ISRO to launch CMS-03 satellite in November, says Chairman Narayanan
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO has scheduled two launches of its heavy-lift rocket LVM-3 to place in orbit two satellites -- CMS-03 and private US communications satellite BlueBird--before this year-end, chairman V Narayanan said on Thursday.
Narayanan said the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, launched on July 30, was currently in the calibration stage and will become operational within 10-15 days.
"The satellite is healthy and both the payloads are working well," he added.
At a press conference to announce the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2025, the ISRO chief listed out future missions of the space agency and asserted that 90 per cent work on the Gaganyaan project was complete.
The Gaganyaan mission is India’s first human spaceflight mission under development.
"Next month beginning, we are going to have the LVM3-M5 lift off to place a CMS-03 satellite," Narayanan said.
According to ISRO officials, the CMS-03 also known as GSAT7-R is likely to be launched on November 2.
BlueBird-6, a 6.5 tonne satellite of a US firm, is expected to be launched by the year-end, Narayanan said.
"We have received the satellite and are working for the launch, and the launch vehicle build-up is going on," the ISRO Chairman told reporters here.
One of the heaviest commercial satellites, BlueBird-6, arrived in India from the United States on October 19.
Asked about the progress of Chandrayaan-4, the ISRO Chairman said the project is in its design phase.
"Right now, we are working on the design phase and its approved projects. Also establishing the infrastructure that is the basic standard," he said.
The Chandrayaan-4 mission includes bringing back moon rocks and soil to earth after a soft landing on the lunar surface, launching a spacecraft from the moon, demonstrating a space docking experiment in lunar orbit and getting the samples back to earth.
Speaking about NavIC, India's indigenous navigation satellite system, Narayanan said, "We have four satellites and are building three more satellites. Yes, there were setbacks, but we're working on it."
"The NavIC navigation constellation, too, will be completed within 18 months with three new satellites," he added.
Responding to a question on the NVS-02 satellite which had a technical glitch, he said, "The satellite has gone to the elliptical orbit and we could not take it to circular orbit because of a valve malfunction."
The failure analysis committee formed to look into it has completed the investigation and zeroed down on the fault, he said.
"The recommendation of the committee will be placed before the government," he added.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly outlined the space mission 2047, the ISRO chief said today, India has around 56 satellites in the orbit serving the common man of this country.
"In another three to four years timeframe, the number of satellites are going to be increased to something around three times and by 2027, we are going to accomplish the Gaganyaan programme," he said.
"We are going to build our own space station called Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and first module, we have got the project approval and right now the work is going on and it is going to be placed in the orbit by 2028," Narayanan said.
Speaking on the next generation launcher, he said that the capability of the first launch was only 35 kg which was successfully accomplished in the year 1980.
"Today, we are talking about something around 30,000 kg to low earth orbit through the next generation launcher. Also, PM Modi has given a guideline for building a launcher for enabling the crewed lunar mission," the ISRO chief said.
"We are in the conceiving phase. We have not completed the design but it has to lift off something about 75,000 to 80,000 kg type of mass it has to lift off. That is the type of work that is going on," he added.
According to him, till today, around 433 satellites from 34 countries have been accomplished. Out of that, almost 95 satellites were accomplished during the last ten years.
"That means when the entire launch programme started from 1980, in 45 years, the last 10 years is 95 per cent of the foreign satellite launch. That shows the exponential growth of the space sector," he said.
"Initially, we were going through the experimental phase, gradually we moved to operational phase. Today we have exponential growth," Narayanan said.
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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