ISRO to kick off 2026 with PSLV-C62 launch on Jan 12
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO is gearing up for its first launch of the new year with the PSLV-C62 mission on January 12 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
According to an ISRO official, the primary payload of the mission is the EOS-N1, an imaging satellite built for strategic purposes by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
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"The Launch of PSLV-C62 Mission is scheduled on 12 January 2026 at 10:17 hrs IST from First Launch Pad (FLP), SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota," ISRO said in a post on 'X'.
The rocket will also carry a small probe device, Kestrel Initial Demonstrator (KID), developed by a Spanish-based startup, and will remain attached to the PS-4 stage, they said.
As many as 17 other commercial payloads from startups and research institutions across India, Mauritius, Luxembourg, the UAE, Singapore, Europe, and the United States are also manifested for this flight, sources said.
The post further said that the public can witness the launch from Launch View Gallery at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota by registering through online: lvg.shar.gov.in.
The Indian space agency has asked visitors to keep their Aadhar card or driving license or any government-issued ID, mobile number and email ID ready for a hassle-free and quick registration process.
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Ecologist Madhav Gadgil, champion of Western Ghats conservation, dies at 83
Pune (PTI): Noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil, known for his work on the conservation of Western Ghats, has passed away in Pune after a brief illness, family sources said on Thursday.
He was 83.
Gadgil breathed his last late Wednesday night at a hospital in Pune, the sources said.
He played a pioneering role in shaping India's ecological research and conservation policy.
Gadgil was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), popularly known as the Gadgil Commission.
In 2024, the United Nations presented Gadgil with the annual Champions of the Earth award, the UN's highest environmental honour, for his seminal work on the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot.
He had chaired the government-constituted Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel to study the impact of population pressure, climate change, and development activities on the ecologically fragile region in India.
In 2010, Gadgil was appointed chairman of the panel, which submitted a landmark report recommending that a significant portion of the Western Ghats be designated as ecologically sensitive. While the report triggered intense debate, it is widely regarded as a milestone in India's environmental discourse.
Born in Pune on May 24, 1942, Gadgil hailed from an illustrious academic family. His father, Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, was a noted economist and former director of the Gokhale Institute.
Madhav Gadgil graduated in biology from Fergusson College in 1963 and completed his master's degree in zoology from the University of Mumbai in 1965. He went on to pursue a PhD from Harvard University in 1969, where he worked on mathematical ecology and animal behaviour.
After returning to India in 1971, Gadgil joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1973.
During his tenure at IISc, he established key institutions, including the Centre for Ecological Sciences and the Centre for Theoretical Studies, laying the foundation for modern ecological research in the country.
He retired from IISc in 2004 and later continued his academic engagement with the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune and the University of Goa.
Gadgil served on several high-level national and international bodies, including the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, the National Advisory Council, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
A prolific researcher and writer, Gadgil authored or co-authored several influential books, including 'This Fissured Land' and 'Ecology and Equity', and published over 250 scientific papers.
He was also a regular columnist, writing extensively in English and Marathi to popularise ecological awareness.
Gadgil's contributions earned him numerous national and international honours, including the Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2006), Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Volvo Environment Prize, and Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
His last rites will be performed later in the day.
