14-Feb-2023: Meteorite crash in Banaskantha, Gujarat
Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, are claiming that the meteorite that crashed in two villages in Banaskantha, Gujarat on August 17, 2022, has been identified as aubrite.
Diyodar Meteorite
- This is the second recorded crash of an aubrite in India and named Diyodar meteorite after the taluka in which the villages with the crash sites are located.
- Identified as aubrite by the Gamma-ray spectrometer used to determine mineral composition. Classified as a monomict breccia.
- Aubrite meteorite is a coarse-grained igneous rock formed in oxygen-poor conditions and contains exotic minerals not found on Earth.
- Last crash of an aubrite was in Basti, Uttar Pradesh on December 2, 1852. Around 90% of meteorite is composed of orthopyroxene. Pyroxenes are silicates consisting of single chains of silica tetrahedra.
Mineral heideite(not found on earth) was first described in Basti meteorite.
11-Feb-2023: Unusual rings detected around the dwarf planet Quaoar
Quaoar, a dwarf planet beyond Neptune was identified with unusual rings.
- Rings are positioned at a distance of over seven planetary radii.
- Rings are much further away from other planets with rings.
Study shows the ring system is challenging previous notions of how such rings form. Planetary rings contain small chunks of ice and other materials that orbit a larger object. Only Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, including two other minor planets, Chariklo, and Haumea are known to have rings.
The rings of Quaoar were discovered while studying distant objects in our solar system. Researchers used an extremely sensitive high-speed camera mounted on the Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain. Occultations were used to study the objects. Dip in brightness was identified, as Quaoar blocked light from a background star, which led to the discovery of the ring system.
The rings’ position contradicts the Roche limit. Roche limit is the outer limit of where ring systems were thought to be able to survive. Tidal forces prevent the rings from aggregating to become natural satellites. Rings of other planets lie within the Roche limit.
The question of why the rings of Quaoar have not coalesced into a satellite is not clear. The new finding will provide further insight into how planetary rings form.
11-Feb-2023: ISRO successfully launches SSLV D2
SSLV-D2
- Launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- This is the second attempt after SSLV-D1 failed to place satellites in precise orbit.
- Changes were made to equipment bay, separation mechanism for stage 2, and on-board system
SSLV-D2 placed ISRO’s EOS-07 and two co-passenger satellites into orbit
- EOS-07 is a 156.3 kg satellite designed and developed by ISRO.
- Janus-1 is a technology demonstrator satellite built by US-based Antaris and its Indian partners XDLinks and Ananth Technologies.
- 6-unit cube satellite with 5 payloads onboard.
- Payloads from Singapore, Kenya, Australia, and Indonesia.
- AzaadiSat2 is a CubeSat weighing around 8 kg and carries 75 different payloads
- Payloads built by girl students from rural regions across the country with guidance from “Space Kidz India”.
SSLV
- SSLV is a 3-stage launch vehicle configured with three solid propulsion stages and liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal.
- SSLV is 2 m in diameter and 34m in length with a lift-off weight of 120 tonnes.
- It is capable of launching a 10 to 500 kg satellite in 500 km planar orbit.
- Developed to capture the emerging small (nano-micro-mini) satellite commercial market.
- Provides low-cost access to space, low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, and demands minimal launch infrastructure.