CURRENT AFFAIRS

The world's first commercially built nuclear-powered satellite, BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability), has successfully entered orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during the Transporter-17 rideshare mission.Developed by City Labs, a Florida-based aerospace company, BOHR demonstrates betavoltaic nuclear battery technology, which generates electricity from the radioactive decay of tritium. 

According to the WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026 and GLOBOCAN 2022, cancer is emerging as one of India's biggest public health challenges.

DRDO recently conducted successful flight-tests of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the first ground test of the Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle for Experiments (SOLVE) on 3 July 2026 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

Astronomers recently discovered a new millisecond pulsar using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) under the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) Survey.

India's space journey over the last 12 years reflects the spirit of Vishwas, Vikas and Jan Kalyan.

Researchers from Cairo University, Egypt have identified bacterial strains capable of degrading Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) microplastics, one of the most difficult plastics to break down naturally.

Recently, researchers from Mumbai, Kochi, and Japan used the GRAPES-3 (Gamma Ray Astronomy PeV Energies Phase-3) telescope to study how the temperature of Earth's upper atmosphere and the Sun's magnetic field affect muons, subatomic particles arriving from space.

Tamil Nadu's only reversible pumped storage hydropower plant, the Kadamparai Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant, is currently operating at nearly 25% of its installed capacity as it has exceeded its designed operational life. This has raised concerns regarding its modernization and refurbishment.

Recently, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the Ministry of Education flagged off a delegation of Indian students selected for the Sakura Science Programme 2026 from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi, for a visit to Japan.