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Chandrayaan-3: Hello Superpowers, India Is On The Moon!

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India is on the moon. With those five words, ISRO chairman S Somanath summed up the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, a longdrawn journey scripted by its dedicated scientists, unmindful of the recent setback to Chandrayaan-2. As the sun rose over the moon’s South Pole, the Vikram Lander, with Pragyan in its belly, gently touched on the Moon’s surface kicking up lunar dust and kick-starting a new chapter in what could be the beginning of a space odyssey to Mars, the sun and the space beyond. Responding to over a million prayers of Indians all over the world, Vikram held its nerve in what is described as ‘20 minutes of terror’ and landed flawlessly in the unchartered South Pole, making India the first country to leave its footprints in the area and the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to land on the lunar surface.

It was a nail-biting moment at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru when at around 5.25 pm the Automatic Landing Sequence (ALS) was initiated, leaving Vikram to its own maneuvers in the final touchdown. The scientists broke into a huge applause hugging each other, crying in joy as the world cheered India’s achievement in taking within its embrace the ‘khoya khoya chand and the khula aasman.’

PM Modi celebrates the moment

Celebrating the moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Johannesburg in South Africa, said the moon landing is the dawn of a new era. “India will not stop on the moon. The new era of confidence and belief will take us beyond,” he said, adding that the Aditya L1 mission to the Sun and the human space mission, Gaganyaan, are next in the pipeline. Coming back to the Chandrayaan-3, at around 5 pm, the first of the series of the final commands emanated from Bengaluru, telling the ALS to take over and begin its four-phase descent towards the moon’s surface.

Highly controlled and powered descent

In a highly controlled and powered descent, closely monitored by the orbiting propulsion modules – Chandrayaan-2 and 3 — Vikram lander took its final steps, hurtling towards the moon’s surface at a velocity of 1.68 km per second, which is nearly 6048 km per hour – almost ten times the velocity of an airplane. Moments later, in the first phase, the Vikram lander slammed the brakes – called the rough braking phase — by firing its engines for about 11.5 minutes. Next came the fine braking phase when Vikram was made to further slow down and shift to a vertical mode to face the moon’s surface. This was the phase when the lander during the Chandrayaan-2 launch went out of control and crashed on the moon’s surface. At 800 meters above the Moon’s surface, both the horizontal and vertical velocities were reduced to zero giving Vikram 10 seconds to survey the landing strip. The lander was then made to go down further and hover once at 150 meters, taking images of hazards in quest for the best landing site. It then touched down on the lunar surface with just two engines firing and its sturdy legs absorbing the impact of 3m/second or about 10.8 km per hour. Soon after the sensors on the legs felt the lunar surface, the engines immediately shut down marking the end of the 20-minutes of terror. Vikram’s landing was dramatic as it kicked up dust, which took over two hours to settle due to weak gravity on the moon.

Pragyaan rolled out

Once the dust settled down, the child in Vikram’s belly, the Pragyaan, rolled out to ‘play’ on the moon’s surface. The rover took its baby steps towards the Moon’s surface after remaining in deep slumber for over 3.84 lakh km lasting 40 days. The big moment came when Vikram took images of the rover and Pragyaan responded by clicking images of the lander, the first ‘selfies’ clicked by India from the lunar surface. The lander and rover are both solar powered and are made to last one lunar day – which is equal to 14 Earth days. In these 14 days, the Pragyaan would be actively sniffing for water. During the Lunar day, the solar panels would be charged so that when the sun rises again, work can begin again.

NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, says ISRO Chief S Somanath

In India’s journey to the moon, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) played a key role, said Somanath in his comments. ‘‘We cannot track the mission in the shadow areas and it is here that other agencies would key in,’’ he added. ESA supported the lander during the entire phase of lunar surface operations, helping to ensure that science data acquired by the rover arrives safely with ISRO. ISRO operates a 32-metre deep space tracking station in Byalalu, in Karnataka, that enabled it to locate, track, command and receive telemetry and scientific data from its distant spacecraft. India is not going to stop on the moon. With all the cheers coming from all over and the team work of hundreds of scientists at ISRO, space would be an unchartered expanse waiting to be explored, and the endeavour is to tread where no man has gone before.

Maharashtra

19-Year-Old Man Kills Wife, Ends Life Following Domestic Dispute in Agripada

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MUMBAI: A tragic incident unfolded in South Mumbai early Friday morning after a 19-year-old daily wage laborer allegedly murdered his 19-year-old wife before ending his own life near Kalapani Chowki in Agripada.

According to the Agripada Police, the incident occurred at around 5:00 AM. The accused, identified as Mohd. Ehsan Sheikh (19), got into an altercation with his wife, Jannat Ehsan Sheikh (19), following an ongoing domestic dispute. In a fit of rage, Sheikh slit Jannat’s throat with a kitchen knife, killing her on the spot.

Immediately after the assault, Sheikh turned the same weapon on himself and slit his own throat.
Local residents alerted the police, and Sheikh was rushed in critical condition to the nearby BYL Nair Hospital.

However, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
The Agripada Police have initiated legal proceedings in connection with the double tragedy. A case of murder is being registered against Mohd. Ehsan Sheikh, while an Accidental Death Report (ADR) is being filed regarding his death. Further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the dispute is currently underway.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Abu Asim meets Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal regarding provision of essential health facilities at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Hospital.

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In order to provide medical facilities to the people in Mumbai Govandi area, MLA Abu Asim Azmi met the Chief Secretary here in the backdrop of facilities and drew his attention towards the necessary facilities. The hospital is facing shortage of doctors, medical staff and key personnel required for emergency services. Pregnant women are also unable to access proper medical care. Moreover, despite the availability of machines and chairs in the dental department, there is a shortage of doctors and staff. Azmi demanded immediate restoration of essential services including the non-functional X-ray machine in Shatabdi Hospital. After reviewing the situation in both the hospitals, Rajesh Agarwal gave a positive assurance that immediate action would be taken. Azmi said that our aim is to ensure that the people of Govandi get better and timely health services.

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Maharashtra

BMC takes action against Mumbai Central Orchid City Mall; mall shut down.

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated a coordinated action to implement the directions issued by the court. The Supreme Court had issued the necessary directions regarding the Orchid City Centre Mall located on Belasis Road in Mumbai Central area. As part of this process, a joint notice has been issued to the concerned owners/developers as well as the users/occupants of stalls, units and shops, directing them to vacate the premises of Orchid City Centre Mall. Further, clear instructions have been issued that entry or use of the mall premises is prohibited until formal permission is obtained from the competent authority. A coordination meeting was recently held by the BMC’s ‘D’ ward. Officers of the concerned municipal departments, representatives of Nagpada Police Station and Best Undertaking as well as representatives associated with Orchid City Centre Mall also attended the meeting. During the meeting, the representatives of the mall management were directed to voluntarily and strictly comply with the order of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Orders In 2020, a fire broke out at the Orchid City Centre Mall located on Belasis Road in Mumbai Central. In this context, the Supreme Court issued directions on August 25, 2026. It should be strictly ensured that the entire Orchid City Centre Mall building which has been damaged due to fire shall not be used for any purpose until the developer completes comprehensive repairs of the entire structure. The building cannot be used in any manner until the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration is satisfied that the entire structure (including all floors) is completely safe for all activities and works and complies with all legal requirements. Directions issued by the court The Supreme Court has ordered that the entire building be kept completely sealed and no one should be allowed to enter the premises.

In light of the Supreme Court order, on the directions of the Supreme Court, it was decided during the meeting to conduct a joint operation to vacate the Orchid City Centre Mall building, involving the Building and Factory Department, Building Proposal Department and Mumbai Fire Brigade of the BMC. Accordingly, a joint notice has been issued to the concerned owners/developers as well as the users/occupants of the stalls, units and shops regarding the vacating of the building. Public notices prohibiting citizens and users from entering, using or occupying the building have been displayed in the premises of the mall. The notices clarify that the entire Orchid City Centre Mall cannot be used, and entry will remain strictly prohibited, until the Hon’ble. Supreme Court’s directions are followed and prior permission is taken from the competent authority. Meanwhile, instructions have been issued to disconnect the water supply of the mall, take appropriate action regarding the municipal license and disconnect the electricity supply (except for the electricity required for construction purposes). Nagpara Police has been directed to provide necessary police security for the smooth conduct of the operation and maintenance of law and order.

The BMC administration appeals to all concerned parties to voluntarily comply with the court’s directions. They are urged not to enter or use the premises of the mall until formal permission is obtained from the competent authority and to fully cooperate with the municipal and police administration. However, the administration has made it clear that if the directions are not followed, strict action as per the law and the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court will be taken regarding vacating and sealing the premises.
Meanwhile, the concerned departments of the Municipal Corporation will independently take necessary action within their respective legal jurisdiction. The administration has further stated that any future permissions regarding entry, use, or occupancy of the building will be granted by the Municipal Corporation acting as the competent authority, as per the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

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