NASA achieves a milestone by transmitting a 15-second cat video from a spaceship 31 million km away using a laser communication system on the Psyche probe. The high-definition "meow-vie" featuring the orange tabby named Taters demonstrates the potential for higher-data-rate communications needed for complex missions. The video, sent from beyond Mars and Jupiter's asteroid belt, takes 101 seconds to reach Earth, surpassing home broadband speeds. This innovation marks a giant leap for laser communication in deep space missions, showcasing the ability to transmit broadband video across millions of miles.

In a groundbreaking achievement, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) celebrates the successful capture of the first light by the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) aboard the Aditya-L1 satellite. This milestone marks the initiation of crucial scientific investigations into the sun's atmosphere. SUIT, a key instrument in the Aditya-L1 mission, aims to unravel the dynamics of the solar corona. MAHE's collaboration underscores its commitment to advancing scientific knowledge. The captured light image signifies the operational readiness of SUIT, paving the way for profound insights into solar activity and its potential impact on space weather.            

A colossal solar event unfolded as NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory detected the most significant solar flare since 2017. On Thursday, the sun emitted a massive burst of energy, resulting in a two-hour disruption of radio communications across parts of the U.S. and sunlit areas worldwide. The impact was particularly felt by pilots, reporting communication glitches nationwide. The Space Weather Prediction Center is closely monitoring the sunspot region, where the eruption originated, for potential coronal mass ejections towards Earth. The Solar Dynamics Observatory, launched in 2010, continues its vital mission as the sun approaches the anticipated zenith of its 11-year solar cycle, with peak sunspot activity projected for 2025.

India's Aditya-L1 Mission, operated by ISRO, has achieved a milestone by capturing the first-ever full-disk images of the Sun in near ultraviolet wavelengths. The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) onboard the spacecraft revealed features like sunspots, plage, and quiet Sun regions. The images, taken in the 200-400 nm wavelength range, provide groundbreaking insights into the Sun's photosphere and chromosphere. The SUIT observations aim to study the dynamic coupling of the magnetized solar atmosphere, contributing to a better understanding of the effects of solar radiation on Earth's climate. Aditya-L1, launched on September 2, is India's first space-based observatory for solar studies.

India's space agency ISRO successfully maneuvered back to the Earth's orbit the propulsion module (a part of the rocket) that earlier carried the historic Chandrayaan-3 Moon lander. After the module detached post-landing, ISRO conducted complex operations enabling its re-entry after a month of orbiting the Moon. The experiment holds significance for planned future manned missions' return journeys. The module continues overhead monitoring through an instrument providing lunar data. When India touched down as the first nation on the relatively unexplored Moon's south pole on August 23, the lander and rover gathered images for two weeks before entering sleep mode. With ample leftover fuel post-landing, ISRO utilized the module further for unique experiments aiding upcoming Moon flights.

India's Aditya-L1 solar mission, led by ISRO, achieves a significant milestone as its Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) begins normal operations. The instruments, Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer (Steps), demonstrate optimal performance. SWIS analyzes solar wind ions, providing crucial insights into solar phenomena and potential Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). ISRO chief S Somanath anticipates Aditya-L1's arrival at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point (L1) by January 7, 2024, enhancing space weather studies. The spacecraft, launched on September 2, carries seven payloads to comprehensively study the Sun.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is set to embark on a visit to India and the UAE, commencing Monday, to enhance collaboration in space exploration. Scheduled meetings with key government officials and space agencies aim to deepen bilateral cooperation in innovation and research, particularly in human exploration and Earth science. The visit to India will fulfill commitments under the anticipated US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology. Nelson plans to visit Bengaluru-based facilities overseeing the NISAR spacecraft, a joint Earth-observing mission with ISRO, crucial for climate change and hazard mitigation. The upcoming trip also includes participation in the UN Climate Change Conference and STEM education discussions with students. [Screengrab from @SenBillNelson /X]

In a groundbreaking achievement, NASA's Psyche spacecraft, equipped with the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) tool, has successfully transmitted a laser-beamed message from a staggering distance of 16 million kilometers—40 times farther than the Earth-Moon gap. This achievement, known as 'first light,' showcases DSOC's potential for higher-data-rate communications. The Psyche mission, aimed at exploring the metallic asteroid Psyche, plans to continue these optical communications on its way to the asteroid, potentially revolutionizing deep space communication by enabling data transfer at speeds 10 to 100 times faster than current methods.

SpaceX's Starship, intended for lunar missions, encountered a setback in its second test flight. The Super Heavy booster, successfully separating from the core stage, exploded over the Gulf of Mexico. While the primary Starship continued its trajectory, a sudden loss of contact occurred 10 minutes into the flight. SpaceX, addressing the incident on social media, described it as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." Despite the setback, the company emphasized the importance of learning from the test, aiming to enhance Starship's reliability for future multiplanetary endeavors, including lunar and Martian missions for NASA.

The collaborative endeavor between ISRO and NASA, the NISAR satellite, has aced its 21-day trial at the ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment. Rigorous assessments of thermal and scientific instrument systems were conducted under simulated space conditions. Project Manager Phil Barela anticipates a launch by ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-II in early 2024 from Sriharikota. The three-year mission aims to comprehensively map Earth's land and ice-covered surfaces every 12 days, providing vital data on ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation, sea level, and natural hazards. NISAR promises groundbreaking insights into climate change and Earth dynamics.