Ashok Sharma, Associated Press Updated 11:01 am PDT, Monday, July 22, 2019 A man at New Delhi's Nehru Planetarium, takes pictures of a web cast of the lift off of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII carrying Chandrayaan-2 from Satish Dhawan Space center in Sriharikota, India, Monday, July 22, 2019. India's space agency says it has launched an unmanned spacecraft to the far side of the moon a week after aborting the mission due to a technical problem. less A man at New Delhi's Nehru Planetarium, takes pictures of a web cast of the lift off of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII carrying Chandrayaan-2 ... more Photo: Manish Swarup, AP Photo: Manish Swarup, AP Image 1 of / 4 … [Read more...] about India launches moon mission a week after it was aborted
India launching satellite
On This Day in Space! April 10, 1982: India Launches 1st Multipurpose Satellite
On April 10, 1982, India launched its first multipurpose satellite, INSAT-1. This satellite was used for both communications and weather forecasting. The Indian Space Research Organization contracted NASA to launch it, and it was built by the American company Ford Aerospace. INSAT-1 lifted off on a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida and entered a geostationary orbit. This meant that it was always observing the same part of the planet. While its launch was successful, the satellite had some trouble with its solar arrays and antennas while in orbit. Its stabilization boom failed to deploy, so the satellite's instruments weren't pointed in the right direction. Then it used up all its propellant while trying to correct its orientation. The mission was designed to last 7 years, but it only made it to 17 months before it was abandoned.Catch up on our entire "On This Day In Space" series on YouTube with this playlist.Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] … [Read more...] about On This Day in Space! April 10, 1982: India Launches 1st Multipurpose Satellite
India’s Anti-Satellite Test Wasn’t Really About Satellites
Modern warfare is space warfare. Although we’re not conducting laser battles in orbit (yet), satellite systems are regularly used to guide missiles and drones to their destination, facilitate communication between soldiers on the battlefield, and spy on adversaries. Given how critical space assets are for national security, it’s hardly surprising that militaries spend a lot of time developing ways to destroy their enemies’ satellites. On Wednesday, the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) launched a missile that destroyed one of the country’s own satellites in low Earth orbit. The successful anti-satellite demonstration, dubbed Mission Shakti, was revealed during a live televised address from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claimed that “India has no intention to threaten anyone.” “The main objective of our space program is ensuring the country’s security, its economic development, and India’s … [Read more...] about India’s Anti-Satellite Test Wasn’t Really About Satellites
India’s anti-satellite missile test just moved humanity closer to a space-junk nightmare scenario
caption A thick ring of space junk orbits Earth in this artist’s fanciful concept. source Shutterstock India launched a missile into space on Wednesday morning that intentionally destroyed one of its own satellites. The anti-satellite missile test, known as “Mission Shakti,” created a field of debris about 185 miles above Earth. Anti-satellite weaponry raise the risk of creating a large and lasting catastrophe in space called a “Kessler syndrome” event. Kessler syndrome describes a runaway cascade of space debris that’d complicate and curtail human access to and use of space for centuries. Early this morning, India launched a missile toward space, struck an Earth-orbiting satellite, and destroyed the spacecraft. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a televised address shortly after the launch to declare the anti-satellite or ASAT test a success. He praised the maneuver, called “Mission Shakti,” … [Read more...] about India’s anti-satellite missile test just moved humanity closer to a space-junk nightmare scenario
Ariane 5 Rocket Launches Satellites Into Orbit for Saudi Arabia and India
A European-built rocket soared into the February sky over French Guiana Tuesday (Feb. 5), carrying two communications satellites into orbit in the first launch of 2019 for Arianespace. The mission's Ariane 5 rocket lifted off today (Feb. 5) at 4:01 p.m. EST (2101 GMT) from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The heavy-lift booster delivered to Earth orbit the GSAT-31 satellite for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as well as a "condosat" carrying two communications payloads — the Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1 (SGS-1) and the Hellas Sat 4 (HS-4). SGS-1 "will provide advanced Ka-band spot beam communications services for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's KACST, including secure communications for the Gulf Cooperative Council region," Arianespace representatives wrote in a mission description. (KACST is a government organization that promotes science and technology in Saudi Arabia.) HS-4 "will offer advanced Ku-band regional beam communications … [Read more...] about Ariane 5 Rocket Launches Satellites Into Orbit for Saudi Arabia and India