Connect with us

Published

on

Encouraged by high-profile successes elsewhere, India wants its private space companies to increase their share of the global launch market by fivefold within the next decade — an effort boosted by the personal support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the year after the country opened the way for private launches in 2020, the number of space startups more than doubled, from 21 to 47.

At the end of 2022, Skyroot Aerospace, whose investors include Sherpalo Ventures and Singapore’s GIC, launched India’s first privately built rocket into space.

“Many times initiatives get announced and they die. This is not one of those,” said Pawan Goenka, an auto-industry veteran who last year was named head of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), a newly created space regulatory body. “Space is one of the most favourite areas of our prime minister right now, one that he wants to see move.”

Investors poured $119 million (nearly Rs. 980 crore) into Indian space startups in 2022, up from a total of just $38 million (nearly Rs. 312 crore) in all the years up to 2017. They see a less-costly alternative to European launchers that are grounded or under development, as well as access to a bustling manufacturing hub, analysts say.

That has meant a boom for young space companies such as Skyroot and Agnikul Cosmos — which promise to slash launch costs for satellites — Satsure, offering satellite-data and analytics services, and Pixxel, which in March won a five-year contract from the US National Reconnaissance Office.

“It was a big surprise for all of us that the launch and the policy change all happened on time and we were able to meet our deadlines with complete support. We did not have a single day’s delay because of policy issues,” said Pawan Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot, which is valued at $163 million. (nearly Rs. 1,338 crore).

Other startup founders say the new approach means approvals come easier, stakeholders are aligned with each other, and there are more private industry veterans in government helping the sector.

There are challenges, however. The country accounts for just 2 percent of the space sector’s global revenue, estimated at $370 billion (nearly Rs. 30,38,720 crore) in 2020. Funding has only trickled in, as customers want to see successful launches before committing costly payloads to unproven designs.

“There are some very good companies, but at the moment, we are very behind the US or China,” said Prateep Basu, co-founder of SatSure. “Policy unlocking is very important, but the world will not take real notice until you do something remarkable like what SpaceX did.”

In the United States, the government-operated NASA handles space exploration while private companies do launches and build crewed vehicles. Proponents say that has lowered costs, but it also led to a multiyear gap in which Washington relied on Russian space vehicles to travel to the International Space Station.

SpaceX, which serves private customers and governments, conducted more than 60 launches in 2022 alone.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) manages all of the country’s launch infrastructure, although Agnikul is planning its own launchpad.

“We realised the industry’s basic need is money,” said Jayant Patil, head of the launch vehicles committee at the Indian Space Association (ISPA), a quasi-government body that helps address private sector concerns.

Patil said the government is offering millions of dollars’ worth of seed funding to startups that use satellite data to boost India’s crop yields. Startups with potential military applications are vetted for government investment separately.

Kanchan Gupta, the Modi government’s senior adviser at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said that the country could not afford to lag behind in the space race, and that “everything cannot be done by the government alone”.

“The whole idea is to provide policy stability, predictability,” Gupta said. “Letting the private sector know where the government comes in, where the government doesn’t come in, where they can get in, where they cannot get in.”

‘Self-sustaining’

The privatisation effort began with a late 2020 video conference call between PM Modi and executives, five people involved in the process say. Since then, PM Modi has made it clear he wants to sweep away red tape and create national champions, they say.

“The prime minister’s aim is to do with space what we have done with IT,” said one of the people, who declined to be named because the call and ensuing meetings were private.

ISRO will focus on exploration but still support private launch efforts, giving the country’s space startups global legitimacy, industry executives said.

The agency will work alongside an advisory panel – with members from In-SPACe, ISPA and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the government’s commercial launch arm — that helped the government announce a new, business-friendly regulatory framework in April.

Hindustan Aeronautics and Larsen & Toubro, which helped shape the privatisation policies, have a $100 million (nearly Rs. 821 crore) contract to deliver ISRO’s next launch vehicle in 2024.

“PM Modi is a technology person. So the suggestion is to hand over production and development to private players, while we look at technology. It then becomes a self-sustaining environment,” said S. Somanath, chairman of ISRO.

The country’s space companies also hope to find new customers as sanctions and political tensions have cut off Russia from much of the international launch market after the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special operation”.

The British satellite company OneWeb, for example, partnered with ISRO for a launch after Russia cancelled its launches.

“If you look at high technology, it is a matter of geopolitics… India definitely has some leverage right now,”said Laxman Behera, chairperson at the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Special Centre for National Security Studies.

© Thomson Reuters 2023


Smartphone companies have launched many compelling devices over the first quarter of 2023. What are some of the best phones launched in 2023 you can buy today? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Continue Reading

Science

Scientists Recreate Cosmic Ray Physics Using Cold Atom in New Laboratory Study

Published

on

By

Scientists Recreate Cosmic Ray Physics Using Cold Atom in New Laboratory Study

For the first time, researchers have managed to simulate a fundamental process of cosmic particle acceleration in a laboratory: the first series of discoveries that will transform our understanding of cosmic rays. Now, scientists from the Universities of Birmingham and Chicago have created a tiny, 100-micrometre Fermi accelerator, in which mobile optical potential barriers collide with trapped atoms, in a partial replica of how cosmic particles pick up energy in space. The technique not only replicates cosmic ray behaviour but also sets a new benchmark in quantum acceleration technology.

Lab-Built Fermi Accelerator Using Cold Atoms Validates Cosmic Ray Theory and Advances Quantum Tech

As per findings published in Physical Review Letters, this fully controllable setup demonstrated particle acceleration through the Fermi mechanism first proposed by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1949. Long theorised to underlie cosmic ray generation, the process had never been reliably replicated in a lab. By combining energy gains with particle losses, researchers created energy spectra similar to those observed in space, offering the first direct validation of Bell’s result, a cornerstone of cosmic ray physics.

In Fermi acceleration, ultracold atoms are accelerated to more than 0.5 metres per second using laser-controlled barriers. Dr Amita Deb, a coauthor and researcher at the University of Birmingham, mentioned, ‘Our chimney is more powerful than conventional quantum nano-measurements, which are the best acceleration tools in the world so far, and while its simplicity and small size can be compelling, its lack of a theoretical speed limit is the most attractive feature.’ The ultracold atomic jets could be readily controlled with high precision in the subsequent experiments.

This progress means that, for the first time, complicated astrophysical events like shocks and turbulence can be studied in a laboratory, lead author Dr Vera Guarrera stated. This opens new avenues for high-energy astrophysics and also for applications in quantum wavepacket control and quantum chemistry.

Researchers plan to find out how different behaviour affects energy cutoffs and acceleration rates. A compact Fermi accelerator of this type could be a cornerstone for studies of fundamental physics and also connect to emerging technologies such as atomtronics.

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.


Amazon Introduces Rewards Gold Cashback Program Ahead of Prime Day 2025 Sale



Elon Musk Says Grok Chatbot Is Coming to Tesla Vehicles by Next Week

Continue Reading

Science

Scientists Say Dark Matter Could Turn Failed Stars Into ‘Dark Dwarfs’

Published

on

By

Scientists Say Dark Matter Could Turn Failed Stars Into ‘Dark Dwarfs’

Astronomers now propose that “failed stars” known as brown dwarfs could be powered by dark matter. Dark matter makes up about 85 percent of the universe’s matter but does not shine; it interacts only via gravity. Brown dwarfs form like stars but lack enough mass to ignite fusion. The theory suggests brown dwarfs in galaxy centers might trap dark matter in their interiors. When that dark matter annihilates, it releases energy that heats the star, turning the dwarf into a brighter “dark dwarf.” If such objects exist, finding them would give scientists a new clue to the nature of dark matter.

Dark Matter in Failed Stars

According to the new model, dense brown dwarfs at the centers of galaxies act like gravity wells that accumulate dark matter. Because dark matter interacts only via gravity, it naturally drifts to galactic cores, where it can be captured by star. As University of Hawai‘i physicist Jeremy Sakstein explains, once inside a star dark matter can annihilate with itself, releasing energy that heats the dwarf. The more dark matter a brown dwarf collects, the more energy it outputs. Crucially, this effect only works if dark matter particles self-annihilate (as with heavy WIMPs); lighter or non-interacting candidates like axions would not create dark dwarfs.

They propose using a chemical signature: a dark dwarf should hold on to lithium-7 that normal brown dwarfs burn away. The researchers say powerful telescopes like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope might already be sensitive enough to spot cool, dim dark dwarfs near the Milky Way’s center. Detecting even one would strongly suggest that dark matter is made of heavy, self-interacting particles (like WIMPs).

In related work, Colgate astrophysicist Jillian Paulin coauthored studies of ancient “dark stars” fueled by dark matter, while SLAC physicist Rebecca Leane and collaborators have shown that dark matter capture could heat brown dwarfs and exoplanets – a process called “dark kinetic heating”. Together, these ideas highlight how even dim, unusual stars could illuminate the nature of dark matter.

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.


Apple Takes Fight Against $587 Million EU Antitrust Fine to Court



Apple Loses Top AI Models Executive to Meta’s Hiring Spree

Continue Reading

Science

New Gel-Based Robotic Skin Feels Touch, Heat, and Damage Like Human Flesh

Published

on

By

New Gel-Based Robotic Skin Feels Touch, Heat, and Damage Like Human Flesh

Researchers have created a novel electronic “skin” that could let robots experience a sense of touch. This low-cost, gelatin-based material is highly flexible and durable and can be molded over a robot hand. Equipped with electrodes, the skin detects pressure, temperature changes, and even sharp damage. In tests it responded to pokes, burns and cuts. Unlike conventional designs that use separate sensors for each stimulus, this single “multi-modal” material simplifies the hardware while providing rich tactile data. The findings, published in Science Robotics, suggest it could be used on humanoid robots or prosthetic limbs to give them a more human-like touch.

Multi-Modal Touch and Heat Sensing

According to the paper, unlike typical robotic skins, which require multiple specialized sensors, the new gel acts as a single multi-modal sensor. Its uniform conductive layer responds differently to a light touch, a temperature change or even a scratch by altering tiny electrical pathways. This design makes the skin simpler and more robust: researchers note it’s easier to fabricate and far less costly than conventional multi-sensor skins. In effect, one stretchy sheet of this material can replace many parts, cutting complexity while maintaining rich sensory feedback.

Testing the Skin and Future Applications

The research team tested the skin by casting the gel into a human-hand shape and outfitting it with electrodes. They put it through a gauntlet of trials: blasting it with a heat gun, pressing it with fingers and a robotic arm, and even slicing it open with a scalpel. Those harsh tests generated over 1.7 million data points from 860,000 tiny conductive channels, which fed into a machine-learning model so the skin could learn to distinguish different types of touch.

UCL’s Dr. Thomas George Thuruthel, a co-author of the study, said the robotic skin isn’t yet as sensitive as human skin but “may be better than anything else out there at the moment.” He noted that the material’s flexibility and ease of manufacture as key advantages. Moreover, the team believes this technology could ultimately help make robots and prosthetic devices with a more lifelike sense of touch.

Continue Reading

Trending