Recent 6 months news in Science

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has granted marketing authorisation for the Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine (Live, Attenuated), known as "Qdenga". This is the first dengue vaccine to be approved in India for the prevention of the disease.

Manufactured by Takeda GmbH, Germany, and imported by Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India Pvt Ltd, the vaccine is indicated for individuals aged between 4 and 60 years. It is produced in Vero cells. It is to be noted that the vaccine has already received regulatory approval in 42 countries.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully conducted the inaugural lift-off and landing test of its reusable rocket prototype, 'RV-X', at the Noshiro Testing Center in Japan.

The prototype is developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). It measures 7.3 m in length and 1.8 m in diameter, featuring an enhanced-durability engine and 4 shock-absorbing landing legs.

Russia has successfully launched the 'Soyuz MS-29' crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The mission was executed using the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle.

The crew includes the NASA astronaut Anil Menon and the Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.

Skyroot Aerospace has successfully launched 'Vikram-1', India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, into a 450 km Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). The mission, titled 'Mission Aagaman' (meaning arrival), marks India as the third nation with private orbital launch capabilities, following the US and China.

The 4-stage, 7-storey-tall rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme, has a payload capacity of up to 350 kg. It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The mission successfully deployed technology demonstrators from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, DCubed, and the SCOPE satellite. It also carried symbolic payloads, including an 18-karat gold rocket, an artistic lab-grown diamond, and a handwritten postcard from PM Narendra Modi bearing the message 'Vande Mataram'.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched a White Rabbit technology-based demonstration network at the Regional Reference Standard Laboratory (RRSL) in Bengaluru to securely distribute Indian Standard Time (IST) across the country.

The project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), and the ISRO.

The network uses an advanced Precision Time Protocol (PTP)-based Ethernet network extension to deliver sub-nanosecond accuracy and microsecond-level synchronization over long distances. It is to be noted that the time signal is traceable to the Coordinated Universal Time (NPLI) (UTC (NPLI)).

China has successfully executed the first controlled recovery of an orbital-class reusable rocket booster following the maiden launch of the Long March-10B carrier rocket from Hainan Province.

It is to be noted that this comes over a decade after SpaceX became the first entity to recover an orbital-class rocket booster in 2015.

ISRO has successfully conducted 3 critical tests of the Gaganyaan Crew Module (CM) systems as part of the human spaceflight programme of India.

These tests included the float inflation test for the Crew Module Up-Righting system (CMUS), the Umbilical Separation Testing of the Connect-Disconnect System (CS-CDS), and the crew module structure qualification test for Apex Cover separation loads.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) in Hyderabad has developed India's first indigenous process technology for Hydrofluoroolefin-1234yf (HFO-1234yf).

This technology, now ready for industry transfer, is designed to replace Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration and air-conditioning (AC) systems.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR) has developed the Smart Algal Liquid Tree (SALT), a mobile liquid tree designed to purify air in crowded urban areas.

The patented technology functions as a photobioreactor that uses microalgae to absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and reduce dust concentrations. It is currently deployed at the CSIR-CIMFR facility in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, and at Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.

The ISRO has successfully conducted the Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test-05 (IMAT-05) for the Gaganyaan G1 mission at the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) drop zone in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh.

The test aimed to validate the Main Parachute System under maximum expected load conditions for the first uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 mission. It is to be noted that the Gaganyaan Crew Module uses a system of 10 parachutes of 4 distinct types.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Pune, in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, London, has discovered 2 new moth species in the country.

The tiger moth species 'Antaram idukki' was discovered in Idukki, Kerala, and published in the 'Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'. The forester moth species 'Mimeusemia kali' was discovered in the Kali Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, and documented in the journal 'Zootaxa'.

ISRO has successfully conducted a hot test of its semi-cryogenic engine power head at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Tamil Nadu. The test demonstrated stable operation at a thrust level of 175 tons, achieving 88% of the target thrust.

This semi-cryogenic propulsion stage is being developed to replace the L110 core stage on the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) launch vehicle. The system is powered by the 2,000-kilonewton (kN) SE2000 engine.

The AI model 'Claude Fable 5' from Anthropic has been suspended globally, just 3 days after its launch. This action follows an unprecedented export control directive issued by the US government.

The 5th edition of the Indian Space Congress (ISC) 2026 was held in New Delhi. During the event, India's first digital repository of space-sector capabilities, named 'Indian Space Industry E-Catalogue', was launched.

Developed by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA)-India, it serves as a platform for capability discovery, collaboration, and business development within the Indian space ecosystem.

Additionally, two reports were released: 'Building India's On-Orbit Servicing and Refuelling Ecosystem: Policy, Partnerships, and Pathways Forward' (developed in collaboration with OrbitAID) and 'India's Strategic Opportunity in Space-Based Compute Infrastructure' (developed in partnership with TakeMe2Space).

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has inaugurated the Versatile Deuterated Compounds Production Plant (VDPP) and commissioned a 24 kA Prototype Sodium Cell at the Heavy Water Board Facilities (HWBF) in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The ISRO, in collaboration with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is developing an advanced artificial heating system for future lunar landers. This technology is designed to enable landers to survive lunar nights, where temperatures drop below –129°C.

It is to be noted that this system aims to extend the operational life of lunar landers from the current duration of one lunar day (14 Earth days) to up to 200 days.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) organized a 'Technology Transfer and Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND) Release Function' at its headquarters in New Delhi.

During the event, 7 indigenous technologies developed by the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) and the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) were transferred to the industry to promote commercialisation. Additionally, 10 BND reference materials were released, and 5 vapor cells for quantum sensing applications, developed by CSIR-NPL, were handed over.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an agreement with the Gujarat government to develop a Common Technical Facility (CTF) for the space-tech sector at the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in Khoraj, Gujarat.

IN-SPACe will provide technical expertise and financial assistance of up to ₹100 crore for the procurement of equipment required for the development of the CTF.

Novartis India has launched 'Pluvicto', the first regulatory authority-approved radioligand therapy (RLT) in India for advanced prostate cancer.

This precision medicine is indicated for patients with Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Bengaluru-based Avataar has launched 'Varya', India’s first indigenous, distilled video AI model, designed to make generative video storytelling accessible and affordable at a population scale. It was launched in partnership with the IndiaAI Mission.

The AI model operates as a text-to-video and image-to-video foundation model, offering enhanced speed and cost efficiencies to the digital ecosystem.