Recent 6 months news in Science

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has commissioned an X-Band Dual-Polarization Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at its High Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory (HACPL) in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra. This installation is part of “Mission Mausam”, a multi-year initiative of the central government to make India a ‘Weather-Ready Nation’.

It is to be noted that the radar is located at an elevation of 1,400 m in the Western Ghats and operates at a frequency of 9.45 GHz. Additionally, IITM has signed an MoU with the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the ISRO to jointly develop satellite-based meteorological products.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has laid the foundation stone for a new ₹75 crore state-of-the-art building at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru. The 7-story structure will have a total constructed area of 1 lakh sq feet.

It is to be noted that the Union Budget 2026 announced the development of 4 world-class astronomical projects by the IIA, including the National Large Solar Telescope and the National Large Optical-Infrared Telescope.

Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), in partnership with the IIT Madras, has successfully completed the first-ever intra-city drone delivery flight trials in India, conducted in Bengaluru. The initiative was carried out under the research framework of the FedEx SMART Centre at the IIT Madras and implemented with Amber Wings, a deep-tech startup incubated at the institute.

The trials demonstrated that a 53 km road journey taking 60 minutes could be replaced by a 39-42 km flight route, reducing the transit time to 21 minutes.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia has released the revised guidelines for the Technology Development and Investment Promotion (TDIP) Scheme of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in New Delhi.

The scheme, with a total financial outlay of ₹203 crore for the period of 2026–31, aims to bolster the participation of India in global telecommunications standards. The initiative also focuses on accelerating innovation in Fifth Generation (5G) Advanced and Sixth Generation (6G) technologies.

The United States has launched a strategic plan to deploy nuclear reactors in space, including an in-space reactor in Earth orbit by 2028, a fission reactor on the lunar surface by 2030, and a military version by 2031.

It is to be noted that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is tasked to develop a mid-power 100 kilowatts (kWe) fission reactor to support lunar habitats, providing power equivalent to 80 homes on Earth.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an MoU with Jumps Automation LLP under the C-DOT Collaborative Research Programme (CCRP) to develop a gamification platform for cybersecurity awareness.

The initiative aims to enhance the cybersecurity preparedness of individuals and enterprises through an interactive digital environment.

ISRO has successfully conducted the second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The test validated the parachute based deceleration and recovery system designed for the safe return of astronauts during re-entry and abort scenarios.

A simulated Crew Module (CM) weighing 5.7 tonnes (equivalent to the Gaganyaan G1 mission) was carried by an Indian Air Force (IAF) Chinook helicopter to an altitude of 3 km. It is to be noted that after its release over a sea drop zone, a sequence of 10 parachutes of 4 different types was deployed to reduce the velocity for a safe touchdown.

Meta Platforms Inc. has launched a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model titled “Muse Spark”, marking the first release from its superintelligence team under the “Avocado” series.

Initially available on Meta AI platforms, the AI model is scheduled to replace Llama-based chatbots on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and smart glasses.