In the last few elections in Maharashtra, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has established itself as the dominant Sena group with 57 MLAs and a host of municipal corporations under its belt, along with ally BJP. However, it has one major weakness. The party continues to heavily depend on its MLAs and urban corporators, with…
Universe colour is cosmic latte When you look up at the night sky, it seems deep black with bright stars scattered across it. That familiar view leads many to assume that the universe itself must be black. But astronomers have asked a different question: If all the light from every star and galaxy were combined…
THE FIRST part of the Budget Session of Parliament, which ended on Friday, was not just stormy but also a witness to many apparent firsts, particularly in the Lok Sabha. The House will now reassemble on March 9. The session, which began on January 28, saw several unexpected developments. For one, the Union Budget was…
Elon Musk (Image source: Reuters) Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind SpaceX and the artificial intelligence company xAI, has unveiled one of his most ambitious plans yet. During an all-hands meeting with xAI staff on Tuesday, February 10, Musk announced a proposal to establish a manufacturing facility on the Moon that would build satellites equipped with…
As the hearings for voters flagged for various discrepancies in their documents continue across West Bengal as part of the Election Commission (EC)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, people from all walks of life – ranging from ordinary citizens to ministers, sportspersons to movie stars – have been queueing up for them in…
BENGALURU: India’s Space regulator-cum-promoter the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) Wednesday formally announced that it has selected Bengaluru-based Astrome Technologies, Hyderabad’s Azista Industries and Dhruva Space to to develop indigenous small satellite bus platforms under its Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS) initiative.TOI was the first to report in Jan that IN-SPACe…
(Each week in the Backroom Brief, the National Political Bureau of The Indian Express examines a political party or a leader, tracking their moves and explaining why they matter.) On February 8, 2025, as he flipped through news channels, Arvind Kejriwal watched as Delhi’s reins slowly slipped out of his hand. Kejriwal, who was at the…
Shubhanshu Shukla (PTI image) BENGALURU: India’s astronaut corps is not a one-off experiment but a permanent national capability, Indian astronaut Group Captain Prashanth Nair (Papa) said Wednesday, while Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux) said that a civilian flying to space will happen as the Gaganyaan programme matures.Speaking at the US-India Space Business Forum event in…
Last month, veteran technocrat and BJP leader E Sreedharan revived his earlier proposal for a high speed rail corridor linking the northern and southern ends of Kerala, claiming that this project worth Rs 1 lakh crore was under consideration by the BJP-led central government. Days later, the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet gave an in-principle approval for a Regional…
Europe’s space ambitions seem to be taking a bold leap forward. The Ariane 64, the most powerful version of the Ariane 6 rocket, has finally made its maiden launch. It seems like a small step, but in reality, it might be a game-changer. For years, Europe has relied on established players in space, but this…