SOURCE: PIB

The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the building of first unit of the Bharatiya Anatriksh Station by extending the scope of Gaganyaan program. Approval by the cabinet is given for development of first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) and undertake missions to demonstrate and validate various technologies for building and operating BAS. To revise the scope & funding of the Gaganyaan Programme to include new developments for BAS & precursor missions, and additional requirements to meet the ongoing Gaganyaan Programme.

Revision in Gaganyaan Programme to include the scope of development and precursor missions for BAS, and factoring one additional uncrewed mission and additional hardware requirement for the developments of ongoing Gaganyaan Programme. Now the human spaceflight program of technology development and demonstration is through eight missions to be completed by December 2028 by launching first unit of BAS-1.

SOURCE: PIB

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the development of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), that will be a significant step towards the Government’s vision of establishing & operating the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and towards developing capability for Indian Crewed Landing on the Moon by 2040. NGLV will have 3 times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3, and will also have reusability resulting in low-cost access to space and modular green propulsion systems.

The goals of the Indian space programme during the Amrit Kaal require a new generation of human rated launch vehicles with high payload capability & reusability. Hence, the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) is taken up which is designed to have a maximum payload capability of 30 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit, which also has a reusable first stage. Currently, India has achieved self-reliance in space transportation systems to launch satellites up to 10 tonne to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 4 tonne to Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) through the currently operational PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 & SSLV launch vehicles.

SOURCE: PIB

The union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the mission to moon, named Chandrayaan-4 to develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the Moon and also collect moon samples and analyse them on Earth. This Chandrayaan-4 mission will achieve the foundational technologies capabilities eventually for an Indian landing on the moon (planned by year 2040) and return safely back to Earth. Major technologies that are required for docking/undocking, landing, safe return to earth and also accomplish lunar sample collection and analysis would be demonstrated.

The Government of India has outlined an expanded vision for the Indian space programme during the Amrit Kaal that envisages an Indian Space Station (Bharatiya Antariksh Station) by 2035 and Indian Landing on the Moon by 2040. To realize this vision, a series of Gaganyaan & Chandrayaan follow-on missions are envisaged including the development of associated space transportation & infrastructure capabilities.

SOURCE: PTI

India has served a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a review of the Indus Water Treaty, arguing that ‘fundamental and unforeseen’ changes in the circumstances require a reassessment of the pact. The notice was issued to Pakistan on August 30 under Article XII(3) of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), government sources said on Wednesday.

India and Pakistan signed the IWT on September 19, 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory to the pact, which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of the waters of a number of cross-border rivers.

SOURCE: ANI

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri held a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffery Pyatt on the sidelines of GasTech 2024 in Houston.

The two leaders reviewed the existing energy cooperation and agreed to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across the energy value chain for “just and orderly energy transition.” During the meeting, Mr Puri and Mr Pyatt discussed how the cooperation between two nations is strengthening in the energy sector due to collaboration between the institutions and companies from India and the US.

SOURCE: UNI

In a moving tribute to the fallen heroes of World War II, the 25th Fighter Squadron nicknamed the ‘Assam Draggins’ of the US Air Force, returned to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh after 81 years to pay homage to their fellow airmen. The squadron’s members visited the Hump Museum, located in Gumin Nagar, Pasighat, on Sunday to honour those who lost their lives in the treacherous mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh during the war.

The visit was led by Lieutenant Colonel Justin “Riot” Davis and Captain Nivruth Maramreddy, accompanied by their unit from the 25th Fighter Squadron. The squadron’s history is closely tied to this region, as many US military aircraft crashed in the mountains while attempting to navigate “The Hump,” a hazardous air route between Assam and Yunnan, China, during World War II.

SOURCE: PTI

Three Singaporean women, including one of Indian origin, will be contesting their charges involving a pro-Palestinian procession to the Istana, Singapore’s Presidential Palace, their lawyer said on Wednesday during the trial.

The trio was charged in June under the Public Order Act over the organisation of a procession without a permit on February 2, a media report said. Annamalai Kokila Parvathi is accused of abetting the conspiracy by engaging with two other women and other unknown individuals to organise the procession.

SOURCE: PIB

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel Sujay with integral helicopter made a port call at Bali, Indonesia on September 18, 2024, for a three-day visit, as part of its ongoing overseas deployment to East Asia. The crew of ICGS Sujay will engage in professional interactions with Badan Keamanan Laut Republik Indonesia (BAKAMLA), focusing on Operational Turn Around, Marine Pollution Response, Maritime Search & Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement.

 During the visit, the Coast Guards of both the countries will also engage in activities like cross deck training, joint yoga sessions and friendly sports events. Additionally, 10 NCC cadets aboard ICGS Sujay will participate in an environment protection walkathon towards sensitising the community on ill-effects of ‘marine pollution’ in collaboration with local youth organisations.

SOURCE: ANI

Squadron Leader Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot to join the elite 18 ‘Flying Bullets’ squadron, operating India’s indigenously ‘Made in India’ LCA Tejas fighter jet’s squadron.

One of the first female fighter pilots of the country, Mohana Singh has shattered glass ceilings once again. Her remarkable feat underscores the Indian Air Force’s commitment to gender equality and empowerment.

SOURCE: ANI

With an aim to boost military capabilities in high altitude areas like northern borders, the ‘Him-drone-a-thon-2’ event was conceptualised by the army design bureau at Army headquarters and then in northern command, 14 corps AOR (area of responsibility). Following this, the Army conducted a drone exhibition at an altitude of 15,400 feet at Wari La in Ladakh on Tuesday.

Colonel Abhishek Gunjan, part of the ‘Him-drone-a-thon 2’ organising team, said, “The aim of this event is to give the opportunity to various companies of the Indian drone industry to showcase their products and to give a capability demonstration as to whether the products are fit for operations at this altitude or not.”

SOURCE: IANS

Ghulam Nabi Fai and Adnan Tanriverdi, though hailing from distinct nations and backgrounds – one being an American of Kashmiri heritage and the other a former officer in the Turkish military – are interconnected through a shared purpose: their strategic collaboration with Islamabad and their unified lobbying efforts against India.

Ghulam Nabi Fai, the head of the Pakistan Army-backed Kashmir American Council (KAC), was convicted of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the United States, serving a two-year prison sentence.

SOURCE: IANS

India will participate in the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence (IP-CHOD) conference in Hawaii, U.S. an official said. An official of the Ministry of Defence said that the discussions, during this international conference, will be centred around regional security, counter-terrorism, maritime domain awareness and cooperation, and commitment to joint training and exercises.

He informed that the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Lt Gen JP Mathew will attend this Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence conference.

SOURCE: AP

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s meeting next week with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Modi visits the U.S.

Modi is scheduled to be in the United States this weekend, along with the leaders of Australia and Japan, for a summit of the so-called Quad hosted by President Joe Biden in his Wilmington, Delaware, hometown. The group is formally called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and it began as a partnership after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

SOURCE: PTI

In a relief to 30 Army personnel, the Supreme Court on Tuesday closed the criminal proceedings initiated against them by the Nagaland government for allegedly killing 13 civilians in a 2021 botched operation to ambush militants in Mon district for want of prosecution sanction.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and PB Varale noted that the Centre had on February 28 last year declined to grant sanction to prosecute the personnel under section 6 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) of 1958.

SOURCE: PTI

Six Army commandos were injured, two of them critically, when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.
The accident took place in the Manjakote area of the border district late this evening, causing extensive damage to the vehicle, the officials said.

They said rescuers, including local villagers, evacuated six injured commandos and the condition of two of them was stated to be “critical”.