Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the LVM3-M5 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 5:35 pm. The rocket carried CMS-03, India’s heaviest communication satellite weighing 4,400 kilograms. It was the fifth operational flight of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) launcher. CMS-03 was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite will provide multi-band communication services across India and nearby ocean regions. It will enhance secure data, voice, and video connectivity for civilian and strategic applications. The mission highlights India’s capability in heavy satellite launches and strengthens its communication network.

Notes:
Russia has launched its newest nuclear submarine ‘Khabarovsk’, built to carry the underwater nuclear drone ‘Doomsday Missile’ (Poseidon). Poseidon is an unmanned, nuclear-powered underwater drone capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It can travel at extremely high speeds and operate at great ocean depths, making it hard to detect or intercept. The missile can travel intercontinental distances underwater and strike coastal targets. It serves as a strategic nuclear deterrent, designed for massive retaliatory destruction in case of a nuclear conflict.

Notes:
In November 2025, Google announced ‘Project Suncatcher,’ a research initiative to create a solar-powered, space-based AI infrastructure system. The project aims to use Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) aboard satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to explore machine learning scalability. It will use Trillium TPUs designed to withstand up to 15 krad(Si) radiation and advanced thermal radiators to manage heat. In partnership with Planet Labs, two prototype satellites will launch in 2027 to test AI performance and optical communication. Solar-powered satellites will operate in a sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit, generating up to 8 times the power of ground-based installations

Notes:
In November 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace launched the Copernicus Sentinel-1D Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) aboard the Ariane 6 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. The mission, designated VA265, marked a key step in strengthening Europe’s autonomous access to space and Earth observation capability. It is the fourth and final satellite of the first-generation Copernicus Sentinel-1 constellation, completing Europe’s radar imaging network.

Notes:
Recently, a scintillometer was installed at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI) in Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu. It is an optical instrument used to measure heat and moisture exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. The device transmits a light beam between two fixed points to collect data. Turbulent air causes minute fluctuations in the beam, called scintillations, which are analysed to estimate heat transfer. It was installed as part of the TRRI Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) to enhance climate and crop research.

Notes:
In November 2025, scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) collaborated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to estimate key parameters of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). They used data from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) payload onboard India’s Aditya-L1 mission. VELC is the main payload of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory placed 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. It is an internally occulted solar coronagraph capable of imaging, spectroscopy, and spectro-polarimetry near the solar limb.

Notes:
Russia successfully launched a new set of undisclosed military satellites. The launch vehicle used was the Angara-1.2 light rocket. It was conducted from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Plesetsk is the world’s northernmost spaceport. The exact number and purpose of the satellites were not disclosed. The mission was carried out for the Russian Defence Ministry. It was executed by a combat crew of the Aerospace Forces.

Notes:
The World Health Organization has issued the first global guidelines on Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss. GLP-1 receptor agonists are synthetic medicines used to treat adult obesity and type-2 diabetes. These drugs are mainly injectable, while oral versions are under development. Leading examples are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, now available in India. They increase insulin, reduce glucagon, slow stomach emptying, and suppress appetite, helping control blood sugar and body weight.

Notes:
Google’s CEO announced Project Suncatcher, a long-term research plan to set up solar-powered data centers in space. The project aims to build satellite constellations that can perform large-scale machine learning using Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). These space-based data centers avoid the environmental impact created by Earth-based data centers. They also reduce risks from power outages, undersea cable failures, and natural disasters. The project supports data sovereignty because outer space is not under national jurisdiction as per the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

Notes:
A new study warns that heavy use of artemisinin and favourable conditions can create new hotspots of drug resistance, with resistance markers slowly rising in parts of Africa. Artemisinin is an antimalarial drug obtained from the sweet wormwood plant called Artemisia annua. It was discovered in the 1970s and became a major breakthrough when malaria parasites developed resistance to older drugs like chloroquine. It is effective against all malaria-causing parasites of the Plasmodium genus, mainly during the blood stage. Artemisinin quickly reduces parasites but stays in the body for a short time, so it is combined with other drugs. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as the standard treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria.