News Broadcasting
Ariane 5 EC-A ready for Thursday launch
MUMBAI: The launch of Arianespace’s first increased-lift Ariane 5 has been given the “green light” following the successful readiness review conducted at the Spaceport.
The upgraded version, designated Ariane 5 EC-A, is set for launch during the night of 28-29 November, from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
Mission team members reviewed the launcher’s status, and verified that its dual-satellite payload was ready for the Thursday evening liftoff. The Spaceport’s launch infrastructure and down-range tracking stations also were declared ready to support the mission, a company release says.
The launch readiness review cleared the way for tomorrow morning’s rollout of the Ariane 5, which will transfer the launcher from its final assembly building to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex.
Flight 157 will mark a milestone in Ariane 5’s development. This will be the first mission with an increased-lift version capable of lofting a payload of 10 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit.
The release says the additional performance further strengthens Arianespace’s competitiveness, proving the ability to pair up almost any combination of telecommunications satellites for efficient dual launches.
The launch window for Flight 157 opens Thursday evening at 7:21 pm local time in French Guiana, and continues through 8:04 pm.
After liftoff, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 will release the Eutelsat HOT BIRD 7 TV broadcast satellite at approximately 27 minutes into the flight, followed by the French Stentor telecom demonstrator about nine minutes later.
Proton launch of ASTRA 1K Satellite fails to reach proper orbit:
ASTRA 1K, the fourteenth satellite in the ASTRA series, was unable to reach its proper orbit after the failure of the Proton launch vehicle.
The spacecraft was intended to operate at ASTRA’s orbital position of 19.2 East.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
