Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka visit landslide-hit spot in Wayanad
Wayanad(Kerala) (PTI): Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the landslide-affected area of Chooralmala here on Thursday afternoon.
After reaching the spot amidst the rain, Gandhi and his sister left for the Community Health Centre in Meppadi, party sources said.
From there, the two will then proceed to Dr Moopen's Medical College and two relief camps at Meppadi, they said.
AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal is also accompanying them.
Gandhi, who won from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general elections, had again won from here this year.
However, as he also won from the Raebareli LS seat in Uttar Pradesh, he gave up the Wayanad constituency from where Priyanka is expected to contest when a by-election is held there.
Gandhi and Vadra landed at Kannur airport at 9.30 am and then travelled to Wayanad by road.
Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing 173 people, including women and children, so far.
LoP Shri @RahulGandhi & AICC General Secretary Smt. @priyankagandhi ji visit the Chooralmala landslide site in Wayanad where devastating landslides have claimed many lives and left families devastated.
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 1, 2024
📍 Kerala pic.twitter.com/EnPakO8tJC
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ISRO successfully conducts hot tests of Gaganyaan propulsion system
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO has successfully conducted two hot tests of the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) at the space agency's Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri on July 3.
The short-duration tests, lasting 30 seconds and 100 seconds respectively, were aimed at validating the test article configuration, ISRO said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The overall performance of the propulsion system during these hot tests was normal as per pre-test predictions. During the 100s test, simultaneous operation of all Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters in different modes (steady state; pulsed) along with all Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines was also successfully demonstrated.
"ISRO's Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) is leading the technology development activities for the Gaganyaan SMPS. SMPS is a critical system of Gaganyaan Orbital Module and is required during orbital manoeuvring as well as specific abort scenarios," the space agency said.
It comprises five Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines (each 440N thrust) and 16 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters (each 100N thrust). In order to simulate the propulsion system conditions closer to flight, the SMPS test article for these hot tests incorporated improvements based on experience gained from earlier hot tests.
"With the confidence gained through these hot tests, ISRO will conduct a full duration hot test shortly," the statement said.
According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India’s capability to launch a crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit, and the experience and knowledge gained from this mission will be crucial for its success.
