News In Shorts

To be built with partnership of Space-tech firm, Pixxel and AI startup, Sarvam where former will design, build, launch, and operate pathfinder satellite, while latter would provide AI backbone. 

• The ODC, along with enhancing country’s space computing capabilities, would promote technological sovereignty by operating independently of foreign cloud infrastructure. 

About Orbital Data Centres (ODCs)

• Meaning: Scalable, cloud-enabled data processing and storage infrastructure operating directly in space. 
  • Work either in conjunction with terrestrial cloud infrastructure or independently. 

Significance of ODCs

• Abundant, Uninterrupted power: In a dawn-dusk sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), it can leverage continuous, high-intensity solar power, unhindered by night-time, weather, or atmospheric attenuation.
• Free radiative cooling: Deep vacuum of space serves as a gigantic, cold heatsink having effective ambient temperature of around -270 Celsius, eliminating freshwater needs for cooling. 
  • Single 40 megawatt (MW) terrestrial cluster can consume over 1 million tons of water annually for cooling.
• Scalability and speed of deployment: ODCs can be linearly scaled almost indefinitely through modular design, and be launched faster compared to building terrestrial infrastructure.
• Overcome Limitations of Terrestrial Data Centres: 
  • Huge Power Consumption: Large data centres consume approximately 1.5% of global power (WEF). 
  • Land and permitting constraints: Hyperscale data centres require significant land along with extensive planning, rights-of-way and environmental reviews.

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Communication.

• It identifies Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) as the preferred technology, leveraging existing 4G and 5G networks.
• V2X relies on two main wireless technologies: Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) and C-V2X.
  • DSRC uses Wi-Fi whereas C-V2X is a more comprehensive standard, leveraging cellular networks.

About V2X Communication

• V2X refers to a communication system where a vehicle exchanges real-time information (E.g. position, speed) with other vehicles, infrastructure, pedestrians, and networks using short-range and/ or direct communications. 
• It is a core component of Intelligent Transport Systems and connected mobility.

Significance of V2X

• Road Safety: Enables safety applications like collision avoidance, intersection management, and emergency vehicle warning systems, reducing accidents and fatalities.
  • SDG 3.6 aims to halve global road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
  • E.g. Forward Collision Warning System (USA) showed a 9% decrease in rate of forward collision conflicts.
• Traffic Efficiency: Optimizes traffic flow and reduces congestion through smart signal coordination.
• Autonomous Vehicle Support: Enhances decision-making for self-driving systems with external data inputs.
• Environmental Benefits: Lowers fuel consumption and emissions contributing to UN SDGs.
  • 5G & Smart City Integration: Enables low-latency communication for connected urban mobility systems.

DRDO successfully conducted a test of its Actively Cooled Full Scale Scramjet Combustor, achieving a run-time of over 1,200 seconds (earlier 700 seconds).

Scramjet Propulsion System

• Concept: Scramjet stands for Supersonic Combustion Ramjet. 
  • It is an advanced air-breathing jet engine designed to operate efficiently at hypersonic speeds by allowing the combustion of fuel to occur supersonically.
• Operating Mechanism:  Vehicle's forward motion to "ram" and compress external air into the combustor.
  • It uses atmospheric oxygen as its oxidizer as it flies through the air.
• Fuel Types: Hydrogen or advanced liquid hydrocarbon endothermic fuels.
• Advantages: Reduce total weight of vehicle, making it a highly efficient propulsion system for low-cost, reusable access to space and an ideal foundation for hypersonic cruise missile development.

World’s first OptoSAR satellite Mission Drishti launched.

• Developed by Indian Space Start-up GalaxEye, launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, it is India's largest privately built Earth Observation satellite. 

About Mission Drishti 

• Uses OptoSAR: It is the first to combine Multispectral Imaging (MSI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on a single platform. 
• Orbit: Sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
  • LEO orbits around Earth at an altitude of about 160 km to 2,000 km.
• Capability: All-weather, day-night, intuitive imaging capabilities.
  • It will promote space-based surveillance. 
• Resolution: Highest among Indian private players.

About OptoSAR

• It is an end-to-end system of hardware and software designed to work in perfect harmony.
• Technology Used: SyncFusion Stack
• Addresses Limitations of Earlier Satellites:
  • Optical sensors: Deliver clear, intuitive images, but are limited by clouds and darkness. 
  • SAR: Can see through cloud cover and operate day and night, but imagery is harder to interpret.

Sweden joins India's Shukrayaan (Venus Orbiter) mission.

• Venus, the closest planet to Earth and believed to have formed in conditions similar to Earth.

About Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM)

• It is India's first scientific mission designed to explore the planet Venus, approved in 2024.
• Objective: For a better understanding of the Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and the influence of the Sun on the Venusian atmosphere
• It is planned to be launched in March 2028.
• ISRO will be responsible for the development of the spacecraft and its launch. 
• LVM-3 has been identified as the candidate launch vehicle which will place the spacecraft in an Elliptical Parking Orbit (EPO).

The SMILE mission successfully launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).

About SMILE Mission:

• Joint Mission: European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
• Objective: to capture the first-ever panoramic imaging of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere, helping scientists understand space weather phenomena like geomagnetic storms.
• Instruments: Light ion analyser, Magnetometer, Soft X-ray imager, Ultraviolet aurora imager.
• World’s First Space-Borne Soft X-ray Imager (SXI): To visualize the previously "invisible" boundaries of Earth's magnetosphere.

Recently, scientists using data from NASA's MAVEN mission made the first-ever observation of the Zwan-Wolf effect occurring in a planetary atmosphere rather than just a magnetosphere

• MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft is a robotic orbiter dedicated to surveying the upper Martian atmosphere.
• A magnetosphere is the region around a planet dominated by the planet's magnetic field.

About Zwan-Wolf effect

• It is a phenomenon where electrically charged particles are squeezed along magnetic structures known as flux tubes, similar to toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube.
• This effect plays a key role in deflecting solar wind around the planet

New Study on Wave-driven turbulence generated by Alfvénic/kink waves may explain the extremely high temperature of the Sun’s corona compared to its surface.

• Solar Corona: Outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere extending millions of kilometres above the surface into space.
• Temperature Paradox: Corona temperature reaches about 1 million °C, much hotter than the Sun’s surface/photosphere (~5,500°C).

About Alfvénic/Kink Waves

• Alfvénic/Kink Waves: Transverse magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves that travel along magnetic field lines in the Sun’s corona, causing sideways oscillation of coronal plasma structures.
• They play a crucial role in understanding coronal heating.

Scientists have mapped the extent of the Vela Supercluster for the first time.

About Vela supercluster

• It is a collection of at least 20 galaxy clusters, each of which contains hundreds or thousands of galaxies, all gravitationally bound into a single entity. 
• It stretches across about 300 million light-years and contains an enormous amount of matter equivalent to about 30 million billion Suns.
• It lies around 800 million light-years from Earth within a region called the Zone of Avoidance (ZoA).
  • ZoA is a ~20% region of the night sky obscured by the Milky Way’s interstellar dust and stars, hiding background galaxies from optical observation.
• It is more massive than Laniākea, the supercluster that contains Earth and the rest of our galaxy.

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission was honored with prestigious 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

About the Award

• Significance: Highest honor bestowed by AIAA for notable achievements in the field of astronautics.
• Background: Named after Robert H. Goddard, a pioneer in liquid rocket engine development, and received its current widened criteria in 1975.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission

• Historic Landing: On August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 made history by becoming the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing near the Moon's South Pole. 
• Mission Life: One lunar day (~14 Earth days).
• Components: Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover.

The rapid growth of egocentric data collection has triggered ethical questions around surveillance, consent and labour displacement.

About Egocentric Data

• Egocentric data refers to video and sensor recordings captured from the perspective of the person performing a task. 
  • Typically collected using cameras mounted on the head, chest or wrist, the footage shows exactly what a human worker sees while carrying out an activity including hand movements, object interactions, navigating spaces etc.
• Significance: 
  • Designed to mimic the visual viewpoint a robot itself would have during deployment. 
  • Valuable for training Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, which are AI systems that combine visual understanding, language instructions and physical movement.
• Related Issues: Surveillance, privacy, ownership, compensation.

Ministry of Communications launched Cell Broadcast System (CBS). 

About CBS

• It is a telecom-enabled public warning system that enables authorities to broadcast simultaneous, geo-targeted alerts to mobile devices within a defined area. 
  • It is integrated with the CAP-based SACHET platform.
• It is an indigenous technology developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• It overcomes the limitations of traditional SMS-based systems, ensuring that critical information can be disseminated quickly and efficiently to large populations within targeted areas.

79th World Health Assembly (WHA) concluded in Geneva.

• Held under theme “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility”, it adopted multiple resolution and decisions on issues including antimicrobial resistance, etc. 

Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR) for 2026–2036

• About: 2^nd edition of GAP-AMR that builds on a decade of implementation of first GAP-AMR adopted in 2015. 
• Aim: Attainment of 2024 UN General Assembly target of 10% reduction in bacterial AMR-associated deaths in humans, reducing antimicrobial use in agrifood systems, and minimizing environmental pollution from resistant microbes by 2030. 
• Technical support and Coordination: Provided with WHO and Quadripartite partners, i.e., Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). 

About AMR

• Meaning: Occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents like antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, etc. 
• Burden: AMR can cause up to 39 million deaths by 2050. 
• Key Initiatives:
  • India: National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR); Red Line Awareness Campaign, etc. 
  • Global: WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS)

Global Hepatitis Report 2026 released by World Health Organization (WHO). 

• As per the report, India is among top contributors to global hepatitis deaths, particularly from hepatitis B and C.

About Hepatitis

• It is an inflammation of the liver, caused majorly by Hepatitis viruses, however, other infections, toxic substances (e.g. alcohol, certain drugs), and autoimmune diseases can also cause it. 
• 5 main hepatitis viruses:  Type A, B, C, D and E. 
  • Types B and C lead to chronic disease and are most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.
  • Hepatitis A and E typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food/water. 
  • Hepatitis B, C and D occur usually due to parenteral contact with infected body fluids.

International panel has renamed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as PMOS. 

• PCOS is a common hormonal condition affecting women of reproductive age. 
• In this, ovaries produce excess androgens (hormones regulating masculine characteristics), causing irregular menstruation, ovarian cysts, acne, weight gain and fertility difficulties. 
• “PCOS” was considered misleading because many women diagnosed with it do not have polycystic ovaries; narrowing down both diagnosis and treatment. 

About PMOS

• PMOS highlights multiple hormonal pathways, central metabolic dysfunction and broader systemic risks.
  • Polyendocrine: involvement of multiple hormone-producing systems. 
  • Metabolic: connection with metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance and cardio-metabolic dysfunctions as central features. 
  • Ovarian: irregular menstruation, infertility and ovulation problems 
  • Syndrome: complex multisystem disorder and not single-organ complication.

Hantavirus outbreak trapped 150 people on Dutch flagged cruise ship MV Hondius leaving 3 persons dead.

About Hantavirus

• Zoonotic viruses carried by rodents (rats and mice) that can cause severe disease in humans.
• Transmission: People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
• It causes 2 types of syndromes:
  • Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS): A rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.
  • Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
• There is no specific cure available.

Scientists warn that rising temperatures due to climate change can spread  the risk of disease-causing amoeba, particularly, brain-eating amoeba. 

About Brain-Eating Amoeba

• Lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world.
• Enters the body through the nose, and attacks the brain tissues. 
  • Can cause an infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). 
  • PAM is a rare, fulminant infection of central nervous system, that is always fatal. 

Ayush Anudan Portal under Ayush Grid Initiative launched aiming to digitize the submission, processing, approval, and monitoring of grant proposals.

About Ayush Grid Initiative

• A digital initiative, launched by the Ministry of Ayush in 2018, to build an integrated, transparent, and citizen-centric digital ecosystem for the Ayush sector.
• Under this initiative, multiple digital platforms including Ayush Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS) and e-Aushadhi have been developed.
• It complies Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and spans areas including education, research, medicinal plant administration, drug regulation, etc.