Current Context: Ukraine has recently unveiled a new long-range cruise missile named Flamingo (FP-5). ABOUT FLAMINGO MISSILE Developer: Ukraine’s Fire Point Defense Company. Type: Long-range ground-launched cruise missile. Category: First indigenously produced “heavy” missile system of Ukraine. FEATURES Range: 3,000 km. Warhead: 1,150 kg. Maximum Takeoff Weight: 6,000 kg. Wingspan: About 6 meters. Engine: Turbofan engine. Speed: Up to 900 km/h. Navigation: Inertial system + GPS. Special Ability: Resistant to electronic warfare. Secure GPS module with CRPA antennas. Heavy weight + high terminal velocity → deeper penetration before explosion, increasing destructive power.Read More

CURRENT CONTEXT : India successfully test-fired Agni-5 Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). SFC is part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority and manages the country’s tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile. ABOUT AGNI-5 Type: Nuclear-capable Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile (SSBM). Range: Over 5,000 km. Engine: Powered by three-stage solid fuel Developer: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Programme: Part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Other missiles: Prithvi, Trishul, Nag, Akash.Read More

Current Context : A group of 34 students from Indian government schools will visit Japan under the Sakura Science Programme 2025. ABOUT SAKURA SCIENCE PROGRAMME Launched by: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) in 2014 India joined: 2016 Objective: To expand scientific curiosity, foster innovation, and strengthen international collaboration. Nature: Japan–Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science. 2025 Participation : Students from India, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia will join.Read More

Current Context : The Trump administration has recently proposed shutting down NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO)program. About OCO PROGRAM Purpose: Dedicated Earth remote sensing satellites to observe atmospheric CO₂ from space and improve understanding of climate change. Missions Timeline: OCO-1: Failed after launch (Feb 2009) OCO-2: Launched (July 2014), based on original OCO design to minimize cost and time OCO-3: Installed on International Space Station (ISS) in 2019 for enhanced atmospheric CO₂ observations Significance: Provides high-resolution maps of plant growth globally Applications in agriculture, drought monitoring, rangeland management, and forest mapping Used by the US Department of Agriculture and private....Read More

Current Context: The International Space Station (ISS) now uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) robots like Cimon to support astronauts during space missions. ABOUT CIMON Full Form: Crew Interactive Mobile Companion Developed By: Airbus, IBM, and German Space Agency Launched: 2018 Type: Voice-controlled, floating robot Features: Displays step-by-step instructions Offers hands-free information access Records and monitors experiments Uses AI to interact like a helpful teammate Purpose: Reduces workload of astronauts Increases efficiency and safety in space missions  Read More

Current Context: India has set up a unique analogue research station called Human Outer Planet Exploration (HOPE) at Tso Kar in Ladakh, developed by ISRO and Bengaluru-based company Protoplanet. ABOUT HUMAN OUTER PLANET EXPLORATION (HOPE) Location: Tso Kar, Ladakh (Altitude: over 14,500 feet) Developed By: Protoplanet (Private space-tech company) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Purpose: Simulates the conditions of the Moon and Mars Used to test space technology, study human survival, and prepare for interplanetary missions Analogue Site: A place on Earth that closely matches the terrain and environment of other planets Useful for training astronauts, testing life-support systems, and....Read More

Current Context: NASA has launched the TRACERS mission to study how Earth's magnetic field protects the planet from solar storms and space weather. ABOUT TRACERS MISSION TRACERS stands for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites. It is designed to study magnetic reconnection, a process where the Sun's magnetic field interacts with Earth's magnetic field. These interactions can cause energy bursts that affect satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth. The mission will focus on the polar cusp—a region near the North Pole where Earth's magnetic shield is most exposed.  OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION To measure magnetic reconnection and....Read More

CURRENT CONTEXT : The European Space Agency (ESA), along with UK-based Frazer-Nash Consultancy, has launched INVICTUS, a programme to develop hypersonic flight technologies. ABOUT INVICTUS Type: Experimental, fully reusable aerospace vehicle Speed: Capable of reaching Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) Funded under: ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) Technology Development Element (TDE) KEY FEATURES Designed for sustained hypersonic flight within Earth’s atmosphere Fully reusable and upgradable platform Allows exchange of materials, propulsion systems, and software between test campaigns SIGNIFICANCE Aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a hydrogen-fuelled, precooled air-breathing propulsion system Supports horizontal take-off and landing, paving....Read More

CURRENT CONTEXT: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite discovered TOI‑1846 b, a “super‑Earth” planet orbiting a red dwarf star about 154 light‑years away, detected via a repeating light dip observed each March.  ABOUT TOI‑1846 b: Size & Mass: Approximately 1.8 times Earth’s radius and around 4 times its mass—fits into the “radius gap” between rocky planets and gas giants. Orbit & Temperature: Orbits its red dwarf every ~3.9 days; surface temperature estimated near 300 °C (565 °F), but tidal locking could create a cooler dark side with ice or shallow oceans. Scientific Significance: Provides insights into planetary formation and atmospheric retention in the radius‐gap class.....Read More

Current Context: NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile recently discovered 3I/ATLAS, making it the third-known interstellar comet. ABOUT 3I/ATLAS: "3I" indicates it's the third interstellar object, after 1I/'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). Moving at ~60 km/s on a hyperbolic trajectory. Expected to sublimate (release gases and dust) forming a tail as it nears the Sun. Not expected to come close to Earth.Read More