Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar’s helicopter made an emergency landing at the HAL airport here after a bird hit the glass of the cockpit on Tuesday afternoon.
The Congress leader was on his way to Mulbagal in Kolar district to attend a public meeting.
The chopper flew from Jakkur airport in Bengaluru but was hit by a kite, sources close to Shivakumar told PTI.
In the impact of the crash, the helicopter’s windscreen broke into pieces. The chopper had to make an emergency landing at the HAL airport.
Along with Shivakumar and the pilot, a journalist of a Kannada news channel who was interviewing him, was inside the helicopter.
Shivakumar, the crew and others in the helicopter are all safe, they said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hand over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the Maldives as India’s “gift” during his visit to the island nation from May 1 to 3.
The defence ministry said this on Sunday, noting that Singh’s visit to the Maldives will be an “important landmark” in building “strong bonds” of friendship between the two countries.
The Maldives is one of India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean region and the overall bilateral ties, including in the areas of defence and security, have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years.
India’s decision to provide military platforms to the Maldives came amid China’s persistent efforts to expand its overall influence in the region.
During his visit, Singh is scheduled to call on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and hold talks with Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
“In tune with India’s commitment to capacity building of friendly countries and partners in the region, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will gift one fast patrol vessel ship and a landing craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces,” the ministry said in a statement.
Singh is also set to take stock of the implementation of various India-assisted projects in the Maldives and will interact with the Indian diaspora.
“India and the Maldives are working closely to effectively address shared challenges, including maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation, piracy, trafficking, organised crime and natural disasters,” the ministry said.
“India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) along with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy as well as Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy seek to work together to jointly develop the capabilities within the Indian Ocean region,” it added.
On Singh’s talks with the Maldivian defence and foreign ministers, it said the entire gamut of defence relations between the two countries will be reviewed.
The Maldives is also one of the biggest beneficiaries of India’s Neighbourhood First policy.
In August last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Solih kick-started the India-funded Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), billed as the largest infrastructure initiative in the island nation.
Under the project, a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect Maldivian capital Male with the adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane visited the Maldives last month and held talks with his Maldivian counterpart, Major General Abdulla Shamaal.(PTI)
CLICK ON THE BELOW PROVIDED LINKS TO FOLLOW KASHMIR NEWS ON:
A Japanese startup attempting the first private landing on the moon has lost communication with its spacecraft and said that it assumes the lunar mission had failed.
Ispace said that it could not establish communication with the uncrewed Hakuto-R lunar lander after its expected landing time, a frustrating end to a mission that began with a launch from the US more than four months ago.
“We have not confirmed communication with the lander,” a company official told reporters about 25 minutes after the expected landing on Wednesday.
“We have to assume that we could not complete the landing on the lunar surface,” the official said.
Officials said they would continue to try and establish contact with the spacecraft, which was carrying payloads from several countries, including a lunar rover from the United Arab Emirates.
Takeshi Hakamada, the Ispace founder and CEO, said after the apparent failed landing that the company had acquired data from the spacecraft all the way up to the planned landing and would be examining that for signs of what happened.
The lander, standing just over 2 metres (6.5 feet) tall and weighing 340 kg, has been in lunar orbit since last month. Its descent and landing was fully automated and it was supposed to reestablish communication as soon as it touched down.
So far only the US, Russia and China have managed to put a spacecraft on the lunar surface, all through government-sponsored programmes.
In April 2019, Israeli organisation SpaceIL watched its lander crash into the moon’s surface.
India also attempted to land a spacecraft on the moon in 2019, but it crashed.
Two US companies, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, are scheduled to attempt moon landings later this year. “We congratulate the ispace inc team on accomplishing a significant number of milestones on their way to today’s landing attempt,” Astrobotic said in a tweet.
“We hope everyone recognises – today is not the day to shy away from pursuing the lunar frontier, but a chance to learn from adversity and push forward.”
Ispace, which listed its shares on the Tokyo stock exchange growth market earlier this month, was already planning its next mission before the failure of Hakuto-R.
skip past newsletter promotion
after newsletter promotion
The spacecraft, whose name references the moon-dwelling white rabbit in Japanese folklore, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 11 December, on one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets.
The lander carried several lunar rovers, including a round, baseball-sized robot jointly developed by Japan’s space agency and toy manufacturer Takara Tomy, the creator of the Transformer toys.
It also had the 10kg chair-sized Rashid rover developed by the United Arab Emirates, and an experimental imaging system from Canadensys Aerospace.
With just 200 employees, ispace has said it “aims to extend the sphere of human life into space and create a sustainable world by providing high-frequency, low-cost transportation services to the moon”.
Hakamada touted the mission as laying “the groundwork for unleashing the moon’s potential and transforming it into a robust and vibrant economic system”.
The firm believes the moon will support a population of 1,000 people by 2040, with 10,000 more visiting each year.
It plans a second mission, tentatively scheduled for next year, involving both a lunar landing and the deployment of its own rover.
[ad_2]
#Japanese #firms #pioneering #moon #landing #fails
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Kolkata: A Saudia Airlines cargo flight on Saturday made an emergency landing at Kolkata Airport after its windshield cracked mid-air, airport officials told ANI.
The aircraft landed safely at the Kolkata Airport at 12:02 pm.
Before the landing, the airport had made all the necessary arrangements.
Full emergency was withdrawn after the flight landed, according to airport officials.
Recently, an Abu Dhabi-bound Etihad Airways flight returned to the Bangalore International Airport shortly after take-off due to a technical issue.
The airline said that the aircraft did a normal landing at Bangalore airport.
The flight inspection was done and later took off to its destination where it landed this morning.
Earlier on April 1, a full emergency was declared at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi after a Dubai-bound FedEx aircraft suffered a bird hit soon after take-off, according to airport officials.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Mangaluru: A major accident was averted at a helipad in Udupi district of Karnataka on Thursday where Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai arrived enroute to his visit to Kollur Mookambika temple.
A fire broke out near the Areshiroor helipad during the take-off of a helicopter after the Chief Minister’s convoy had left the helipad to the temple.
Sources said the blaze, believed to have originated from the helicopter fan, was extinguished by the fire service personnel before it could cause any major damage.
The situation was quickly brought under control by the fire brigade.
Bommai, accompanied by his wife, continued with their trip to the Kollur temple and offered pooja.
Abu Dhabi: A Japanese spacecraft carrying the United Arab Emirates’ Rashid Rover – the Arab region’s first mission to the Moon – is scheduled to land on the moon on Tuesday, April 25 at 8:40 pm UAE time.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) on Wednesday took to Twitter and wrote, “The landing date and time of the HAKUTO-R lander, carrying aboard the Rashid Rover, on the surface of the Moon, is set for April 25 at 8.40pm (UAE time).”
“The date is subject to change depending on the mission’s operations. Alternative landing dates are April 26, May 1, and 3 May,” MBRSC added.
The landing date of the HAKUTO-R lander, carrying aboard the Rashid Rover, on the surface of the Moon, is set for 25 April at 8:40 PM (UAE time). The date is subject to change depending on the mission’s operations. Alternative landing dates are 26 April, May 1, and 3 May. pic.twitter.com/02gQ0JaLgh
Built by an Emirati team at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), the Rashid rover has spent more than four months in space since its launch on December 11, 2022.
The rover was sent into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on March 21 and has since been gradually approaching the surface.
MBRSC further said that the Rashid Rover is currently orbiting the Moon at an altitude of about 100 km at perilune (periapsis – the points in the orbit that is closest to the center of the moon) and about 2,300 km at apolune (apoapsis – the points in the orbit farthest to the center).
At around 7:40 pm on April 25, the lander carrying the Rashid Rover will perform multiple orbit control maneuvers to reach a 100km circular orbit around the Moon before starting the landing sequence.
During the landing sequence, the lander will perform a braking burn, firing its main propulsion system to decelerate from orbit. Utilizing a series of pre-set commands, the lander will adjust its altitude and reduce velocity to make a soft landing on the confirmed site of Atlas Crater in the Mare Frigoris.
Before landing, the team will prepare by participating in 12 simulated rehearsals at ground stations.
On the surface of the moon, the rover will conduct scientific tests that are expected to contribute to qualitative developments in the fields of science, communication technologies, and robotics.
The mission’s primary goal is to study lunar plasma and provide answers about lunar dust, the lunar surface, the movement of the moon and how different surfaces interact with lunar particles.
The rover will also send back images and collect data on lunar soil and dust once it reaches the lunar surface.
New Delhi: Responding to the emergency landing of the Varanasi -bound flight, IndiGo airlines on Tuesday stated that the flight was diverted to Hyderabad as a ‘precaution’.
In a statement, the airline stated, “IndiGo flight 6E897 from Bengaluru to Varanasi was diverted to Hyderabad as a precaution. The pilot noticed a technical issue and diverted to Hyderabad as a precaution”.
The airline stated that the aircraft is currently in Hyderabad and is undergoing necessary inspection.
“To avoid any further delays, an alternate aircraft was provided for the passengers to be flown to Vanaras. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers,” the statement added.
Earlier in the day, a Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight had to make an emergency landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad in Telangana, due to a technical problem.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had confirmed that IndiGo Flight 6E897 had taken off from Bengaluru for Varanasi but made an emergency landing at 6:15 am after diverting to Shamshadabad airport.
The DGCA had said that there were 137 passengers on board and all are safe. The body also said that it has ordered an inquiry into the incident, said a senior official.
Delhi: A Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight made an emergency landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Tuesday, due to a technical problem.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has confirmed that IndiGo Flight 6E897 had taken off from Bengaluru for Varanasi but made an emergency landing at 6:15 am after diverting to Shamshadabad airport.
Officials have cited a technical problem for the diversion.
There were 137 passengers on board and all are safe, DGCA said.
The DGCA has ordered an inquiry into the incident, said a senior official.
Vijayawada:Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s flight made an emergency landing at Gannavaram airport after a technical fault, sources said.
According to sources, the incident was reported shortly after the flight had departed from Gannavaram airport.CM Reddy was to attend a G20 conference in Visakhapatnam. He arrived at Gannavaram airport at 6 pm and the flight took off at 6.05 pm.
However, the pilot noticed a technical fault in the aircraft 10 minutes into take-off and made an emergency landing.
New Delhi: There are a total of 44 operational airports in the country which do not have night landing facilities for civil operations, the Rajya Sabha was told on Monday.
These airports include Shimla, Kushinagar, Darbhanga, Deoghar, Bilaspur and many others.
The provision of night landing facility, which is purely based on the demand and operational requirements of the airlines, is a continuous process and is undertaken by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other airport operators from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations, traffic demand and willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports etc., said a written reply by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday in Rajya Sabha.
The Central government has granted ‘in-principle’ approval to set up 21 Greenfield airports in the country.
Out of these, Mopa (Goa), Noida (Jewar), Navi Mumbai, and Dholera will also act as additional airports to the existing airports.
As a second airport to Chennai, the state government of Tamil Nadu has submitted an application to Ministry of Civil Aviation for grant of ‘Site-Clearance’ for development of a new Greenfield airport at Parandur, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu and the proposal is under examination by Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Defence (MoD), said another reply by the Ministry on Monday.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation had received an application for ‘Site-Clearance’ for the development of a new Greenfield airport at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand.
However, in December 2022, the Uttarakhand government requested to keep their application in abeyance, as expansion of existing Pantnagar airport is being alternatively considered, said the reply.
