China to Build Lunar Space Station, Explore Habitable Planets under New Plan
China announced plans to launch a manned lunar mission, construct a lunar space station and explore habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
China's top space bodies unveiled a national mid- and long-term development programme for space science, which will guide the country's planning of space science missions and space research from 2024 to 2050.
The programme released by the China Academy of Sciences (CAS), China National Space Administration and the China Manned Space Agency outlined the goals of China's space science, including 17 priority areas under five key scientific themes, and a three-phase roadmap.
The international lunar research station initiated by China will be constructed during the second phase from 2028 to 2035.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia Inaugurates International 6G Symposium
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, the Union Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, inaugurated the International 6G Symposium alongside the ITU-WTSA24 and IMC 24 events. He emphasised the transformative potential of 6G technology in driving economic growth and innovation, stating that the shift towards software-centric approaches offers a significant opportunity for India, which boasts a large pool of engineering and software talent. Scindia projected that India will contribute 10% of global 6G patents through the Bharat 6G Alliance, reinforcing the nation's ambition to lead in this new technological era.
The symposium, organised by the Bharat 6G Alliance, highlights a collaborative effort among industry, academia, and research institutions to establish India as a global leader in 6G technology. The alliance aims to influence global standards through organizations like ITU and 3GPP. Scindia reaffirmed India's commitment to being the "Voice of the Global South," advocating for inclusive and affordable technology.
Oct 17, 2024
Alibaba Claims its New AI Translation Tool Outperforms Google and ChatGPT
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba made headlines with the launch of its upgraded AI translation tool, Marco MT, which it asserts is superior to offerings from tech giants like Google and ChatGPT. This announcement came as Alibaba aims to bolster its international business, particularly in light of slowing growth in its domestic markets.
The new tool, powered by Alibaba's proprietary model Qwen, is designed to assist merchants in creating product pages tailored to their target markets. It supports 15 languages and incorporates advanced features that allow it to interpret contextual clues, including cultural nuances and industry-specific terminology.
Oct 15, 2024
NASA Launches Spacecraft to Gauge if Jupiter's Moon Europa Can Host Life
NASA launched a spacecraft from Florida on a mission to examine whether Jupiter's moon Europa has conditions suitable to support life, with a focus on the large subsurface ocean believed to be lurking beneath its thick outer shell of ice.
The U.S. space agency's Europa Clipper spacecraft blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The robotic solar-powered probe is due to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030 after journeying about 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) in 5-1/2 years.
Even though Europa, the fourth-largest of Jupiter's 95 officially recognised moons, is just a quarter of Earth's diameter, its vast global ocean of salty liquid water may contain twice the water in Earth's oceans.
India's National Space Commission officially approved the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (Lupex), marking the country's fifth lunar mission. This mission follows the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 in August 2023, which made India the fourth nation to land on the Moon. Lupex is a collaborative endeavor between India's ISRO and Japan's JAXA, aimed at exploring the Moon's resources, particularly water in its polar regions.
The primary goal of Lupex is to investigate the presence and distribution of water on the Moon, both on the surface and beneath the lunar regolith. The mission aims to gather crucial data about how water interacts with the Moon's environment, which is vital for future lunar exploration and potential human habitation.
Oct 10, 2024
Europe Creating Its Own Moon at LUNA Facility
European scientists are investigating the feasibility of building a moon replica on Earth. To achieve this, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre established the LUNA Analog Facility. This facility, located near Cologne, Germany, features 900 tons of crushed volcanic rock to mimic the lunar surface.
To simulate the moon's low-gravity conditions, scientists plan to use movable ceiling-mounted trolleys that can track the movements of rovers or astronauts, creating a similar experience to what they would encounter on the moon.