Weekly - PSLV rocket fails during launch and more
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PSLV rocket fails during launch
Last week, 16 satellites were lost after ISRO’s PSLV rocket failed during launch. The mission named PSLV-C62 failed because of an anomaly in the third stage, where the rocket went off its path. This is the second consecutive failure of the PSLV rocket, with a launch in May 2025, suffering from similar issues. To know more about rocket staging, click here.
Artemis-2 rocket arrives at launchpad
On Saturday, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was rolled out to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Centre in preparation for Artemis Mission 2. This time, the rocket will carry four astronauts on board as they make the first crewed flight around the moon in more than five decades. The goal of this mission will be to verify human capabilities in deep space and pave the way for a future landing on the moon. The mission is expected to launch on February 6th.
Four astronauts return to Earth after medical evacuation
Last week, four astronauts from Crew-11 onboard the ISS were successfully returned to Earth after one of them fell sick with an undisclosed illness. This marks the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS. Crew-11 includes two NASA astronauts, one from JAXA, and one from ROSCOSMOS. This marks the first time NASA has conducted a space medical evacuation, meaning that, unlike previous, less severe incidents, the agency has stated that the primary reason for the return is a crew member’s medical condition.
NASA to cancel Mars Sample Return mission
Recently, NASA announced that its Mars Sample Return mission will be cancelled due to budget constraints. While the entire concept of returning samples from Mars has not been pushed out, the mission, as it was planned, will no longer continue. NASA may be open to revisiting the idea and redesigning the mission in the future. This means that all the samples the Perseverance rover has been collecting will not be returned to Earth anytime soon. This has left a lot of scientists disappointed.
