NEW DELHI – India’s space agency on Sept. 1 announced plans to build a new class of powerful communication satellites. K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), says the new spacecraft will feature an upgraded power system to accommodate more transponders. “ISRO has plans to integrate new technologies in them and get into higher bands,” Radhakrishnan says. ISRO is aiming to introduce these technologies during the next five-year plan (2012-17) that starts next April.

A Gulf Air passenger airplane skidded off the runway after landing in heavy rain Monday in the southern Indian city of Kochi, injuring several people. Officials at the Bahrain-based carrier say the accident happened before dawn as the Airbus A320 was attempting to land at Cochin International Airport, which is located about 25 km (16 mi.) north of the major port city of Kochi. Gulf Air Flight 270 was carrying six crew and 137 passengers. Several people sustained injuries during the evacuation of the aircraft, but no one was critically injured.

India will have about 150 airports and about 2,000 airplanes by 2030, according to Airports Authority of India Chairman V.P. Agrawal. “The domestic aviation sector is poised to grow very rapidly in the coming years and we need well-equipped airports to cater to the growing demand,” Agrawal says.