Aditya-L1 mission set to unlock solar mysteries as it approaches target position

Aditya-L1 mission, India's maiden solar mission, is dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the sun. Recently, it has achieved a significant milestone by initiating observations of solar wind. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the successful activation of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload. Check here to know all about this recent achievement.

Meta Platforms was told by EU tech regulators on Friday to provide more details on measures taken to tackle child sexual abuse material on its photo and video sharing app Instagram by Dec. 22 or risk a formal investigation under new EU online content rules.

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft, formerly known as OSIRIS-REx, is actively preparing for a groundbreaking solar approach, bringing it closer to the Sun than ever before as it targets the asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft's closest approach, referred to as perihelion, is set for January 2, 2024, positioning OSIRIS-APEX approximately 46.5 million miles away from the Sun. This distance is roughly half the span between Earth and the Sun and well within the orbit of Venus. NASA has highlighted that this close encounter will subject the spacecraft's components to higher temperatures than originally designed.

India is being hailed globally to for having become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the South Pole of the moon. During his visit to India, Bill Nelson, the Administrator of NASA, congratulated India for accomplishing a feat that no other nation has achieved through the Chandrayaan-3 mission. He acknowledged India's significant contribution to lunar exploration, emphasizing the nation's success where others have faced challenges.

India is gearing up to make a significant stride in space-based X-ray astronomy with the launch of its first X-ray polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat). This mission led by ISRO, aims to investigate the polarization of intense X-ray sources. With this mission, ISRO is set to establish a new benchmark in the field of astronomy. Check here to know all about ISRO's XPoSat mission.

 OpenAI's power brokers seem to have decided that the quickest fix for last week's dysfunction is to borrow a page from corporate America's playbook by adding some establishment figures to its board.

One year on from its rocky launch, co-op shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has been on a bit of an apology tour, making major overhauls of core systems to get the game into a more lovable state. So far it's been a really successful makeover, and it's culminated in a big free expansion, The Traitor Curse, released in two parts. We got the first part last month, and now we've got details of the second, along with a promise to have it out before the winter holidays.

On Wednesday, S Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), emphasised that while the organisation is actively pursuing various targets, the immediate and primary focus remains on Gaganyaan mission- the nation's inaugural human space flight program. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 Global Energy Parliament in Kolkata, Somanath stated, "There are many [targets]. It is not one target. But our primary target is Gaganyaan now. Send an Indian to space and bring them back safely. This is our immediate big-ticket target."

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission has released a new focused data release, marking a significant contribution to astronomy, Universe Today reports. Gaia's primary mission is to precisely measure the positions, motions, and distances of over a billion stars, while also studying exoplanets. NASA says, “Gaia will detect and very accurately measure the motion of each star in its orbit around the center of the galaxy.” While it may not generate the stunning images like the NASA/ESA-run Hubble Space Telescope or the James Webb Space Telescope, Gaia astronomical observatory mission's data has far-reaching implications across multiple fields of astronomy.

The very first launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle is expected to carry the NASA Mars smallsat mission in the coming year. However, experts worry that the spacecraft development might affect the mission's schedule timings. In February 2023, both companies announced their partnership to launch the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) spacecraft with the New Glen. Now, the mission is expected to take its first flight with the new launch vehicle by the end of 2024. Learn more about the partnership between NASA and Blue Origin here.

After the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission as well as the Aditya-L1 mission, ISRO is all set to launch its upcoming Venus mission. The ISRO Venus mission has been dubbed as the Shukrayaan mission, for which ISRO chief S. Somanath has shared an update. Somanath says the project payloads have been fully developed now. ISRO Chairman, while addressing Indian National Science Academy in Delhi, talked about the unique characteristics of planet Venus and how Earth's atmosphere in future can turn toxic as did Shukrayaan's. Check out the significance of the Venus mission.

India's space endeavors are reaching new heights with multiple space missions. After the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ISRO launched India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1 mission successfully. Currently, the Indian Space Research Organisation is anticipating the Aditya-L1 solar probe's entry into orbit around Lagrangian point L1 on January 7. Know about the recent updates on India's maiden solar mission.