New Delhi, Jan 29: India’s space agency, ISRO, marked a significant milestone on Wednesday morning with the successful launch of its 100th GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The GSLV-F15 rocket lifted off at 6:23 a.m., carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite into space, adding another triumph to the nation’s space exploration achievements.

ISRO took to social media to announce the historic event, posting:

“LIFTOFF! The GSLV-F15 has successfully taken flight, carrying NVS-02 into its planned orbit. Stay tuned for more mission updates!”

The GSLV-F15 flight was particularly noteworthy as it is the 17th mission of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 11th successful mission utilising an indigenous cryogenic stage.

It also marks the 8th operational flight of GSLV featuring the indigenous Cryogenic stage, and the milestone 100th launch from India’s renowned spaceport in Sriharikota.

GSLV-F15 payload fairing is a metallic version with a diameter of 3.4 meters and it will place NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

The NVS-02 is part of the second-generation satellites for the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system — India’s own navigation system.

The navigation satellite system is designed to provide accurate Position, Velocity, and Timing (PVT) service to users in India as well as to regions extending about 1500 km beyond Indian land mass.

The new NVS-02 satellite comes with new features such as supporting the L1 frequency band, which will improve its services and reliability.

“The NVS-02 satellite is the second generation of NavIC satellites, featuring a standard I-2K bus platform. It will have a lift-off mass of 2,250 kg, power handling capability of around 3 kW, navigation payload in L1, L5, and S bands, ranging payload in C-band and will be positioned at 111.75 degrees E, replacing IRNSS-1E,” ISRO said.

NavIC will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS). NavIC’s SPS provides a position accuracy of better than 20 metres and a timing accuracy of better than 40 nanoseconds over the service area.

This launch marks a significant leap in the country’s technological and scientific advancements in space exploration.

New Delhi, Jan 28: The rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past four decades, according to a new study on Tuesday, explaining why 2023 and early 2024 saw unprecedentedly high sea temperatures.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, showed that ocean temperatures were rising at about 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade in the late 1980s. However, they are currently increasing at 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade.

“If the oceans were a bathtub of water, then in the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly, warming up the water by just a fraction of a degree each decade. But now the hot tap is running much faster, and the warming has picked up speed,” said lead author Professor Chris Merchant, at the University of Reading, UK.

Merchant said that cutting global carbon emissions and moving towards net zero is the only way to slow down warming. In 2023 and early 2024, global ocean temperatures hit record highs for straight 450 days.

Besides El Nino, a natural warming event in the Pacific, the team found that the sea surface warming went up faster in the past 10 years than in earlier decades. The study noted that about 44 per cent of the record warmth was attributable to the oceans absorbing heat at an accelerating rate.

The findings show that the overall rate of global ocean warming observed over recent decades is not an accurate guide to what happens next: it is plausible that the ocean temperature increase seen over the past 40 years will be exceeded in just the next 20 years.

Because the surface oceans set the pace for global warming, this matters for the climate as a whole, the team explained.

This accelerating warming underscores the urgency of reducing fossil fuel burning to prevent even more rapid temperature increases in the future and to begin to stabilise the climate.

Warming ocean temperatures can increase the spread of diseases in marine species. This in turn can affect humans, when consuming marine species, or from infections of wounds exposed in marine environments.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has approved Metro Line 8, also called the Gold Line, to connect Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai with Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The 35-kilometre corridor, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) Metro Master Plan, aims to improve airport connectivity and streamline travel for passengers.

Metro 8 To Be Developed Using PPP Model

The project will be developed using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, despite its mixed track record in Mumbai metro projects. A Government Resolution issued on Monday confirmed the state’s decision, initially taken in May 2024. While MMRDA was originally tasked with overseeing Metro 8, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has now been appointed as the nodal agency. CIDCO has been directed to prepare a detailed project report for the line, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The new corridor is expected to provide seamless access between the two airports, especially critical as NMIA is likely to become operational by mid of 2025. Currently, NMIA is accessible via the Atal Setu, and connectivity will further improve with the completion of the Worli-Sewri connector.

Challenges With PPP Model

However, the decision to use the PPP model has raised concerns. Metro 1, which connects Ghatkopar and Versova, was built on a PPP basis between MMRDA and Reliance Infra over a decade ago. While the metro line itself has been successful, the financial arrangement remains problematic, prompting all further metro projects in Mumbai to adopt a contract-based approach without private participation.

Details Of The Metro Line 8 Project

Metro Line 8 will span 35 km, comprising 25.8 km of elevated track and 8.2 km of underground sections. The route will pass through key areas like Kurla and Mankhurd, linking Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and a proposed Interstate Bus Terminal at Mankhurd. It will include 20 stations and integrate with Metro 2B.

Estimated to cost Rs 15,000 crore (as per 2023 data), Metro 8 will take approximately six years to complete, marking a remarkable step toward enhancing urban mobility in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.