Category Archives: Transport

INTERNATIONAL: GCC – WEST ASIA: Jaishankar arrives in Riyadh for first India-GCC Foreign Ministers’ meeting

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EAM Jaishankar was warmly welcomed in Riyadh by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs, Abdulmajeed Al Smari. After arriving, Jaishankar shared on social media platform X, saying, “Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to participate in the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari for the warm reception.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to participate in the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

The EAM received a warm welcome from Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al Smari in Riyadh.

After his arrival, EAM Jaishankar took to the social media platform X and said, “Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take part in the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs for the warm reception.”

During his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia (September 8-9), EAM Jaishankar is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries.

“India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people–to-people ties. The GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million. The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

After concluding his Riyadh visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin for a two-day visit starting September 10 which will be his third bilateral visit to Germany.

Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors.

On September 12, the External Affairs Minister will travel to Geneva, home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations, for an official visit.

source/content: telanganatoday.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ECONOMY: Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 key pacts to expand energy ties

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An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.

India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed four pacts to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.

Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) also inked an MoU for operation and maintenance of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, Ministry of External Affairs said.

The fourth pact is a production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. A separate pact was inked between the Gujarat government and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on setting up food parks in India.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PM Modi and Crown Prince Al Nahyan discussed the multifaceted relations between India and the UAE with an aim to broaden comprehensive strategic partnership. “India-UAE ties taking greater strides! PM @narendramodi met with HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi today,” he said on X.

“The two leaders discussed the multifaceted India-UAE relations and avenues to broaden the comprehensive strategic partnership to new and emerging areas,” Jaiswal said.

In their talks, Modi and Al Nahyan are understood to have also deliberated on pressing global challenges, including Gaza.

Al Nahyan also called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where discussions covered the “warm, historic and comprehensive ties between the two countries and the several initiatives taken in recent years”. “President Murmu expressed her gratitude to the leadership of the UAE for hosting more than 3.5 million Indians,” the MEA said.

The Crown Prince also visited Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He became the third-generation leader from the UAE to plant a sapling at Rajghat, following Sheikh Zayedbin Sultan Al Nahyan, former President of the UAE in 1992; and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE in 2016.

The Crown Prince will visit Mumbai Tuesday and participate in an India-UAE Business Forum. A soft launch on the commencement of work on the India-UAE virtual trade corridor and MAITRI interface to facilitate VTC will also take place in Mumbai on Tuesday.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: SPACE RECORDS: Historic first! India’s Chandrayaan-3 records more than 50 moonquakes. Here’s what it means

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The researchers have identified more than 50 instances in which it was observed that the seismic signal had significant amplitude in comparison to the expected background levels.

In a historic achievement, Chandrayaan-3 became the first lunar mission to have detected more than 250 seismic signatures from the south pole of the Moon, since the Apollo missions.

These 250 seismic signals included 50 unique signals that are likely to have links with moonquakes, which refer to the earthquake on the lunar soil.
 
This is the first time seismic data has been collected from the South Pole of the lunar surface and also the first time such an activity has been recorded since the Apollo missions.

According to the media reports, 250 seismic signatures have been detected by the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) aboard the Vikram Lander during its operational period from August 24 to September 4, 2023, between the coordinates of 69.37 degrees south and 32.32 degrees east.

In 2023, the India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the ILSA payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander has been able to record the movements of Rover and other payloads.

The ILSA payload is the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon that utilises sensors manufactured with cutting-edge silicon micromachining technology.

All about 250 seismic signals detected by Chandrayaan-3

Among the 250 seismic signals, nearly 200 of them were said to have been produced by different mission activities like the Pragyan rover’s movements or the operation of scientific instruments like the ChaSTE thermal probe or Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).

However, the remaining 50 signals were classified as “uncorrelated” and the scientists were not able to draw a connection between them and any mission-related activities. This raised the possibility of these signals being produced from real moonquakes.

These findings related to the moonquakes were mentioned in a recent paper published in ICARUS, which is a famous scientific journal.

Commenting on the findings, LEOS Director Sriram said, “Out of the 250 seismic events, about 200 correlate with Pragyan’s movements or other instrument operations. The remaining 50 signals do not align with any known activities, warranting further investigation to understand their origins.”

The study emphasised that the longest continuous seismic signal recorded had lasted 14 minutes.

(With inputs from agencies)

source/content: wionews.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPACE FRONTIERS : India’s first National Space Day: August 23rd, 2024 – PM Modi and ISRO chief reflect on India’s space milestones

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings to the nation on the occasion of the first National Space Day. In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister expressed immense pride in India’s remarkable achievements in the space sector.

“Greetings to everyone on the first National Space Day. We recall with great pride our nation’s achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Highlighting the government’s commitment to advancing the space sector, the Prime Minister said, “Our government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector, and we will do even more in the times to come.”

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in strengthening India’s space ecosystem.

Speaking to ANI, Somanath highlighted recent policy reforms and initiatives under the leadership of PM Modi toward advancing the space sector.

The ISRO chief said that PM Modi’s leadership has been crucial in several key policy interventions in India’s space sector. “As Prime Minister, Modi has not only created but also implemented policies through the governmental system,” he said.

Underscoring three major initiatives, the ISRO chief said, “After the space sector reforms, we worked on a space policy. This new policy clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Space, ISRO, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), paving the way for greater private sector involvement in space activities.”

“A foreign direct investment policy has also been announced, allowing private and foreign investments in the space sector with certain controls and regulations that were not possible earlier. The third initiative, undertaken by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), involves the geospatial policy. This policy makes all geospatial and satellite data freely available up to a five-meter resolution, creating secondary effects,” he added.

Reflecting on recent milestones, Somanath recalled the Prime Minister’s live participation in the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing event. “I remember our Prime Minister Modi watching the live transmission and taking a moment from the BRICS summit to join us,” he said.

Somanath also recounted Modi’s visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he showed keen interest in the Gaganyaan mission and other space projects.

“We were asked to prepare a long-term roadmap, a vision for space 2047 in the Amritkaal. The Prime Minister was delighted with our presentation on future space missions, including the Gaganyaan program and plans for a space station,” Somanath said.

M. Sankaran, Director of the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), also recalled the Prime Minister’s visit to the space center after the success of Chandrayaan-3.

“When he was talking, he was a bit emotional, thanking all of us for our efforts and appreciating everyone’s contributions. He was very clear that we need to involve other government agencies in space activities, which eventually led to the space sector reforms,” Sankaran said while speaking to ANI.

Following the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, PM Modi declared August 23 as National Space Day and named the landing site ‘Shiva Shakti Point,’ while designating the Chandrayaan-2 landing site as ‘Tiranga Point.’

This historic achievement made India the fourth country to land a rover on the Moon and the first to do so in the Moon’s southern polar region. The celebration aims to inspire future generations and foster interest in space exploration across the nation.

The theme for National Space Day 2024 is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga,” reflecting the impact of space achievements on everyday life and the nation’s ambitious space endeavors.

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DRONE PATENTS: Patent Granted: Path-Breaking Drone Technology Developed by Anna University Researchers to Revolutionise Package Delivery Applications

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A path-breaking technology has been developed by the researchers at the Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University, Chennai that may open up a new era of drone operations.

The airborne-based intelligent autonomous landing system for mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that come with accurate identification of geographical location of landing sites from the plurality of images captured has been granted patent by the Indian Patent Office, Intellectual Property India.

“The technology would immensely help in the delivery/pick up of load such as weapons, ammunition, medicines, food etc. to armed forces deployed along hilly terrains or inaccessible locations along the border,” said Dr K. Senthil Kumar, Professor and Director, Dr Kalam Advanced UAV Research Centre, Department of Aerospace Engineering, MIT,

The system developed by his team of researchers is capable of not only finding the precise location of a marker like a particular coloured dress or object on the site and land there safely even if it were to be a hilly terrain with uneven surface and slope. At present, existing UAVs were designed to land at a pre-determined well prepared plain surface locations,

Dr Senthil Kumar explained, “Once the landing site is identified, the position coordinates are obtained and UAV lands at the target including moving platforms. Further, QR code can also be used to enhance reliability. The efficiency of the UAV landing system is increased, landing time is reduced, and the complete process is on-board and autonomous using AI and deep learning algorithms. The system is particularly useful for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) applications.”

According to Dr Senthil Kumar, the UAV landing system could be utilised in high-altitude logistics drones to assist armed and border security forces in day-to-day essential supplies delivery to border posts, emergency relief and rescue operations or delivery of certain goods to strengthen combat missions.

“We now have UAVs with the capability to fly up to 50 kg load to 20 km. Efforts are on to enhance the load to 100 kg and flying distance to 50 km,” he added.

Highlighting the UAVs utility, Dr Senthil Kumar said, besides defence, firefighting and surveillance operations, the intelligent autonomous landing system for mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles could also be used for civilian missions such as organ/medicine delivery in healthcare, product delivery in e-commerce etc.

“The invention marked a significant breakthrough in drone technology as it would revolutionise the package delivery applications. The existing delivery methods were done only by way of airdrop from certain altitudes,” he remarked.

source/content: raksha-anirveda.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENERGY: FIRSTS: Bharat Petroleum unveils India’s first biofuel blend HFHSD bunker at Mumbai Port

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has set a new benchmark in the Indian maritime industry by launching first biofuel blend High Flash High Speed Diesel (HFHSD) bunker by an OMC at Mumbai Port. This pioneering initiative by BPCL underscores its unwavering commitment to green energy solutions and aligns with the global mandate to decarbonize the shipping sector.

As the maritime industry globally pivots towards reducing carbon emissions and mitigating environmental impact, BPCL’s introduction of the biofuel blend HFHSD bunker provides shipping companies with a cleaner, biodegradable alternative to traditional fuels. This initiative not only supports environmental sustainability but also strengthens BPCL’s position as a leader in the Indian bunkering market.

Speaking on the occasion, Sukhmal Jain, Director (Marketing), BPCL, remarked, “Today’s launch is a testament to our commitment to sustainable energy solutions. Our Project Aspire, with its focus on green energy, is driving our efforts towards a cleaner future. This biofuel blend bunker is a significant step in that direction and positions BPCL as a global bunkering leader”.

BPCL has consistently demonstrated its leadership in the Indian bunkering sector, being the first to introduce IMO 2020 compliant bunker fuel in the country. With a strong presence along the Western coast, BPCL has become a trusted supplier of marine fuels.

The company’s foray into biofuel blends is part of a broader strategy to expand its portfolio of green bunker fuels, including LNG, hydrogen, and methanol, thereby staying ahead in the evolving energy landscape.

source/content: milleniumpost.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: CITIES TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE : Number of cities with Metro rail up from 5 to 21 in last 10 years: Manohar Lal

 Metro rail services have been extended to 21 cities in the country over the last 10 years from a mere five cities in 2014, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal told journalists.

The minister said that 700 km of new metro lines were constructed in the last decade since the Narendra Modi government came to power, taking the total track length to 945 km.

In addition, the Cabinet on Friday cleared three new mass-transit proposals — Integral Ring Metro Rail Project corridor in Thane and extensions of metro networks in Pune and Bengaluru which add up to 78 km in length, and are scheduled to be operationalised in 2029. These projects will add to the country’s expanding metro network, which is already the world’s third largest next only to the USA and China.

“We are poised to soon surpass the US and become second only to China driven by the success of the Make in India initiative,” the minister said.

He further stated that the remaining two priority corridors connecting Gurugram, Manesar and Dharuhera, and Sonepat and Panipat in the north of the national capital will also be sanctioned soon.

Highlighting the acceleration in the pace of development, the minister said that before 2014, an average of only 600 metres of the metro line was being constructed every month. There has been a 10-fold increase in this figure to 6 km every month during the last 10 years, he added.

The minister said that India has developed four state-of-the-art facilities to manufacture metro coaches. These have produced over 1,000 metro coaches in the last five years, supporting various metro rail systems across the country.

He also mentioned the international foray that India was making in the construction of metro rail systems. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is currently implementing a metro rail system in Bangladesh and has provided consultancy services to Jakarta.

Besides, countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and El Salvador have also shown interest in partnering with the DMRC for their metro development projects, the minister said.

–IANS

source/content: bhaskarlive.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DEFENCE MANUFACTURING: India’s new light tank to pack a punch in mountain warfare

The tank will demonstrate its capabilities in summer and winter trials that will be conducted in deserts and mountains during the next two years before it goes into production.

In a shining moment for the local defence manufacturing sector, India on Saturday unveiled a light tank designed for rapid deployment and high mobility in the mountains and it is expected to be ready for induction into service in 2027, strengthening the army’s posture against the Chinese forces along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials aware of the matter said.

The 25-tonne tank has been jointly developed by Larsen & Toubro and the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) under Project Zorawar in around two years to meet the Indian Army’s requirement for 354 light tanks. It will now head into a set of rigourous trials.

The tank was developed from scratch within the shortest possible time, said one of the officials cited above.

“It will be capable of operating in challenging conditions along LAC with minimal logistics support. The tank will demonstrate its capabilities in summer and winter trials that will be conducted in deserts and mountains during the next two years before it goes into production,” he said.

DRDO chief Samir V Kamat on Saturday reviewed the first prototype of the tank at L&T’s Hazira facility in Gujarat where it performed some basic manoeuvres.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has inducted and fielded several modern tanks, including light tanks with a high power-to-weight ratio, across LAC. The military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh is now in its fifth year, with no indication of a resolution to the lingering problems even as India is hoping that ongoing negotiations with the neighbour will help restore the status quo ante of April 2020.

The Indian Army has deployed scores of heavier Russian-origin T-72 and T-90 tanks in the Ladakh theatre, but they have their own limitations as they were designed for operations in plains and deserts. The need for light tanks with adequate firepower, protection, surveillance and communication capabilities was felt after the border row began, the officials said. The new capability will cost around ₹17,500 crore.

“The tank can be transported by air and is capable of amphibious operations. It can fire at high angles of elevation and perform the role of limited artillery,” said a second official, adding that the platform’s modular design can accommodate future upgrades.

The tank is expected to be packed with cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence, drone integration, active protection systems and superior situational awareness.

Not for nothing has the tank been named Zorawar. The legendary general, Zorawar Singh, led the Dogra forces a record six times, between 1834 and 1841, to victories in Ladakh and Tibet. In May 1841, he led a 5,000-strong Dogra force into Tibet and within weeks overran the Chinese forces and captured their Mantalai flag.

In December 2022, the defence acquisition council gave its acceptance of necessity (AoN) and greenlit defence projects worth ₹84,328 crore to sharpen the combat potential of the armed forces with new military hardware, including the light tanks. Under India’s defence procurement rules, AoN by the council is the first step towards buying military hardware.

In a request for information published in April 2021, the army said the light tank must have the versatility to execute operations in diverse terrain conditions and to tackle a raft of threats and equipment profile of the country’s adversaries.

In a follow up note, the army said the light tank is envisaged as a lethal and survivable platform and will have major mobility advantage in high-altitude frontiers.

“These tanks with superior mobility, all terrain agility, multi-layered protection, precision lethal firepower and real time situational awareness duly integrating niche technology will offer multiple options for rapid operational employment, enabling the army to execute operations across the entire continuum of conflict,” the note said.

The tank was unveiled a day after defence minister Rajnath Singh announced that India had recorded the highest ever growth in the value of local defence production in the financial year 2023-24 on the back of enabling policy measures, with the figure reaching almost ₹1.27 lakh crore. The figure is around 17% higher than what it was in the previous year.

Of the total value of defence production in 2023-24, 79.2% was contributed by defence public sector undertakings and other PSUs, and the remaining 20.8% by the private sector.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPACE : Indian-Origin Shawna Pandya on Virgin Galactic’s New Space Research Flight

Shawna Pandya, an Indian-origin physician and bioastronautics researcher, will be part of Virgin Galactic’s upcoming space research mission. This mission, a collaboration between Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), will be conducted aboard the Delta Class spaceship.

Pandya, a prominent figure in space medicine and Director of IIAS’ Space Medicine Group, joins a distinguished crew for this second research mission. The team includes Kellie Gerardi, Director of Human Spaceflight Operations at IIAS, and Norah Patten, an aeronautical engineer from Ireland. The mission follows the success of the ‘Galactic 05’ mission in November 2023, which tested novel healthcare technologies and analyzed fluid dynamics in microgravity to aid the design of future medical technologies and life-support systems.

Pandya, who has extensive experience in space research, was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero gravity in 2015. Her impressive record includes flying in 10 parabolic flight campaigns, amassing over 160 parabolas in micro- and reduced gravity conditions.

“We were thrilled with the results from our fluid cell experiment on ‘Galactic 05’, which demonstrated our ability to accurately predict fluid behavior in a weightless environment”, said Gerardi, reflecting on the mission’s success.

Sirisha Bandla, Virgin Galactic’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Research, emphasized the ongoing collaboration with IIAS. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with IIAS in an expanded capacity”, said Bandla, who flew on the ‘Unity 22’ spaceflight, becoming the second Indian-born woman to travel to space.

This mission highlights the growing role of Indian-origin researchers in advancing space science and technology, further solidifying international collaborations in space exploration.

source/content: siliconindia.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: NATIONAL: AEROSPACE / MANY FIRSTS : World’s First Rocket with Single Piece 3D Printed Engine launched from Sriharikota

The feat has been achieved entirely through indigenous design and development.

The world’s first rocket with a single piece 3D printed engine was launched from Sriharikota on Thursday by Agnikul Cosmos, the IITMadras-incubated start-up.

The launch was witnessed by various luminaries including Dr S Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe, Rajeev Jyoti, Director (Technical), IN-SPACe, and A Raj Rajan, Director SHAR.

The ISRO chairman said that the success involving many firsts, including the 3D printed semi-cryogenic engine, flight control systems etc. demonstrate the prowess of indigenous design and innovation. “It motivates ISRO to support the Space startups and non-governmental entities for innovation and Atmanirbharata to create a vibrant space ecosystem in the country,” he said.

The feat has been achieved entirely through indigenous design and development after the launch was postponed many a times. ‘Agnibaan – SOrTeD’ Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator also has the unique distinction of having been launched from India’s first private launch pad called ‘Dhanush’ established by Agnikul. It is also India’s first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch.

“The key purpose of this mission, which is also Agnikul’s first flight, is to serve as a test flight, to demonstrate the in-house and home grown technologies, gather crucial flight data and ensure optimal functioning of systems for Agnikul’s orbital launch vehicle, the ‘Agnibaan’,” a statement issued by the company said.

The Agnibaan SOrTeD is powered by a semi-cryogenic engine that uses commercially available aviation turbine fuel or essentially kerosene and medical grade liquid oxygen, according to the company. Agnikul follows up on the first launch made by an Indian space company which was Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited which in 2022 flew a solid fuelled sounding rocket from Sriharikota.

Speaking about the next steps, Prof Satyanarayanan R Chakravarthy, founding advisor, Agnikul Cosmos and also the Head of National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD), IIT Madras, said, “We are proud to present India’s first Semi-cryo rocket engine, which is also the world’s most integrated single shot 3D printed piece. It signals the ability to rapidly assemble rockets that is unparalleled.”

The Agnikul team consists of over 200 engineers and is associated with NCCRD at IIT Madras. Additionally, the team is guided by 45 former scientists from ISRO who bring invaluable expertise to the endeavour of democratising access to space, a statement said.

The flagship launch vehicle, ‘Agnibaan’, is designed to be compatible with the mobile launchpad called ‘Dhanush,’ allowing for launch flexibility regardless of location. Agnibaan can be configured to accommodate payloads ranging from 30 kg to 300 kg, ensuring versatility across a wide range of mission requirements, the statement added. The startup is aiming to fly an orbital mission towards the end 2024-2025.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)