ISRO gearing up for launch of small satellite launch vehicles: Sivan
Sriharikota: Indian Space Research organization is gearing up for a series of missions, including the launch of small satellite launch vehicles, chairman K Sivan said on Saturday.
He made the comments after the successful launch of earth observation satellite - EOS-01- and nine customer satellites onboard its Polar rocket, PSLV-C49, from this spaceport, about 110 km from Chennai.
Addressing the scientists at the Mission Control Centre, he said "..we have started this mission (PSLV-C49/EOS-01) after COVID pandemic.
Now we have a series of missions on our hands.
Immediately we are going to have the PSLV-C50. It is going to launch satellite CMS01 then we will be having the new vehicle SSLV, the first development flight."
According to ISRO, those satellites which weigh less and come with limited launch options can be sent on Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs).
The earth observation satellite sent on PSLV-C49 was weighing around 630 kg.
Currently, small satellites are sent along with other big satellites that are launched using ISRO's trusted workhorse polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLVs) or Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
Sivan said ISRO was also planning to launch Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle GSLV-F10 carrying earth observation satellite -- EOS-03.
"I am sure team ISRO will always rise to the occasion and meet the requirements as per the demand put on them," he said.
Meanwhile, in a press release, ISRO said following the successful launch of the PSLV-C49/EOS-01 on Saturday, the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network at Bengaluru assumed control of the earth observation satellite which is the primary satellite.
"In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration," the release said.
EOS-01, an earth observation satellite, is intended for applications in agriculture, forestry, and disaster management support.
The nine customer satellites are from Lithuania, Luxembourg, and the USA were launched under a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Ltd.
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Who is Umar Ilyasi, the Man who hosted RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat for closed-door meeting?
New Delhi: In a rare and widely discussed outreach, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat met over 50 Muslim religious leaders and scholars at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday. The three-and-a-half-hour meeting was hosted by Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the Chief of the All-India Imam Organisation, and is being described by some as an effort to build bridges between India’s majority and minority communities.
But Ilyasi, who facilitated this high-profile interaction, is no stranger to public attention—or controversy. His political and religious statements over the years have drawn criticism from several quarters within the Muslim community, prompting fatwas, threats, and frequent allegations of pandering to majoritarian narratives.
The meeting with Bhagwat, which included representatives from Deoband Madrasa, the Chief Imams of Gujarat and Haryana, and the Grand Muftis of multiple states, was framed as a trust-building initiative. “We may follow different faiths, but we are all Indians,” Ilyasi told IANS, describing the dialogue as a platform to promote national unity and social cohesion.
However, many observers have noted that this is not the first time Ilyasi has aligned himself with positions that are seen as diverging sharply from mainstream Muslim sentiments.
Statements That Stirred Reactions
In 2017, speaking to reporters in Indore, Ilyasi called for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and demanded that the cow be declared a national animal. While he also condemned mob lynchings related to beef consumption suspicions, his support for a uniform cow protection law was received critically within sections of the Muslim community, where beef consumption remains culturally and religiously permissible.
His support for the ban on mosque loudspeakers during a 2022 interview with ANI was another instance that did not sit well with several Muslim clerics and organisations. Around the same period, he controversially linked the Karnataka hijab row to interference from “foreign bodies and terror groups like Al-Qaeda,” saying such events were attempts to “malign the country.”
In March 2025, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, Ilyasi released a video urging Muslims not to offer prayers on public roads, calling instead for discipline and restraint in religious observances. While the appeal may appear practical to some, others saw it as aligning with growing pressure from right-wing groups who object to public prayers by Muslims.
The backlash against Ilyasi’s public statements has been strong and visible. In January 2024, after his visit to the Ram Mandir ceremony in Ayodhya, a group of muftis issued a fatwa against him, branding him a ‘kaafir’ (infidel) and demanding an apology. Ilyasi dismissed the criticism, stating bluntly that India is not an Islamic state and Sharia law does not apply here.
His earlier praise for Mohan Bhagwat in September 2022, calling the RSS chief the “Rashtra Pita” (father of the nation) and “Rashtra Rishi” (national sage), had sparked severe backlash and even death threats. Multiple reports confirm he received “Sar Tan Se Juda” (beheading) threats from within the Muslim community. Despite these, Ilyasi stood firm, publicly saying that those who could not tolerate his stand “should perhaps go to Pakistan.”
While Ilyasi holds the position of Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organisation, critics point out that the organisation is not widely representative of India’s diverse and decentralised Muslim religious leadership. Many prominent Muslim groups, including those from Deoband and Barelvi backgrounds, have either distanced themselves from his remarks or remained silent on his engagements.
He has also made headlines in the past with statements that left many confused. In one interview, he controversially claimed that Muslims are descendants of Lord Krishna, a remark that drew sharp reactions across religious lines and lacked theological grounding.
The recent meeting with the RSS, timed with the Sangh Parivar’s centenary celebrations and the 50th year of Ilyasi’s organisation, signals a broader strategy at play. While the optics may suggest communal harmony, critics say such outreach efforts often come with political subtext, especially when facilitated by figures with a record of leaning into government-aligned narratives.
During the Thursday meeting, according to sources, no specific issues such as the Gyanvapi case or hijab row were discussed. Instead, themes like national integration, social unity, and ongoing dialogue between communities were explored. Ilyasi later stressed that the meeting was not a conclusion, but a beginning of sustained engagement.
In the current climate of increasing religious polarization, the role of clerics like Umer Ahmed Ilyasi is bound to provoke debate. For some, he remains a divisive figure, whose positions do not reflect the broader concerns of Indian Muslims.
