Recent Current Affairs related to Space

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.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio) has received technical approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to deploy a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation consisting of 1,600 satellites.

The company intends to file for global orbital slots under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch India's first home-grown satellite broadband constellation. The project aims to provide a capacity of 4.5–5 Tbps, supported by 20–22 ground stations in India.

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 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.

China has launched its latest oceanographic satellite, 'Haiyang (HY)-2E', aboard a Long March 4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in Northwest China.

This marks the 47th space mission of China in 2026 and the 654th flight of the Long March rocket series.

Gautam Buddha University (GBU) has partnered with Space Kidz India and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to support "Mission ShakthiSAT".

The mission is the world's first all-girls international lunar mission. The initiative aims to empower 12,000 young girls from 108 countries. Mahima Rajput, a student from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, has been selected to participate in this international space mission.

Finland-based ICEYE has signed a partnership agreement with Chennai-based AgniKul Cosmos to build, launch, and operate Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation systems from India. Both companies will collaborate to develop an end-to-end sovereign SAR Earth observation capability.

France-based Safran Electronics & Defence and the Indian Earth intelligence firm SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd have signed an MoU to collaborate on Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) solutions for the Indian market.

This partnership is established under the 'France-India Year of Innovation' initiative, which aims to promote cooperation in aerospace and defence technology.

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 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 Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has selected 3 Indian space startups as the first set of Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) to receive funding under its Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) scheme.

The selected startups are Astrobase Space Technologies Pvt Ltd (Bengaluru), SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd (Bengaluru), and TM2SPACE Technologies Pvt Ltd (Hyderabad). Under this initiative, SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd will develop a Large Earth Observation Model (LOM) named "Dhaarini".

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its “2026 Technology Pioneers” cohort, which features 100 early-stage companies from 23 countries. The USA leads the list with 43 startups, followed by China and the UK.

India is represented by 9 startups in the 2026 cohort (compared to 10 in the 2025 list), bringing the total number of Indian firms in the WEF cohort to 28. The selected companies will contribute to WEF initiatives through a two-year engagement program.

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.

Technology Hub (T-Hub) has inaugurated the third cohort of the ORBIT programme, an Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)-supported Atal Innovation Incubation Centre (AIC)-T-Hub Space-Tech Accelerator Programme. The third cohort includes 13 startups, including Sanyak Space Technologies, Humanity Space, Red Balloon Aerospace, and Nibiaa Devices.

With this, the ORBIT programme has supported 36 space-tech startups in total, while the broader space-tech initiatives of T-Hub have engaged over 100 startups. It is to be noted that previous cohorts have collectively raised nearly ₹30 crore in funding and developed 18 Intellectual Properties (IPs).

The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, orbiting the Moon since 2019, has provided evidence of subsurface water ice deposits within the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) of lunar south polar craters. This study, conducted by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, was published in the Nature Portfolio Journal (NPJ) Space Exploration.

Researchers utilized the Dual-Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) to analyze ‘doubly shadowed craters’ within the PSRs. The findings from a 1.1 km crater in the Faustini Basin indicate an impact into an ice-rich subsurface that briefly flowed before refreezing.

An international team of researchers led by Dr. Ronaldo Laishram from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) has discovered an ancient cosmic structure named the “Loktak Protocluster”.

Located 12.6 billion light-years away in the constellation Sextans, the structure allows astronomers to observe the universe as it existed when it was only 1.2 billion years old (9% of its current age).

It is named after Loktak Lake in Manipur, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, famous for its “phumdis” (floating masses of vegetation). The discovery was made by integrating data from the Japan-based Subaru Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of NASA.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has signed an MoU with the ISRO to enhance water resource management using satellite technology. The collaboration involves joint research across 24 key areas. It is to be noted that the Ministry has already supported 113 research projects in the water sector over the past decade.

Additionally, the third phase of the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) campaign has been launched, aiming to create 2 crore water conservation structures between June 2026 and May 2027. The previous phase of the campaign successfully created over 1.5 crore water conservation structures.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled a $20 billion, 3-phased plan to establish a permanent lunar base equipped with rovers and drones.

The plan aims to set up the base by March 2027, with the objective of landing astronauts on the moon in 2028. The mission is structured into 3 phases: Moon Base-I (2026-2028), Moon Base-II (2029-2032), and Moon Base-III (2032 onwards).

The Birla Institute of Technology Mesra (BIT Mesra) has signed an MoU with the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), which functions under the Department of Space (DoS) and the North Eastern Council (NEC).

The MoU is valid for 5 years and aims to strengthen cooperation in the fields of geospatial technologies, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), remote sensing, and higher education.