Space
Axiom-4 mission
India’s human space programme began with the launch of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.
This is the first time an Indian has gone to orbital space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go to space when he did so in 1984 aboard the Soyuz
spacecraft of the erstwhile Soviet Union.
If the Dragon crew capsule docks successfully with the ISS on June 26, Mr. Shukla will also
become the first Indian onboard the ISS.
The 31 countries with representation in the Ax-4 mission include the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and nations across Europe.
ISRO has included seven microgravity research experiments proposed by Indian investigators
from various national R&D laboratories and academic institutions.
Group Captain Shukla will be performing them during his stay on the ISS.
ISRO and NASA will be participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) demonstrations.
Latest Discoveries in Health Science
RTS.S – The first malaria vaccine
Bharat Biotech International will start supplying world’s first malaria vaccine RTS.S, developed by global biopharma major GSK, to vaccine alliance Gavi from 2026.
RTS.S was the first malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization in 2021.
It is the First-ever malaria vaccine targeting Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite.
The recommendation was for the vaccine’s use in children living in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high malaria transmission according to the World Health Organization
(WHO).
While RTS,S has not yet been rolled out in India as part of a national immunization programme, its potential inclusion is under review.
India’s national malaria elimination goal: Eliminate malaria by 2030.
Haemophilia A
A simple and affordable point-of-care test kit has been indigenously developed by the National Institute of Immunohaematology for early diagnosis of genetic bleeding disorders haemophilia A and Von Willebrand Disease.
Haemophilia A is a genetic bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency or absence of clotting factor VIII.
This leads to prolonged bleeding as the blood cannot clot properly.
It is more common in males and is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern
