ISRO launched 177 foreign satellites between 2018-22
New Delhi (PTI): ISRO has successfully launched 177 foreign satellites during the last five years, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Singh said the forex generated through the launch of these foreign satellites was approximately USD 94 million and Euros 46 million.
From January 2018 to November 2022, the Indian Space Research Organisation has successfully launched 177 foreign satellites belonging to countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA, on-board PSLV and GSLV-MkIII launchers under commercial agreement, he said.
The minister said far-reaching reforms were announced in June 2020 with an intent to enhance participation of non-government entities in the sector and bring in a commerce-oriented approach to space activities all steps towards enhancing the nation's share in the global space economy.
The result of these reforms was reflected with the heaviest commercial launch by India in the form of LVM3, carrying 36 Oneweb satellites and the recent suborbital flight by Skyroot Aerospace, he said.
Singh said the creation of IN-SPACe as a single-window agency for promotion and handholding of non-government entities in conducting end-to-end space activities has resulted in a remarkable interest in the start-up community, with 111 space-startups registered, as on date, on the IN-SPACe digital platform.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
