Current Affairs Module
Science, Space & Emerging Technology
Scientific research and technological innovation are rapidly transforming space exploration, computing architecture, defense systems, and clean energy. In India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made history with the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar South Pole and the successful launch of Aditya-L1 to study solar dynamics from the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point. Concurrently, national missions like the National Quantum Mission and the IndiaAI Mission are advancing supercomputing and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. Evaluating space trajectories, cryogenic propulsion, quantum algorithms, and biotechnology breakthroughs clarifies modern technological progress.
Key Concepts & Examination Highlights
- ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 successfully touched down on the Moon's South Pole region on August 23, 2023, making India the first nation to land in that region; the landing site was named 'Shiv Shakti Point'.
- Aditya-L1 was launched on September 2, 2023, aboard PSLV-C57 and successfully inserted into a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1 in January 2024.
- The Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission in April 2023 with a budget of ₹6,003 crore to develop 50-1000 physical qubit quantum computers over eight years.
- AIRAWAT, installed at C-DAC Pune, was ranked among the top 100 fastest supercomputers in the world, bolstering India's National Supercomputing Mission.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Science and Technology (DST), and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).