NASA addresses 'Strange Noise' from Boeing Starliner; Confirms no risk to crew, mission
NASA has responded to concerns surrounding an unexplained noise coming from the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, currently in space with astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on board. The noise, detected by Wilmore from one of the spacecraft's speakers, was reported to Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday. The incident gained widespread attention after meteorologist Rob Dale captured and shared an audio clip of the exchange, which quickly went viral.
In a statement released on Monday, NASA assured that the "strange noise" is a "common" occurrence and poses no risk to the crew or the spacecraft. "A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station, has stopped," the space agency confirmed, as reported by USA Today. NASA emphasized that the Starliner remains on track for its planned unmanned return to Earth.
The noise, according to NASA, was the result of feedback from the audio setup connecting the Starliner to the International Space Station. "The audio system of the space station is intricate, enabling the interconnection of numerous spacecraft and modules, and noise and feedback are frequent occurrences," the statement explained.
NASA also noted that the crew has been advised to contact mission control if they notice any unusual sounds from the communication system. The feedback reported by Wilmore, NASA assured, has no technical impact on the crew, the Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner’s scheduled uncrewed undocking from the station, which is set for no earlier than Friday, September 6.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
