Feature
India gears up to launch satellite every month
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): India is preparing to launch one satellite every month to meet growing needs from its space-based assets, including transponders and scientific instruments, a top space official said on Wednesday.
“We have started this year with the launch of the fifth navigation satellite, which is a great success as it was precisely injected into the intended orbit. We are lining up a series of satellites for launch in almost every month to meet the demand,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman A.S. Krishna Kumar said here.
The state-run space agency is bracing up to launch two more navigation satellites in February and March, followed by earth observational, remote-sensing and communications-based spacecraft from its spaceport here, using one- to four-tonne rockets with indigenous cryogenic engines.
“We have a long way to go, as we have to first complete the constellation of seven regional navigation satellite system (IRNSS) in the next two months and embark on other missions to launch various types of satellites for multi-purposes,” Kumar told scientists at the mission control centre after the fifth satellite was precisely deployed in the intended orbit.
The space agency said later that the satellite (IRNSS-1E) was injected into an elliptical orbit at 20,655 km an apogee (away from earth) and 282 km perigee (nearer to the Earth) at an angle of 19.21 degrees to the equator and its intended orbit.
The organisation’s master control facility at Hassan, about 180 km from Karnataka, will conduct four manoeuvres to position the 1,425-kg satellite in the geo-synchronous orbit in the next two weeks.
“With this launch, we have proved again that our PSLV (polar satellite launch vehicle) workhorse is a reliable rocket to carry various types of satellites for diverse applications and needs across the country,” Kumar said.
Using strap-on boosters, the PSLV-C31 was the 33rd launch mission and 32nd successful launch consecutively since its first version blasted off over two decades ago in September 1993.
“Speeding up the space programmes, we had launched five missions in 2015, including four PSLV and one GSLV (geo-synchronous launch vehicle) rockets. Since July, we had launched four missions with each in August (GSLV), September and December,” satellite centre director M. Annadurai told IANS.
With the successful launch of the GSLV in August 2015, GSLV-Mark-III in December 2014 and GSLV-Mark II in January 2014, using indigenous cryogenic engine which runs in super-cooled temperatures, the space agency plans to launch one more GSLV-Mark III as its heaviest rocket this year to carry four-tonne satellites in the geo-stationary orbit, about 36,000 km from the earth.
“Demand for various satellites is growing to meet national needs and other users across the country and region. Besides providing communications, broadcasting, navigation, earth observation and remote-sensing applications, we have to replace spacecraft whose 10-12 years of lifespan are coming to end,” Annadurai said.
According to estimates, the space agency has to launch about 80 satellites over the next five-six years in the polar and geo-synchronous orbits, besides about 40 foreign satellites by its commercial arm Antrix in the next two years.
The space agency has also lined up second lunar mission (Chandrayaan-2) and solar observatory (Aditya-1) over the next two years.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
