Space Technology and Innovations

• GSAT-20: Weighing 4,700 kg, GSAT-20 exceeds the capacity of ISRO’s LVM-3 rocket (4,000 kg). Equipped with a Ka-band high-throughput communications payload, it is designed to operate for 14 years. This collaboration with SpaceX was necessary for its launch.
• LVM-3: ISRO’s heaviest rocket, capable of launching payloads up to 4,000 kg. Due to GSAT-20’s weight exceeding this capacity, the launch was carried out by SpaceX.
• Shenzhou-18: A Chinese crewed space mission.
• KoreaSat-6A: SpaceX launched the KoreaSat-6A communication satellite for South Korea’s KT SAT Corp.
• VLT Survey Telescope: Recently captured a detailed image of IC 4701, an emission nebula in the Sagittarius constellation.
• DARPA's DRACO: DARPA, in collaboration with NASA, is developing the DRACO mission to explore nuclear fission-powered spacecraft.
• Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE): The European Space Agency’s JUICE mission will study Jupiter’s three Galilean moons: Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
• SHIELDS Mission: NASA launched the SHIELDS mission from the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, to study light from interstellar particles in the heliosphere.
• INCOIS SARAT Upgrade: The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) upgraded its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to enhance sea rescue operations by Indian agencies, including the Coast Guard.
• India’s First Diabetes Biobank: Established in Chennai to enhance research in diabetes.
• Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH): The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has established four SAMARTH Centres to enhance competitiveness in the Indian capital goods sector.
• ISRO’s CE20 Cryogenic Engine: Tested at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
• ESA’s EnVision Mission: The European Space Agency’s mission to study Venus.
• NASA’s IXPE Investigation: NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) has investigated the X-ray binary system Swift J1727.8-1613, also known as Swift J1727.
• Bharat Antariksha Station: India is planning to launch the ‘Bharat Antariksha Station’ by 2035.
• Google GenCast: Google has unveiled ‘GenCast,’ a new tool for weather forecasting.