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GSAT-8 launched successfully
BANGALORE: India‘s advanced communication satellite, GSAT-8, was successfully launched at 02:08 hours today by the Ariane-V launch vehicle of Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana.
Ariane V placed GSAT-8 into the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 35,861 km apogee and 258 km perigee, with an orbital inclination of 2.503 degree with respect to the equator.
GSAT-8 will help augment the shortage of transponders due to a power snag that resulted in the failure of 24 transponders on the working satellite Insat-4B and the launch failures of Isro’s GSAT-5P and GSAT-4 last year.
As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the launch was delayed by a day due to certain additional inspection that had been taken up by the launch agency Arianespace.
Isro‘s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the signals from GSAT-8 satellite immediately after the injection. Initial checks on the satellite have indicated normal health of the satellite.
The satellite was captured in three axis stabilisation mode. Preparations are underway for the firing of 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) during the third orbit of the satellite on 22 May at 03:58 hours as a first step towards taking the satellite to its geostationary orbital home.
Commenting on the successful launch, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “This launch will augment
communication networks in the country and help us meet the challenge of providing affordable radio and television connectivity and world class GPS services to millions of our countrymen.”
Singh said this in a telephonic conversation with Space Secretary K. Radhakrishnan at the launch site.
In his message, he said: “The successful launch has once again demonstrated the versatility and reliability of Indian space programme.”
The GSAT-8 spacecraft, envisaged to augment the growing need of Ku band transponders, carries 24 Ku Band transponders and 2 Channel GAGAN (GPS And GEO Augmented navigation) payload.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
