ISRO congratulates Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on successful launch of lander mission to Moon
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO on Thursday congratulated the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on the successful launch of Japan's lander mission to the Moon.
"Best wishes for another successful lunar endeavour by the global space community," the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency also said on 'X'.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Thursday launched a rocket carrying an X-ray telescope that will explore the origins of the universe as well as the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM).
In fact, after the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO's next likely Moon mission is in partnership with JAXA, a venture that's gathering steam.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX) is a collaborative venture between JAXA and the Indian space agency.
JAXA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) are developing the rover and lander, respectively.
The rover will carry not only the instruments of ISRO and JAXA but also those of US space agency NASA and European Space Agency (ESA).
Vice-Chair of Japan's Cabinet Committee on National Space Policy and Director General, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Saku Tsuneta, visited the ISRO Headquarters here last month and had a meeting with the space agency's Chairman S Somanath, and discussed the progress of the LUPEX mission.
"Development of a smaller lander for the LUPEX mission was discussed, among other things," an ISRO official said.
According to JAXA, the LUPEX mission is aimed at exploring lunar polar region suitability for establishing a lunar base for sustainable activities; obtaining knowledge regarding availability of lunar water-ice resources, and demonstrating lunar and planetary surface exploration technologies such as vehicular transport and overnight survival.
Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory, an autonomous unit of the Department of Space, has proposed multiple instruments in the LUPEX mission mainly to carry out measurements at surface and subsurface near the permanently shadowed polar region of the Moon.
The objective of one of the proposed instruments -- Permittivity and Thermo-physical investigation for Moon's Aquatic Scout (PRATHIMA) is in-situ detection and quantification of water-ice mixed with lunar surface and sub-surface soil using a rover/ lander platform.
The aim of another proposed instrument -- Lunar Electrostatic Dust EXperiment (LEDEX) is to detect presence of charged dust particles and confirm the dust levitation process in volatile-rich polar region, and to estimate approximate dust size and flux of charged, levitated dust particles.
According to an ISRO official, the LUPEX mission is slated to be launched in the year 2025.
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Air India reduces cabin baggage allowance to 15 kg for lowest fare segment
New Delhi: Loss-making Air India has reduced the free cabin baggage allowance to 15 kilogram from 20 kilogram for the lowest economy fare segment on domestic flights.
The changes have been made in the menu-based pricing model fare families that were introduced by the Tata Group-owned Air India last August, with the airline saying that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal.
There are three fare families — Comfort, Comfort Plus and Flex — that offer different levels of benefits and fare restrictions at various price points, an airline spokesperson said on Saturday.
With effect from May 2, the free cabin baggage allowance for the ‘Comfort’ and ‘Comfort Plus’ categories has been reduced to 15 kg from 20 kg and 25 kg, respectively.
Prior to the introduction of the fare families concept, passengers on Air India’s domestic flights were allowed to carry 25 kilograms of cabin baggage free of any additional charge.
“On domestic routes in Economy Class, both ‘Comfort’ and ‘Comfort Plus’ fare families now provide 15 kg baggage allowance, while ‘Flex’ provides 25 kg allowance.
“The Business Class baggage allowance on domestic routes ranges from 25 kg to 35 kg. The free baggage allowance on international flights varies from market to market,” the spokesperson said.
In other domestic airlines also, passengers are allowed to carry 15 kg of cabin baggage without additional charge.
The Air India spokesperson said the fare families are designed to let passengers choose the kind of fare and services that best suit their requirements, given that travellers today have varied preferences, and a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal.
Elaborating on the proposition, the spokesperson said that for example, the price difference between ‘Comfort Plus’ and ‘Flex’ fares would typically be around Rs 1,000 in a domestic sector like Delhi-Mumbai, with the ‘Flex’ fare providing the value of nearly Rs 9,000, including 10 kilograms extra baggage and zero change or cancellation fees.
The introduction of fare families is in response to customer feedback and Air India’s own comprehensive study. It is also benchmarked against the offerings of relevant competition in each of the markets we have introduced it in, the spokesperson added.
Tata Group has embarked on an ambitious plan to revive the fortunes of the loss-making Air India, which it had acquired from the government in 2022.
