September 1, 2023

After releasing data from an instrument studying the temperature profile of the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said another instrument on Chandrayaan-3 had detected the presence of several elements on the Moon.

Notably, it had picked up signals that confirm the presence of Sulphur whose direct evidence was not available yet.

"The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the South Pole. These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters," ISRO said in a statement.

"Preliminary analysis.. have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface. Further measurements have revealed the presence of Manganese (Mn), Silicon (Si), and Oxygen (O). Thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway," it said.

Gathering information about the presence and abundance of different elements on the Moon is one of the major science objectives of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, with more than one instrument working towards this end. The LIBS instrument on the rover, developed by ISRO's Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), uses a high-energy pulsar to generate plasma from rocks or soil. In plasma state, elements emit characteristic wavelengths of radiation that can then be used to identify these elements, ISRO said.

The other instrument on the rover, called Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer, is also meant to study the elemental composition of the lunar surface.

The elements detected by the LIBS instrument are all known to occur on the Moon. This data would add to the existing knowledge. For example, evidence of the presence of Sulphur can reveal insights on the formation and evolution of the Moon. Sulphur usually originates in volcanic activities, and its presence on the Moon can offer indications about the Moon's history and composition.

"The data being put out by ISRO from Chandrayaan-3 needs to be processed and analysed to get more meaningful information. What ISRO is doing right now is to offer glimpses into the kind of experiments being performed on the Moon, and the nature of activities of the various instruments," said Anil Bhardwaj, director of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory which has made significant contributions to the Chandrayaan-3 mission, including the development of the ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) that is deployed on the lander module.

"For example, the data about surface temperatures that was released on Sunday was just a small snapshot of the readings being taken by that instrument ChaSTE. Those values would be different at different times. The instruments onboard Chandrayaan-3 are collecting a huge amount of data, making a number of observations, and doing several experiments at once. All this data is being relayed to the ground stations. Once the mission is over, scientists specialising in these areas would analyse these data thoroughly. Only then we would be able to tell what new or revelatory findings have come out from the mission," he said.

September 3, 2023

As the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover continue to collect data on the Moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday successfully launched the observatory that will study the Sun from 1.5 million kilometres away. It took nearly 63 minutes for one of the heaviest configurations of the PSLV to place the spacecraft in a precise elliptical orbit of nearly 235 km x 19,500 km.

This was the first time the fourth stage of the PSLV was fired two separate times to take the primary payload of the mission to the precise place for orbit insertion. During the firings of the fourth stage of PSLV and the coasting phase in between, there were two instances ? one for nearly 25 minutes and another for just over two minutes ? when there were no eyes on the satellite. It was only after a ship-based station and then Kourou ground station acquired the data that the flight path could be seen.

After the precise injection into the orbit, ISRO Chairperson S Somanath said: "Congratulations, the Aditya L1 spacecraft is injected in an elliptical orbit very precisely in a very unique mission mode, with the upper stage of the PSLV taking two burns for the primary satellite for the first time."

Mission Director Biju S R added: "The orbital requirements given by the satellite team were very challenging. We have gone for a new mission descent strategy. We have gone through numerous simulations to validate this and this is the proof. With this, the capability of PSLV has increased manifold to venture into new and challenging missions."

Somanath also took the opportunity to mention that the historic Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover continued to collect data on the Moon, with the rover having moved 100 metres from the lander.

"Congratulations India. Congratulations Isro," said Union Minister of State for the Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh who was present in the mission control complex during the launch.

From the orbit around the Earth, the spacecraft will slowly be raised by the ISRO team through a series of manoeuvres till it slingshots towards the Sun. The spacecraft will take 125 days to reach its final destination of a halo orbit around the L1 point 1.5 million kilometres away.

The launch of a second big-ticket science mission on the heels of Chandrayaan-3 was interspersed with a discussion with all the science experts whose teams have contributed to designing the sensitive instruments that the spacecraft now carries.

Dr Sanaka Subramanian, the scientist leading the Aditya L1 mission, said that at the time when the mission was conceived it was ensured that it would provide a unique set of data that has not been provided by any other mission so far. He said that the seven payloads onboard the Aditya L1 will help study the Sun comprehensively - it carries instruments that can see the Sun in multiple wavelengths such as X-ray, UV, and visible light; it can study the radiation, particles, and magnetic fields emitted by the Sun; it can also study various phenomenon in different directions.

The scientists said that heliophysicists from not just India but the world were awaiting the results of the mission. The Indian space agency is only the third after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to place an observatory at the L1 point between the Earth and the Sun.

The timing of the launch was chosen to allow for the best observation window to study the Sun.

The main objective of the mission is to get a deeper understanding of the star closest to us and how its radiation, heat, flow of particles, and magnetic fields affect us.

August 24, 2023

The temperature on the lunar surface drops rapidly with depth, at least near the south pole, the first output of the experiments being conducted by Chandrayaan-3 instruments has revealed.

The Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment, or ChaSTE, an instrument onboard the lander module, has measured a sharp drop in temperatures in the lunar topsoil. At just about 10 cm below the surface, the temperature dropped to nearly -10 degrees Celsius while it was about 45 degrees Celsius on the surface, ISRO said.

Preparing a temperature profile of the lunar topsoil was one of the objectives of the experiments being carried out by Chandrayaan-3. The ChaSTE instrument has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm below the surface, ISRO said. The probe is fitted with ten individual temperature sensors.

The measurements put out by ISRO form the first temperature profile of the lunar south pole. ISRO said more detailed studies were underway.

The lander module of Chandrayaan-3 is carrying four instruments, while the rover has two. The propulsion module which is in the orbit around the moon is also fitted with one instrument.

August 24, 2023

"India took a walk on the moon!" the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday morning after the rover rolled out of the lander late Wednesday night, hours after India made history with a soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 near the south pole of the moon at 6.04 pm.

Nearly four hours later, the foldable ramp on one side of the lander opened up. And, the six-wheeled, 26 kg lander with two science payloads came out of it. "Chandrayaan-3 rover: Made in India, Made for the MOON!" ISRO said.

The 17-minute descent phase went exactly as planned, with the lander autonomously guiding itself ? slowing down from 1,680 metres per second to almost 0 metres per second, selecting the exact spot, and landing slowly and steadily as the country watched with bated breath.

The mission has already achieved its goals of soft landing and roving, with the science experiments now getting 14 days to operate. With the lander and rover completely being operated on energy from solar cells, they will stop functioning when the landing spot goes into the lunar night. The electronics on board are unlikely to survive as temperatures plummet to -130 degrees Celsius on the lunar surface.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said previously that the space agency will check the viability of the lander-rover after the night and see whether it can be revived.

India became the fourth country to land on the moon after the United States, Russia, and China. It became the first country to do so near the lunar South Pole after the Russian mission that was to land a couple of days before it crashed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the country from South Africa.

The Chandrayaan-3 payloads will further the science of the two predecessors by studying lunar quakes, mineral compositions, and the electrons and ions near the surface of the moon. The mission will attempt to study water ice, the presence of which was first confirmed by its predecessor.

August 21, 2023

Launching the CSIR Prima ET11, the first indigenous e-Tractor developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today underlined the role of Agri StartUps in India's economy and called for the adoption of new and AI driven technologies in Agriculture. The Minister said, an increasing number of new Startups are venturing into the Agriculture sector, focussing on niche technologies including e-Tractor, recycling garbage, drip irrigation, Genome sequenced farming such as Mango and Lotus, he said.

"This is one sector in which India has rather not taken up the pace that was required," said Dr Jitendra Singh, adding, "This is a huge unexplored resource, which is only exclusive to India. Those countries which had been promoting IT, have been promoting from their point of view because they have their assets; they don't have the agri asset that we have. So we don't have to ape them. If I have plenty of agriculture resource, why not I make use of it.. Therefore, this route would be a very important component in India's future economy in the next 25 years."

Dr Jitendra Singh gave the mantra of 5 S's, - Showcasing, Stakeholders, Startups, Synergizing and Strategizing Industry linkage, for the success of R&D conducted at Government run scientific laboratories.

"Unless we are able to engage all these five components, we will not be able to achieve the optimum results," he said.

Calling for an integrated approach, Dr Jitendra Singh advocated close interaction with all stakeholders including the concerned Ministries and wider linkages between the CSIR labs and the Industry. The S&T Minister proposed the creation of a separate cell for encouraging investment.

"In order to sustain yourself, you have to have the involvement of Industry right from Day One," he said. "We have an Industry which is ready to invest, but they don't know where and how to invest," he added.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has created in the last nine years new means of livelihood by opening Ease of Doing Business in the Agriculture sector.

"We have a very enabling atmosphere and an enabling leadership, which is quite patronising," he said, adding, "PM Modi has not only given us the freedom to perform to our full potential and aptitude, but he has also raised the esteem of science and the scientists."

Dr Jitendra Singh said PM Modi has stressed the Agriculture sector will have a defining role in the Amrit Kaal as India aims to emerge as a Developed Nation.

"In the next 25 years, there is an emphasis on Livelihood opportunities outside Government jobs, this Agri sector is not only going to be an important part of the economy, it's also going to be an important part of vocation for the youth," he said.

On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh released a book by CSIR-CIMAP and a compendium on 75 technologies developed by CSIR. The Minister took keen interest in the CMERI developed recycling vehicles and products.

The CSIR-CMERI will be celebrating the theme-based campaign "One Week One Lab" from 11-15 September 2023, showcasing the laboratory's cutting-edge research, products and technologies, expertise and facilities to various stakeholders.

August 19, 2023

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today unveiled the new variety "Lotus" flower developed by Lucknow Institute CSIR-NBRI (National Botanical Research Institute) that has 108 petals. The lotus named 'NBRI Namoh 108' is developed by the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a premier plant-based, multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art National R&D center based in Lucknow.

Dedicating to the nation the Namoh108 lotus variety and its products at NBRI, Lucknow, Dr Jitendra Singh said, "Considering the religious importance of the 'lotus flower' and 'the digit 108', this combination gives an important identity to this variety."

The Namoh 108 lotus variety flowers from March to December and is rich in nutrients. This is the first lotus variety whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics.

Dr Jitendra Singh also released apparel made from lotus fibre and perfume 'Frotus', extracted from lotus flowers and developed by the NBRI under the Lotus Research Programme in collaboration with FFDC, Kannauj.

Lauding the NBRI for naming the unique lotus variety as Namoh 108, Dr Jitendra Singh said it is a grand gift to the relentless zeal and innate beauty of Shri Narendra Modi, coming as it does in the tenth year of his tenure as the Prime Minister.

Also launching the Lotus Mission on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said this project is being undertaken in Mission mode like the other priority schemes, - the National Honey and Bee Mission (NHBM), National Bamboo Mission (NBM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Gokul Mission, Blue Revolution, Mission Shakti - an integrated women empowerment programme and the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) etc.

"Under the guidance of PM Modi, the Government has now initiated the Lotus Mission after the stupendous success of Aroma Mission. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has reiterated that this Government not only starts a scheme or project, but also ensures that it is capped," he said.

In another novel initiative at recycling, Dr Jitendra Singh also released herbal colours for various applications, extracted by NBRI from flower offerings made at temples. These herbal colours can also be used for dying silk and cotton cloths.

The Minister also released the new variety of Aloe vera named 'NBRI-Nihar', a clonal selection having approximately 2.5 times high gel yield in comparison to Aloe vera. As per the field observations, 'NBRI-Nihar' is found least affected against bacterial and fungal diseases. Two herbal products namely 'Herbal Cold Drops' for curing common cough and cold & Herbal Anti Dandruff Hair Oil, made by Marc Laboratories, were also launched by the Minister.

Dr Jitendra Singh also launched a Database of 500 Raw Drug Repositories of the Institute developed as per Indian Pharmacopoeia Standards and released a book on roses in CSIR-NBRI Garden, comprising the details of elite varieties conserved at the Botanic Garden. On the occasion, an MoU was signed between CSIR-NBRI & M/s Nucleome Informatics, Hyderabad for collaborative research on Cotton. The CSIR-NBRI digital Herbarium, a National Repository of flora specimens of India, was also launched to easily disseminate information among the public and a book on 'Plant Resources of Uttar Pradesh and a Check List' and 'e-flora of Uttar Pradesh' were also released. The e-flora and book provide a list and information of more than 5,000 plants of Uttar Pradesh.

The S&T Minister also released the NBRI-Goutout, a supplement for gout/gouty arthritis, and a nutri-bar for army personnel deployed in high-altitudes.

Dr Jitendra Singh also visited the six-days theme-based event organised by NBRI from 14 to 19 August 2023, showcasing the laboratory's cutting-edge research, products and technologies, expertise and facilities to various stakeholders.

Earlier the Director of NBRI, Dr Ajit Kumar Shasany welcomed Dr. Jitendra Singh and lauded him for giving the consent of 'One Week One Lab', which has created a revolutionary transformation in showcasing the CSIR achievements.

Dr Jitendra Singh also inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to nutra-central original byproducts and went around all across each stall discussing the various aspects of it.