India shows second highest growth in science research: Report

India is at the second position among countries with the highest increase in their contribution to high-quality scientific research, according to a new report which shows that the growth of research in the country is only behind China's.

The institutions from India among the top 100 highest performers across the globe include Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IIS) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

While India made its mark, Chinese institutions are leading the world in rapidly increasing high-quality research outputs, according to the Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars report.

As many as 40 of the top 100 performers are from China, with 24 of those showing growth above 50 per cent since 2012.

The US - which remains the largest contributor to high-quality scientific papers overall - has 11 entrants into the top 100, despite many starting from a high base.

Nine institutions feature from the UK, eight from Germany and five from India.

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PSLV-C35 lifts off successfully with eight satellites

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) satellite launching workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has lifted off successfully with eight satellites.

The vehicle was launched from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The longest satellite launch event stretching over two hours and 15 minutes, started with the lift off of the vehicle PSLV-C35 at 9:12 a.m., with eight satellites, from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

While SCATSAT-1 was launched soon after the launch of the vehicle, the rest of the seven satellites are expected to be launched between 11:25-11:28 a.m.

This is the first mission of PSLV in which it will be launching its payloads into two different orbits.

The PSLV-C35 is carrying SCATSAT-1 for weather related studies, five foreign satellites and two satellites from Indian academic institutes to its orbits.

The launch vehicle carries around 675 kg, including the 371 kg SCATSAT-1, which is to help provide weather forecasting services to the user communities through the generation of wind vector products for weather forecasting, cyclone detection and tracking. It is a continuity mission for the Oceansat-2 satellite, launched in 2009.

SCATSAT-1 will be launched into 730 kilometre polar Sun Synchronous Orbit inclined at an angle of 98.1 degree to the equator whereas the two Indian institutes satellites and five satellites abroad will be placed in a 689 km polar orbit of 98.21 degree inclination later, using the read full story