17 October 2026
Researchers led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, have used coordinated observations from India's Aditya-L1 and the European Space Agency's Proba-3 to study two coronal mass ejections.
Aditya-L1's Visible Emission Line Coronagraph captured both eruptions early, complementing Proba-3's ASPIICS instrument and allowing independent estimates of mass, density and energy.
The eruption of 14 September 2025 travelled at about 645 km a second, and its thermal energy was only about 1 per cent of its total energy.
The eruption of 16 September 2025 moved at about 145 km a second, and its thermal energy rose until it matched its kinetic energy.
Magnetic energy was comparable to or greater than kinetic energy in both events, and the authors argue that combining white-light imaging with spectroscopy improves understanding of these eruptions in the Sun's inner corona.
Speed, 14 September 2025 eruption:
about 645 km/s
Speed, 16 September 2025 eruption:
about 145 km/s
Why it matters for exams: Aditya-L1, its VELC payload and coronal mass ejections are directly examinable space science topics, and Aditya-L1 was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
CME Coronal Mass Ejection — A large release of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona into space.
VELC Visible Emission Line Coronagraph — The main Indian-built payload on Aditya-L1, which observes the Sun's inner corona.
SDSC SHAR Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — India's launch site, on Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh, from where Aditya-L1 was launched.
Background
Amaravati, which hosted one of Andhra Pradesh's five pre-summit regional investment conferences this week, owes its present status to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Parliament passed the Bill, which amends the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, after the Rajya Sabha approved it by voice vote; the Lok Sabha had passed it earlier.
The amendment gives Amaravati statutory status as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh. Section 5(2) of the 2014 Act was the provision the State assembly had asked to be amended.
The State government had notified Amaravati as the capital location on 23 April 2016, and the assembly passed a resolution on 28 March 2026 seeking constitutional recognition for it.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai made the government's statement in the House.
Parent Act amended:
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
Provision in question:
Section 5(2)
Capital notified on:
23 April 2016
Why it matters for exams: The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and its amendment are core polity material on how Parliament legislates for a State's capital under Article 3.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Reorganisation Act Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 — The central law that divided the former Andhra Pradesh and created Telangana.
Background
Vikram-I, a small satellite launcher developed by the Indian space start-up Skyroot Aerospace, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of ISRO at Sriharikota, the first time a private Indian company has undertaken an orbital launch of a rocket from Indian soil.
Vikram-I carried multiple payloads, of which two satellites, SCOPE and Grahaa, were injected into a Low Earth Orbit; the remaining payloads on the upper stage are for in-orbit experiments.
Skyroot had earlier conducted a sub-orbital launch of a test rocket, Vikram-S, from Sriharikota, and Vikram-I was then developed as a 4-stage rocket with 3 solid stages and a liquid stage.
ISRO provided access to the solid motor casting and static test facilities at SDSC, Sriharikota, where the first stage solid motor was cast and tested and the second stage motor validated; the liquid engine of the upper stage, RAMAN-I, was tested at the LPSC test facility.
The vehicle was integrated on the First Launch Pad, and IN-SPACe, the regulation and promotion agency for space activities, established the mechanism for Non-Governmental Entities to access ISRO's facilities.
Launcher:
Vikram-I, 4 stages: 3 solid and 1 liquid
Satellites injected to LEO:
SCOPE and Grahaa
Launch pad used:
First Launch Pad
Why it matters for exams: Sriharikota as the site of India's first private orbital launch, the Vikram series and IN-SPACe's role are high-probability questions on the opening of India's space sector.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IN-SPACe Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre — The agency that regulates and promotes space activity by non-governmental entities.
SDSC Satish Dhawan Space Centre — India's launch centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Background
The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the Third Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of ISRO at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The project envisages launch infrastructure for the Next Generation Launch Vehicles of ISRO and a standby launch pad for the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota, and will enhance launch capacity for future Indian human spaceflight missions.
The total fund requirement is Rs. 3984.86 Crore, including the launch pad and associated facilities, and the Third Launch Pad is targeted to be established within a duration of 48 months or 4 years.
Indian space transportation systems are today completely reliant on two launch pads: the First Launch Pad, realized 30 years ago for PSLV and still supporting PSLV and SSLV, and the Second Launch Pad, established primarily for GSLV and LVM3 and operational for almost 20 years.
The design is meant to be as universal and adaptable as possible, supporting the NGLV, LVM3 vehicles with a semicryogenic stage and scaled-up NGLV configurations, as the programme looks to the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and an Indian crewed lunar landing by 2040.
Total fund requirement:
Rs. 3984.86 Crore
Target duration:
48 months or 4 years
Existing launch pads:
First and Second Launch Pad
Why it matters for exams: The cost of the Third Launch Pad, its 48-month target and the roles of the First and Second Launch Pads at Sriharikota are precisely the figures a science and technology question turns on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NGLV Next Generation Launch Vehicle — ISRO's planned heavier launcher class for which the Third Launch Pad is being built.
BAS Bharatiya Antariksh Station — India's planned space station, part of the expanded vision the new pad is meant to serve.
Background
ISRO's mission page records that the Chandrayaan-3 launch was scheduled at 14:35 Hrs. IST from the Second Launch Pad, SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, and that the LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit, with the health of the spacecraft normal.
Citizens were invited to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, by registering online.
A Launch Rehearsal simulating the entire launch preparation and process, lasting 24 hours, was concluded before the flight.
After launch the Lander Module was successfully separated from the Propulsion Module, and the page logs the module in a 113 km x 157 km orbit and later a 25 km x 134 km orbit around the moon before powered descent.
The page also records that the Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the Lander, that the APXS on board the rover detected the presence of minor elements, and that the first observations came from the ChaSTE payload on board the Vikram Lander.
Launch pad:
Second Launch Pad, SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota
Launch vehicle:
LVM3 M4
Launch rehearsal:
24 hours
Why it matters for exams: Which launch pad at Sriharikota sent Chandrayaan-3 up, and the names of its payloads, are directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ChaSTE Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment — The payload on the Vikram Lander that returned the mission's first surface observations.
APXS Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer — The rover instrument that detected minor elements on the lunar surface.
Background
A group of 580 young students selected through the selection procedure of Jagriti Sewa Sansthan visited ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SDSC SHAR, which ISRO's own page calls the Space Port of India.
During the visit the students interacted with senior ISRO scientists and toured key facilities including the first and second launch pads and the Mission Control Centre, the infrastructure that supports India's space launches.
Their selection was based on an evaluation process conducted by Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, which identifies young talent with a passion for entrepreneurship and societal impact.
Jagriti Sewa Sansthan organises the annual Jagriti Yatra, a 15-day entrepreneurial train journey covering over 8,000 kilometers.
ISRO describes the visit as combining learning, inspiration and real-world exposure, and as encouraging careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Students who visited:
580
Facilities toured:
First and second launch pads, Mission Control Centre
Jagriti Yatra:
15 days, over 8,000 kilometers
Why it matters for exams: That SDSC SHAR is called the Space Port of India, that it holds the first and second launch pads and a Mission Control Centre, and the length of the Jagriti Yatra are all factual details worth holding.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Mission Control Centre Mission Control Centre — The facility at the launch centre from which a launch is monitored and commanded.
SDSC SHAR Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — ISRO's launch centre on Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh, from which its orbital launches fly.
Background
ISRO records that the launch campaign for the first un-crewed Gaganyaan mission began with the stacking of the human-rated LVM3, christened HLVM3, at SDSC-SHAR, with the stacking of the nozzle end segment of the S200 motor.
HLVM3 is derived from LVM3 and designed with enhanced reliability for human safety; it is a three-stage vehicle with a payload capacity of about 10 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit, is 53 meters tall and weighs 640 tonnes.
A Crew Escape System is implemented to ensure crew safety by safe ejection of the Crew Module in a potentially adverse situation, and it is operational from the launch pad till its separation after the atmospheric flight regime.
The page recalls the LVM3-X/CARE mission, in which LVM3-X lifted a Crew Module of mass 3775 kg into a suborbital altitude of 126 km, after which the Indian Coast Guard recovered the module from the Bay of Bengal approximately 1600 km from SDSC-SHAR.
The L110 and C32 stages for HLVM3 were ready at the launch complex and the Crew Escape System elements had been received at SDSC, while the integration of the Crew Module was under way at VSSC and that of the Service Module at URSC.
HLVM3 height:
53 meters
HLVM3 mass:
640 tonnes
Payload to LEO:
about 10 tonnes
CARE Crew Module mass:
3775 kg
Why it matters for exams: HLVM3's height, mass and LEO payload, the Crew Escape System and the CARE mission figures are the core facts of the Gaganyaan syllabus.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CES Crew Escape System — The system that ejects the Crew Module to safety from the launch pad until it separates after atmospheric flight.
SDSC SHAR Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — ISRO's launch centre on Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh, from which its orbital launches fly.
Background
ISRO's own centre page gives the address of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR as Sriharikota Range PO - 524 124, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, with Shri S. Muthuchezhian as Director.
The page calls SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, the Spaceport of India, responsible for providing launch base infrastructure for the Indian Space Programme.
Its facilities cover solid propellant processing, static testing of solid motors, launch vehicle integration and launch operations, and range operations comprising a telemetry, tracking and command network and a mission control centre.
The centre has two launch pads from where the rocket launching operations of PSLV and GSLV are carried out, and a separate launch pad for launching sounding rockets.
Its threefold mandate is to produce solid propellant boosters for ISRO's launch vehicle programmes, to provide infrastructure for qualifying subsystems and solid rocket motors and carrying out the necessary tests, and to provide launch base infrastructure for satellites and launch vehicles.
District:
Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh
Address:
Sriharikota Range PO - 524 124
Director:
Shri S. Muthuchezhian
Launch pads:
Two for PSLV and GSLV, plus one for sounding rockets
Why it matters for exams: The district in which Sriharikota lies, the centre's PIN code, its two launch pads and its mandate are the precise details a question on India's spaceport turns on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SHAR Sriharikota Range — The range name in the centre's postal address, from which the abbreviation SDSC SHAR comes.
Sounding rocket Sounding rocket — A small rocket flown on a suborbital path to study the upper atmosphere.
Background
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, NISAR, the first joint satellite of ISRO and NASA, was launched by ISRO's GSLV-F16 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
GSLV-F16 was to inject the satellite into a 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.4 degrees.
NISAR weighs 2392 kg and is the first satellite to observe the earth with a dual frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar, NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band, both using NASA's 12m unfurlable mesh reflector antenna integrated to ISRO's modified I3K satellite bus.
It observes the earth with a swath of 242 km at high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time, and scans the entire globe to provide all weather, day and night data at a 12-day interval.
It can detect small changes in the Earth's surface such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement and vegetation dynamics, with further applications in sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterization, soil moisture and surface water resources.
Satellite mass:
2392 kg
Orbit:
743 km Sun-synchronous, inclination 98.4 degrees
Radar bands:
NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band
Repeat interval:
12 days, swath 242 km
Why it matters for exams: NISAR's mass, its dual L-band and S-band radar, the 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit and the 12-day repeat are high-frequency science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar — A radar that builds a high resolution image from the motion of the platform carrying it.
Sun-synchronous orbit Sun-synchronous orbit — A near-polar orbit in which the satellite passes over a place at the same local solar time each visit.
Background
The PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 Mission was the 9th dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited, to build and launch the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite for a user along with launch services for 15 co-passenger satellites from domestic and international customers.
The mission used the PSLV-DL variant with two solid strap-on motors and was the 64th flight of PSLV, proposed to lift off at 10:17 hrs from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
ISRO's page records that the PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during end of the PS3 stage, and that a detailed analysis has been initiated.
The mission was also to demonstrate KID, the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator from a Spanish startup, a small-scale prototype of a re-entry vehicle, slated to be the last co-passenger injected before re-entering towards splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean.
PSLV is described as the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO, having completed 63 flights including Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1 and the Astrosat Mission, and it once set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission.
Flight number of PSLV:
64th
Co-passenger satellites:
15
Launch pad:
First Launch Pad, SDSC, Sriharikota
Single-mission world record:
104 satellites
Why it matters for exams: PSLV's flight count, its variants, the 104-satellite record and the missions it has carried are among the most asked space facts, and the First Launch Pad at Sriharikota is where they fly from.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NSIL NewSpace India Limited — The commercial arm of the Department of Space, which undertakes dedicated commercial missions.
PSLV-DL PSLV-DL variant — The PSLV configuration that flies with two solid strap-on motors.