New Zealand seal first away Test series win against England since 1999
Birmingham, Jun 13: England endured its first Test series defeat at home since 2014 after meekly surrendering to New Zealand in less than an hour of play on the fourth day of the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.
The result was almost a certainty when the teams arrived at the ground after the home side's batting collapse a day earlier all but assured the touring side of a decisive victory. And it did not take long to confirm the result.
Resuming on 122-9, England lost its final wicket to the very first ball of the morning when Olly Stone poked Trent Boult timidly to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.
That left a paltry target of 38 to take the two-match series 1-0 and the Black Caps became the first away side since Sri Lanka seven years ago to win in England with an eight-wicket victory.
Stuart Broad and Stone took a wicket apiece as Devon Conway nicked behind and Will Young dragged down his own stumps, but there was little more than ironic cheering from the stands.
Tom Latham, captaining what was a weakened side in the absence of top-ranked batsman Kane Williamson, levelled the scores by nudging Mark Wood for four and won it with a steer to the third-man boundary. He finished 23 not out, with Ross Taylor not facing a ball at the non-striker's end.
In total there had been just under an hour of play, with a total of 11 overs, which meant that full refunds were due for those in attendance.
This is New Zealand’s third win in 18 Test series in England and first after their historic wins in 1986 and 1999.
And there it is ??
— Spark Sport (@sparknzsport) June 13, 2021
New Zealand have their first Test series win in England after 22 years! Oh, and perhaps a bit of CWC19 Finals payback ?
Next stop, the WTC Final v India! ?? ??#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/aWqP4AaPWl
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
