General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - December 2018

Dec 2018

Dec 02, 2023

South Korea Launches its First Military Spy Satellite

South Korea launched its first military spy satellite into space, a little over a week after North Korea claimed to put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time as tensions rise between the rivals.
Launched from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, it was the first of five spy satellites South Korea plans to send into space by 2025 under a contract with SpaceX.
South Korea had no military reconnaissance satellites of its own in space and has partially resorted to the United States' spy satellites to monitor moves by North Korea.

Dec 01, 2023

Space-Tech Start-up Agnikul to Flight Test 3D-printed Engine by Year-End

Chennai-based start-up Agnikul is gearing up to launch its groundbreaking rocket, Agnibaan, featuring the world's first 3D-printed engine. The company, incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, is set to conduct a technology demonstrator mission by the end of this year, paving the way for its first commercial launch in 2024.
Agnibaan boasts the pioneering Agnilet engine, a single-piece 3D-printed marvel, designed and manufactured entirely in India. This engine, successfully test-fired in early 2021, marked a significant milestone in 3D printing technology for the country. Unlike traditional sounding rockets, Agnibaan is a highly customisable, single-stage launch vehicle capable of carrying up to 300 kg payloads to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits).

Nov 30, 2023

The 4th ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum

The 4th edition of the annual ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation Forum (AIGIF) took place in Langkawi, Malaysia, showcasing the collaborative efforts of India and the 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). With the participation of 200 representatives, this year's (2023) AIGIF aimed to strengthen the relationship between the nations and promote social innovations at the grassroots level.
The AIGIF is an annual program designed to foster cooperation in STI between India and AMS. It not only provides a platform for showcasing social innovations but also contributes to strengthening governance in grassroots innovation ecosystems.
Y. B. Chang Lih Kang, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Government of Malaysia, inaugurated the AIGIF 2023.

Nov 29, 2023

NASA Ready to Work with ISRO to Build Indian Space Station

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson said that the United States was open to collaboration with India in building its own space station. Nelson said that the US and India were planning to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of next year.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to work towards building an Indian space station by the year 2035 and landing an Indian astronaut on the moon by the year 2040.

IndiGo Launches AI-Powered Chat Assistant '6Eskai' After Air India

IndiGo launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chat assistant '6Eskai' to address customer queries in 10 different languages.
India's largest airline followed the footsteps of Air India, which launched its AI-powered chat assistant 'Maharaja' on November 10.
While 'Maharaja' is powered by Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service, '6Eskai' is powered by Microsoft's GPT-4 technology.
'6Eskai' is capable of performing a wide range of tasks, including booking tickets, applying promotional discounts, booking add-ons, performing web check-ins, helping in seat selection, planning trips, answering FAQs (frequently asked questions), and connecting customers with an agent. Moreover, the bot is not only capable of understanding written or typed language, but also verbal instructions using speech-to-text models.

Nov 27, 2023

ISRO Celebrates Diamond Jubilee of First Sounding Rocket Launch

In a grand ceremony held at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO commemorated the 60th anniversary of its maiden foray into space with the launch of the Nike-Apache sounding rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station on November 21, 1963.
The event was graced by the presence of Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology, who inaugurated the program. S. Somanath, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space (DOS), presided over the function.
As part of the jubilee festivities, an exhibition showcasing the past, present, and future programs of ISRO was organised. The 2452nd-sounding rocket launch from Thumba, a Rohini 200, added a spectacular touch to the event. Jitendra Singh unveiled a diamond jubilee monument near the launch control centre, symbolizing six decades of India's achievements in space exploration.

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