Space
ISRO’s Legacy and Milestones
▪ 1962: Formation of INCOSPAR by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
▪ 1969: ISRO was established.
▪ 1975: Aryabhatta, India’s first satellite, launched with Soviet help.
▪ 1980: Rohini Satellite launched by India’s SLV-3.
▪ 1984: Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space.
▪ 1994: Launch of PSLV, ISRO’s reliable satellite carrier.
▪ 2008: Chandrayaan-1 discovered water on the Moon.
▪ 2013: Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) launched successfully on its first attempt.
▪ 2017: PSLV-C37 set a world record by launching 104 satellites in one go.
▪ 2019: Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to transmit data.
▪ 2022: Launch of SSLV for small satellites.
▪ 2023: Chandrayaan-3’s South Pole landing.
▪ 2023: Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun.
▪ 2024: ISRO expands collaboration with private space players.
▪ Gaganyaan: India’s First Human Space Mission (Expected 2025)
▪ Establishing a permanent Indian space station by 2035.
▪ Sending Indian astronauts to the Moon by 2040.
ISRO’s Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1) for Gaganyaan
▪ ISRO successfully conducted the first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1) on August 24, 2025.
▪ Purpose: To test the parachute-based deceleration system of the Gaganyaan crew module under real-world conditions.
▪ It is a part of India’s maiden human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, targeted for late 2025–26.
Navigation with Indian Constellation (Navic)
▪ Context: ISRO’s Navic (Navigation with Indian Constellation) system, also known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is facing issues with its satellite fleet.
▪ Covers ~1,500 km around India.
▪ Launched 9 satellites since 2013, but only 8 reached proper orbit.
▪ Last satellite (IRNSS-1I) launched in 2018.
▪ ISRO plans to launch at least three new satellites by the end of 2026 to replace the aging and
impaired fleet.
▪ Purpose: Navic provides accurate location services to the military and civilian users within India and
up to 1,500 km beyond its borders. It is intended to be a backup system in case access to foreign constellations like the American GPS is denied.
▪ Other global navigation systems: GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Beidou (China), Galileo (EU).
General Science
Methamphetamine:
▪ Methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth, is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.
▪ It takes the form of a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.
▪ It was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
▪ Like amphetamine, methamphetamine causes increased activity and talkativeness, decreased
appetite, and a pleasurable sense of well-being or euphoria
Diazotrophs:
▪ Diazotrophs are a diverse group of bacteria and archaea that perform biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), converting atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃) which can be used by other organisms.
▪ This process is vital for the biosphere, contributing to the global nitrogen cycle and supporting plant growth, particularly in marine ecosystems and agriculture
