Science and Technology Current Affairs (Page : 3)

Google's balloon-powered high-speed internet service known as 'Project Loon' began its operations in Sri Lanka after first helium-filled balloon landed in Pupuressa area in Gampola town. It is one of three balloons that will be used in the trials. The balloon was launched from South America. 

Sri Lanka is not investing any capital, but will take a 25% stake in a joint venture with Google to deliver a high-speed internet service powered by helium-filled balloons in return for allocating spectrum for the project. A further 10% of the joint venture would be offered to existing telephone service providers on the island.

Project Loon promises to extend coverage and cheaper rates for data services. Once the balloon project is up and running the Service providers will be able to access higher speeds and improve the quality of their existing service.

Facts and figures : Sri Lanka was the first country in South Asia to introduce mobile phones in 1989 and the first to roll out a 3G network in 2004. It was also the first in the region to unveil a 4G network two years ago. There are 3.3 million mobile internet connections and 630,000 fixed line internet subscribers among Sri Lanka's more than 20 million population.

About Google’s Project Loon

Project Loon is the Flagship Project of search engine giant Google developed by Google X with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.The project uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km where wind speed is low and turbulence is minimum. Each balloon can provide full wireless broadband internet coverage up to an area of 40 km and are powered mainly by solar panels. The balloons will have a lifespan of about 180 days, but can be recycled.

Users of the service will connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. These balloons have transceivers which can connect to cell phone networks in order to fill the gaps in their networks especially in remote areas such as mountains and deserts. 

These balloons have transceivers which can connect to cell phone networks in order to fill the gaps in their networks especially in remote areas such as mountains and deserts. It promises to extend mobile and data coverage at cheaper rates for the people. These balloons will have a lifespan of about 180 days and can be recycled.

A team led by an Indian-origin scientist Ashutosh Tiwai has discovered a new kind of 2D semiconducting material "Tin Monoxide (SnO) conductor"  that will replace traditional silicon conductor. The 2D semiconducting material for electronics will opens the door for much speedier computers and smartphones that consume less power. 

Tin Monoxide (SnO) conductor : It is made of two elements tin and oxygen, or tin monoxide (SnO). It is layer of 2D material with thickness of only one atom which allows electrical charges to move through it much faster than conventional 3D materials such as silicon. 

Applications : This can be used in transistor which is the lifeblood of all electronic devices such as computer processors and graphics processors in desktop computers and mobile devices.

Currently, transistors and other components used in electronic devices are made of 3D materials such as silicon and consist of multiple layers on a glass substrate but the downside to 3D materials is that electrons bounce around inside the layers in all directions.The benefit of 2D materials is that the material is made of one layer the thickness of just one or two atoms. 

Astronomers at NASA, working with the ESA and the University College London,  have found a super-Earth exoplanet dubbed 55 Cancri e, with an atmosphere , that, for the first time, they can analyse. 

Facts to know :

The observation was made with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)  on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is about 40 light years away from Earth.

Unfortunately, 55 Cancri e  probably doesn't support life because it is located extremely close to its planet star, which heats its surface to a staggering 2,000 degrees Celcius and a year there lasts 18 Earth-hours. 

Its atmosphere largely consists of hydrogen (H) and helium (He) which  are common elements in young solar systems as those are the elements that make up young stars.

Super-earths : Super-earths are simply rocky planets that are bigger than the Earth. In this case, it is eight times bigger than Earth.

Indian Railway Project Management Unit (IRPMU), an arm of North Central Railway in association with the Construction and open line Units of the Railway has commissioned an ultra modern computer-based signaling system at the Khurja junction,  a city famous for pottery in Uttar Pardesh.

With this commissioning, the Khurja Yard, which is a part of the Allahabad Railway Division, will have a 256 possible movements leading to immense flexibility and faster clearance of trains since the train path will be cleared by a central operator with click of a mouse on the VDU(Visual Display Unit). The VDU will display online position of each train in the complete Khurja Yard of 4.5 Km including adjoining track portions which ensures safety of trains.

Salient features of the signaling system

This re-signaling work has been executed as part of the project of Modernization of Signalling and telecommunication System on Ghaziabad – Kanpur section of Indian Railways costing Rs. 440cr funded by German Development Bank.

The major components of the project are :

• Replacement of worn out Signalling Gears at 47 stations
• Automatic Signalling enables multiple trains between two stations thereby enhancing line capacity
• Dedicated Global System of Mobile (GSM) for railways enabling secured communication between driver, guard, station master and controllers.

TAL Manufacturing Solutions,  a 100 percent subsidiary of TATA Motors, has unveiled India's first indigenous robot " Tata Brabo" during the Make In India Week at Mumbai. However,  the robot will be launch in the market in the next two months.

Brabo has been developed in-house by a team of six engineers whose average age is 24 years, led by Anil Bhingurde, chief operating officer of TAL Manufacturing Solutions at an  development cost of about Rs 10 crore.

TAL Manufacturing Solutions : It is one of the leading companies in India, that has successfully delivered manufacturing solutions for over 40 years to customers in Automotive and Heavy Engineering and even in Aerospace and Defence sectors.

Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari formally launched website for maiden Maritime India Summit 2016 scheduled to be held in April 2016 on the sidelines of the Make in India Week in Mumbai. The website will facilitate investors and participants access detailed information about the summit, including registrations.

Facts about Maritime India Summit 2016 

The Maritime India Summit is scheduled to be held on April 14  in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It will be the maiden global summit to be organised by the shipping ministry. Republic of Korea is the partner country for the MIS 2016  and will be represented by a high-level ministerial and business delegation.

Objective : It aims to give impetus to Make In India and blue economy.

The Maritime India Summit (MIS) 2016 will comprise of an Investors’ Summit  on April 14 and 15, 2016, along with exhibition and demo session. More than 50 other maritime nations have been invited.

The Japanese space agency has successfully launched ASTRO-H a jointly developed space observation satellite to probe mysterious black holes. The satellite was  launched by country's mainstay H-IIA rocket, from Tanegashima Space Centre, southern Japan.

Facts about ASTRO-H satellite  :

ASTRO-H satellite has been developed  in collaboration between Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and other.

It is set to orbit at an altitude of about 580 kilometres (360 miles) and observe X-rays emanating mainly from black holes and galaxy clusters.  

It is cylindrically shaped and is 14 meters long and weighs 2.7 tonnes. It is the heaviest scientific satellite Japan has worked on. It will help unravel the mysteries of the universe. 

The satellite has four X-ray telescopes and two gamma-ray detectors that will enable the space agency to peer into far off galaxy clusters, providing data on how they formed.

Comment : Black holes have never been directly observed, but the announcement on the first detection of gravitational waves earlier this month indirectly added to the evidence that black holes do actually exist

Indian Railway is framing, a first of its kind proposal to develop an online fuel management system, to check pilferage and bring transparency in fuel consumption. 

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is likely to announce the fuel management system in the Rail Budget 2016-17 on February 25. Indian Railway spends about 14 per cent of its earning on high speed diesel which is approximately Rs 18,000 crore a year.

Centre for Railway information systems (CRIS) , the technology arm of Indian Railway will develop the online fuel management system at an estimated cost of Rs 21 crore. once the system is operational, fuel-related information including consumption and expenditure will be known on real-time basis.

There are Railway Diesel Installations (RDI) across the country where fuel is dispensed for rail use. Currently railways monitor use of fuel and expenditure of diesel manually which leaves scope for pilferage as well as excess expenditure but implementation of fuel management system in (RDIs), the complete activity of fuel receipt to issue to locomotive will be available online.

Boosting the 'Make in India' initiative, the Rifle Factory Ishapore, has indigenously developed country's lightest revolver 'Nidar' which weighs merely 250 grams and costing  35,000 rupees. Two years ago India had also launched Nirbheek, the country's "first gun for women" weighing 500 grams and costing 1,22,000.

Unlike costly titanium alloy used in Nirbheek, Nidar is made with an aluminium alloy called  'DTD5124' which makes it very light, but has supreme metal strength. It has a 40-mm barrel and is just 140mm in length which makes it "small enough to fit into small purse, handbag, pockets of trousers and jackets.

The revolver is capable of firing eight rounds loaded in a revolving chamber against Nirbheek which has only six rounds capacity. Nidar has been developed mainly for office going/ professional men and women, so that they can defend themselves from goons roaming on the urban streets.

Both guns Nirbheek and Nidar have been named after Nirbhaya - the nickname given by the Indian press to Jyoti Singh, the 23-year-old victim of December 2012 fatal gang rape. All three words mean fearless in Hindi.

Indian Railways is heading towards Digital India to bring transparency in Indian Railways and eliminate all possible loopholes so it has launched 3 IT (Information Technology) enabled apps which aims at making Railway services consumer friendly. These apps were launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu  through Video-Conferencing from Rail Bhawan at a function held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Three IT enabled apps are :

 Hand Held Terminals for TTEs: It is pilot project of Northern Railway that will enable TTEs to update an entire train's passenger list and highlight vacant berths which can be sent back to HHT application servers, the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) terminals and indianrail.gov website to be viewed.

Paperless unreserved ticketing mobile application :The unreserved ticketing mobile application 'UTSONMOBILE' was launched for South Central Railway. It has been developed with the help of Centre for Railway Information Systems ( CRIS). It can be used for booking unreserved tickets on many suburban and some long distance routes. 

 E-booking of disposable linen on trains : This app allows passengers to avail bedroll kits through online booking and from IRCTC selected outlets. There are two types of bedroll kit whiche are  :-

• Type I :- It offers a bedroll kit packed in a non-woven fabric bag consisting of one pillow and two cotton bedsheets at Rs.140 inclusive of all taxes.
• Type II :- It offers a bedroll kit packed in a non-woven bag consisting of a single blanket.

In a bid to strengthen interaction between India and Europe in the field of molecular biology, Ministry of Science and Technology has signed a Cooperation Agreement to acquire the status of the Associate Member State European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). India has become the second country, outside the European region, to be an Associate Member State.First one being Singapore which had signed such agreement with European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) in 2015.

Benefits of being a member state :

Indian Researchers will now be eligible to participate in all EMBO programmes and activities taking place across the world. Indian scientists now can apply for its programmes, such as long-term fellowships for postdoctoral researchers, courses, short-term fellowships and workshops etc.

European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO)

EMBO is an organization of more than 1700 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences.  Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It organizes courses, workshops and conferences, publishes four scientific journals and supports individual scientists and projects. 

• Founded in : 1964 
• Headquarters: Heidelberg, Germany. 
• Current director : Maria Leptin

Categories:  Feb 2016 Current Affairs • Daily Current Affairs Quiz • Latest UPSC mains Articles • GK Articles • Latest Current Affairs Articles

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug named BGR-34 for type two Diabetes mellitus. The drug has been developed jointly by National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), the Lucknow-based research units of CSIR.

Scientists of NBRI and CIMAP made an in-depth study of over 500 renowned ancient herbs and finally identified the six best herbs listed in ayurvedic ancient texts to be combined in different fractions and quantities and processed meticulously to develop this new drug.

For the purpose of quality commercial production and extended distribution, AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (I) Ltd, known for its innovative Ayurvedic products, has been transferred the rights and technical knowhow to produce and market it for medical use.The modern diabetes drugs are known for side-effects and toxicity but BGR-34 works by controlling blood sugar and limiting the harmful effects of other drugs. It inhibits DPP-4 and enhances insulin secretion. The product has passed several battery of tests and showed hypoglycemic activity in experimental subjects.

Categories:  Feb 2016 Current Affairs • Daily Current Affairs Quiz • Latest UPSC mains Articles • GK Articles • Latest Current Affairs Articles

Lt Governor of Puducherry Ajay Kumar Singh has launched the MITRA mobile application to ensure protection of women, children and the elderly in time of distress, providing them the facility to contact police for immediate help. MITRA (Mobile Initiated Tracking and Rescue) application has been developed by Puducherry Police department in association with National Informatics Centre (NIC). 

MITRA (Mobile Initiated Tracking and Rescue)

MITRA is a smartphone based application that helps women, children and the elderly to send emergency SOS when they are in some or distress. At the time of need the application gets launched automatically and sends SMS which includes the precise location of the person to the nearest police station and to their 3 registered numbers. It does not need internet connection so it can be accessed offline.

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) which comes under Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has  signed cybersecurity agreement with its counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan to boost cyber security.

Objective of  the MoU : The MoU signed aims to promote closer cooperation for exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution and prevention of security-related incidents between India and the three countries.

MoU with Malaysia : The MoU between CERT-In and CyberSecurity, Malaysia, was signed on November 23, 2015, in Kuala Lumpur during Mr.Modi's visit to Malaysia

MoU with Singapore : The MoU between CERT-In and Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT), Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of the Republic of Singapore was signed on November 24, 2015 during the Prime Minister’s visit to Singapore.

MoU with Japan : The agreement between CERT-In and Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (JPCERT/CC) was signed on December 7, 2015 through diplomatic exchange

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) 

CERT-In is the nodal agency responsible for dealing with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. It comes under Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Current Director General : Dr. Gulshan Rai 

Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Department of Space for monitoring mining activity through satellite technology. As part of the MoU, the IBM would set up an exclusive remote sensing cell under the technical guidance of NRSC at its offices in Nagpur and Hyderabad.

The remote sensing cell will utilise Bhuvan based services for monitoring mining activities. Initially pilot project would be carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of using high resolution satellite imagery in monitoring the changes over a period of time in select group of mines. The pilot project will be launched in Odisha and Hospet sector of Karnataka.

Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) :

Indian Bureau of Mines was set up on 1st March,1948 as a advisory body under the aegis of Department of Mines, of Union Ministry of Mines. Now it has emerged as multi-disciplinary government organisation which aims at promoting  scientific development of mineral resources, , conservation and protection of environment in mines other than petroleum & natural gas, coal, atomic minerals and minor minerals.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has achieved a milestone by successfully launching the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 

It should be noted that  Jason-3 is the 4th mission in the joint US-European series of satellite missions that measure Global Sea Level Rise. The rocket company SpaceX had managed a historic first controlled return of an orbital stage last month.

Facts to know about Jason-3 :

• Jason-3 is equipped with with radar altimeter that will measure sea-level variations of oceans across the world with very high accuracy. 
• The data provided by Jason-3 will boost hurricane forecasting and marine navigation. It will also help the navigators to determine current direction and speed.
• It will also seek to boost hurricane forecasting and marine navigation. It will provide scientists with critical information about ocean circulation patterns.
• It will act as an early warning system for El Niño by detecting the developing bulge in surface waters associated with the warming.
• Jason-3 will measure the shape of the global sea surface to an accuracy of better than 4cm. It will track currents, tides, winds, wave heights, and will help forecast the intensity of storms.

Note :- Before this two missions of Jason has been launched that are Jason-1 and Jason-2 OSTM which were launched in 2001 and 2008 respectively.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket :

Falcon 9 designed and manufactured by SpaceX  is a family of two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicles, named for its use of nine engines. Both stages of this two-stage-to-orbit vehicle are powered by rocket engines that burn liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants.The first stage is designed to be reusable, while the second stage is not reusable.

Chinese scientists have developed a new bioartificial liver that can help liver failure patients survive long enough for an organ transplant. This milestone in Science and Technology was achieved by team of researchers from the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and doctors from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.

Bioartificial liver : A blessing for humanity:

The bioartificial liver has been designed to be attached outside the patient’s body,  the device makes use of human liver cells. The new device is based on cells taken from human skin, fat and other tissue and reprogrammed into liver cells.

Bioartificial livers can help in the recovery of organ function and prolong people’s lives while they are waiting for a donor.The artificial liver could be a blessing for China, which is home to 100 million people with hepatitis B and has a high incidence of liver cancer.

Clinical test : In its first clinical test it  saved 61-year-old woman who was dying from acute liver failure.

Tests on laboratory animals : Tests on laboratory animals found that pigs with acute liver failure had an average 80 percent survival rate after they were fitted with the new device, while untreated pigs died in about three days

State-run telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started  4G services on non-commercial basis in Chandigarh promising broadband speed of up to 100 megabit per second (Mbps).

With this launch Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited became the fifth telecom service provider in India to launch 4G service after Airtel (1st), Aircel (2nd), Vodafone (3rd) and Reliance Jio (4th).

Facts to know :

• BSNL 4G services will provide broadband speed of up to 100 megabit per second (Mbps) through which users can download large files of 1 GB with few seconds which takes long time currently on slow 2G and 3G.
• BSNL will aid  govt agencies  by  providing 4G services for video camera surveillance, traffic management solutions and home- land security service in India.
• BSNL has 4G spectrum across India except in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kolkata. It has entered into an agreement with Reliance Jio to offer high speed services to its customers.

Request For Proposal : BSNL will issue request for proposal (RFP) to launch 4G services across circles where it has 2500 Mhz spectrum on revenue share basis.The company selected through RFP will manage the networks while BSNL would share its revenue the successful bidder. It has been expanding its footprint on this model wherein it provides only bandwidth and the infrastructure is set up by its partner

Incandescent lightbulb commercially developed by Thomas Edison in the US in the 1880s create light by using electricity to heat a thin, tungsten wire filament to temperatures of around 2,700C. This causes the filament to glow and produce a broad spectrum, warm white light.

But lightbulbs of this type are hugely inefficient - they only convert around 2-3 per cent of the energy they use into light - the rest is wasted as heat. This is the reason they have long been a target for green campaigners, concerned about climate change.

These Incandescent lightbulb has seen the bulbs banned in the European Union, Canada and their manufacture and importation has been phased out in the US. They've been replaced by more expensive compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED bulbs which are significantly more efficient at around 13 per cent.

About the Research :

• Scientists at MIT have found a way of recycling the waste energy and focussing it back on the filament where it is re-emitted as visible light. Using nanotechnology, they've built a structure that surrounds the filament of the bulb and captures the leaking infrared radiation, reflecting it back to the filament where it is re-absorbed and then re-emitted as visible light.
• The structure is made from thin layers of a type of light-controlling crystal. A key aspect though is the way that these layers are stacked, with visible wavelengths allowed to pass through while infrared get reflected back to the filament as if in a mirror.In theory, the crystal structures could boost the efficiency of incandescent bulbs to 40 per cent, making them three times more efficient than the best LED or CFL bulbs on the market.

All blood banks in the country have been asked to update realtime stock status on the National Health Portal (NHP) website with an aim to introduce transparency in availability and disbursement of blood units. Nearly 200 banks are already doing this. The idea is ensure people have access to credible data.

In this regard Director-General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), N.S. Kang, has written to all 2,711 licensed blood banks in India, asking them to put data on the portal.

National Health Portal (NHP) :

• National Health Portal (NHP) website gives real- time data about blood and blood components at the State and the district level as it is updated every 48 hours.
• The e-Blood bank will enable electronic monitoring of blood collection, testing, storage and final use and even disposal. The app also will maintain a database of regular donors, in case of requirement.
• Now the families looking for blood can use the web-enabled system to see availability of blood instead of tapping into personal sources, social media platforms etc for blood.
• Currently the availability of whole blood/components from nearly 200 blood banks in Jammu & Kashmir,Gujarat, Rajasthan and Odisha are being shown on the NHP app.

Since all information will be readily available on the portal it will promote safe blood shifts from the individual to blood banks and it's proper distribution. It will also weed out professional donors and touts.

Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar have successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring named ‘Cirb Gaurav’. With this achievement CIRB becomes world's third and India's second institute to produce cloned buffalo.This achievement has been made under the project entitled, Cloning for conservation and multiplication of superior buffalo germplasm.

Importance :

This cloned buffalo calf is distinct from the earlier clones produced in India. As this is produced from cells of ventral side of tail of superior bull buffalo, this part is least exposed to sunlight and may have less mutation rate, and can be good choice for isolation of donor cells to produce healthy clones.

Cloning :

Cloning is the process of producing genetically identical copies of biological matter which may include genetically identical copies of genes, cells, tissues or entire organisms.The term clone, invented by J. B. S. Haldane and dervied from a Greek word.

China has successfully launched  its “most sophisticated” observation satellite, Gaofen-4, as part of the country’s high-definition earth observation project. The satellite can “see” an oil tanker on the sea with a huge CMOS camera, reaching the best imaging level among global high-orbit remote sensing satellites.

Gaofen-4 was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket.  It was the 222th flight of the Long March rocket series and China’s 19th space mission in year 2015.

Facts about Gaofen-4 :

• Gaofen-4 is China’s first geosynchronous orbit HD optical imaging satellite and the world’s most sophisticated HD geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellite.
• Gaofen-4  is located at the orbit 36,000 km away from the earth and moves synchronously with the earth.

Application: The satellite  will be used for surveillance of geological disasters and forest disasters, disaster prevention and relief and meteorological forecast.

What is Gaofen Project ?

• Gaofen Project is an ambitious space project of China that aims to provide real-time, all-day global Earth observation in any weather. The Gaofen project aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020. Gaofen-1, the first satellite of the project, was launched in April 2013.
• The Gaofen satellites are part of the China High-Resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS).The Earth Observation System and Data Center of China National Space Administration (EOSDC-CNSA) is responsible for organizing the construction of CHEOS.

Seeking to make defence acquisition process simpler and transparent, Union Ministry of Defence has launched a new Make in India website www.makeinindiadefence.com  that will provide an interface with industry and promised to finalise the new revised defence procurement procedure by January.

The website was launched by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi. It was launched in line with Union Government’s ambitious goal in the process of creating a level playing field with more transparency in defence sector procurements.

Key features of the portal :

• Website (www.makeinindiadefence.com) would act as an enabler for the industry to get the latest news and notification regarding various aspects of the defence production.
• The portal will provide information related to all policy and procedural issues relevant for defence manufacturing industry. It will provide link to industrial promotion policies and programmes of various states and union territories. 
• The portal also gives an opportunity to an individual company to seek clarifications or ask questions, which according to the Defence Ministry officials would be answered within three working days.

The much awaited new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) is in the final stages of finalisation and will be declared by January 2016. The new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) will focus on ‘Make in India’ and aims to have 40 per cent of defence procurement under ‘Make in India’ initiative from the current 30 per cent and raising it to 70 per cent indigenisation in the next five years.

Government Of India has given in principle approval to Google’s Loon project which aims to provide Internet connectivity across the country by using large balloons.

The announcement in this regard was made by Google CEO Sunder Pichai in New Delhi after meeting Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The project will be initially started on a pilot basis with state run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) as it's partner.

What is "Project Loon" ?

• 'Project Loon', uses balloons, floating at a height of 20 kilometers above earth's surface, to form a network, that then beams down internet straight to smartphones on the ground. Google has already tested project Loon in New Zealand, California and Brazil.
• The project uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km (11 mi) to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds
• The system aims to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas which are poorly served by existing provisions. It also aims to improve communication during natural disasters to affected regions.
• Along with "Project Loon", Google has  also partnered with the Common Service Centre (CSC) and Internet Sathi programme (ISP) to expand Internet reach in 3 lakh villages particularly for women training. Google is also focusing on bringing its various products in many more Indian languages.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully placed six commercial satellites of Singapore in to their dedicated orbits by this it has added Singapore to its client list for commercial satellite launches.

The satellites were launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C29)  from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai. It was PSLV 32nd flight, and the 31st consecutively successful one.

So far in 2015, Isro has launched 14 satellites (three Indian and 11 foreign) from its rocket port in Sriharikota. Thirteen satellites were launched with PSLV rocket and one communication satellite - GSAT-6 - with geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV).

This successful launch of 6 Singaporean Satellites coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore in year 2015.

Key facts about the Singaporean Satellite launch :

• The was done with  Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle's core alone (PSLV-CA) variant of  ISRO. The total lift-off mass was of 227.6 tonne that included 600 kg payload weight. All of these satellites were successfully launched into a 550 km circular orbit inclined at 150 to the equator.
• Out of the six satellites, the 400 kg earth observation satellite called TeLEOS-1 is the main passenger for the PSLV rocket and hence the mission is called TeLEOS mission by Isro. TeLEOS-1 is Singapore's first commercial earth observation satellite designed and developed by ST Electronics.
• The other five co-passenger satellites are VELOX-C1 (123 kg), VELOX-II (13 kg), Kent Ridge-1 (78 kg), Galassia (3.4 kg) and Athenoxat-1.

Antrix Corporation, which is the commercial arm of ISRO has launched more than 55 foreign satellites of 20 countries into space till date. Some of it's clients includes US, UK, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and South Korea.

China has launched a new communication satellite named " ChinaSat 1C"  into orbit. The " ChinaSat 1C" satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre and was carried by the Long March-3B carrier rocket .

It will provide high-quality voice, data and radio and TV transmission services. The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and is owned by China Satellite Communications Co., Ltd. 

This launch was the 220th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. 

Categories:  Dec 2015 Current Affairs • Daily Current Affairs Quiz • Latest UPSC mains Articles • GK Articles • Latest Current Affairs Articles

• The prestigious Indian Institute of Science has bagged a US military contract for research and development (R&D) on a solar-powered micro-grid. This is one of the rare instances that an Indian scientific institute known for its high-end cutting-edge research has been awarded a federal contract by the US military.
• The announcement of the contract comes on the eve of the meeting between Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon. Manohar Parrikar is on his maiden visit to the US to discuss ways to deepen the long term strategic partnership between the two countries.
• The federal contract worth USD 52,900 has been awarded by the US Pacific Air Forces, Yokota Air Base in Japan to develop solar powered micro-grid with battery and supercapacitor energy storage system.

US scientists in California  have bred a genetically modified, GM, mosquito that can resist malaria infection.  If the lab technique works in the field, it could offer a new way of stopping the biting insects from spreading malaria to humans.

The scientists put a new "resistance" gene into the mosquito's own DNA, using a gene editing method called Crispr and when the GM mosquitoes mated - their offspring inherited the same resistance.

In theory, if these mosquitoes bite people, they should not be able to pass on the parasite that causes malaria. About 3.2bn people - almost half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria.

Bed nets, insecticides and repellents can help stop the insects biting and drugs can be given to anyone who catches the infection, but the disease still kills around 580,000 people a year.

Categories:  Nov 2015 Current Affairs • Daily Current Affairs Quiz • Latest UPSC mains Articles • GK Articles • Latest Current Affairs Articles

• Intel India has rolled out its programme on digitisation of rural India - called "Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur" - from Telangana. It is an initiative aimed at working with the government to create the blueprint for the digitisation of rural India.
• The first such Digital India 'Unnati' Kendra has been set up at a Common Services Center (CSC) in Nadimpalle village of Mahabubnagar district of Telangana and will be used to create the framework for the Telangana Model Digital Village.
• It will also provide various citizen services under the Telangana government's e-panchayat programme, the centre will provide devices, relevant local content and training for citizens thereby creating opportunities for development and empowerment. Intel has roped in Micromax, HP, Snapdeal and Shweta Computers and Peripherals as partners for the initiative.