Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS Life Journalist Profile

Articles

Aayush Goyal Is Headed To The North Pole!

3 days ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

Aayush will represent India on Rosatom's Arctic expedition aboard the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker. IMAGE: Aayush Goyal speaks at a ministry of health and family welfare event. Fifteen-year-old Aayush Goyal, a Class9 student of St Xavier's Collegiate School in Kolkata will travel to the North Pole in August on a Russian icebreaker.
India's Shubhanshu Shukla set to fly to ISS on June 25

4 days ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was put off multiple times when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA also detected leaks in the ageing Russian module of the ISS. IMAGE: Axiom-4 Astronauts Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu of Hungary will travel to the International Space Station.
With Rs.511 Crore Bid HAL Wins ISRO SSLV Tender

6 days ago | orbitaltoday.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has won the tender to make the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The company had quoted Rs.511 crore (about £44 million) to win the SSLV transfer of technology bid. The other top qualified bidding consortiums were led by Adani Group’s Alpha Design and Bharat Dynamics Ltd, an official in the know told Orbital Today under the condition of anonymity.
Indo-US NISAR Satellite Set for July Launch

1 week ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

NISAR will not be used for surveillance and will be used to observe the earth. IMAGE: An artist's impression of NISAR in orbit. The Indian space agency is gearing up for the July launch of the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, a joint initiative of India and the US. The Indian rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) code-named GSLV-F16 will orbit NISAR sometime in July.
Did India Play A Key Role In Ensuring Falcon 9 Rocket Safety?

1 week ago | orbitaltoday.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

India seems to have played a key role in delaying the flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that was to carry four astronauts raising safety concerns over liquid oxygen leak in the booster, as gleaned from the statements issued by the country’s space agency ISRO. Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary of India’s Department of Space and the Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had insisted on replacing the leaking booster or carrying out in-situ repairs to plug the leak.
Did ISRO Play Role In Axiom Mission Delay?

1 week ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

'ISRO recommended to carry out in-situ repairs or replacement and conduct a low-temperature leak test to validate system performance and integrity, before proceeding with the launch.'IMAGE: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. India seems to have had a major say in delaying the flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket so that the leaking booster is sealed properly and the four international astronauts can travel on the Dragon spacecraft atop the rocket, as gleaned from ISRO statements.
Delhi Or Goa: Where Will Chess World Cup Be Held?

1 week ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

FIDE, which has listed the venue for all its global events, has not yet announced the venue for the World Cup. IMAGE: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party national President J P Nadda tweeted this picture, congratulating World Champion D Gukesh for his victory against former World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the Norway Chess tournament.
“India Should Send More Astronauts to ISS Before It Is Decommissioned"

1 week ago | orbitaltoday.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

India should send as many astronauts as possible to the International Space Station (ISS) before it is decommissioned to gain immense knowledge and experience in human space travel, said a retired top official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The travel of Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS as part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) should not be just a one time event but one of the many such missions.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard to Carry a Couple into Space

2 weeks ago | orbitaltoday.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

An environmentalist, her husband, who is into real estate development, a philanthropist, an entrepreneur and two lawyers will soon travel to space on the New Shepard rocket belonging to Blue Origin. Interestingly, Allie Kuehner and her husband Carl Kuehner will become the second couple to travel to space on a New Shepard rocket, an official of Blue Origin told Orbital Today. Earlier, Sharon Hagle and Marc Hagle flew twice on New Shepard in 2022 and 2024, the official added.
Shuks To Fly To ISS On June 19

2 weeks ago | rediff.com | Venkatachari Jagannathan

The rocket flight was aborted in order to plug the liquid oxygen leak identified during post-static fire Falcon 9 rocket inspections. IMAGE: Axiom-4 Astronauts Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are pictured on the countdown video clock as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Launch Complex 39-A after a delay of its mission to the International Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, June 9, 2025.