News Broadcasting
GSLV launch rescheduled for 18 April, eight-day window to be kept open
All eyes will be on Sriharikota in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on 18 April. The reason: that’s the day the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will once again be taking a shot at becoming a player in the global satellite launch sweepstakes. A previous attempt in March was aborted moments before takeoff.
The GSLV afire last month: So near, yet so far
Isro’s indigeneously developed three-stage, 49-metre high Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), will take its place on the launchpad with its payload of a 1.54 tonne experimental space craft GSAT-1. And should the weather gods frown on that day, Isro will have till 25 April to try again.
The launch will be between 3:47 PM and 7:41 PM on 18 April while the countdown will begin on 16 April 57 hours before the flight, according to Isro officials.
The inaugural flight of the GSLV on 28 March had to be aborted just before take-off apparently because one of the four strap-on booster rockets failed to achieve the required level of thrust, during takeoff. Isro explained that the booster rocket failed due to a “defective plumbing in the oxidiser flow of the engine. ” It added that the fire which spread over one of the strap-on boosters was due to the “burning of foam insulation pads” and was incidental.
“It did not cause any damage to the vehicle. It has been decided to provide additional flame protection for these insulation pads … All other systems of the vehicle are found to be healthy,” Isro added.
Isro has been developing the GSLV for the past 10 years and has poured in some Rs 14 billion as investment.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
