Tag: mission

  • India’s next space mission: Sun

    After becoming the first country to land a craft on the moon’s south pole, India will be soon launching its first space-based observatory to study the sun.

    According to Al-jazeera, India’s space agency, in an announcement on Monday, said the Aditya-L1 probe, to be launched on September 2, will study solar winds, which can cause disturbances on Earth and are commonly seen as auroras.

    Aditya-L1 is named after the Hindi word for the sun. It will travel about 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) and will take about four months to travel to its observation point, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

    The spacecraft will be fired into a halo orbit in a region of space that will give the craft a continuous clear view of the sun.

    “This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time,” ISRO said.

    As reported by Al-Jazeera, the spacecraft will be carrying seven payloads to observe the sun’s outermost layers – known as the photosphere and chromosphere – including electromagnetic and particle field detectors.

    Previously, NASA and the European Space Agency placed probes into orbit to study the sun.

  • Sindh govt’s Rs2 roti plan may trigger shortage, price inflation in the near future

    Sindh govt’s Rs2 roti plan may trigger shortage, price inflation in the near future

    Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has announced a subsidised food programme for the poor. As part of this initiative, the government will provide roti (flatbread) at a price of Rs2.

    Tessori stated that the provision of roti at a reduced price is aimed at helping people affected by inflation and will be implemented in specific areas of the metropolis. He emphasised that this noble cause will be pursued as a mission.

    During a ceremony on Sunday, the governor announced the establishment of up to 300 tandoors (traditional clay ovens) across the Sindh capital, where roti will be sold for only Rs2. Additionally, he reiterated that ration bags would be distributed among one hundred thousand deserving families in the port city.

    While it may seem beneficial for the inflation-hit people of Karachi to have access to roti at a significantly lower price of Rs2 compared to the Rs20-25 market price, there could be unintended consequences.

    If the government sets up 300 temporary tandoors selling roti at Rs2, the majority of people may opt to buy from them rather than purchasing roti from tandoors selling it at a higher price. Consequently, the tandoors selling roti for Rs20 may be forced to close as they would be unable to compete with these subsidised tandoors.

    Once the government discontinues the cheap roti scheme or ceases to offer it at reduced rates, there is a potential for a shortage to arise. With only a limited number of tandoors available for citizens to purchase roti from, the scarcity could drive up the price of roti to Rs30 or even higher.

    This highlights the possibility that the government’s initiative of selling roti at a reduced rate may not be sustainable in the long run. The temporary availability of roti at Rs2 might not be as beneficial as initially perceived. Only time will tell whether this programme will provide temporary relief to the masses or worsen the situation.

  • 2013 elections were better than 2008, 2018: EU Parliaments head of Election Observation Mission

    2013 elections were better than 2008, 2018: EU Parliaments head of Election Observation Mission

    Michael Gahler, the head of the Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the European Union (EU) Parliament has said while talking to a group of journalists that the EU will not send its election observer mission to Pakistan for the upcoming elections.
    When asked which elections were better, Gahler said 2013 was better than 2008 and 2018.

    Gahler said he had established 30 recommendations after observing the last few elections.

    “Military doesn’t want to take over because they’d be blamed but they still want to control their areas of interest to ensure they’re not touched,” he commented, adding that media and press was more vivid in 2008 and 2013 but it was to the contrary in 2018.

    He wished that for the next elections, every candidate can stand/contest elections without any influence of a third force. “People deserve proper elections.”

    European External Action Service (EEAS) does annual work plans to decide which countries to send EOMs to. Criteria to take into account: previous quality of elections, political significance, follow-up on past EOMs and its recommendations, logistics (costs, security etc).

    Pakistan elections of 2018 has been one of the largest, most complex and expensive EOMs of the EU.

    For 2023, HRVP decided to send only an expert mission (EMM) to Pakistan.