General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - October 2019

Oct 2019

Aug 07, 2026

Anil Menon completes maiden ISS spacewalk

Anil Menon, Indian-origin NASA astronaut, completed his maiden spacewalk outside the International Space Station on 7 August 2026. The expedition, conducted in the U.S. segment of the ISS, lasted nearly six hours and involved maintenance and upgrades to the station's power channels and orbital infrastructure. Menon coordinated with mission control, assessed thermal protection and life-support systems, and assisted in docking hardware checks for future visiting spacecraft. The activity marked a notable milestone for Indian-origin astronauts in human spaceflight and showcased ongoing collaboration between NASA and international partners. Space agency officials highlighted safety protocols, meticulous planning, and real-time problem solving during the EVA.

Maiden spacewalk completed on 7 August 2026 outside the ISS.
Duration was approximately six hours.
Work focused on power channels and orbital infrastructure.
Menon coordinated with NASA mission control during EVA.
Highlights India’s growing role in human spaceflight and international cooperation.

Aug 06, 2026

China harvests first rice crop grown in space aboard Tiangong Space Station

China harvested the first rice crop grown in space aboard the Tiangong Space Station, marking a milestone in space agriculture. The experiment studied plant growth and food production in microgravity, with researchers monitoring germination, yield, and stress responses. The successful harvest signals progress in developing sustainable food systems for long‑duration space missions and supports future deep space exploration. Space agencies see space farming as part of long‑term life support architectures for astronauts. The achievement also contributes to international interest in crop science and closed‑loop bio‑regenerative systems. China's next steps include expanding experiments with staple crops and refining cultivation methods for future extra‑planetary colonies.

Event: first space-grown rice harvest on Tiangong Space Station.
Purpose: study plant growth in microgravity for space missions.
Implication: advances in space agriculture and life-support systems.
Future work: expand crops and cultivation methods for space use.

Aug 05, 2026

ICAR develops India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever vaccine

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed India's first indigenous vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF) for pigs. ASF is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, causing severe economic losses to pig farmers globally. The vaccine development strengthens India’s animal health sector and reduces reliance on imported vaccines. ICAR’s achievement supports government efforts to safeguard livestock and rural livelihoods, potentially preventing outbreaks and stabilizing pig populations. The vaccine is expected to help mitigate the economic impact of ASF on pig farming communities across the country.

Organization: ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research).
Disease: African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs.
Significance: India’s first indigenous ASF vaccine.
Impact: strengthens animal health and reduces imports.
Expected outcome: lower outbreak risk and economic protection for farmers.

TakeMe2Space develops India’s first satellite battery with flight heritage

Hyderabad-based space technology startup TakeMe2Space has developed PowerBank-50, claimed as India’s first commercially available satellite battery with flight heritage. The off-the-shelf battery targets satellite applications and aims to reduce dependence on imported space-grade components. The company notes that the battery carries flight heritage, built on prior use in actual space missions. This development aligns with government goals to domesticize space hardware and expand private sector participation in India’s space program. If scaled, PowerBank-50 could become a standard power solution for a wide range of satellites, strengthening India’s capabilities in space infrastructure.

Product: PowerBank-50 satellite battery.
Claim: first Indian off-the-shelf satellite battery with flight heritage.
Market: intended for satellite applications.
Impact: reduces reliance on imported space-grade components.
Strategic relevance: supports domestic space hardware and private sector growth.

Aug 03, 2026

First X-ray binary found in Magellanic Bridge

Scientists from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (IUCAA), identified the first X-ray binary system in the Magellanic Bridge, a tidal structure linking the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The system comprises a white dwarf pulling gas from a giant companion star, producing powerful X-ray emissions observable by space telescopes. The team used data from the eROSITA X-ray telescope to confirm the discovery, noting that such binaries enrich understanding of stellar evolution in low-metallicity environments. The finding adds to a growing catalogue of exotic binary systems in nearby galaxies and informs models of accretion physics.

First X-ray binary discovered in the Magellanic Bridge by IUCAA, Pune.
System includes a white dwarf accreting from a giant star.
eROSITA data confirmed the discovery.
Helps study stellar evolution in low-metallicity regions.

Alibaba unveils Qwen3.8-Max AI model

Alibaba announced the Qwen3.8-Max, its latest AI model, in August 2026. The model reportedly comprises about 2.4 trillion parameters and supports processing text, images, and videos with a context window of up to one million tokens. Its mixture-of-experts architecture is designed to reduce computing costs and improve response speed for large-scale applications. The model aims to compete with leading multinational AI platforms by offering sophisticated reasoning, multimodal capabilities, and efficient inference for enterprise use. Alibaba stated the system will be integrated into its cloud services and developer tools, enabling businesses to build advanced AI-powered experiences across global markets and sectors.

Qwen3.8-Max announced by Alibaba in August 2026.
Approximately 2.4 trillion parameters; multimodal support.
Context window up to one million tokens; mix-of-experts design.
Integrated into Alibaba Cloud and developer tools for enterprises.

Aug 01, 2026

Sarvam AI launches Epoch Builder Edition on 30 July 2026

Sarvam AI released the Epoch Builder Edition on 30 July 2026 for developers and enterprises. The platform enables building, fine-tuning and deploying multilingual large language models. Epoch Builder Edition provides 7‑billion and 70‑billion parameter models trained on nearly two trillion tokens. It supports more than ten Indian languages and promotes the development of indigenous AI applications. The release reflects India’s growing AI ecosystem and the push to build language technologies that meet local needs in education, governance and business. Users can integrate Epoch Builder Edition with existing data pipelines and deploy on cloud or on‑premises infrastructure, as required.

Epoch Builder Edition released on 30 July 2026 for developers and enterprises.
Supports multilingual LLMs with 7B and 70B parameter models.
Trained on nearly two trillion tokens across more than ten Indian languages.
Aims to boost indigenous AI applications in India.
Can be deployed on cloud or on‑premises infrastructure.

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