the Director of IREx, said. The findings are reported in research that will appear in The Astronomical Journal titled "Detailed Architecture of the L 98-59 System and Confirmation of a Fifth Planet in the Habitable Zone."
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
India–US ‘scientific handshake' to track disasters, climate via NISAR satellite
NEW DELHI: A couple of days ahead of the launch of the NISAR satellite, Union Minister for Space Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday described the mission as a "scientific handshake". 'NISAR is not just a satellite; it is India's scientific handshake with the world,' Dr Singh remarked, adding that the NISAR satellite is scheduled for launch on 30 July from Sriharikota. During a media briefing, Dr Singh explained that NISAR is designed to deliver critical global data related to natural disasters, agriculture, and climate for the benefit of the entire world. Calling it a global benchmark in Indo-US scientific collaboration, he emphasised that, as the first joint Earth observation mission between ISRO and NASA, the launch will mark a significant milestone in the history of Indo-US space cooperation, as well as in ISRO's broader international engagements. He further stated that the mission will be launched aboard India's GSLV-F16 rocket. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite will provide observations that will be made available to policymakers worldwide, aiding in the formulation of more effective responses to challenges posed by climate change. Dr Singh said the mission embodies Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of India becoming a 'Vishwa Bandhu' – a global partner contributing to the collective good of humanity. 'NISAR will not only serve India and the United States but will also provide critical data for countries around the world, especially in areas like disaster management, agriculture, and climate monitoring,' he said. A key feature of the mission, Dr Singh noted, is that all data generated by NISAR will be freely accessible within one to two days of observation, and in near real-time during emergencies. He said the mission combines the technological expertise of both space agencies. ISRO, for its part, has contributed the S-Band SAR payload, the spacecraft bus accommodating both payloads, the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle, and all associated launch services. Weighing 2,392 kg, the satellite will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit, enabling repeat imaging of the Earth's land and ice surfaces every 12 days. 'It will allow continuous monitoring of ecosystem disturbances and help assess natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides,' Dr Singh said. One of the satellite's most notable capabilities is its ability to track even subtle changes in the Earth's crust and surface movement. 'The data from the satellite will also be used for sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm tracking, crop mapping, and changes in soil moisture – all of which are vital for governments, researchers, and disaster management agencies,' he added.
