Correct Answer :   SpaceX

A European space telescope blasted off Saturday (1st July 2023) on a quest to explore the mysterious and invisible realm known as the dark universe.

* SpaceX launched the European Space Agency’s Euclid observatory towards its ultimate destination 1.5 million km away, the Webb Space Telescope’s neighbourhood.

* It will take a month to get there and another two months before it starts its ambitious six-year survey this autumn.

* Named after the ancient Greek mathematician, Euclid will scour billions of galaxies covering more than one-third of the sky.

* By pinpointing the location and shape of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away — almost all the way back to the cosmos-creating Big Bang — scientists hope to glean insight into the dark energy and dark matter that make up most of the universe and keep it expanding.

* The telescope’s highly anticipated 3D map of the cosmos will span both space and time in a bid to explain how the dark universe evolved and why its expansion is speeding up.

* The lead scientist for the $1.5 billion mission (€1.4 billion) said Euclid will measure dark energy and dark matter with unprecedented precision.

* Four metres tall and almost as wide, Euclid sports a 1.2-metre telescope and two scientific instruments capable of observing the cosmos in both visible light and near-infrared..

Source : Telegraph India

Correct Answer :   India

India has recently decided to join the Artemis accord, which brings together like-minded countries on a civil space exploration platform.

Under this, NASA and ISRO have also agreed on a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024.

The Artemis Agreement is a non-binding agreement designed to advance civilian space exploration in the 21st century.

Correct Answer :   Spain

Spanish startup PLD Space aborted a test launch of its reusable Miura-1 rocket at the last moment early on Saturday (17th June 2023) in the latest setback to European attempts to develop mainland launch capacity for small payloads.

The launch in Huelva in southwest Spain was scrubbed after the countdown had reached zero, with flames and smoke briefly shooting sideways from the launchpad, images showed.

Raul Torres, CEO and co-founder of PLD Space, said in a statement that: "99.9% of all processes have been successful. Launching a rocket is very difficult, but we are getting closer and closer. We will try harder again."

The launch was halted after not all the "umbilical cables in the avionics bay were released," the company said.

The suborbital mission from a military aerospace research centre would have been the first of its kind in Western Europe.

Europe's efforts to develop capabilities to send small satellites into space are in focus after a failed orbital rocket launch by Virgin Orbit from Britain in January. That system involved releasing the launcher from a converted Boeing 747.

PLD Space's Miura-1 rocket, named after a breed of fighting bulls, is as tall as a three-storey building and has a 100-kg (220-pound) cargo capacity. It can also be used to carry out zero-gravity experiments...

Source : Reuters

Correct Answer :   GalaxEye Aerospace company

An IIT-Madras-incubated space-tech startup, GalaxEye, is building the world’s first multi-sensor earth observation satellite with the help of a visible spectrum camera providing synchronised imaging that can take multiple images at the same time.

* The startup is going to launch its first satellite, ‘Drishti Mission’ 2024.

* Founded in 2020 by Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, Rakshit Bhatt and Prof S R Chakravarthy, GalaxEye is working on deploying a satellite constellation with a first-of-its-kind sensor based on data fusion to provide the most comprehensive imagery dataset from space.

* The data fusion technology developed in-house will bring unparalleled insights and data from space, enabling satellite constellations to perform all-weather imaging at all times without atmospheric interference typical of today’s single-sensor satellites. The technology will enable the production of images with extremely high resolution via a small satellite constellation that, once fully operational, will provide global coverage in under 12 hours, according to a statement from GalaxEye.

* GalaxEye founding member and Vice-President Pranit Mehta said, “The first launch is a very important milestone to us. It would put to space India's first and the world's highest resolution multi-sensor imaging satellite. Given the strong value of all-time all-weather imaging, our objective is to boost the EO industry and unlock several new applications across domains like insurance, maritime, supply chain and more.

* This also proves our proprietary technology, Drishti, synchronising two complementary sensors, thus pioneering Data Fusion at its core, “We are looking at mid-2024 for our first launch. While we are yet to fix our launch provider, our top preference remains to launch with "ISRO" itself. We are in active conversations regarding the same,” the VP said.

* The advanced satellites will change the way industries make decisions. Suyash Singh, co-founder & CEO, GalaxEye Space, envisions making GeoAnalytics a key tool  for every industry for their decision-making. Awarded multiple times, including Emerging Geospatial Star of 2022, Suyash has featured in Fortune India 40 Under 40 2023 for his key contributions to the Indian satellite service market..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday (29th May 2023) successfully launched a second generation (2G) navigation satellite, using a GSLV rocket with a cryogenic upper stage to do the job. NVS-01 would augment the country's regional navigation system, providing accurate and real-time navigation.

* At the end of a 27.5 hour countdown, the 51.7 metre tall, 3-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at a prefixed time of 10.42 am from the second launch pad at this spaceport, situated about 130 km from Chennai. This was GSLV's 15th flight.

* The second generation navigation satellite series dubbed as a significant launch would ensure the continuity of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) services -- an Indian regional satellite navigation system, similar to the GPS, providing accurate and real-time navigation.

* Signals from NavIC are designed to provide user position accurate to better than 20 metres and timing accuracy better than 50 nanoseconds.

* ISRO Chairman S Somanath congratulated the entire team for the "excellent outcome" of the mission.

* "NVS-01 has been placed in precise orbit by GSLV. Congratulations to the entire ISRO team for making the mission happen," he said in his post-launch address from the Mission Control Center.

* The rocket, a little short of 20 minutes after it took off, deployed the 2,232 kg satellite into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at an altitude of about 251 km.

* NVS-01 carried navigation payloads L1, L5 and S bands and the second generation satellite also has an indigenously developed rubidium atomic clock..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   NASA

NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program has launched a second football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, on a technology mission aimed for 100 days or more of flight in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

* “To have two long-duration super pressure balloons in flight at the same time performing science in the Southern Hemisphere’s mid-latitudes has been a goal more than 15 years in the making, and I’m so thrilled that on this day, we did it!” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program chief. “I could not be prouder of our balloon and science teams for their accomplishment. With these two flights, we are setting ourselves up to support more and more-advanced science in the coming years.”

* Flying on this second balloon is the Extreme Universe Space Observatory 2 (EUSO-2), a science mission from the University of Chicago that aims to build on data collected during a 2017 mission.

* EUSO-2 will detect ultra-high energy cosmic-ray particles from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. The origins of these particles are not well known, so the data collected from EUSO-2 will help solve this science mystery. Along with EUSO-2 being a science mission of opportunity, the overall goal of the mission is to test and qualify the super pressure balloon technology for flight.

* This balloon launch is the second and final for NASA’s 2023 New Zealand balloon launch campaign. The first balloon launched at 11:42 a.m. NZST, Sunday (16 April 2023) (7:42 p.m. April 15 in U.S. Eastern Time). That mission is performing nominally and has already completed three revolutions about the Earth’s southern hemisphere flying at about 108,000 feet..

Source : NASA

Correct Answer :   ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has sucessfully commenced testing of its semi-cryogenic engines that would power future launch vehicles.

* The very first integrated test on an intermediate configuration of the 2000 kN (Kilonewton) semi-cryogenic engine carried out at the newly-commissioned Semicryogenic Integrated Engine & Stage Test facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (10th May 2023) was successful, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said.

* The test is a step towards developing a 2000 kN thrust engine, which works on Liquid Oxygen (LOX)-Kerosene propellant combination, for future launch vehicles, an ISRO statement said.

* The intermediate configuration, designated as Power Head Test Article (PHTA), comprises all the engine systems except the thrust chamber.

* It was the first of a series of tests planned to validate the design of the propellant feed system, including the low-pressure and high-pressure turbo-pumps, the gas generator, and control components.

* The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO has undertaken the design & development of a semi-cryogenic engine with 2000 kN thrust with Indian industry participation, and it will power the booster stages of future launch vehicles.

* Wednesday (10th May 2023) test is a major milestone before integrating the complete engine and its qualification, ISRO said.

* According to ISRO, the Semi Cryogenic Propulsion System Project envisages the design and development of a 2000 kN semi-cryogenic engine and ‘SC120 stage’ that will enable the development of a heavy-lift capability for future Indian space transportation systems..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab has launched (7th May 2023) NASA's two satellites to study tropical storms and hurricanes.

* The two cubesats, the founding members of the agency's TROPICS network, launched today (May 7, 2023) atop a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, which lifted off from the company's New Zealand site at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT and 1 p.m. on May 8 local New Zealand time).

* About 33 minutes after liftoff, the Electron deployed the shoebox-sized TROPICS cubesats into low Earth orbit, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth.

* The TROPICS constellation (short for "Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats") will consist of four cubesats in low Earth orbit.

* Rocket Lab will launch the other two satellites about two weeks from now, if all goes according to plan. (For the constellation to function properly, all four TROPICS satellites must be deployed within a same 60-day period.)

* The TROPICS cubesats will measure the hour-by-hour formation and progression of tropical cyclones and hurricanes with enhanced specificity..

Source : Space

Correct Answer :   Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)

A new low-cost star sensor, developed by astronomers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) from off-the-shelf components and was recently put into space by Isro’s PSLV C-55 on 22 April 2023, has started functioning properly in its first test-launch.

Named ‘StarBerrySense’, the main function of the payload is to quickly and accurately calculate where a satellite is pointing in space as for any space mission, it is crucial to know the exact positioning of the satellite. The start sensor is capable of finding its pointing direction in space by identifying the stars in its field of view.

The astronomers from the Space Payloads Group at the IIA have announced that not only has StarBerrySense withstood the harsh conditions in space and is functioning as expected, the initial data shows that it is able to calculate the pointing direction.The StarBerrySense payload is being tested in space for the very first time...

Source : Times of India

Correct Answer :   NASA

Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully extracted oxygen from simulated lunar soil - the fine-grained material that blankets the Moon's surface.

The extraction, which took place in a vacuum environment, marks the first time this has been achieved and opens the door for astronauts to eventually harvest and make use of resources in a lunar environment through in-situ resource utilization.

In order to recreate the conditions found on the Moon, NASA's Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) team utilized a special spherical chamber known as the Dirty Thermal Vacuum Chamber. This chamber is considered "dirty" because it allows unclean samples to be tested.

To conduct the test, the team employed a high-powered laser to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and then melted a lunar soil simulant in a carbothermal reactor developed for NASA by Sierra Space Corp. located in Broomfield, Colorado. The process of heating and extracting the oxygen takes place inside this reactor.

On Earth, carbothermal reduction has been utilized for decades to produce items like steel and solar panels by creating carbon monoxide or dioxide at high temperatures.

Once the soil was heated, the team detected carbon monoxide using the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo).

"This technology has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen per year on the lunar surface, which will enable a sustained human presence and lunar economy," said Aaron Paz, NASA senior engineer and CaRD project manager at Johnson.

"Our team proved the CaRD reactor would survive the lunar surface and successfully extract oxygen. This is a big step for developing the architecture to build sustainable human bases on other planets," said Anastasia Ford, NASA engineer and CaRD test director at Johnson...

Source : Devdiscourse