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Science & Technology

Missions, technologies and regulatory bodies behind the S&T headlines. 62 concepts, each with its definition, key details and a timeline of every news story that touched it.

National Quantum Mission (NQM)

In the news 18x

The Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission on April 19, 2023, at a total cost of Rs. 6,003.65 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2030-31....

Global AI Governance

In the news 17x

The global AI governance architecture has evolved through a series of high-level summits since 2023. The first AI Safety Summit was held at Bletchley Park...

Make in India in Defence

In the news 16x

India's defence indigenisation policy is anchored in the goal of reducing import dependence (currently ~60% of defence equipment is imported) and building a...

Gaganyaan Programme

In the news 13x

India's Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate indigenous human spaceflight capability by sending a crew to an orbit of 400 km altitude for seven days....

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

In the news 12x

Semaglutide belongs to the class of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists — drugs that mimic the incretin hormone released by the small...

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

In the news 12x

The JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was agreed on July 14, 2015, in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 (the five UN Security Council permanent...

Artemis Programme

In the news 11x

The Artemis programme is NASA's flagship human exploration initiative, named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology. Its primary goal is to...

India's Space Programme

In the news 10x

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) operates under the Department of Space (DOS), which functions directly under the Prime Minister's Office. The...

Gaganyaan

In the news 9x

Gaganyaan is India's first human spaceflight mission, being developed by ISRO under the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC). It aims to send a crew of three...

India's Nuclear Doctrine

In the news 9x

India's nuclear doctrine, first outlined in the Draft Nuclear Doctrine of August 1999 and formally adopted via the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)...

Artemis Program

In the news 8x

The Artemis program is NASA's initiative to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972. Named after the Greek...

Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007

In the news 8x

The Reserve Bank derives its authority to regulate payment system operators from the Payment and Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007. The Act designates the...

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

In the news 7x

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve to resist the drugs designed to kill them, rendering standard treatments...

DRDO

In the news 7x

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the R&D wing of India's Ministry of Defence, tasked with designing and developing cutting-edge...

Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020

In the news 7x

DAP 2020 is India's comprehensive defence procurement framework, effective from October 1, 2020, replacing the earlier Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)...

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Cervical Cancer

In the news 7x

Human Papillomavirus is a group of over 200 related viruses, of which high-risk types — primarily HPV 16 and HPV 18 — are responsible for approximately 70%...

Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Spacecraft

In the news 7x

The Space Launch System (SLS) is NASA's super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle — the most powerful rocket ever built, generating 8.8 million pounds of...

NavIC

In the news 6x

Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), formerly IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), is India's autonomous satellite-based navigation...

Nipah Virus

In the news 6x

Nipah virus (NiV) belongs to the genus Henipavirus within the family Paramyxoviridae. Its natural reservoir is fruit bats (flying foxes) of the genus...

Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023

In the news 5x

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 is India's first comprehensive data protection law, replacing the earlier framework under the IT Act. It...

India's Lunar Programme

In the news 5x

India's space exploration ambitions run parallel to the global lunar renaissance. ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 (August 2023) achieved a soft landing near the Moon's...

Kavach

In the news 5x

Kavach is India's indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, designed to prevent train collisions by automatically controlling speed...

Space Launch System (SLS)

In the news 5x

The Space Launch System (SLS) is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA — the most powerful rocket in history by thrust at launch. SLS Block 1...

AMCA

In the news 4x

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India's programme to indigenously design a single-seat, twin-engine, fifth-generation stealth multirole...

CAR-T Cell Therapy

In the news 4x

CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy is a form of personalised immunotherapy in which a patient's own T-cells are extracted, genetically...

Defence Indigenisation

In the news 4x

India's defence indigenisation policy, accelerated under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative (2020), aims to reduce import dependence and develop a robust...

Free-Return Trajectory

In the news 4x

A free-return trajectory is a flight path that uses the Moon's gravity to loop a spacecraft around it and return naturally to Earth without requiring a...

Global AI Governance Landscape

In the news 4x

The governance of artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the most contested geopolitical challenges of the 2020s. Key international frameworks...

ICAR

In the news 4x

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of...

India's Private Space Sector and IN-SPACe

In the news 4x

India's private space sector was opened up following key reforms in 2020, including the establishment of IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and...

Indian Space Policy 2023

In the news 4x

The Indian Space Policy 2023 was released in April 2023 and represents the most comprehensive overhaul of India's space governance since the founding of...

LCA Tejas Programme

In the news 4x

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is India's most significant domestic aerospace achievement — a single-engine, delta-wing multirole fighter developed...

Large Language Models (LLMs)

In the news 4x

Large Language Models are deep neural networks trained on massive text corpora to understand and generate human language. They form the foundation of modern...

Lunar Regolith

In the news 4x

Lunar regolith is the layer of loose, fragmented material covering the Moon's surface, formed over billions of years by meteorite impacts, solar wind...

Orbital Mechanics

In the news 4x

Orbital mechanics (or astrodynamics) is the application of Newtonian physics and celestial mechanics to the motion of spacecraft. Key terms: Perigee — the...

Orion Spacecraft

In the news 4x

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is designed for deep space exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) — specifically crewed missions to the Moon...

Right to Privacy

In the news 4x

A nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) that the right to privacy is a fundamental right...

Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

In the news 4x

The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public health programmes in the world, covering approximately 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9...

Aditya-L1

In the news 3x

Aditya-L1 is the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) first dedicated mission to study the Sun, launched to observe the solar corona, chromosphere...

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and India's Combat Aircraft Programme

In the news 3x

ADA was established in 1984 under the Ministry of Defence to oversee India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme. It is an autonomous body affiliated with...

Chandrayaan-4

In the news 3x

Chandrayaan-4 is ISRO's planned lunar sample return mission, a significantly more complex undertaking than the landing-only Chandrayaan-3. It requires two...

Defence Indigenisation Framework

In the news 3x

Indigenous development of strategic weapon systems like Kusha is guided by India's defence procurement and self-reliance framework, under which the Defence...

Disaster Management Framework in India

In the news 3x

India's disaster management institutional architecture was substantially reformed after the 2004 tsunami. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, established a...

GE F414 Engine and India's Aero-Engine Strategy

In the news 3x

The General Electric F414 is an afterburning turbofan engine in the 22,000 lb (98 kN) thrust class, featuring Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC)....

Gaganyaan Mission

In the news 3x

Gaganyaan is India's indigenous human spaceflight mission, aimed at sending a crew of Indian astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at approximately 400 km...

Gaganyaan Mission Architecture

In the news 3x

Gaganyaan is India's human spaceflight programme, aiming to send a crew of astronauts (referred to as 'vyomanauts') to Low Earth Orbit (approximately 400...

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

In the news 3x

HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, of which over 40 types can infect the genital tract. High-risk oncogenic strains — particularly HPV types...

INCOIS

In the news 3x

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), headquartered...

India's Nuclear Triad

In the news 3x

A nuclear triad consists of three independent delivery platforms for nuclear weapons: land-based ballistic missiles, aircraft-delivered bombs or cruise...

India's Private Space Sector

In the news 3x

India's space sector has undergone a structural transformation since 2020, opening up to private players for the first time in its history. The Indian...

India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation

In the news 3x

The India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (commonly called the '123 Agreement') was signed in October 2008 following the landmark India-US nuclear...

Indian Space Policy 2023 and IN-SPACe

In the news 3x

The Indian Space Policy, notified in April 2023, formally opened up the entire space value chain — from satellite building to launch vehicles to ground...

International Space Law

In the news 3x

The legal framework for space activities rests primarily on five UN treaties, the most important of which are: 1. Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967: The...

NASA's Artemis Program

In the news 3x

Artemis is NASA's program to return humans to the Moon, formally established in 2017. It is structured in sequential missions: Artemis I (uncrewed lunar...

NASA's Artemis Programme

In the news 3x

The Artemis programme is NASA's flagship initiative to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable lunar presence. Named after the twin sister of...

NavIC / IRNSS

In the news 3x

NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), formerly known as IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), is India's own satellite-based...

Project Kusha

In the news 3x

Project Kusha, also designated the Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS) or Programme Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (PG-LRSAM), is DRDO's flagship...

Right to Health

In the news 3x

The Supreme Court has consistently held that the Right to Health is an integral component of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution. Article...

Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion

In the news 3x

The Space Launch System is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, designed specifically to carry Orion and crew directly to the Moon in a single...

Space Medicine

In the news 3x

Space medicine is the branch of medicine that studies the physiological and psychological effects of the space environment on the human body. It encompasses...

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These concepts move with the news. The daily brief explains each one in the story where it appears.
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