Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rolls-Royce is in talks with potential customers for its nuclear reactors, per the Financial Times.</li><li>Rolls-Royce has been working on so-called micronuclear reactors for over three years.</li></ul>Rolls-Royce is in early-stage talks with potential customers for its compact nuclear reactors, which are designed to power data centers on Earth and one day to be sent into space, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/50ccf53b-132e-46d3-86eb-83abd33264b0">Financial Times reported</a>. The so-called microreactors have a much smaller power output than traditional small modular reactors but are more transportable due to their smaller size. Jake Thompson, the company's director of novel nuclear and special projects, told the FT the reactor could provide energy solutions for data centers, mining, and remote communities. A spokesperson for Rolls-Royce confirmed to Business Insider that it is in early-stage talks with potential customers. Big Tech companies — including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft — have expressed interest in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-nuclear-power-ai-data-centers-2024-10">nuclear power to meet</a> AI's high energy demands. Rolls-Royce believes the growing international interest in nuclear power will increase the demand for microreactors for both Earthbound and space applications, the FT reported. Thompson told the FT that Rolls-Royce's focus has been on building a reactor that is "really small, small enough so you could load it onto a rocket and send it into space."The company has been working on the technology for over three years, first collaborating with the UK Space Agency in 2021 to study how nuclear power could support space exploration.In July 2024, Rolls-Royce was awarded funding from the agency's National Space Innovation Programme, or NSIP, for space nuclear power. The company<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2024/22-07-2024-rolls-royce-awarded-national-space-innovation-programme-funding-for-space-nuclear-power.aspx"> said in a statement at the time </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2024/22-07-2024-rolls-royce-awarded-national-space-innovation-programme-funding-for-space-nuclear-power.aspx">that the £4.8m</a> award from NSIP would help to advance the development and demonstration of key technologies in the space nuclear microreactor market.The company said the NSIP's project had a total cost of £9.1 million ($11.5 million) and aimed to progress the microreactor's "overall technology readiness level."

Rolls-Royce is in talks to use its compact nuclear reactors to power data centers and space missions

SpaceX mission to include first commercial space walk

India's journey through space missions and milestones

President Droupadi Murmu, on Friday visited an exhibition to showcase space technologies and achievements, at Bharat Mandapam, on the maiden <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword>. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> Chairman S Somanath were also present. <keyword id="19939985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="President-Murmu" source="keywords">President Murmu</keyword> extended her greetings on the occasion of the first National Space Day and welcomed the decision to celebrate Space Day on the day <keyword id="19990220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan" source="keywords">Chandrayaan</keyword> landed on the <keyword id="19899207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon" source="keywords">Moon</keyword>. "It was a glorious moment for all the Indians when ISRO's Chandrayaan landed on the moon. I saw the live telecast of that moment, I was so proud that day like other Indians. To celebrate National Space Day on this occasion is a commendable step. I congratulate all of you on the first National Space Day. ISRO has achieved many feats since its inception". She also expressed her happiness with the student's participation in the event "Happy to see students' participation in this event." Highlighting the significance of <keyword id="19929542" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-exploration" source="keywords">space exploration</keyword>, she added "Space exploration has extended human's ability and help complete the imagination of humankind. Space exploration is exciting and challenging at the same time. Health, transportation, environment, energy, security and information technology are benefitted due to the growth in the <keyword id="20242397" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-sector" source="keywords">space sector</keyword>". The president termed the growth of the ISRO as extraordinary, "The growth of <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s space sector is extraordinary, be it Mangalyan mission that was accomplished through minimum resources or launching more than 100 satellites at a time. we have achieved many such feats". She also praised the introduction of private players in the space sector in the country, "Introducing of the private sector in Indian has led to the formation of many <keyword id="22829456" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-start-ups" source="keywords">space start-ups</keyword> in India. This has allowed the youths of India to explore the space sector". Expressing her happiness about ISRO's plan to make <keyword id="20793131" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-mission" source="keywords">space mission</keyword> debris-free she said "I am happy that India is moving towards making India's space mission debris-free by 2030". India celebrated its first-ever National Space Day on Friday on the theme "Touching Lives While Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga". On 23 August 2023, India achieved a historic milestone when the Chandrayaan-3 lander completed a soft landing on the moon. This remarkable accomplishment made India the 4th country to accomplish this feat and the 1st to land on the lunar South Pole. In recognition of this achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared August 23 as National Space Day.

"A glorious moment for all Indians when Chandrayaan landed on moon" says President Murmu on National Space Day

<keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords">ISRO</keyword> has targeted to <keyword id="19997100" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="launch" source="keywords">launch</keyword> the first mission of the ambitious <keyword id="19945102" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gaganyaan" source="keywords">Gaganyaan</keyword> project by December, a top official said here on Friday. Currently, some of the rocket hardware for the human <keyword id="41531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">space</keyword> programme has reached the <keyword id="20021373" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Satish-Dhawan-Space-Centre" source="keywords">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> here and the integration of the crew module was going on at the <keyword id="20054184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikram-Sarabhai-Space-Centre" source="keywords">Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre</keyword>, Trivandrum, ISRO Chairman <keyword id="19929547" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="s-somanath" source="keywords">S Somanath</keyword> said. "Today, we are working on the first mission of the Gaganyaan called G1. The first unmanned mission. The status today is the rocket, the S200 stage, the L1, C32 stage are all at Satish Dhawan Space Centre," he said. He said the Crew Module integration was going on at VSSC Trivandrum while Crew Escape hardware was also ready. "So, we have to complete with full wiring and testing should be done. Our target is by November the whole system will reach here, possibly by December launch will happen," he said, responding to a query. Somanath was talking to reporters after successfully launching the third and final developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle that placed the Earth Observation Satellite into orbit earlier in the day. The success of the third and final developmental flight would pave the way for launch of commercial missions using the smallest vehicle by ISRO's commercial arm <keyword id="20038721" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NewSpace-India-Ltd" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NewSpace India Ltd" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NewSpace India Ltd">NewSpace India Ltd</keyword> (NSIL). Today's successful mission of <keyword id="21471593" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SSLV" source="keywords">SSLV</keyword> allows industry to forge a partnership with ISRO for placing satellites into Low Earth Orbit. Besides, it would also allow a company to gain knowledge on rockets, launch vehicles, and satellites in the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle missions. To a query about the requirement for industries to partner with the ISRO for taking up commercial launch of SSLV missions, Somanath said a day-long meeting was recently held with the industry. "I am hoping that the first technology transfer will happen in India between ISRO and industry. The Request for Interest (RFI) was released and as a single (entity) or as consortia, a company can show interest on the technology transfer (from ISRO) and what were the expectations from ISRO and how to qualify for such missions," he said. From the interactions held with the industry it emerged there was a huge amount of interest for them to learn about space, he added. "We told them it will be a huge challenge for anyone to learn rocketry from scratch. It is not just transferring technology, we are transferring the knowledge on how things are done (at ISRO). It is not the drawings alone, it is the knowledge behind those drawings we transfer to industry," according to Somanath, also the Secretary, Department of Space. Through the industry partnerships, ISRO would teach them on how to build a rocket, he said and added that the industry should qualify as per the criteria put forth by ISRO. The company should possess manufacturing capabilities, manufacturing facilities and financial strengths of a company would be assessed, he said. "We will add weightage and marks based on the performance of the company and based on that the companies will be shortlisted and a contract would be given to them after the companies which have to pay a technology transfer fee," he said. Some of the unique features of SSLVs are -- it provides low-cost access to Space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, 'launch on demand' feasibility and SSLV missions demand minimal launch infrastructure.

ISRO targets first Gaganyaan mission launch by December: Chairman

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday voiced concern over increasing <keyword id="20715750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-debris" source="keywords">space debris</keyword> as a result of numerous satellites being placed in orbit and lauded <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> for setting itself a target to make future <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword> debris free by 2030. Murmu was speaking at the celebration of the maiden <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword> celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the landing of India's Chandrayaan-3 project. "Space debris can cause problems for space missions," she said during the event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi that was attended by Union minister Jitendra Singh, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath, engineers, ISRO scientists and representatives of the country's nascent space industry. The president appreciated the ISRO System for Safe &amp; Sustainable Operations Management facility, which ensures continuous progress of space research activities. "I am also happy to note that India is moving forward to make all its space missions debris free by 2030," Murmu said. The president presented awards to winners of the Robotics Challenge and the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon on the occasion. The president said ISRO had made remarkable achievements in the space sector as well as invaluable contributions to the country's social and economic development. She appreciated the dedicated scientists who placed India's space programme among the best in the world by using minimum resources. Murmu also expressed confidence that the country would make continuous progress in space science and continue to set new standards of excellence. The president said the progress of India's space sector was extraordinary. "Be it a successfully completed Mars mission with limited resources or the successful launch of more than a hundred satellites at once, we have made many impressive achievements," Murmu said. The president said space exploration had increased the capabilities of human beings and transformed imagination into reality. "But space exploration is a challenging task. Research conducted to solve the problems during space exploration accelerates the development of science and improves human life," she said. The president said many sectors, including health and medicine, transportation, security, energy, environment and information technology, had benefited from developments in the space sector. The president pointed out that with the opening of the space sector to private entities, the number of start-ups had increased at a very rapid pace. "This has not only brought progress in space research but also given new opportunities to our youth to showcase and hone their talents," Murmu said. The president said she was happy to note that just a few months ago, an Indian company successfully launched a single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket, the first such achievement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/2024-tvs-jupiter-vs-honda-activa-6g-which-110cc-scooter-should-you-buy/slidelist/112730069.cms">2024 TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G – which 110cc scooter should you buy?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-add-music-to-instagram-profile/articleshow/112732934.cms">You can now add music to your Instagram profile – here's how</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/audi-q8-facelift-launched-in-india-with-a-1-17-crore-price-tag/slidelist/112707701.cms">Audi Q8 facelift launched in India with a ₹1.17 crore price tag</a>

President Murmu voices concern over increasing space debris

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-launch-risky-polaris-dawn-mission-first-commercial-spacewalk-radiation-2024-8">SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission</a> Tuesday morning, sending four people on an ambitious flight.</li><li>The private mission aims to fly through radiation belts and conduct the first commercial spacewalk.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-launch-2024-8">SpaceX just launched four people</a> on its most daring human spaceflight yet, a mission called Polaris Dawn.The crew features a billionaire, a pilot, and two SpaceX employees. After an early morning launch on Tuesday, they're floating in the company's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-next-spacex-flight-will-have-better-toilets-2021-9">Crew Dragon spaceship</a> in Earth's orbit.None of them are NASA-grade <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronaut-warns-tourists-that-spaceflight-is-uncomfortable-risky-2021-8">professional astronauts</a>, but they're scheduled to fly further from Earth than anyone has traveled in over 50 years, since the Apollo missions.They're also planning to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polaris-dawn-spacewalk-spacex-crew-dragon-2024-9">conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk</a>, taking the risk of opening their entire Crew Dragon spaceship to the vacuum of space.Here's who's on board this bold, historic mission.<h2 id="688a5c11-20ce-406b-89c2-4f98790acc82">Jared Isaacman, mission commander</h2><div type="image" title="jared isaacman spacex crew dragon" height="2560" width="3840" msid="113245844" hostid="261" sizebytes="991006"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jared-isaacman-net-worth-career-spacex-polaris-dawn-2024-8">Jared Isaacman</a> is the billionaire bankrolling the mission and serving as its commander. This isn't the 41-year-old's first rodeo.In 2021, he funded and flew on the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-civilian-crew-zip-ties-sedatives-orbit-2021-9">first-ever all-civilian spaceflight</a>, called Inspiration4, and brought three people with him to circle Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.That mission's name, Inspiration4, derives from Shift4, the payment-processing company that Isaacman founded at age 16 in his parents' basement after dropping out of high school. He is still the CEO.Compared to other space-faring billionaires — like the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-richard-branson-spaceflight-2021-7">flashy Richard Branson</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-jeff-bezos-interrupts-william-shatner-space-speech-spray-champagne-2021-10">champagne-spraying Jeff Bezos</a> — Isaacman's tone is much more serious.For starters, he's a relatively private person. He's repeatedly declined to say how much money he's spent on his missions with SpaceX.He also has some technical qualifications for the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-blue-origin-spacex-commercial-space-flights-tourism-cost-2023-7">commercial astronaut</a> gig: He's an accomplished pilot, reporting over 7,000 flight hours. Isaacman's business repertoire also includes Draken International, a private aircraft provider and pilot-training company that he founded in 2012 and sold to Blackdstone in 2019. The sale, along with taking Shift4 public, made him a billionaire.Messaging around both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-final-members-of-the-all-civilian-inspiration4mission-revealed-2021-4">Inspiration4</a> and Polaris Dawn has been heavily focused on fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as well as making technological advancements in human spaceflight."I just knew it was a pretty significant moment in history, and it comes with some responsibility," Isaacman told BI ahead of the Inspiration4 launch in 2021. He said the St. Jude fundraising was an effort to "take care of some of the problems that we have here on Earth, so we earn the right to go and explore among the stars."Isaacman has also approached NASA, offering to fund a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-spacex-announcement-billionaire-spaceflight-hubble-space-telescope-2022-9">Crew Dragon mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope's orbit</a> and therefore extend its lifespan, since it's currently expected to fall from orbit in the mid-2030s. NASA has declined the offer for now.Isaacman lives in New Jersey with his wife, Monica Isaacman, and their two daughters, according to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/10/us-news/jared-isaacman-nj-high-school-dropout-turned-tech-billionaire-set-to-conduct-first-private-spacewalk/">New York Post</a>.<h2 id="826614e6-dace-47db-8f31-d7d755ada4e7">Sarah Gillis, mission specialist</h2><div type="image" title="sarah gillis smiling woman in white spacesuit and open helmet with gray and black trim" height="1667" width="2500" msid="113245841" hostid="261" sizebytes="137418"></div>As the engineer overseeing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-spacex-first-civilians-trained-for-spaceflight-photos-2021-9">SpaceX's astronaut training program</a>, Sarah Gillis first got to know Isaacman when she was preparing him and his crewmates for the Inspiration4 flight."You spend a huge amount of your job pretending to be an astronaut and thinking through what they would care about," Gillis, aged 30, said in a briefing on August 19. "I cannot wait to actually test this in space and bring back knowledge to the engineers."Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, Gillis was on track to be a violinist like her mother until her junior year of high school, when she attended a university guest lecture by Joe Tanner, a former NASA astronaut and a mechanical engineering professor. She told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.denverpost.com/2024/07/22/spacex-colorado-astronauts-scott-poteet-sarah-gillis-polaris-dawn/">The Denver Post</a> that she stayed to talk with Tanner, who became her mentor as she pursued aerospace engineering.Gillis started with an internship at SpaceX in 2015 and quickly ascended through the ranks of the company's astronaut training program and mission control operations. She's still a skilled violinist and an avid hiker.Gillis's husband, Lewis, is also a SpaceX engineer. He helped build Dragon's propulsion system."So I know exactly what goes into the testing and the design and the rigor behind absolutely everything in the spacecraft," Gillis said, adding that she was "very, very excited to fly on my favorite Dragon spacecraft."She's serving as the mission specialist on Polaris Dawn, assigned to leave Dragon on Thursday to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-shows-cosmonaut-space-littering-during-spacewalk-nasa-says-harmless-2023-5">conduct the first commercial spacewalk</a> alongside Isaacman. This is her first time in space.<h2 id="3fe1acf4-ea8f-4279-9bc9-30d402b3c54d">Anna Menon, mission specialist and medical officer</h2><div type="image" title="Crewmember Anna Menon of Polaris Dawn smiling and wearing sunglasses" height="1500" width="2004" msid="113245851" hostid="261" sizebytes="165860"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronaut-parenting-tips-career-vs-dad-time-2024-3">Anna Menon</a> has dreamed of going to space since she was a child."I grew up in Houston, another Space City, and I was exposed to space on a field trip and got to experience a day in the life of an astronaut and a flight controller in mission control," Menon said during the August 19 briefing. "And I fell in love with the industry." Polaris Dawn is the 38-year-old's first time in space. She's an engineer at SpaceX and is serving as a mission specialist and medical officer for Polaris Dawn. "I think working at SpaceX gives me a tremendous amount of competence going to space," Menon said. Before joining SpaceX, Menon worked at NASA and helped oversee International Space Station operations as a biomedical flight controller. She's not the only one in her family headed to space. Menon's husband, Anil, is one of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronauts-hiring-resume-selection-manager-2024-3">NASA's new astronauts</a>. The couple have two children, James and Grace.During her trip in space, Anna plans to get in a bit of reading. "I'm going to read a children's book I wrote, '<a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744559/kisses-from-space-by-anna-menon-and-keri-vasek-illustrated-by-andy-harkness/">Kisses from Space</a>,' to both my kids as well as some of the brave kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," she <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/billionaire-jared-isaacman-leads-four-civilian-astronauts-historic-polaris-dawn-mission-8709509">told People</a>. The live feed storytime is part of the mission's fundraising for the pediatric hospital, which treats childhood cancers and other diseases.<h2 id="3fce8d66-9204-4222-b02b-13d7f457607b">Scott "Kidd" Poteet, mission pilot</h2><div type="image" title="Polaris Dawn crewmember Scott Poteet against a white background" height="1500" width="2151" msid="113245842" hostid="261" sizebytes="78440"></div>Though he's flown fighter jets for the US Air Force, Scott Poteet has never been to space. The 50-year-old <a target="_blank" href="https://polarisprogram.com/team/scott-poteet/">mission</a> pilot <a target="_blank" href="https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2024/08/16/scott-kidd-poteet-talks-about-polaris-dawn">suffers</a> from motion sickness, but managed to overcome that in his combat missions and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airforce.com/thunderbirds/overview">performing</a> aerobatic maneuvers with the US Air Force's Thunderbirds.Poteet told <a target="_blank" href="https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2024/08/16/scott-kidd-poteet-talks-about-polaris-dawn">Spectrum News</a> his route to becoming an astronaut wasn't typical, at least not by today's standards. His grades weren't the best in school, and he doesn't have a background in engineering or science. Nevertheless, Isaacman invited Poteet, who goes by "Kidd," to pilot Polaris Dawn."On a personal level, flying fighter jets in the Air Force for 20 years, combat experience, operational test experience, leading many red flag exercises, and fighter weapons school, I can tell you without a doubt this has been some of the most challenging training that I've ever experienced," Poteet said about his training for Polaris Dawn during the briefing on August 19.Poteet lives in Monument, Colorado with his wife and has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8QPSBUMRo8/?img_index=1">three</a> children. At least one hopes to follow in his footsteps. "My 12-year-old son absolutely plans to go to space," he recently told <a target="_blank" href="https://magazine.unh.edu/issue/winter-2023/to-the-stars/">UNH Magazine</a>. "He believes it will be commonplace in his lifetime."

Meet SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew: The daring 4 who are in space on the most ambitious private space mission in history

See SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission: The daring 5-day spaceflight that's revolutionized the commercial space industry

Projected to last only days, the first crewed test flight of <keyword id="19915275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boeing" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Boeing" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Boeing">Boeing</keyword>'s <keyword id="20138728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starliner" source="keywords">Starliner</keyword> <keyword id="19982902" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacecraft" source="keywords">spacecraft</keyword> with two <keyword id="20038917" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="astronauts" source="keywords">astronauts</keyword> onboard is in limbo with no exact return to Earth announced. <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword>'s <keyword id="20430894" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commercial-Crew-Program" source="keywords">Commercial Crew Program</keyword> manager, Steve Stich has said that the US space agency is considering extending the duration of Starliner's mission from 45 days to 90 days, CNN reported. Officials have repeatedly hinted that the Starliner, which faced issues with helium leaks and thruster outages heading to the International <keyword id="20073557" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-station" source="keywords">Space Station</keyword> in early June, will be safe to bring astronauts including indian-origin Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Butch Wilmore home. On Friday, Stich said that NASA is considering extending the maximum length of Starliner's mission from 45 days to 90 days and there is no firm return date on the horizon, according to CNN report. Addressing a briefing on Friday, the NASA official said, "We're just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data." He further said, "And that's what's really the long pole, I would say, determining a landing date." Stich added, "We're not in a rush to come home." Part of that desired extension is due to the ground tests that Boeing and NASA plan to conduct in New Mexico, seeking to better understand why some of the Starliner's thrusters unexpectedly failed during the first leg of its journey. Stich and Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the Commercial Crew Program for Boeing, also said that engineers are still not certain about the reason behind the Starliner's problems. Nappi said that part of the aim is conducting the ground tests while the vehicle is still in space is to try to whittle down possible reasons why the thrusters malfunctioned. Mark Nappi said, "So, if (the test in New Mexico) comes back and gives us all the answers, then we can just undock and come home." He added, "If it comes back and says, 'Here's 80 per cent of the answer. And if you just run one more docked hot fire (test on the Starliner in orbit), then you can get 100 per cent of the answers' -- then we want (Starliner) to be there so that we can get that information." Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore have integrated with the rest of the crew currently aboard the International Space Station and are conducting routine tasks. Several more helium leaks were identified while the craft was heading to the International Space Station, along with the thruster issues. The Starliner's service module, a cylindrical attachment at the bottom of the spacecraft that provides much of the vehicle's power during flight, faced several issues, CNN reported. As per the design, the service module will not survive the return to Earth. The module is jettisoned and destroyed as the Starliner spacecraft reenters the atmosphere and that's the reason why Boeing and NASA teams then opted to leave the Starliner spacecraft safely docked with the space station while they worked to learn as much as possible about those issues. It is not clear yet whether NASA will extend the maximum mission length to 90 days. Stich said officials must clear the battery life of the Starliner for that purpose. Although he noted that the batteries are being recharged at the space station, they should operate the same way after 90 days as they will for the first 45 days. The spaceflight industry frequently experiences cost overruns, delays and unmet deadlines. However, Boeing has faced challenges that have stood out, particularly when the Starliner program is directly compared with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, CNN reported. Crew Dragon, which falls under the same NASA Commercial Crew Program for astronaut transportation, completed its first test flight in 2020 and has been carrying out routine missions ever since. SpaceX did not have the benefit of designing the Crew Dragon spacecraft off the back of its Cargo Dragon vehicle, which for years sent supplies to the International Space Station before its successor started operating while Boeing designed Starliner from scratch. Nappi said, "We've got a really good test flight that's been accomplished so far, and it's being viewed rather negatively." In the latest update regarding the ongoing space mission, the Expedition 71 crew members on Friday packed a US cargo craft, cleaned up the International Space Station, studied techniques of futuristic piloting, and carried out eye exams. NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts spent the day reconfiguring a space botany facility. In its live blog, NASA stated, " Robotics controllers are scheduled to detach the Cygnus space freighter from the Unity module on July 12 and release it into Earth orbit for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean ending a five-and-a-half-month mission at the orbital lab." NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent most of the time on Friday on loading trash and discarding gear inside the Cygnus with assistance from fellow NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Tracy C Dyson. Canadarm2 robotic arm captured the Cygnus on February 1, with more than 8200 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies. Epps operated standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist's office on Earth and peered into Dyson's eyes. She examined the cornea, retina, and lens of Dyson to help flight surgeons understand and counteract microgravity's effect on crew vision. Earlier, Dyson collected and stowed excess space station hardware for disposal. During the day, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt routed cables and reprogrammed communications systems inside the Columbus laboratory module. He stowed hardware and components used earlier in the week for advanced orbital plumbing in the Tranquility module's bathroom. Mike Barratt refilled supply kits in Columbus' two Human Research Facility racks with biomedical gear, including sample tubes and needles. On Friday, Starliner's Commander and Pilot, Butch Wilmore and <keyword id="21544825" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunita-Williams" source="keywords">Sunita Williams</keyword> in Kibo conducted space botany work. They removed the Plant Habitat growth chamber from Kibo's EXPRESS rack, replaced its camera and carbon dioxide sensors, then reinstalled the research device. In the liveblog, NASA said, "NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate Starliner's propulsion system performance before returning to Earth from the orbiting lab. NASA and Boeing leaders participated in a media teleconference today to discuss Starliner and station operations." "NASA is now targeting the end of July for the next spacewalk outside the space station. This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit that forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24," it added. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub practiced planetary spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crew members and conducted two sessions of an investigation exploring ways to create new materials on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin worked throughout the day inventorying medical kits and cleaning fans inside the Rassvet module and Station Commander Oleg Kononenko replaced thermal components in Roscosmos' life support hardware.

You Searched For "space missions" and got 9 results

Rolls-Royce is in talks to use its compact nuclear reactors to power data centers and space missions

Beatrice Nolan

SpaceX mission to include first commercial space walk

Business Insider

India's journey through space missions and milestones

Kapil Yadav

"A glorious moment for all Indians when Chandrayaan landed on moon" says President Murmu on National Space Day

ANI

ISRO targets first Gaganyaan mission launch by December: Chairman

PTI

President Murmu voices concern over increasing space debris

PTI

Meet SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew: The daring 4 who are in space on the most ambitious private space mission in history

Morgan McFall-Johnsen,Jenny M…

See SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission: The daring 5-day spaceflight that's revolutionized the commercial space industry

Morgan McFall-Johnsen,Jenny M…

Boeing Starliner with Sunita Williams onboard could wait months in space before return as NASA mulls extending mission duration

ANI

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides