India's first space-based mission to the Sun, Aditya-L1, lifts off from Sriharikota

News Network
September 2, 2023

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India’s first space-based mission to the Sun, Aditya-L1, took off successfully from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre here on Saturday, September 2, 2023, nine days after the country’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 made a safe and soft landing on the unexplored south polar region of the Moon.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s most reliable workhorse PSLVC-57 launched the Aditya L1 spacecraft weighing 1,475 kg at 11.50 am, amid loud cheers from scientists gathered at the Mission Control Room here. The cost of the mission is said to be Rs 420 crore.

Initially, the spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit, which will be made elliptical to launch Aditya L1 towards the Lagrange point L1 using on-board propulsion. As the spacecraft travels towards L1, it will exit the earths’ gravitational Sphere of Influence (SOI) and if all goes well, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system in 125 days.

The L1 point is about 1.5 million km from the Earth, just 1 per cent of the 150 million km distance between the two. The distance to be travelled by Aditya L1 is four times more than Chandrayaan-3, which landed on the Moon on August 23 and is coming out significant findings.
Reaching the L1 point will give India a greater advantage of observing the solar activities continuously. All the measurements will be made from the Lagrange point L1, while L5 is a good vantage point for studying the Earth directed CME events and assessing the space weather, scientists said.

Of the seven payloads – all indigenously developed and made by ISRO and other organisations -- four will directly view and study the Sun, while the remaining three will conduct in-situ studies of particles and fields around the L1 point.

Placing a satellite in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/ eclipses and provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time, scientists said.

Through this mission, ISRO hopes to get important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium, while the payloads are expected to provide crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields.

By studying the Sun, ISRO said, scientists can learn much more about stars in the Milky Way as well as about stars in various other galaxies. Since various thermal and magnetic phenomena on the Sun are of extreme nature, Sun will serve as a good natural laboratory to understand those phenomena which cannot be directly studied in the lab.

The suit of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial information to understand the problems of coronal heating, Coronal Mass Ejection, pre-flare and flare activities, and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, study of the propagation of particles, and fields in the interplanetary medium.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israeli forces have pushed over the Syrian frontier, erecting a checkpoint and stopping vehicles in the southwestern city of Quneitra, in yet another breach of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

The violation took place on Sunday, when the troops made their way across the border, setting up the outpost near the Ain al-Bayda junction in northern Quneitra, Syrian outlets reported.

According to the al-Ikhbariya paper, an Israeli detachment positioned itself at the junction, halting cars and conducting searches.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that three Israeli military vehicles then moved further into the northern countryside, deploying between the town of Jubata al-Khashab and the villages of Ofaniya and Ain al-Bayda. The agency added that a separate Israeli unit mounted a new incursion in the central region, approaching the villages of Umm Batina and al-Ajraf.

Residents said such activities have surged in recent months, pointing to Israeli advances onto farmland, leveling of extensive forested areas, arrests, and spread of mobile checkpoints.

The Israeli regime began markedly increasing its military aggression against Syria last year.

The escalation coincided with increasingly ferocious onslaughts throughout the country by the so-called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist group, which the government of President Bashar al-Assad had confined to northwestern Syria. The HTS, however, managed to overthrow the government as the Israeli attacks would pummel the country’s civilian and defensive infrastructure.

Various reports have shown that, during the escalation, the regime conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes on the Syrian territory and over 400 ground raids into the south.

Following the collapse of the Assad government, Tel Aviv also widened its grip over the occupied Golan Heights by taking control of a demilitarized buffer zone, in defiance of a 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Earlier this month, senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the buffer zone, prompting expressions of alarm on the part of the United Nations.

The United States, the regime’s biggest ally, has, meanwhile, been fraternizing the HTS head Abu Mohammed al-Jolani amid the widely reported prospect of rapprochement with Tel Aviv.

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News Network
November 24,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 24: The original departure time of 11.10 pm was a distant memory for scores of Dammam-bound passengers at Mangaluru International Airport last Friday night, as their Air India Express flight was abruptly cancelled at the eleventh hour, sparking hours of frustration and chaos.

The flight, IX 885, initially scheduled to depart at 11.10 pm on November 22, was subject to two back-to-back reschedules—first pushed to 11.45 pm and then significantly postponed to 1.40 am—before the final, crushing announcement of cancellation was made. For the travellers, many of whom are likely expatriate workers with tight schedules, the last-minute change marked the beginning of a distressing ordeal.

"There was no drinking water, no food, and absolutely no proper guidance. We were left stranded like refugees," complained a stranded passenger.

According to multiple passenger accounts, the airline's ground staff failed to provide adequate support or essential amenities following the cancellation. Complaints poured in about the total absence of drinking water, food provisions, and any reliable guidance from the carrier's representatives. Travellers alleged they were left stranded for a considerable period, with no immediate arrangements or clear communication offered regarding accommodation or alternative travel to send them back home.

The incident has highlighted serious concerns over the carrier's contingency planning and customer service protocols during flight disruptions at one of India's key international gateways. The airline is yet to issue a comprehensive statement addressing the alleged lapse in passenger care.
 

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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