The Government of India launched the Global Pravasi Rishta Portal and Mobile app. The application aims to connect the Indian Diaspora spread all over the world.
The Global Pravasi Rishta Portal and Mobile app will help to connect 3.12 crores Indian diaspora spread all over the world.
It will create three-way communication between the Indian Missions (meaning the embassies), external affairs ministry and Indian diaspora. Indian Diaspora means scattered population whose origin is India. (Diaspora is mass spreading of population away from their indigenous territory).
The app is to be used by the Indian Diaspora and the portal by the missions.
Dec 31, 2020
BHEL Wins Order for Supply of 32 Reactor Header Assemblies
Bharat Heavy Electricals has won a prestigious order for the supply of 32 Reactor Header Assemblies from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.
The order has been won under NPCIL's Fleet mode procurement for India's highest rated indigenously-developed 700 MWe Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) to be set up at four different locations in the country.
Significantly, this is the first equipment order placed by NPCIL under the Fleet Mode Procurement program and will give an impetus to domestic manufacturing.
Notably, BHEL has the distinction of being associated with all the three stages of the Indian Nuclear Power Programme and has been the primary supplier for Reactor Headers, Steam Turbines, Steam Generators, Motors, etc., to NPCIL. Till now all the Reactor Header Assemblies for 700 MWe PHWR based Nuclear Power Projects in India have been supplied by BHEL.
Dec 30, 2020
US Plans to Set Up a Nuclear Reactor on Moon
USA plans to set up the first nuclear reactor on the moon by the end of 2026. In early 2021, the US Department of Energy in collaboration with NASA intends to solicit industry design proposals. It also got an impetus with a recent White House directive.
The outgoing President Donald Trump issued the National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion.
Under it, he asked NASA to initiate a fission surface power project for lunar surface demonstration by 2027 with scalability to a power range of 40 kilowatt-electric and higher to support a sustained lunar presence and exploration of Mars.
The objective of NASA behind this was to establish a flight hardware system that is ready for integrating with the lunar lander by 2026 end. The nuclear reactor is known as the fission power system that will benefit future robotic and human expedition missions to the moon as well as Mars.
Dec 29, 2020
Skyroot Aerospace First Indian Company to Test-fire Solid-fueled Rocket Engine
Indian Space start-up, Skyroot Aerospace, has proven the crucial propulsion technology of their maiden rocket Vikram-1, with the latest test-firing of an engine. Vikram-1 rocket is powered by four engines — three solid-fuel stages and one Liquid-fuel stage that the firm has designed and developed.
In August this year, the company had tested its liquid-fueled engine and now has proven the technology of the solid-fueled engine (Kalam-5), by successfully test-firing a miniature version.
The Engine 'Kalam-5', is named so for its peak Sea Level thrust of 5.3kN. It is notable that the engine is built with an advanced carbon composite structure in a completely automated process.
Dec 28, 2020
China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite
China has successfully launched a new remote sensing satellite into space.
The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
The satellite, Yaogan-33, was launched aboard a Long March-4C rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. It was the 357th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
The mission also sent a micro and nano technology experiment satellite into orbit.
The two satellites will be used for scientific experiments, land resources survey, crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and reduction.
ISRO Developing 'Green Propulsion' for Human Space Mission Gaganyaan
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Sivan said that the space agency was developing 'green propulsion' for its ambitious human space flight mission, 'Gaganyaan'. He was addressing the 16th convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology.
"As India continues to focus on economic growth, it needs to ensure that environmental damage is limited by adopting green technologies. ISRO has made space grade lithium-ion batteries and this technology is useful for mass adoption of electric vehicle", he noted.
Even in the rocket propulsion, ISRO is developing green propulsion for its human space flight mission. In future, all the propulsion stages may adopt green propulsion.
The space agency had planned to launch its maiden human space flight mission 'Gaganyaan' by December 2021. But early this month, ISRO indicated that it is likely to be delayed by one year.