Wednesday / 15 July 2015

USA NASA / India ISRO
Partnerships Strengthen

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Richard Verma, U.S. Ambassador To India States Positive Relationship Of ISRO & NASA For Chandrayaan Mission / Moon Surface Exploration “From Outer Space To Cyberspace, We’re In It Together”; ISRO Charting Other Planetary Opportunities For Mars, Venus & Return To Moon With Chandrayaan-II Expected NET 2016; Recurring Successful ISRO PSLV Program Bolsters Future Launches Including GSLV-MKII

Credit: NASA, ISRO, United States Dept. of State

Wednesday / 13 May 2015

India Advancing Historic Mission To Lunar Pole

AnilChandrayaan

ISRO Officials Inform India Parliament That Chandrayaan-2 Mission Is On Schedule For 2017 Launch; Space Physics Laboratory Director Anil Bhardwaj Notes Mission Will Be 1st-Ever India Soft Landing On Planetary Body & 1st Attempt By Any Nation To Land At Lunar Pole; Mission Will Be Entirely Indigenous & Include Orbiter, Lander & Rover; Will Be Launched By GSLV Rocket; Orbiter Expected To Include 5 Scientific Payloads, & 2 More On Rover, Still Possible Lander Could Host Astronomical Observatory Payload Similar To Successful LUT Of China Chang’e-3 Lander

Image Credit: K. Ragesh, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO

Wednesday / 22 April 2015

India Advancing Chandrayaan-2

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Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Director M Chandra Dathan Says Chandrayaan-2 Preparations Are In Full Swing At Various ISRO Centers, Still Planning On 2017-2018 Launch; 2nd India Moon Mission Will Place Lander & Rover Near South Pole To Test New Technologies & New Experiments; Ranked 6th In Global Space Positioning – India Becoming A Role Model For Other Countries Due To Self-Reliance & Cost Effectiveness; India Spends US$3 / Per Capita On Space Technology, Compared To $7.5 For China & $123 For USA

Image Credit: ISRO, K. Murali Kumar

Wednesday / 11 March 2015

India Space Budget Indicates GSLV & Chandrayaan-2 Remain Top Priorities

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ISRO Allocated US$1.2B For Space Activities In 2015-2016 Fiscal Year (Begins 1 Apr); Budget Includes $50M For Continued Development / Operation Of GSLV Mk-3 Which Is Capable Of Lifting 4 Metric Tons To GTO, Critical For Next Steps Of Moon Program & Carrying Out India Human Space Missions According To Former ISRO Director Suresh Naik; $47M For Space Science, Including $6.3M For Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Rover / Orbiter Should Land At Moon South Pole 2017 / 2018; India Is Garnering A Reputation For Accomplishing Challenging Space Missions With Efficient / Frugal Budget

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 20 February 2015

India May Boost Space Spending
For Fiscal Year 2015-16 India ISRO

Increase In India Space Budget 2015-16, Similar To 50% Increase Of 2014-15, Could Help Program Continue Its Momentum, Build Upon Successes Of 2014; Planning & Budget Allocation Underway For India Fiscal Year Beginning 1 Apr; ISRO Developing Indigenously Built GSLV-Mk 3 – Key To Reducing Launch Cost & Launching Heavy Spacecraft Such As Lander & Rover Chandrayaan-2 To Moon In 2016-17 & Human CARE Capsule; Working On Astronomical Laboratory (Astrosat), Venus & Solar Missions, Potential 2nd Mars Mission, & Infrastructure / Construction At Sriharikota Launch Site

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 30 January 2015

India Confirms Plans For
Moon South Pole Landing

AnilSPMoonLanding

Chandrayaan-2 Moon Lander / Rover Will Land Near Moon South Pole According To Anil Bhardwaj, Director Of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Space Physics Lab; Announcement Confirms India Will Be At Forefront Of The Push To The New Frontier Of Human Exploration And Development, After Confirming Presence Of Extensive Water Reserves In Polar Craters With Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter; Success Of Mangalyaan Mars Mission Confirms Country’s Ability To Achieve Cost-Effective Planetary Missions; GSLV-Mark 3 Rocket Success Adds 1000-kg Capacity To Chandrayaan-2

Image Credit: ISRO, quazoo.com

Wednesday / 21 January 2015

Moon Landing Upcoming Priority
For New ISRO Chair

Kumar2MoonSP

Upon Assuming Leadership Of India Space Agency, New Chairman A S Kiran Kumar (R) Asserts That ISRO’s Current Primary Focus Is Readying Chandrayaan-2 Moon Lander / Rover Mission For 2016 Or 2017 Launch; ISRO Leaders Such As Prof UR Rao (BL) Have Long Indicated Moon South Pole As An Optimal Destination For Chandrayaan-2; Achieving 1st Landing At This Next Great Frontier May Be Even More Rewarding / Exciting Feat Than Becoming 1st Asia Nation To Orbit Mars

Image Credit: ISRO, missionchandrayaan2.blogspot.com, Pravin Indrekar dna

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 January 2015

Moon South Pole
Drawing New Lunar Pioneers

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New Moon South Pole Ventures Including UK-Based Lunar Mission One & Russia-Based Lin Industrial Join Established Declarations Of Interest In Moon South Pole Missions By USA (RPM), American Enterprises Such As Shackleton Energy Corporation, Japan (SELENE-2), India (Chandrayaan-2), Russia (Luna-Glob), ESA, ILOA; Moon South Pole – Replete With Valuable Resources & Providing A Relatively Stable Thermal Environment – Is Generally Considered Optimal Location For Human Lunar Exploration / Settlement

Image Credit: JAXA, Lunar Mission One, Lin Industrial

Friday / 19 December 2014

GSLV Launch Opens Path To Moon & Solar System For India

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Successful Launch Of GSLV Mk-3 Will Change Destiny Of India Space Program According To ISRO Mission Director S Somnath; Heavy Payload Launch Capacity Will Allow Country To Continue Ambitious & Cost-Efficient Plans To Advance Solar System Robotic & Human Exploration, Beginning With Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter / Lander / Rover Mission In 2016, Likely To Be Humanity’s 1st Mission To Next, Most Promising, New Frontier Of Human Expansion Into Cosmos –
Moon South Pole

Pictured (L-R): ISRO Chairman KS Radhakrishnan, Space Applications Center Director K Kumar

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 December 2014

Successful Launch Of GSLV Mk-3 Will Advance India Moon Landing Plan

GSLVmk3Chandrayaan2

1st Flight Of 3-Stage GSLV Mk-3 Scheduled For 3rd Week Of December; Most Powerful To Date India Launch Vehicle Will Carry 3.65-Metric Ton Crew Module Atmospheric Re-Entry Experiment; Designed To Lift 4-Metric Ton Class Payload, The Rocket – With Lift Off Weight Of 630-Metric Tons – Is Needed To Complete 2016-2017 Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter / Lander / Rover Mission; Scientific Payloads Of Moon Mission Expected To Perform Mineralogical & Elemental Studies Of Lunar Surface; Moon South Pole Is Likely Destination Of Moon Lander

Image Credit: ISRO