Nine employee associations at ISRO have written to Chairperson V Narayanan, seeking official clarification on the proposed transfer of manufacturing and operational functions to private entities. They raised concerns about ISRO's future role, employee consequences, and recruitment, following comments by IN-SPACe chairperson Pawan Goenka regarding ISRO's eventual exit from launch vehicle manufacturing.
'It seems the prime minister may not be given the real picture about the country's space sector and ISRO. So, we are having the seminar to bring the issues to his notice.'
'ISRO will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or public sector undertakings.'
Buying a mature rocket technology gives companies the designs and hardware know-how, but not necessarily the decades of engineering wisdom needed to make it work.
'He didn't touch upon the core questions raised by the nine employee associations.'
JAKSON Group has appointed Ivan Saha as the Managing Director of its integrated Solar Manufacturing business. Saha, with over 31 years of experience in the semiconductor, solar, and sustainable energy sectors, will oversee technology, operations, and business growth, supporting JAKSON's expansion and backward integration plans in the solar value chain.
'IN-SPACe like an octopus is stretching its tentacles everywhere and choking ISRO.'
A US appeals court has upheld a $562.5 million arbitral award, which has grown to over $2 billion with interest, in favour of Devas Multimedia against Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO, ruling that US courts have jurisdiction despite Antrix being government-owned.
Their message is blunt: Public scientific wealth should not be transferred at what they describe as 'throwaway prices'.capability, recruitment, promotional avenues and the voice of its employees.
The task force's move to directly solicit views from students, parents and teachers marks a parallel effort to bring education stakeholders into the reform process.
The larger question raised by the associations is simple: If ISRO is no longer to manufacture launch vehicles, what will happen to the institution's accumulated capabilities and the people who built them?
There is no answer to the question of how IN-SPACe invited EOIs for ISRO's mature rockets and whether it was based on any government policy decision.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the formation of a high-powered task force, led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, to recommend reforms for examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The task force aims to leverage technology for a robust and transparent examination system, following recent public agitation and the resignation of the Education Minister.
'It is not economical to operate GSLV-Mk II due to its cost and complexity. Future launches to be managed with LVM3.'
NASA has invited ISRO to join its ambitious Moon Base mission to establish a permanent lunar outpost near the Moon's South Pole, aiming for scientific discoveries and future deep space exploration. This invitation follows discussions at the Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting in Bengaluru, where both nations also advanced cooperation under the Artemis Accords and the TRUST initiative.
It is about proving that the agency can still deliver when the stakes are high.
ISRO has issued an Announcement of Opportunity, inviting Indian scientists and researchers to submit proposals for accessing data from its XPoSat Mission. Launched in January 2024, XPoSat is India's first satellite dedicated to X-ray polarimetry measurements, designed to study extreme astronomical X-ray sources like black holes and neutron stars, thereby enhancing understanding of celestial emissions.
A rocket designed and developed by ISRO is being transferred to industry for production.
Nine ISRO associations want to know whether this is simply an effort to expand India's industrial capacity or part of a larger policy under which ISRO itself will eventually withdraw from rocket manufacturing.
'The prime minister has given us the task of taking at least 300 satellites to orbit in the next five to six years.'
Education sector experts agree that using the "best technology" was essential to ensure students did not have to sit for an examination all over again because of a question paper leak.
The Department of Space has directed that requests for voluntary retirement or resignation from Group 'A' Scientific and Technical personnel associated with the prestigious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and other important missions should not be accepted as a matter of routine.
Mission Embrace aims to perform the world's first in-orbit demonstration of soft robotic capture for future active debris removal missions
'With Vikram-1, we take our biggest step yet towards a reliable, high-cadence launch programme built in India, for India and the world.'
'We can integrate AI and tech into education, but that is just a means and not an end.' 'Ultimately, we need to control what happens in a classroom and we need to let teachers innovate their teaching style to suit the needs of Gen Z and beyond.'
The appointment comes as Agnikul prepares for Mission 02, a flight that will attempt, for the first time on Indian soil, the recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster and the extension of a rocket's upper stage into an on-orbit platform.
While recovery efforts are ongoing, the likelihood of recovery currently appears low.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla discusses the Gaganyaan mission and its potential to inspire other nations in space exploration, drawing on his experiences as an IAF test pilot and his time on the International Space Station.
The EoI comes at a time when ISRO is working to enhance LVM3's payload capacity to five tonnes in GTO and is also evaluating the procurement of a Russian semi-cryogenic engine for the vehicle's second stage.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has informed the Supreme Court that the NEET-UG exam will transition to a computer-based test (CBT) mode from next year, following consultations with the Centre and recommendations from a high-level committee.
India's move to privatise PSLV rocket production through IN-SPACe has triggered debate over national security, ageing technology and the agency's role.
Param Foundation inaugurates 'ParSEC Whitefield', a 30,000 sq ft experiential science and innovation centre in Bengaluru, designed to engage visitors through interactive exhibits, innovation workshops and public programmes.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it was sad that National Testing Agency has not learn lessons from the earlier NEET paper leak as it sought response from the Centre, NTA and Central Bureau of Investigation on pleas for replacement of the testing agency with a robust and autonomous body to conduct the medical entrance exam.
Weighing 190 kg, Mission Drishti is India's heaviest privately developed Earth observation satellite.
Concerns are rising about the status of GalaxEye Space's Mission Drishti, India's first Made in India OptoSAR satellite, launched on May 3. Reports suggest the satellite is tumbling in space, and experts highlight potential issues with solar panel deployment and stabilisation. The company has remained silent on the matter, fueling further speculation.
The successful Artemis II mission has boosted confidence in India's upcoming Gaganyaan mission, as both aim to demonstrate similar spaceflight capabilities. Experts highlight the collaboration between ISRO and NASA and the shared training programmes for astronauts.
Based on the broadcast visuals, a rocket expert said the failure appeared similar to the anomaly seen during the PSLV-C61 mission.
A Spanish startup, Orbital Paradigm, claims its payload, KID, survived the failed PSLV-C62 mission and transmitted data, despite ISRO's silence on the matter. The mission, carrying 16 satellites, failed due to issues in the rocket's third stage.
Group Captain Shukla was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 2006.
The move follows a quiet visit by National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
ISRO stated that the disengagement of at least one contact -- in both the main and redundant paths -- of a connector led to the failure of NVS-02.
