On March 16, ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, in collaboration with the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh, developed indigenous 32-bit microprocessors. These microprocessors, named Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201, will be used for space-related experiments. With the help of these microprocessors, the navigation and control of launch vehicles can be enhanced. This is India's first such effort, marking a significant achievement in achieving self-reliance in high-reliability microprocessors and onboard computers for launch vehicle navigation and control.
Sunita Williams' Return Soon from Space
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Aunapu, Japan's Takuya Onishi, and Russia's Kirill Peskov have arrived at the space station. Elon Musk's SpaceX spacecraft, Dragon, reached the International Space Station (ISS) after approximately 28 hours. On March 16, at 9:40 AM IST, the spacecraft docked, and the hatch opened at 11:05 AM. The spacecraft will bring back Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded at the space station for the past nine months.
The four-member crew of Crew-10 launched from Kennedy Space Center on March 15 at around 4:30 AM IST, using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. After Crew-10's arrival at the space station, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, along with astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Crew-9, will return to Earth in the Dragon spacecraft. They are expected to return on March 19.