Space
TRISHNA Mission
- Context: Prime Minister announced that India and France will jointly launch the TRISHNA satellite in 2027, a mission designed to contribute to global water and food security.
About TRISHNA Mission
- TRISHNA (Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) is a joint mission of Indian Space Research Organisation and CNES.
Objective
- It aims to provide high-resolution data on land surface temperature, vegetation condition, and water cycle processes.
- It will also support studies on urban heat islands, volcanic and geothermal activity, glacier melt, and snow runoff, along with atmospheric parameters like aerosols, water vapour, and clouds.
Payloads
- TIR Payload (CNES): A four-channel infrared sensor for accurate surface temperature mapping.
- VNIR-SWIR Payload (ISRO): A seven-band sensor for detailed surface reflectance and biophysical analysis.
Function
- Combined data will help estimate surface energy balance and heat flux.
Orbit & Life
- The satellite will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at 761 km altitude (12:30 PM equatorial crossing), with 57 m resolution for land/coastal areas and 1 km for oceans/polar regions, and a mission life of 5 years.
Latest inventions in science and technology
Smart Seed Coating Technology
- Context: ICAR–Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, has developed and demonstrated an innovative biopolymer-based Smart Seed Coating Technology designed to enhance seed quality, crop establishment, and resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses across a wide range of agricultural crops.
About Smart Seed Coating Technology
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- The biodegradable biopolymeric coating forms a multifunctional protective layer that carries beneficial microorganisms, nutrients, micronutrients, crop-protection agents and growth promoters directly to the seed-soil interface.
- It promotes rapid germination, vigorous seedling and root growth, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses (drought, temperature extremes, soil degradation, pests) during the critical crop establishment phase.
- Field demonstrations in Telangana recorded nearly 30% higher yields in groundnut and soybean over conventional practice; tested across soybean, maize, groundnut, chickpea, cotton, mustard and pigeon pea under AICRP-Seed trials.
- ICAR-IIOR is promoting partnerships with public and private seed systems for large-scale adoption, especially in rainfed agriculture.
