India’s Chandrayaan-3 blasts off to the moon from Sriharikota

News Network
July 14, 2023

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New Delhi, July 14: India’s third unmanned lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, aimed at exploring the south polar region of the moon, soared into the sky successfully at 2.35 pm on Friday as planned from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) here. 
 
The precise goal is to make a soft and safe landing on the lunar surface, and if the mission is successful, India will only be the fourth country to have achieved the feat, joining the elite club of the US, Russia, and China. The south-polar region of the moon is of intense interest due to the presence of many permanently shadowed craters which could contain water ice and precious minerals. 
 
At the end of the 25-hour and 30-minute countdown, LVM3-M4, India’s largest and heaviest launch vehicle, LVM3-M4, lifted off at 2:35 pm with the 3,900-kg Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, including the lander. Minutes later, it transferred the satellites into the Geo Transfer orbit as scientists, including ISRO Chairman S Somnath and his predecessors, were watching the launch from the Control Command Centre. 

Billed as a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-2 which failed after the lander crash-landed on the moon 48 days later, Chandrayaan-3 will seek to demonstrate end-to-end landing and roving capabilities. The spacecraft will take about 40 days to make a soft landing on the lunar surface which is expected to be between August 23 and 24, eight days lesser than what the Chandrayaan-2 mission took. 
 
The success of Chandrayaan-3 will also help the ISRO fast-tracking its planned manned mission to the space, named Gaganyaan. 
 
The Chandrayaan-3 lander carrying a rover within it will be carried into an orbit around the moon by the propulsion module. A little later, the lander will separate from that module and will attempt to make a soft landing in the south polar region of the moon, which is of intense interest as it has many permanently shadowed craters which could contain water ice and precious minerals. 
 
India’s first unmanned mission, Chandrayaan-1, which took off on October 22, 2008, demonstrated the country’s ability to reach the surface of the moon and discover water on the lunar surface, while the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s aim was to make a soft landing on the moon. 
 
Learning lessons from the failure, the ISRO has made several significant modifications to Friday's mission with officials attributing the 2019 failure to malfunctioning of the onboard computer and propulsion system. 
 
This time around, the lander’s legs have been strengthened, a fifth engine has been removed to reduce the weight, and the landing area has been expanded from 500mx500m (in Chandrayaan-2) to 4kmx2.4 km area in Chandrayaan-3. Several special tests like Integrated Cold and Integrated Hot tests and Lander Leg mechanism performance tests have also been conducted to ensure the success of the mission, the officials added.
 
The Chandrayaan-3 mission is yet another attempt to achieve the goal with the help of a rover. The spacecraft, according to officials, will have four payloads which will study moon quakes, how the surface of the moon allows heat to flow through it, the plasma environment near the moon's surface, and enable scientists to measure the distance between Earth and moon “very accurately.”
 
The two rover payloads study composition of the moon’s surface using X-rays and LASER, while the propulsion module payload will explore the Spectro-polarimetric signatures of the habitable planet, Earth. The mission is divided into three phases -- Earth Centric, Lunar Transfer, and Moon Centric. 
 
The work on Chandrayaan-3 began just a few months after the failure of Chandrayaan-2, but the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown delayed ISRO’s plans. By demonstrating its capabilities to soft-land on the moon, the ISRO is also hoping to expand its business as it is already launching private satellites from Sriharikota.

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News Network
October 29,2024

Nagpur: Police in Maharashtra's Nagpur have identified 35-year-old Jagdish Uikey from Gondia as the man behind a series of hoax bomb threats that caused widespread panic, flight delays, and increased security at various establishments across the state, officials revealed.

Uikey, an author who wrote a book on terrorism and was previously arrested in 2021, is now on the run after police traced the recent hoax emails to him, confirmed a senior police official. The investigation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shweta Khedkar, uncovered substantial evidence linking Uikey to the threatening emails.

These emails were sent to multiple government agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, airline offices, the Director General of Police (DGP), and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). On October 21, Uikey even emailed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, leading to heightened security at railway stations.

On Monday, the Nagpur police intensified security around Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis's residence after Uikey’s email threatened a protest unless he could present his findings on a secret terror code he claimed to have deciphered. He also requested a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss his information on terror threats.

In the 13 days leading up to October 26, Indian carriers received over 300 hoax bomb threats, with about 50 flights— including those of IndiGo and Air India— targeted on October 22 alone, sources said.

A special team has been deployed to locate and arrest Uikey, and authorities remain confident that he will be apprehended soon.

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News Network
October 26,2024

Bengaluru: Amid protests by farmers in Vijayapura who have been served notices by the Karnataka Board of Waqfs to vacate the land their ancestors had allegedly encroached, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said the state government will review the situation. 

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We will review it. The state government and the revenue department will review it. A decision will be taken based on old records." When asked that the Waqf Board had set a deadline to vacate the land, the minister said that is not a problem.

Meanwhile, in the district headquarter town of Vijayapura in North Karnataka bordering Maharashtra, the farmers staged a demonstration at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Holding the land records and registered land deeds, the farmers alleged that they were served notice soon after Housing and Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan visited Vijayapura and directed the Deputy Commissioner to serve notices to the farmers who were sitting on Waqf land.

Farmer leaders alleged that without bringing the matter to their notice, the land records of farmers in Tenahalli village in Indi Taluk and Honvada village in Tikota Taluk were changed and made in favour of Waqf.

Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Friday said the Karnataka State Board of Waqfs has claimed its ownership over 1,500 acres of ancestral land of farmers in Honvada village.

Surya, who is also Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president, said the farmers of Honvada village in Tikota Taluk were served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property "with no evidence or explanation provided".

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News Network
October 28,2024

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Bengaluru: A burned, unidentifiable body discovered in a Kodagu coffee plantation has led Karnataka police to unravel a shocking murder plot involving 54-year-old businessman Ramesh’s wife, Niharika (29), her lover Nikhil, and accomplice Ankur. The trio allegedly orchestrated Ramesh’s murder for financial gain, journeying across state lines to dispose of his body in an attempt to conceal their crime. All three suspects are now in custody.

Suspicious Discovery in Kodagu Estate

On October 8, a charred body was found in a coffee plantation near Suntikoppa, Kodagu. With no immediate means of identification, police reviewed local CCTV footage. A red Mercedes Benz passing through the area raised suspicions. Registered under Ramesh’s name, this vehicle led the police to contact Telangana authorities, linking the case to Ramesh, who had recently been reported missing by his wife, Niharika.

An Intricate Plot for Wealth

As investigations deepened, police began to suspect Niharika’s involvement. Under questioning, she revealed her role in the plot and implicated her accomplices, Nikhil—a veterinary doctor—and Ankur. The probe uncovered Niharika’s troubled past, including a stint in prison, where she met Ankur. After marrying Ramesh, her desire for luxury grew, and she allegedly demanded ₹8 crore, which Ramesh refused, leading her to conspire with Nikhil and Ankur.

Murder and Cover-Up

On October 1 in Uppal, Hyderabad, the accused allegedly strangled Ramesh. They then drove over 800 km to Kodagu, disposing of the body in a coffee estate by setting it ablaze. Niharika later filed a missing person report for Ramesh to cover her tracks.

Painstaking Investigation

Kodagu Police Chief Ramarajan highlighted the challenges faced: “The body was nearly unrecognizable. Our team traced suspicious vehicle activity across CCTV cameras from Kodagu to Tumkur, eventually linking the vehicle to Ramesh from Telangana.” Through detailed examination, police collected enough evidence to arrest Niharika, Nikhil, and Ankur, confirming the horrifying plot that led to Ramesh’s murder.

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