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‘Soon, someone from our soil would travel to space’ | Latest News India

Published

1 week ago

August 21, 2025

India still looks “saare jahaan se achcha” (better than the entire world) from space even today, astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said on Thursday as he described his recent Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, even as the Isro chief revealed critical events in the run-up to the mission, which included a potentially catastrophic fuel leak in SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh meets Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who was the pilot of Axiom-4 Space Mission to the International Space Station (ISS), in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

The leak was only detected and fixed because Isro refused vague assurances and demanded full transparency, Isro chief V Narayanan said.

“Isro’s probing forced the company to call off the launch just hours before liftoff. What was later found was no ordinary leak — it was a dangerous crack in the fuel line that could have caused a catastrophic failure mid-flight,” he said.

Narayanan and Shukla were speaking alongside Union minister Jitendra Singh and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair at a press conference held at the National Media Centre.

The upcoming Gaganyaan mission was also spoken about, with the Isro chief announcing that the mission could be launched by December this year. Shukla too said that India will “very soon” send a person to space from its own rocket and soil, as part of the Gaganyaan mission.

The Isro chief announced that the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, G1, “is going to be lifted off this year-end, maybe close to December.” “And in that, Vyommitra, a half-humanoid, is going to fly,” he said.

Union minister Singh said that India’s space programme is now operating on global parameters. “Now, our benchmarks are global benchmarks, our strategies are global, and the parameters that we are seeking to live up to are global,” he said.

The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India’s ability to send humans into low Earth orbit and return them safely. The mission is seen as a step toward establishing a national space station and India’s plan for a lunar landing by 2040.

“All the information I have collected in the past year will be extremely useful to us for our own missions — Gaganyaan and Bharatiya Antariksh Station. Very soon, we shall send someone from our capsule, from our rocket and our soil,” said Shukla.

On the fuel leak, Narayanan said Isro had asked SpaceX for test results after suspicious oxygen sensor data appeared, but the answers were evasive.

“They told us committees have cleared it. Probably they thought it’s a minor leakage. But when we asked where the leak was, they said they couldn’t find it. When we asked the leak rate, they said it’s confidential. Out of 14 questions, only 2 were answered,” he said.

Unconvinced, Isro insisted on corrective action, and the pressure worked. SpaceX was forced to scrub the launch on November 11 at 5.15 pm. When engineers finally investigated, they found the crack. “If the rocket gave way, it was a catastrophe situation, nothing else,” Narayanan said.

‘ISS mission perfect example of international collaboration’

At the press conference, Shukla described his last venture to space.

“No matter how much training you have done, even after that, when you sit in the rocket and the engines ignite, when they catch fire, I think it is a very different feeling,” he told the audience in the auditorium which was packed to the brim. Outside the building, people gathered on roads, hoping to catch a glimpse of the astronaut.

“We flew on top of the Falcon 9 vehicle in the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station for a period of two weeks and then returned. The launch was from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and recovery was off the coast of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean. Crew Dragon is one of the three vehicles that can currently take humans to space,” he said.

“I had not imagined how it would feel, and I was actually running behind the rocket for the first few seconds, and it took me some time to catch up to it. From that moment until the time we splashed down, the experience was unbelievable. It was so exciting and so amazing that I have really been struggling to find words to convey it to you, so that you can live that experience through my words,” he added.

The International Space Station was “a perfect example of international collaboration” and said the knowledge from human spaceflight would be valuable for Gaganyaan. “Witnessing and executing human spaceflight offers knowledge and information that goes much beyond and deeper—it’s very valuable for our Gaganyaan mission,” he said.

Shukla also thanked the government, Isro, and the people of the country for the support as he dedicated the success to the nation. “I truly felt that this was a mission for the entire nation.”

Nair, who is also part of the Gaganyaan crew, said, “A few months from now, we are going to have Diwali. That is the time when Ram ji entered Ayodhya. Over here right now, if I can call myself Lakshman… even though I am older than ‘Shuks’ (Shukla), I would love to be Lakshman to this Ram any day. But let’s remember Ram and Lakshman got a lot of help from the entire ‘vanar sena’, that is our fantastic Isro team… otherwise it would not have been possible.”

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Travel slump: June sees a dip in number of Indian visitors in US; first decline since 2001 | India News

Published

52 minutes ago

August 31, 2025

Saurabh Sinha

NEW DELHI: The desi peak outbound travel month of June saw a decline in the number of Indian visitors to the US in 2025 over the previous year for the first time this Millennium — barring the Covid period. With 2.1 lakh Indians headed to America in June, the number was 8% lower than 2.3 lakh in same month last year, according to data from US commerce dept’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). The provisional figure for this July shows 5.5% fall over same month last year.Overall, the US has been seeing a decline in international visitors — and not just from India — in recent months. NTTO says total non-US resident international visitor volume to the US decreased 6.2% in June 2025 over June 2024; 7% in May; 8% in March; 1.9% in Feb. This Jan saw 4.7% increase over same period last year and April was up 1.3%.

Indians With Valid US Visas Can Now Easily Travel To Argentina Without Needing Any Additional Visa

India is the fourth largest source market for international visitors for the US. Since the two biggest source markets — Mexico and Canada — share a land border, India is the second biggest overseas source market with the UK being the biggest. “Combined, these top five source markets (with Brazil being the fifth) accounted for 59.4% of total international arrivals” this June, says NTTO.While travel industry biggies here say it is too early to pin the blame for fall in Indian visitor numbers on the stricter visa regime adopted by President Trump in his second presidency which has seen souring of India-US ties, the impact could be more pronounced going ahead if the same continues. The reason: US mostly issues 10-year validity multiple entry visitor and business visas (B1/B2) so people who already have the same can keep travelling. But if new visas get impacted for reasons like long appointment time or stricter issuance norms, then with a time lag the impact will be visible.“We are seeing a very visible impact on student segment this year due to delay in visa issuance even after people securing college admission. Historically, the biggest categories of visitors headed from India to the US have been visiting friends & relatives (VFR), business and students. The US was never a top leisure destination for Indians. That space has been led by Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe. North America came after that. Right now apart from students we are not seeing a dramatic impact on the other segments but if new visa issuances are affected, they will also be hit with a certain time lag,” said a leading travel agent.With an Indian diaspora of over 50 lakh, the US sees great demand for travel from the India. NTTO data shows since the start of this Millennium, every June had seen a jump from same month in last year till 2025 broke that trend.April was a great month as far as outbound from India is concerned. According to Indian tourism ministry data, 29 lakh Indians travelled abroad this April with the maximum going to the UAE followed by Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Singapore and the US.“But after May and June, travel was severely impacted following the Pehelgam terror attack, closure of Pakistan airspace (which continues for Indian carriers & vice versa) and then the Air India Ahmedabad crash. So every destination, especially in the west, was impacted badly. The drop to the US may not be in isolation as fast as western destinations go,” said another travel biggie.

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Putin to travel to India in December; visit to focus on defence and energy ties

Published

1 hour ago

August 31, 2025

Business Today Desk

Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an official visit to India in December, marking his first trip to the country since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, according to a report by AFP citing Kremlin officials.

The visit comes at a time of heightened tension between New Delhi and Washington, as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates pressure on India over its ongoing oil trade with Moscow. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, bringing the total import duty to 50 percent. The U.S. has accused India of indirectly funding Russia’s war effort through discounted crude purchases.

India has strongly rejected the accusations and called the new tariffs hypocritical and unjust. Officials in New Delhi have emphasised that their oil procurement decisions are guided by market dynamics and national interest. India has also highlighted that several other major economies, including countries in Europe, continue to maintain significant trade ties with Russia but have not been targeted with similar penalties.

The Kremlin had initially announced that Putin had accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India earlier this year, but a date had not been confirmed. News of the December visit follows an upcoming bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin, scheduled to take place on September 1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

As India’s relationship with the U.S. faces new strains, its ties with Russia and China appear to be strengthening. The upcoming visit is expected to focus on bolstering cooperation across several sectors, including defence, energy, and trade.

Russia remains a key strategic and defence partner for India, with a relationship that dates back to the Soviet era. Moscow has publicly supported India amid U.S. tariff actions, calling the American measures “unjustified” and accusing Washington of “double standards.”

The Russian embassy recently stated, “If Indian goods cannot go to the U.S. market, they are welcome to Russia.”

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Weekly Horoscope Pisces, August 31-September 6, 2025: Work-related travel is foreseen | Astrology

Published

5 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Dr J.N Pandey

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20)

Weekly Horoscope Prediction says, avoid controversies

Look for happy moments in love and ensure you take up new roles at the office. Do not invest blindly and instead have a proper investment plan. Health is good.

Pisces Weekly Horoscope: Read our expert astrological predictions to find out what the stars have in store for you. (Freepik)

Be fair in your love life and consider taking risks at work. Despite the prosperity, you should be careful about the expenditure. Health is also on your side.

Pisces Love Horoscope This Week

Your relationship will be creative, but there may also be minor issues that demand attention. You should be ready to discuss the issues to settle them. Do not impose your concepts on the lover and instead provide the space to personally express your opinions. This will strengthen the relationship. You may also patch up with the ex-lover who had broken up on ego issues. Married females may get pregnant in the second half of the week.

Pisces Career Horoscope This Week

Pay attention to the details while handling a project. Be ready to face minor issues while settling professional issues, and clients must also be convinced about certain flaws or missing points in a project. Artists, authors, actors, musicians, and politicians will see more opportunities to prove their mettle. You may visit the client’s office, and your communication skills will be a major factor in winning a new contract. Some professionals will travel for job reasons and perhaps even to places abroad. The commitment, discipline, and integrity are unmatched.

Pisces Money Horoscope This Week

Wealth will be there, but you may have issues related to investments, especially in the stock market. Some females will win a part of the property through legal battle. Senior natives can also consider the division of property in the first half of the week. Businessmen will raise funds through promoters, while you may also expect good returns from the business. Avoid lending a large amount, as you may have issues getting it back.

Pisces Health Horoscope This Week

If you make any travel plans, try to go out to places that would make you feel more relaxed and rejuvenated. Female natives need to be careful about pain in joints, breathing issues, and migraine. Pregnant females need relief from office stress and should consider taking leave for a few days. Avoid heavy exercise and be careful while boarding a train or bus. It is good to be careful about the diet.