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ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third mission to the moon, in June next year with a more robust lunar rover onboard which is crucial for future inter-planetary explorations.

The space agency has also lined up the first test flight of the ‘abort mission’ for Gaganyaan, the country’s first human spaceflight, early next year.

“Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) launch will be in June next year onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3),” said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somnath while interacting with media personnel on the sidelines during an event.

He said ISRO plans to fly Indian astronauts into orbit by the end of 2024 after carrying out successful abort missions and uncrewed test flights.

India’s maiden attempt to land a rover on the moon ended in failure after the Vikram lander onboard the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the surface of the moon in September 2019.

“C-3 is ready now. It is not a replica of C-2. The rover is there. The engineering is significantly different. We have made it more robust so that it does not have problems like last time,” Somnath said.

“There are many changes. The impact legs are stronger. It will have better instrumentation. In case something fails, something else will take over,” the ISRO chairman said.

He said the rover will also have different methods to calculate the height to be travelled, identify hazard-free locations and have better software.

On the human spaceflight Gaganyaan, Somnath said ISRO would carry out six test flights before actually flying humans into orbit.

Somnath said the preparations for the Gaganyaan mission were progressing at a “slow and steady pace”.

“This is the right way to put it. It is a very complex mission. We cannot boast about it. It requires very critical steps to be crossed,” he said.

The first un-crewed flight of Gaganyaan will be after two abort missions to demonstrate that the space agency has the capabilities to rescue the crew in case of any eventuality.

The first abort mission is likely to be carried out in trans-sonic conditions when the spacecraft is travelling at the speed of sound after reaching an altitude of 10-15 kms, Somnath said.

The second would entail demonstrating crew rescue capabilities when the spacecraft is travelling at twice the speed of sound and in “not so good” aerodynamic conditions.

As part of the abort mission, the space scientists will have to sail the crew from the launch vehicle using a saving system, land the capsule carrying the crew in water and collect it.

“If this is successful, we will repeat it once again and then we will go for an unmanned mission. The unmanned mission will be a full-fledged rocket. It will go to orbit, then it will come back,” Somnath said.

“We will repeat the abort missions two more times followed by another unmanned mission,” he said, adding that the human space flight will happen if these six test flights are successful.

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This Is When Axiom-4 Mission Carrying Shubhashu Shukla Will Be Launched

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June 16, 2025

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This Is When Axiom-4 Mission Carrying Shubhashu Shukla Will Be Launched

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than June 19 for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Axiom Mission 4 launch was postponed from June 12 as the agency continued evaluating repairs made to a recent leak on the ISS. The small leaks, located in the Zvezda service module’s aft section, had been under observation for years. Now, following a recent repair, the pressure in the module’s transfer tunnel has remained stable, indicating either successful sealing of leaks or compensatory airflow from other station compartments.

NASA Targets June 19 for Axiom-4 Launch as ISS Pressure Holds and Falcon 9 Passes Final Tests

As per a NASA update, while the stable pressure offers promise, teams are still evaluating whether it reflects a successful seal or airflow leakage across the hatch from the main station. Monitoring pressure changes over time is expected to provide clearer insights. Adjustments in launch schedules are considered routine by NASA and its international partners, particularly when onboard station operations require urgent prioritisation.

Progress on the evaluation front has allowed the review of new launch windows. The earlier hold was further compounded by a liquid oxygen leak discovered during post-static fire inspections of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX successfully performed a wet dress rehearsal after repairs, validating that the rocket is good to go for launch from the Kennedy Space Centre‘s Launch Complex 39A.

The mission will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, an experienced NASA astronaut who is Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight. India’s Shubhanshu Shukla of ISRO will pilot the mission. The mission specialists include Polish ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. The mission represents an extension of Axiom’s increasingly prominent position in commercial human spaceflight.

The new launch date for the Axiom-4 mission is currently targeted for June 19, 2025. SpaceX has verified that all of the technical issues that caused the first delay have been resolved. Further updates will be released as NASA and its partners finalise operational assessments, as shared by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in an official statement.

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Earth’s Oceans Enter Danger Zone Due to Rising Acidification, New Study Warns

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June 15, 2025

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Earth’s Oceans Enter Danger Zone Due to Rising Acidification, New Study Warns

The oceans of Earth are in worse condition than it was, thought, said the scientists. This is because of the increased acidity levels that led the sea to enter the danger zone five years ago. As per the new study, oceans are more acidic by releasing carbon dioxide from industrial activities such as fossil fuel burning. This acidification of the oceans damages marine life and the ecosystem, in turn threatening the coastal human communities that are dependent on healthy waters for their life.

Oceans May Have Crossed the Danger Zone in 2020

In the study published on Monday, June 9, 2025, in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers have found that acidification is highly advanced tha it was considered in the previous years. Our oceans might have entered the danger zone in the year 2020. Previous research suggested that the oceans of Earth were approaching a danger zone for ocean acidification.

How Ocean Acidification Happens

Ocean acidification is driven by the absorption of ocean of excess CO2 into the ocean, which is rapidly contributing to the global crisis. CO2 dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid, lowering pH levels and invading the vital carbonate ions. This threatens the species in the water, such as corals and shellfish, which depend on calcium carbonate to build their skeletons and shells.

The Planetary Boundary May Be Breached

Recent research depicts that the ocean acidification levels may now be breached, crossing the previous estimate of a 19% aragonite decline from the previous industrial levels. Scientists are alarmed that this change could destabilise the ecosystems of marine and, in turn, the coastal economies. This is a ticking bomb with socioeconomic and environmental consequences.

Global Consequences of Acidification

The recent findings suggest that scientists have feared in the past. Ocean acidification has reached dangerous levels, exceeding the limit that is needed to maintain a healthy and stable environment. As critical habitats degrade, the rippling effects are expected to cause harm to biodiversity, impact food security for many of the people who depend on the oceans for their livelihood.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


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NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts

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June 15, 2025

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NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected an enormous X-ray jet from quasar J1610+1811, observed at a distance of about 11.6 billion light-years (roughly 3 billion years after the Big Bang). The jet spans over 300,000 light-years and carries particles moving at roughly 92–98% of the speed of light. It is visible in X-rays because high-energy electrons in the jet collide with the much denser cosmic microwave background at that epoch, boosting microwave photons into X-ray energies. These results were presented at the 246th AAS meeting and accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Discovery of the Distant X-ray Jet

According to the study, Chandra’s high-resolution X-ray imaging, combined with radio data, allowed the team to isolate the jet at such a great distance. At the quasar’s distance (about 3 billion years after the Big Bang), the cosmic microwave background was much denser. As a result, relativistic electrons in the jet efficiently scatter CMB photons to X-ray energies. From the multiwavelength data the researchers infer that the jet’s particles are moving at roughly 0.92–0.98 c. Such near-light-speed outflows are among the fastest known.

These powerful jets carry enormous energy into intergalactic space and provide a unique probe of how black holes influenced their surroundings during the universe’s early “cosmic noon” era.

Chandra’s Future at Risk

However, the Chandra mission now faces possible defunding: NASA’s proposed budget calls for drastic cuts to its operating funds. For nearly 25 years, Chandra has been a cornerstone of X-ray astronomy, so its loss would constitute a major setback. The SaveChandra campaign warns that losing Chandra would be an “extinction-level event” for U.S. X-ray astronomy. Scientists warn that ending Chandra prematurely would cripple X-ray science.

Andrew Fabian commented Science magazine, “I’m horrified by the prospect of Chandra being shut down prematurely”. Elisa Costantini added in an interview with Science that if cuts proceed, “you will lose a whole generation ” and it will leave “a hole in our knowledge” of high-energy astrophysics. Without Chandra’s capabilities, many studies of the energetic universe would no longer be possible.

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