The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which has had a quiet year so far, is back to winning ways with the successful launch of the state-of-the-art Earth observation spacecraft, EOS-05. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) on its 19th flight placed the EOS-05 into the intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit 18 minutes after it lifted off...
Tag: Science
ISRO’s advanced earth observation satellite launched successfully
ISRO’s advanced Earth observation spacecraft, India’s first-ever imaging satellite in geo-orbit, was successfully launched from the spaceport here on Friday (September 4, 2026) by a GSLV rocket. The EOS-05 satellite was successfully placed in the intended sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit, about 18 minutes after it lifted off from the spaceport here, ISRO announced. “The eye in...
ISRO’s GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 lifts off from Sriharikota
A GSLV rocket, carrying ISRO’s Earth observation satellite EOS-05, lifted off from the spaceport in a pre-dawn mission on Friday (September 4, 2026). The 51.7 metre tall GSLV-F17 blasted off from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, about 135 km from Chennai, at a prefixed time of 2.55 am, lighting up the...
Luna 2: touched by humans, touches the moon
Picture this. You are standing on a rotating sphere that is revolving around another bigger sphere. You are then required to shoot an arrow at another smaller sphere, which is revolving around the sphere on which you are standing and is also rotating at its own pace. Given that both your platform and your target...
‘AstroRad’ vest offers astronauts lighter shield against solar storms
Despite their best efforts to settle the moon and later Mars, humans may never become a spacefaring species, more than a few experts have said over the years. An important reason for this view is radiation. The earth has a magnetic field that keeps harmful radiation at bay, but astronauts who fly beyond this field...
A first step towards a universal vaccine against pneumonia, meningitis
There is a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae. It comes in at least a hundred different forms, or serotypes, and lives in the tissue lining our nose and throat. S. pneumoniae is normally harmless. But when your body’s immune system becomes weaker, for example when you have a viral fever, these bacteria may invade your lungs...
Why do people make odd facial expressions when self-administering eye drops?
— Akarsh A: People often make oddly tense facial expressions when putting eye drops in their own eyes because the activity significantly tasks the nervous system. To place a drop in your eye, you need to control yourself while something approaches a sensitive part of your face. People instinctively tense their facial muscles and may...
Dragonflies are bellwethers of earth’s ecosystems
In the imagination of children, flying holds a special place. Folded pieces of paper become airplanes ready to be launched, eager gazes follow soaring eagles, and dragonflies are the helicopters of their fantasies. Dragonflies (called sitara in Hindi) are indeed wonders of flight. These insects belong to a lineage whose members were among the planet’s...
How BODH is training India’s scientists to become better lab leaders
India’s laboratories are expanding, research funding is growing, start-ups are emerging, and Indian researchers are increasingly contributing to scientific knowledge. Amid this expansion, who is preparing scientists to become leaders? A researcher may spend years mastering experimental techniques, analysing data, publishing papers, and writing research proposals. But when that researcher becomes a principal investigator, a...
Science for All | How bird songs have evolved
(This article forms a part of the Science for All newsletter that takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Subscribe now!) Birds have long fascinated scientists and nature lovers alike with the rich variety of sounds they produce. From melodic songs to sharp alarm calls, bird vocalisations serve a variety of...
