February 16, 2025
Spotting the International Space Station
Rehaan Palsule, a class 1 student at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, Mumbai, has been keenly following various space missions. With the help of his parents, he recently succeeded in observing the spectacular International Space Station (ISS) passing overhead in Mumbai. We spoke to him about his observations and interest in space. Here’s what he had to say.
I find celestial bodies, space exploration and astronauts’ journeys very interesting. I have been following Sunita Williams and her work aboard the ISS and have been tracking the ISS using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) application called Spot the Station. The application helps us know when the ISS passes overhead, allowing us to see it. Tracking the ISS and observing it is difficult because of various factors that affect its sighting including daylight, weather conditions and cloud cover. Using Spot the Station and a phone compass, my parents and I determined when the ISS would fly over Mumbai and the direction we would see it.
We figured that the ISS would pass over our location in Khar, Mumbai, on January 7 at around 6.08am. On that day, we woke up at 5.30am and set up a phone camera with a tripod on the terrace of our building. I eagerly waited to catch a glimpse of the ISS. It was still dark and a bit cold. As time went by, my excitement started increasing. Then, at the predicted time, a shining dot shot across the sky, similar to a shooting star. It was the ISS! I gazed at it for around five minutes until it eventually disappeared. My parents and I managed to capture pictures of it with the phone camera.
I think India has made remarkable progress in the space sector over the years. I am very excited about the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) upcoming missions especially Gaganyaan, which aims to send humans to space. It would be amazing if India set up its own space station and came up with more projects that explore Mars. Learning about space shows how different countries are working together to explore the mysteries of the universe.
RobinAgers’ Views on India in Space
SreeNimai Shyam
Class 8, Greenwood High International School, Bengaluru
The past few years have been very eventful for India in the space sector. India is almost on par with advanced countries such as the USA. After witnessing India achieve significant milestones, I feel India’s future in the space domain is incredibly bright. Our nation’s rapid development in the space sector underscores a promising future. India was the first to reach the Moon’s South Pole with the Chandrayaan-3 mission and is on the path towards reaching many new heights. I would like it if India made efforts to make the Moon a habitable place. Many countries including India are populous and exploring the habitability of other celestial bodies could pave the way for human habitation on the Moon and other planets in the future.
Adithya Rathan S
Class 9, The Indian Public School, Salem
After the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which made India the first country to reach the Moon’s South Pole, and the Adithya-L1 mission, which focussed on studying the Sun, India has proved its expertise in the space sector. Approximately 124 spacecraft missions have been executed by ISRO and the organisation also successfully executed space docking in January. This has positioned India among the leading nations in the space sector. In addition to all these achievements, I would like India to prioritise manned space missions and work on boosting space mission success rates.
Nethra Anand
Class 10, Seed Academy, Chennai
India has excelled significantly in the space sector. Even though India has limited funds as compared to advanced countries, it has made remarkable progress with the launch of many missions including Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. I want India to break new ground in space exploration and research. I would like India to make use of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to study and harness the resources of other celestial bodies so that Earth’s natural resources can be protected. The metals and water found on other planets could be used by us. India could also work on organising space tours for its citizens.
