Veteran actor Saira Banu kicked off the New Year in the company of Aamir Khan, his mother Zeenat Hussain, and his former wife Kiran Rao, sharing glimpses of their gathering on Instagram. She reminisced about the enduring bond between Aamir and her late husband, Dilip Kumar, acknowledging Aamir’s unwavering support during challenging times.

The posted photos captured the intimate gathering, with Saira seated on a sofa while Aamir sat on the floor beside her. Kiran relaxed on the couch, engaging in conversation with them, while Aamir’s mother and sister, Nikhat Khan, were also present.

Aamir sported a black t-shirt and grey pants, Kiran wore a printed top paired with jeans, and Saira adorned a white outfit. Several images showcased Aamir resting his hand on Saira’s knees. Saira’s caption reflected on the passage of time and the constancy of cherished relationships.

She expressed the enduring connection between Dilip Kumar and Aamir, highlighting Aamir’s deep admiration for the legendary actor and Dilip Sahib’s genuine appreciation for Aamir’s talent in bringing characters to life on screen. Saira praised Aamir’s support during the creation of Dilip Sahib’s autobiography, emphasising his sincerity and genuine nature beyond the glitz of the film industry.

Saira fondly detailed their New Year celebration, welcoming Aamir, Kiran, and Zeenat Aapa into her home, relishing heartfelt conversations and reminiscing about cherished moments with Dilip Sahib. She concluded with warm wishes for the new year, underscoring the value of enduring relationships that withstand the test of time.

Arbaaz Khan and Sshura Khan tied the knot on December 24, 2023. Their wedding ceremony was an intimate affair with close friends and family in attendance. After sharing several glimpses of their wedding, Sshura has now dropped an adorable snap.

Sshura Khan who recently made her Instagram handle public shared a snap holding hands with her husband Arbaaz Khan. Take a look:

She captioned the post, “Me & Mine,” with heart emoji.

Earlier, Sshura Khan shared a previously unseen video of Arbaaz Khan proposing to her. The actor-producer went down on his knees in the romantic video.

Arbaaz and Sshura’s nikah ceremony was held at Arpita Khan Sharma and Ayush Sharma’s residence. Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Salim Khan and others were seen in the wedding photos shared by Arbaaz. 

SEE ALSO: Watch: Arbaaz Khan goes on his knees, Sshura Khan gives him a kiss in romantic proposal video

The Indian space agency will rely on SpaceX to launch its next generation heavy communications satellite named GSAT-20. This is the first time the Department of Space and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will use the Falcon-9 heavy lift launcher which may liftoff from Florida on a dedicated Indian mission.

The deal also exposes the weak underbelly of ISRO which still lacks a rocket which has the capacity to lift big communication satellites. ISRO Chairman S Somanath ISRO says India had to go to SpaceX since ‘no other rocket was available in time.’

The commercial arm or ISRO, New Space India Limited has signed a contract with SpaceX for a possible liftoff in the second quarter of this year. The SpaceX deal also signifies a significant shift since till now India relied heavily on the France led Arianespace consortium to launch the heavy satellites. India’s own rockets lack the capacity for launching very heavy satellites to the geostationary orbit beyond 4 ton class.

According to NSIL, GSAT-20 offers Ka-Ka band high through put (HTS) capacity with 32 beams having Pan-India coverage including Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir and Lakshadweep islands. NSIL is realizing GSAT-20 satellite through ISRO.  The satellite weighs 4700 kg, offers HTS capacity of nearly 48Gpbs. The satellite has been specifically designed to meet the demanding service needs of remote/ unconnected regions. Dr Radhakrishnan Durairaj, CMD, NSIL says this is the second demand driven communication satellite mission being undertaken by NSIL after the GSAT-24 mission whose full capacity was leased out to Tata Play. Durairaj says this new satellite deal only confirms that the reform process undertaken by the government is yielding results. NSIL has not revealed who has bought the capacity of the satellite.

While France and Arianespace was indeed a trusted all weather partner all along and India launched 23 of its heavy duty communications satellites on this rocket owned by the European Space Agency. Durairaj says but for a 21 st century new age public sector undertaking looking at bottom lines `if commercials and readiness make sense we go for it’. It must also be acknowledged that Arianespace retired its most trusted rocket Ariane-5 and the replacement Ariane-6 has been much delayed.   

The GSAT 20 satellite will now be renamed GSAT-N2 and it will essentially provide broadband internet access to remote areas. This will obviously be in competition with OneWeb and Starlink who may get licenses soon since the new Telecom law paves way for them to launch their services. Other players actively wooing the space based internet service provider market is Reliance Jiospace.  

India’s heaviest rocket dubbed the Bahuballi or the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 can lift only 4000 kilogram satellites to the geo-stationary orbit. Mr. S Somanath has been stressing the need to urgently build a heavier rocket called the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) which can lift up to 10,000 kilograms to the same orbit, it is already being designed at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and will take few more years to become a reality. Somanath says `India’s launch capability has to be enhanced to meet future needs, while being cost competitive’.