A great start to 2024: PM Narendra Modi on Isro’s maiden launch of the year

As the world welcomed 2024, India marked the beginning of the year with a successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on its 60th mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) for their latest achievement, which he described as “a great start to 2024.” The launch vehicle carried the XPoSat observatory to space that will study black holes, and neutron stars in the universe. The prime minister said that the first launch of the year is wonderful news for the space sector and will enhance India’s prowess in this field. “Best wishes to our scientists at Isro and the entire space fraternity in taking India to unprecedented heights,” Modi said. The XPoSat, or X-ray Polarimeter Satellite, is a cutting-edge mission that aims to study cosmic phenomena and deepen our understanding of the universe. The successful deployment of XPoSat adds another feather to ISRO’s cap, which has been witnessing a series of successful missions, including the recent entry of Chandrayaan-3’s propulsion module into lunar orbit. Earlier, on September 2, 2023, Isro had already set a benchmark with the successful launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, aboard the PSLV-C57 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The Prime Minister lauded this achievement as well, emphasising the nation’s commitment to scientific progress for the welfare of humanity. Looking ahead, ISRO has its sights set on the Venus Orbiter Mission, scheduled for 2025, which will be India’s inaugural venture to study the atmosphere of Venus over five years. These ambitious projects underscore India’s growing capabilities and aspirations in space technology and research