General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - January 2017

Jan 2017

Apr 08, 2024

Agnikul Puts Off for Third Time Launch of Agnibaan Sub-orbital Rocket

Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos called off the maiden launch of its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket about 129 seconds before lift-off citing communication in the onboard hardware.
This was the third attempt at the test launch of the Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) since March 22, when the test flight was first scheduled to be held at the Agnikul Launch Pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
Agnikul is seeking to conduct India's second private rocket launch, following startup Skyroot Aerospace's November 2022 launch of the Vikram-S sub-orbital rocket.

South Korea Launches Its 2nd Military Spy Satellite

South Korea launched its second military spy satellite into space, days after North Korea reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites this year.
The Koreas each launched their first spy satellites last year (2023) – North Korea in November and South Korea in December — amid heightened animosities. They said that their satellites would boost their abilities to monitor each other and enhance their own missile attack capabilities.
South Korea's second spy satellite was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on April 7, 2024.

Apr 06, 2024

Meta Expands Fact-Checking Program with PTI in India

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, extended its third-party fact-checking initiative in India by partnering with the Press Trust of India (PTI). This collaboration established PTI as a dedicated fact-checking unit within its editorial department, enabling the identification, review, and rating of misinformation across Meta platforms.
Meta's collaboration with PTI aims to bolster efforts in combating misinformation by empowering PTI to identify, review, and rate content across Meta platforms, contributing to a more reliable information ecosystem.

Apr 05, 2024

Romania Unveils World's Most Powerful Laser

A research centre in Romania revealed the world's most potent laser, based on the groundbreaking inventions of Nobel Physics Prize winners Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland. The laser, operated by the French company Thales, promises revolutionary applications across sectors from healthcare to space exploration.
The heart of this groundbreaking laser lies in Chirped-Pulse Amplification (CPA) technology, developed by Mourou and Strickland. This technique enables the amplification of laser power while maintaining safe intensity levels. By stretching and compressing ultra-short laser pulses, CPA achieves unprecedented levels of intensity, paving the way for various applications, including advanced precision instruments in corrective eye surgery and industrial uses.

NASA Selects Three Firms to Develop Vehicle to Explore Moon's Surface

The US space agency NASA selected three companies, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab, to develop a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) that Artemis astronauts will use to travel around the Moon's surface.
As per NASA, the vehicle will help conduct scientific research during the agency's Artemis campaign at the Moon and preparing for human missions to Mars.
This vehicle will greatly increase the astronauts' ability to explore and conduct science on the lunar surface while also serving as a science platform between crewed missions.

Apr 04, 2024

Tata AIA Launches Payment Solutions on WhatsApp

Tata AIA Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (Tata AIA), one of India's leading life insurers, launched a premium payment service on its WhatsApp platform marking the first-ever launch of its kind in the life insurance sector. Previously limited to UPI-based transactions, Tata AIA consumers can now use a wide range of payment methods within WhatsApp. Using WhatsApp, policyholders can now easily make renewal payments through credit card, debit card, and net banking options. Policyholders can now pay premium up to INR 1 crore, instead of the earlier limit of INR 2 lakh.
There are 27 services offered by Tata AIA on WhatsApp for its consumers.

Korean Fusion Reactor 'Artificial Sun' Sets New Record

Scientists in South Korea set a new world record using the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) device, an 'artificial Sun' nuclear fusion reactor. During tests conducted they generated plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius for a duration of 48 seconds.
This temperature is seven times that of the sun's core, which is 15 million degrees Celsius.
Nuclear fusion seeks to replicate the reaction that makes the sun and other stars shine, by fusing two atoms to unleash huge amounts of energy. Fusion has the potential to provide limitless energy without planet-warming carbon pollution.

Apr 03, 2024

125 Years of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory

Perched atop the picturesque Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu, the iconic Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO) commemorated a remarkable milestone – its 125th anniversary of studying the celestial body that sustains life on Earth, the Sun. On April 1, 2024, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, organised a grand celebration to honour the legacy of this historic observatory and felicitate the scientists who dedicated their lives to advancing our understanding of our star.
Established on April 1, 1899, by the British, the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory has been a cradle of groundbreaking research in solar astrophysics for over a century. Throughout its illustrious history, the observatory has been the birthplace of numerous pathbreaking discoveries that have profoundly impacted our perception of the Sun and its intricate workings.

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