Latest news with #Orbiter


NDTV
4 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
TVS Orbiter Electric Scooter Trademarked Overseas, Will It Come To India?
TVS is planning to launch an all-new electric scooter in the global market. Recently, the two-wheeler manufacturer has filed a patent application for its upcoming entry-level 'Orbiter' electric scooter in Indonesia. Also, the name was earlier trademarked in India as well. Reports suggest that this electric scooter will be positioned below the TVS iQube, currently available in the Indian market. TVS currently offers the iQube with three variants available in the market- the iQube, iQube S, and iQube ST. It has two battery pack options, that is, a 2.2 kWh and a 3.5 kWh battery pack. The smaller battery pack is claimed to deliver 94 km of range and takes 2 hr 45 minutes to charge from 0 percent to 80 percent. The 3.5 kWh battery pack option is claimed to give 145 km of range and can charge from 0-80 percent in 4 hr 30 minutes. TVS Orbiter trademarked in Indonesia Though not much has been revealed about the TVS Orbiter, we know that the brand is likely to place it below the iQube electric scooter. Hence, it is expected to come up with a smaller battery pack option (could add a 3.5 kWh battery later). Also, the prices of the TVS iQube start from around Rs 95,000, and the Orbiter is expected to be priced at a much more affordable rate than the iQube. The trademark documents suggest that TVS has taken the Orbiter name for its electric scooter. The exact name will only be finalized as the launch gets closer. Previous reports also suggest that the Indian two-wheeler major has also filed a trademark for 'EV-one' and 'O'. Since the Orbiter nameplate has been recently trademarked, the brand has not specified any much details about its upcoming offerings. However, the new electric scooter is likely to be launched by the festival season.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
See the Sun in a Way You've Never Seen It Before, From Above and Below
Every image you've ever seen of the sun is looking at its equator, because Earth's orbit sits there with a 7.25-degree tilt. That means humans have never had a good angle to view the sun's north and south poles until now. The European Space Agency has released images of the sun's north and south poles, giving everyone their first glimpse at the top and bottom of our nearest star. The imagery was taken by the ESA's Solar Orbiter, which began its trek to view the sun's polar regions in 2020. To do this, the Orbiter engaged its boosters, made some adjustments, and slingshotted itself around Venus at a staggering 27,000 miles per hour. Once it reached its destination, it took images using its Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI), the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), and the Spectra Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument. "Today we reveal humankind's first-ever views of the sun's poles," said Professor Carole Mundell, ESA director of science, in a blog post. "The sun is our nearest star, giver of life and potential disruptor of modern space and ground power systems, so it is imperative that we understand how it works and learn to predict its behavior. These new, unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science." The images are viewable above or in a YouTube video on ESA's channels. In the video, you can see the view that we Earthlings generally see before the video transitions to the solar orbiter's viewpoint and zooms in so you can see the bottom of the sun in all of its hot, fiery glory. The video is only 50 seconds long, but it's 50 seconds of footage that humans have never seen before. Most of the ESA's images and videos are of the sun's south pole, but the blog post includes imagery of the north pole as well. For the most part, scientists had no idea what to expect from the data, given that this is the first time any human had seen it before. The full dataset from the Orbiter's first pole-to-pole adventure is set to reach Earth by October 2025, which will give scientists much more to work with in terms of understanding how the sun works. Future orbits will include measurements from all 10 of the Orbiter's tools, so even more information is coming over the next few years.


Indian Express
7 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Sun's South Pole captured on camera: A breakthrough in science, hinged on a tweaked angle
Perspective is everything. It has now been reaffirmed by the Solar Orbiter — a Sun-observing probe launched jointly by the European Space Agency and NASA in 2020. On Wednesday, the spacecraft released images of the Sun's South Pole, marking a scientific breakthrough in space. Made possible by a tilt in the orbit of the probe, these are first images of the poles from outside the ecliptic plane. The new angle also allowed the Orbiter to map magnetic activity at the Sun's pole — a groundbreaking reveal for the future of solar research. Carole Mundell, the ESA's director of science, has said, 'These new unique views… are the beginning of a new era of solar science.' All spacecraft, probes and planets orbit the Sun within a flat disc — images of the Sun so far have also been from this plane. By tilting its orbit, the ESA-NASA probe captured new angles — both to study and gaze at. The only other craft to have flown over the Sun's poles was NASA's Ulysses probe in 1990. But it did not carry a camera. Given that magnetic activity determines a great deal about the environment and character of the Sun, a peek at it opens up new horizons. Most importantly, with the 17-degree tilt expected to last until December 2026, and further tilts in the offing, the best images are yet to come. With the rapid strides space exploration has made in recent years, many pieces are falling into place, and the puzzle of the universe is clearer today than ever before. That the most recent achievement has been made possible due to a simple shift in perspective is revealing about the nature of science — and humanity. To unveil and capture such significant details of a celestial object through such a tiny manoeuvre offers a lesson. Sometimes, all you need is a change of angle.


Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
TVS Orbiter nameplate patented, could launch later this year
TVS recently filed a design patent for a new scooter in Indonesia. There is a possibility that the new name is used for the upcoming scooter. ( Notify me TVS Motor Company has filed a nameplate patent for 'Orbiter'. It is expected that this name would be used for an upcoming electric scooter that will be positioned below the iQube in the brand's portfolio. The launch of the TVS Orbiter could happen later this year. However, nothing is confirmed as of now. This is because the name of the product is finalised when it is closer to the launch. Apart from the Orbiter, TVS has also filed nameplate patents for 'EV-One' and 'O'. TVS Motor Company is once again stirring up anticipation in the electric two-wheeler segment, thanks to a recently leaked design patent. Although there's no official word yet regarding its market-specific launch, speculations are strong that the patent reveals a brand-new entry-level electric scooter. This model is likely to sit below the existing TVS iQube, both in terms of pricing and features, making it an accessible option for a broader range of buyers. Also Read : TVS Motor working on new 450 cc motorcycle platform, shared with BMW and Norton A More Aerodynamic and Youthful Design According to details published by Indonesian automotive blog the design patent points to a scooter that borrows design cues from the iQube but brings them in a much slimmer, more streamlined package. Visually, the most striking aspect is the LED headlamp with integrated daytime running lights (DRLs), which is reminiscent of the iQube's setup but appears more compact and refined. Another notable shift is the overall body structure. Unlike the iQube's upright and boxy appearance, the new scooter adopts a sleeker profile with smooth, aerodynamic panels flowing from the front floorboard to the rear. This approach not only enhances visual appeal but may also help with efficiency and performance—two critical factors in the electric mobility segment. Also Read : TVS Jupiter 125 DT SXC launched at ₹ 88,942. Here's what is new A Scooter for the Urban Youth? The design direction suggests that TVS could be targeting a younger, more style-conscious urban demographic with this scooter. The sportier and more modern look is in line with current trends among urban EV buyers, who prioritize aesthetics alongside practicality. Global EV or Something Else? Interestingly, TVS had earlier confirmed it was working on a new global electric vehicle, and this patent could very well be part of that initiative. However, ambiguity still surrounds the nature of the scooter. While all signs point to it being an EV, the company has yet to confirm whether this model is fully electric or possibly powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE). Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 13 Jun 2025, 09:32 AM IST


India Today
12-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
Europe's Solar Orbiter clicks world's first picture of Sun's poles
The robotic Solar Orbiter spacecraft has obtained the first images ever taken of our sun's two poles as scientists seek a deeper understanding of Earth's host star, including its magnetic field, its 11-year cycle of activity and the solar European Space Agency on Wednesday released images taken in March using three of Solar Orbiter's onboard show the sun's south pole from a distance of roughly 40 million miles (65 million km), obtained at a period of maximum solar activity. Images of the north pole are still being transmitted by the spacecraft back to Orbiter, developed by ESA in collaboration with the U.S. space agency NASA, was launched in 2020 from Until now, all the views of the sun have come from the same vantage point - looking face-on toward its equator from the plane on which Earth and most of the solar system's other planets orbit, called the ecliptic Orbiter used a slingshot flyby around Venus in February to get out of this plane to view the sun from up to 17 degrees below the solar equator. Future slingshot flybys will provide an even better view, at beyond 30 degrees. This image shows Solar Orbiter's view of the Sun's south pole on 23 March 2025. (Photo: ESA) "The best is still to come. What we have seen is just a first quick peek," said solar physicist Sami Solanki of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany, who heads the scientific team for the spacecraft's Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager spacecraft observed both poles, first the south pole, then the north pole," Solanki said. "The north pole's data will arrive in the coming weeks or months."Solar Orbiter is gathering data on phenomena including the sun's magnetic field, its activity cycle, and the solar wind, a relentless high-speed flow of charged particles emanating from the sun's outermost atmospheric layer that fills interplanetary space."We are not sure what we will find, and it is likely we will see things that we didn't know about before," said solar physicist Hamish Reid of University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UK co-principal investigator of Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager sun is a ball of hot electrically charged gas that, as it moves, generates a powerful magnetic field, which flips from south to north and back again every 11 years in what is called the solar magnetic field drives the formation of sunspots, cooler regions on the solar surface that appear as dark blotches. At the cycle's beginning, the sun has fewer sunspots. Their number increases as the cycle progresses, before starting all over again."What we have been missing to really understand this (solar cycle) is what is actually happening at the top and bottom of the sun," Reid The sun's diameter is about 865,000 miles (1.4 million km), more than 100 times wider than Earth."Whilst the Earth has a clear north and south pole, the Solar Orbiter measurements show both north and south polarity magnetic fields are currently present at the south pole of the sun. This happens during the maximum in activity of the solar cycle, when the sun's magnetic field is about to flip. In the coming years, the sun will reach solar minimum, and we expect to see a more orderly magnetic field around the poles of the sun," Reid said."We see in the images and movies of the polar regions that the sun's magnetic field is chaotic at the poles at the (current) phase of the solar cycle - high solar activity, cycle maximum," Solanki sun is located about 93 million miles (149 million km) from our planet."The data that Solar Orbiter obtains during the coming years will help modelers in predicting the solar cycle. This is important for us on Earth because the sun's activity causes solar flares and coronal mass ejections which can result in radio communicationblackouts, destabilize our power grids, but also drive the sensational auroras," Reid Orbiter's new vantage point out of the ecliptic will also allow us to get a better picture of how the solar wind expands to form the heliosphere, a vast bubble around the sun and its planets," Reid added.A previous spacecraft, Ulysses, flew over the solar poles in the 1990s."Ulysses, however, was blind in the sense that it did not carry any optical instruments - telescopes or cameras - and hence could only sense the solar wind passing the spacecraft directly, but could not image the sun," Solanki Watch