• ISRO Ties up With ESA For Moon Mission
• ISRO to Launch Galileo Satellites
• India Better Choice For Surgeries
• Kohinoor on The Mars
• A Fuelling Achievement For Kalpakkam N-Plant

• India Gets 1st Semiconductor Fabrication Unit
• India Test-Fires Surface-To-Air Missile Akash
• Europe to Follow Indian Standards to Check For Sudan Dye in Chillies
• NASA Gives Indian Names to Rocks on Mars
• DRDO Develops Neem Contraceptive

The European Space Agency (ESA) will partner with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for India's unmanned mission to the Moon, planned for launch by 2007-2008. ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair and ESA Director-General Jean Jacques Dordain signed an agreement to this effect on Monday. European instruments would be included on board the mission to the Moon, "Chandrayaan-1," to be launched by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which would place the 525-kg satellite in a 100-km polar orbit around the Moon. The pact, covered under an umbrella agreement between the ISRO and the ESA, also includes an "Impact Probe" in the mission for proving technological elements required for future landing missions, the ISRO said. Indian and ESA scientists would share the data from the European instruments. The European contribution would include a low energy X-ray spectrometer called the Chandrayaan Imaging X-ray spectrometer from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, U.K., to measure elemental abundance distributed over the lunar surface. Near infra-red spectrometer from the Max Planck Institute of Aeronomie, Germany, would also be included to detect and measure lunar mineral abundances. A High Energy X-ray spectrometer and the European instruments would complement some main Indian experiments on "Chandrayaan-1."

Courtesy: The Hindu, June 28, 2005

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India is close to signing an agreement with the the European Commission for participating in the ambitious Euro 3 billion-Galileo satellite communications project. The agreement is likely to be inked in the next two to three months, said Nils Weller, director general, Energy and Transport, European Commission, while talking to a group of visiting Indian journalists. Although the Galileo is a joint initiative by the European Commission and and European Space Agency, countries like USA, China and Israel have already signed the agreement with the Commission committing to participate in the communication scheme. Apart from India, the EC is talking to Canada, Russia, Ukrain, Argentina, South Korea and Morocco for participating in the project. Exploratory talks are also in progress with the countries like Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Chile and Mexico, said Mr Weller. As far as India is concerned, the EC is holding talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the areas of cooperation. The negotiations are likely to conclude shortly. India is likely to invest about Euro 300 million in the project. The country also hopes to get the contract for launching of satellites. As many as 30 satellites will have to be put in space to fully operationalise the Galileo project. Mr Weller said that launching of only four satellites have been tied up so far. "It is possible to launch a few satellites from India", he said adding certain modalities will have to be worked out before such a decision could be taken. The new system, he added, would have far reaching impact on air traffic control, ship and lorry fleet management, road and rail traffic monitoring, mobilisation of emergency services and tracking of goods throughout the world. The Galileo programme, he added, was the first global satellite and positioning and navigation system designed for civilian use worldwide. The project will feature full interoperability with the American GSP and Russian Glonass systems, both of which were designed for military purposes.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, June 27, 2005

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India's first semiconductor fabrication unit, estimated to cost $600 million, expects to finalise its financial and technology partner in the next 60 days, P. June Min, a South Korean, who is the principal promoter of the project, said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters at the ground-breaking ceremony for the fabrication unit, which is to be set up by Nano-Tech Silicon India, Mr Min said the technology partner would be investing up to 20 per cent in NTSI's equity. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy unveiled the foundation stone for the project, which is to be built in Shamshabad, a suburb of Hyderabad, which is also the site for the new international airport. Dr Min, who is credited with setting up semiconductor units in South Korea and China, said he and some Indian partners had set up NTSI to execute the fab project. According to an NTSI release, Dr Min had invested 60 per cent of the seed round of equity, while the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corp had invested $20 per cent and two private investors - Jai Ramesh and M. Prabhakara Rao - had invested the balance 20 per cent. The quantum of the seed capital was not disclosed. The Andhra Pradesh government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Intellect Inc., the company promoted by Dr Min, a doctorate in electrical engineering from Purdue University in the United States. The MoU was signed in December last year.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, June 27, 2005

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It is estimated that by the year 2010, medical tourism could bring around Rs 200 crores in the country. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry have set up a task force for the promotion of medical and health tourism in the state of Maharashtra. India with its huge resources of medical practitioners and technicians, is a leading destination. Surgeons inform that these foreign patients come to India as the cost of surgeries and treatment is much cheaper as compared to the cost of th same in the US, UK or Germany. Also abroad, they find that many surgeons are Indians and so they feel that it's a better bet to be medically examined in India itself. Dr Asmeet Pispati, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Jaslok and Bhatia hospitals said, "In developed countries, complicated hip surgeries cost around $ 30,000 whereas in India it costs around $ 6,000." Dr Sanjeev Jain, joint replacement and hip-resurfacing surgeon, Dr L.H. Hiranandani Hospital, Powai says, "The privatisation of the medicare sector has brought with it five-star facilities and world-class treatments. Indian hospitals are being recognised internationally for standards of health care delivery, comparable to the best in the world. India has the technology and the skilled super specialists coupled with sound infrastructure and professional management, nurses and paramedical staff to take on international competition."

Courtesy: The Asian Age, June 23, 2005

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India on Friday successfully tested a surface-to-air missile from a test range in Orissa, defence officials said. The upgraded version of the indigenously developed 'Akash' missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the integrated test range at Chandipur at 2.30pm, the officials said. Akash, which has a range of 25 km with a ceiling of 18 km, is part of India's integrated guided missile development programme. It was earlier fired from a mobile launcher on February 21, 24 and 26 from the same range. The missile was successfully tested on November 30 last year while carrying a live warhead. Akash has a launch weight of 700 kg and can carry a warhead of 60 kg. It is used in conjunction with the Rajendra surveillance radar. The missile is crucial to India's air defence programme, as it will be used to counter ballistic missiles and enemy aircraft. The officials said the missile, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), had undergone several trials. The thrust of the current tests was its guidance system.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, June 18, 2005

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), USA has named a rock on the red planet `Kohinoor'. Two other rocks have also been given Indian names by Nasa -- Nalanda and Pongal. A four-member team from NASA is now in New Delhi to promote space science research in the country. On Wednesday, NASA's planetary geologist Dr Amitabha Ghosh and other members of the team, will talk about the most significant results from the Spirit and Opportunity rovers which landed on Mars. Apart from Delhi, the teams are slated to make presentations in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Ghosh was not willing to give out the names of the rocks stating they would be disclosed after Nasa gave a clearance to make the classified information public. However, the photographs of the rocks have been put up on the Nasa team's website www.tharsisindia.com along with the names -- Kohinoor, Nalanda, and Pongal. Tharsis is the biggest volcanic region on Mars which covers almost a quarter of the red planet's surface. The volcano spreads across 4,000 km and is 10 kilometer high.

Courtesy: The Times of India, June 15, 2005

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The European Spice Association (ESA) is likely to follow Indian standards to test chilli samples for the carcinogenic chemical dye 'Sudan', according to Spices Board chairman CJ Jose who attended the recent meeting of association in Brussels. A report in February stating the presence of the dye in food products and their recall, over 1,000 rapid alerts and the recent detection of a Sudan-like adulterant, 'para red' in paprika powder exported from Spain, the European Union felt that the ESA was not doing enough to contain adulteration. It asked the association to come back with an action plan in three weeks. Mr Jose said that after the board made pre-shipment tests mandatory for all chilli and chilli product exports from October 2003, there was not a single instance of adulterated material leaving the country. The Agriculture Produce Export Development Authority (Apeda) is likely to fund the Spices Board to set up a facility here for testing its samples. As the board already had a well-accepted system with the necessary trained personnel, Apeda had held discussions with the board and was likely to invest around Rs 2 crore for the equipment. The board which has even undertaken testing of turmeric since May, had made representations to the Centre for having two more such testing facilities here. These would be besides the Apeda offer, Mr Jose said. The board has a system where samples were received by air in a day and results were intimated the next day. Once the full-fledged system was in place, the board could undertake testing and ensure that no spurious material went out. In the case of paprika exported from Spain, the paprika flakes had been sourced from Uzbekistan. The exporter had claimed that it was not a case of deliberate adulteration as it was a practice there to apply oil to give the material lustre. It could be a case of adulterated oil. Mr Jose said that the board had recently ordered detention of 36 tonne of chilli powder meant for export. The consignment had very little Sudan in it and the adulteration, like in the Spanish case, could have been caused by adulterated oil used generally while grinding chilli. The board was now for testing oils used in chilli grinding.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, June 14, 2005

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American space agency NASA has given Indian names to certain types of rocks on Mars, a senior planetary geologist at the space agency's Mars Mission said on Monday. "NASA has given Indian names to a number of rocks. We shall disclose the names soon after NASA gives a clearance to make this classified information public," NASA planetary geologist Amitabha Ghosh, currently on a three-city tour to India said. Ghosh said the rocks were named in consultation with Indian geophysicists and astrophysicists. For the first time, a four-member team from NASA, including planetary geologists Ghosh, Dr Michael Wyatt, astrogeologist Dr James Rice and Dr Nicole Schultz are in India to further space science research. "The idea is to hold talks at scientific organisations and planetaria to create awareness about space science research," Ghosh, the only Asian on the mission, said. As members of the Mars Explorer Rover Mission, the four have been witness to the activities of Spirit and Opportunity rovers that landed on Mars. "We will be talking about out experiences, our disappointments and moments of glory during the 500 days of the mission through a series of lectures to create awareness about space exploration in this country," he said. The team would conduct awareness campaigns in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore, he added.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, June 14, 2005

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DRDO'S Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences has developed neem contraceptives and is on the verge of transferring the technology to the pharmaceutical industry. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has isolated a spermicidal compound fraction from neem oil that can kill a sperm and improve vaginal health, Dr W Selwamurthy, Chief Controller, R&D (DRDO headquarters) said. The product, named 'Concept', can cure vaginal infections caused by a wide range of pathogenic organisms. It is safe and cost-effective compared to other drugs as its base is neem oil, which is available in plenty in India. The drug is under phase two trials, Selwamurthy said, adding TTK Pharma, Ranbaxy and other companies have shown interest in the technology and the technology would soon be transferred to some of them. The DRDO is also looking at spin-off technologies in a big way. Already 10 technologies have been developed in this regard, including the Leh berry juice, which has antioxidants vitamins C & E, and betacarotene flavanoids beneficial for any kind of stress. The DRDO has also developed pheromones for dengue control. Some American companies have shown interest in the technology but it will be provided to Indian companies first, Selwamurthy said. The other technologies developed include 2 Deoxy-D-Glucose as a radio sensitiser for cancer treatment which has been transferred to Dr Reddy's Labs for Rs 25 lakh and a royalty for three years. A technique to detect typhoid has also been developed, the first of its kind in the world.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, June 13, 2005

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Marking a major milestone in reprocessing technology in India, scientists at the Kalpakkam Atomic Research Centre have achieved an international benchmark in reprocessing spent carbide fuel with high plutonium content with very high burn-up levels, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said on Saturday. "The unique carbide fuel has been reprocessed with a burn-up of 100 Gigawatts-day per tonne (one lakh MW d/t). Carbide fuel has not been reprocessed in the world at all, except perhaps in test tubes but never in a plant," Dr Kakodkar told a press conference at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). "This is an international benchmark as plutonium-rich carbide fuel has been reprocessed to these high burn-ups for the first time in the world," said Dr Baldev Raj, IGCAR chairman, referring to the performance of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), which is being used to test reprocessing capability for both carbide and oxide fuels. Most countries in the world use only oxide fuels, but India is the first to use carbide fuels for reprocessing. Carbide fuels are advanced plutonium-rich fuels. They enable fast breeding of fissile materials, and tend to produce more fuel then they consume. They provide for fast doubling of nuclear reactors, as the fuel they reprocess in one reactor will soon be enough to feed a second reactor. The FBTR's performance has helped validate and demonstrate an expertise in reprocessing such fuels and augurs well for other reprocessing exercises involving oxide fuels and the next generation metallic fuels. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), which is coming up at Kalpakkam and is due to be commissioned in 2010, will be the first commercial venture using fast breeder technology. Even though oxide fuels are not as rapid in breeding as carbide fuels, the Department has decided to use it for PFBR and not the advanced carbide fuels. "FBR being a commercial reactor, before we take a decision on using advanced fuels, we'd like to accumulate more experience," explained Dr Kakodkar. But this did not mean that oxide fuels are the future. The FBR is designed to use oxide, carbide and metallic fuels. "Once we master carbide fuel reprocessing technology completely, we want to leapfrog to the stage of metallic fuels," said Dr Baldev Raj. Reprocessing technology, which involves operating on a closed fuel cycle has become necessary for India because its uranium resources are limited. "The idea is to maximise the use of our modest uranium resources to meet today's requirements without endangering the requirements of future generations," Dr Kakodkar said.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, June 12, 2005

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