Science

Chandrayaan-3, India’s latest lunar mission, is expected to make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon on August 23. The spacecraft was launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on July 14. After completing a journey of almost 40 days, the Chandrayaan-3 mission will finally make India the fourth nation to land

ISRO’s next likely Moon mission is in partnership with its Japanese counterpart, a venture that’s gathering steam. Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) is a collaborative venture between Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian space agency. JAXA and ISRO are developing the rover and lander, respectively. The rover will carry not only the

If any factor regarding the lander module appears unfavourable, then the landing will be shifted to August 27, said the Space Applications Centre-ISRO about Chandrayaan-3 on Monday.  Nilesh M Desai, director of Space Applications Centre-ISRO, Ahmedabad said that the decision regarding the landing will be taken based on the health of the lander module and

In a significant development, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which was already fixed around the moon established a two-way connection with the lander module of Chandrayaan-3 on Monday. “‘Welcome, buddy!’ Chandrayaan-2 orbiter formally welcomed Chandrayaan-3 LM (lander module). Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX (Mission Operations Complex) has now more routes to reach the LM,”

ISRO on Friday released a set of visuals of the Moon captured by cameras positioned on the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. The images, captured after the separation of the Lander Module from the Propulsion Module of the spacecraft on Thursday, showed the craters on the Moon’s surface that were marked on the photographs released

US counterintelligence agencies on Friday warned the American space industry to guard against efforts by foreign intelligence entities to steal research and trade secrets as they try to boost their own countries’ space programs.  “We anticipate growing threats to this burgeoning sector of the US economy,” a US counterintelligence official told Reuters, adding that “China

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft adjusted its orbit on Friday as it prepared to attempt the first landing near the south pole of the moon, space agency Roscosmos said. “Today at 09:20 Moscow time (11:50 am IST), the propulsion system of the automatic station performed an orbit correction lasting 40 seconds. Its goal is to provide the

Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander is set to undergo a crucial deboosting manoeuvre on Friday after successfully getting separated from the propulsion module a day before. The deboosting manoeuvre is scheduled today at around 1600 IST. Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit’s closest point to the Moon

Achieving a major milestone, ISRO on Thursday announced that the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Lander Module has successfully separated from the Propulsion module that was propelling it all these days in space. The Lander Module comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan) is now ready to be lowered into an orbit that takes it closer to

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully carried out the final orbit reduction manoeuvre of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, a week ahead of its scheduled landing on the Moon. “Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar

India’s ambitious third Moon mission’s spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on Monday underwent another manoeuvre, bringing it even closer to the Lunar surface, ISRO said. The national space agency headquartered here said the spacecraft has now achieved a “near-circular orbit” around the moon. Post its launch on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered into the lunar orbit on August 5,

Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, is getting ready for its launch soon, ISRO said on Monday. The satellite realised at U R Rao Satellite Centre here, has arrived at the ISRO’s spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said in an update on the mission. “Mostly

Russia launched its first lunar mission in the last 47 years, Luna-25, on August 11 aboard a Soyuz 2.1v rocket. The primary goal of this lunar mission is to make a soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon‘s surface. With this, Russia attempts to become the first nation to land on the lunar

Amazon.com plans to launch its first pair of prototype internet satellites late next month on a different rocket than previously planned, a spokesman said on Monday, again switching rides for the spacecraft to avoid mounting rocket delays. The company will launch the first two satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper program, which aims to offer internet globally from

Russia on Friday launched Luna 25, the country’s first lunar mission in 47 years. Luna-25 took off from the Vostochny launch facility in Russia’s Far East, the Russia-based TASS news agency reported. Launched aboard a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket, Luna 25 took flight at 8:10 am (local time) on Friday, CNN reported. The Fregat booster separated

Satellite operator Telesat has given space tech firm MDA a CAD 2.1 billion (nearly Rs. 12,950 crore) contract to build 198 satellites for its low-earth orbit program. The deal announced on Friday sparked a more than 45 percent surge in both Telesat’s Canadian and US shares, putting them on track for their best day ever.

Mars may have seen dry and wet season cycles and thus, may have been habitable at some point in its past, according to scientists. Analysis of mud crack patterns on the early Martian surface, observed by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, suggest an irregular or episodic presence of water, meaning water could have been present for a

Russia made its final preparations on Thursday for the launch of its first lunar landing spacecraft in 47 years as it races to be the first power to make a soft landing on the south pole of the moon which may hold significant deposits of water ice. For centuries, astronomers have wondered about water on

Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft moved closer to the Moon’s surface on Wednesday after it underwent another orbit reduction manoeuvre, ISRO said. India’s ambitious third Moon mission’s spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 after the launch on July 14, had entered into lunar orbit or the Moon’s orbit on August 5. “Even closer to the moon’s surface. Chandrayaan-3’s orbit is reduced to