Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) CARTOSAT-3 satellite captured high-resolution images of earthquake damage in Myanmar. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025. Post-disaster images from March 29 were compared with pre-event data from March 18 to assess damage in Mandalay and Sagaing. CARTOSAT-3 is a third-generation agile advanced Earth observation satellite developed by ISRO. It replaces the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) series and has high-resolution imaging capabilities. It was launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C47).

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Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian astronaut, will pilot the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a milestone for India in global space missions. Axiom Space, a private company in Houston, is organizing Ax-4 in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA), Poland, and Hungary. The mission crew includes Peggy Whitson (commander), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The team will stay for 14 days aboard the ISS and carry out around 60 scientific experiments, highlighting international cooperation in space exploration.

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Sunbird is a nuclear fusion-powered rocket developed by Pulsar Fusion, a British startup, to transform interplanetary travel with much faster speeds. It could reach up to 805,000 km/h, surpassing the current fastest object, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which travels at 692,000 km/h. With this speed, Sunbird could reduce travel time to Mars by almost half and reach Pluto in just 4 years. A major orbital test is planned in 2027, showing progress in next-generation space propulsion. Nuclear fusion, which powers Sunbird, fuses atoms like stars do, giving high energy with minimal radioactive waste, unlike nuclear fission.

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The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have launched a pilot Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) project in Kerala. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is a technology that allows Electric Vehicles (EVs) to send stored power back to the grid when not in use. V2G is the most studied application, though it is part of a broader framework including Vehicle to Home (V2H) and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) systems.

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NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint satellite mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is set to be launched in June 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II). This is the first radar-based Earth observation mission jointly developed by India and the United States. NISAR will map the entire Earth’s surface every 12 days to provide frequent and accurate data. It will track ecosystem changes, ice movements, vegetation shifts, sea level rise, groundwater levels, and natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and landslides.

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South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) has become the first coal Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) in India to adopt Paste Fill Technology in underground mining. Paste Fill Technology is a modern method used in underground mining to fill the empty spaces left after coal extraction. The paste used is made by mixing crushed overburden from opencast mines, fly ash, cement, water, and binding chemicals. This technique eliminates the need for acquiring additional surface land. It also helps prevent land subsidence, making mining operations more environmentally friendly and safe.

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The world’s only research centre on mycetoma, a neglected tropical disease, has been destroyed in Sudan’s two-year war. Mycetoma is a chronic, progressively destructive infectious disease of the subcutaneous tissues, affecting the skin, deep tissues, and bones. It was first reported in Madurai, India, in the mid-19th century and was initially called Madura foot. Mycetoma is caused by a variety of microorganisms, either fungal or bacterial. It commonly affects young males aged 15 to 30 years in developing countries. The disease is found in tropical and subtropical regions with short rainy seasons and prolonged dry periods. Mycetoma is endemic in the “Mycetoma belt,” including countries like Sudan, Chad, and India.

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Recently, concerns were raised when the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) called for proposals using GenomeIndia data without sharing important phenotype data details. Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) was launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on December 7, 2023. The project aims to build India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases like diabetes, liver, and heart diseases. It is India’s first pan-India longitudinal health study focused on cardio-metabolic health.

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The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a major initiative launched in 2015 by the Government of India to boost High-Performance Computing (HPC) power in the country. It focuses on building supercomputers in India to support research, science, industry, and education using local technology. NSM is jointly led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The mission aims to reduce dependence on foreign technology and place India among the world’s top supercomputing nations

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Amazon has launched the first 27 satellites under its Project Kuiper to build an internet-from-space network. Project Kuiper is Amazon’s satellite broadband initiative using Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is up to 2,000 kilometers above Earth. It includes around 3,232 satellites, ground stations, and customer terminals to provide the service. The goal is to deliver high-speed, low-latency, and affordable internet to remote and underserved regions globally. The project is named after the Kuiper Belt, a distant region of the solar system beyond the eight planets. It is Amazon’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system.