Union Cabinet gives nod to Indian Space Policy, 2023

Indian Space Policy, 2023

• It aims to enhance the role of the Department of Space, boost the activities of ISRO missions, and encourage participation from research, academia, startups, and industry.

Salient features

(1) Outlining roles and responsibilities

• The Indian Space Policy, 2023 outlines the roles and responsibilities of various organizations in the space sector.
• The policy includes the responsibilities of ISRO, NewSpace India Limited, and private sector entities.
• This clarity in roles will help in the efficient functioning of the components set up in recent times.

(2) Multistakeholder participation

• The policy aims to boost the space sector by enhancing the role of the Department of Space and encouraging participation from research, academia, startups, and industry.
• This will help in the development of the space segment and create more opportunities for the private sector.

(3) Boosting ISRO Missions

• The Indian Space Policy, 2023 aims to boost the activities of ISRO missions.
• This will help ISRO achieve its objectives more efficiently and effectively.
• It will also help in the development of new technologies and innovative solutions.

(4) Involvement of Private Sector

• The Policy, 2023 recognizes the importance of the private sector in the development of the space sector.
• It encourages the involvement of private sector entities in various aspects of the space segment.
• This will create more opportunities for the private sector and help in the growth of the Indian space industry.

(5) Research and development

• The policy aims to involve research, academia, and startups in the development of the space sector.
• This will help in the development of new technologies, innovative solutions, and talent pool.
• It will also help in the growth of the Indian space industry and create more opportunities for research and development in the sector.

Conclusion

• The Indian Space Policy, 2023 is a comprehensive policy that provides clarity in the roles and responsibilities of various organizations in the space sector.
• The policy aims to boost the space segment, encourage private sector involvement, and involve research, academia, and startups in the development of the sector.
• The policy will help in achieving the objectives of ISRO more efficiently and effectively, and create more opportunities for the private sector and research and development in the space sector.

India elected to UN Statistical Commission

In a significant victory, India has overwhelmingly been elected to the UN Statistical Commission for four years in a “competitive” election in which China and South Korea are still vying for the remaining seat from the Asia Pacific category. India secured an overwhelming 46 out of 53 votes.

What

1. India was elected by secret ballot while Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the United States of America were elected by acclamation for a four-year term of office beginning 1 January 2024.
2. The current members from the Asia-Pacific States are Japan (2024), Samoa (2024) as well as Kuwait, and the Republic of Korea, whose terms are ending this year.
3. The United Nations Statistical Commission, established in 1947, is the highest body of the global statistical system bringing together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world.
4. It is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, responsible for setting statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international levels.
5. The Commission consists of 24 member countries of the United Nations elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council based on equitable geographical distribution.
6. Five members are from African States, four from Asia-Pacific States, four from Eastern European States, four from Latin American and Caribbean States, and seven members from Western European and other States.

TEMPO air quality monitoring instrument

NASA’s high-resolution air pollution monitoring instrument TEMPO lifted atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on 7 April 2023. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument is on its way to a geostationary orbit where it will monitor major air pollutants across North America.

More about TEMPO

1. TEMPO will take important scientific observations, including that of ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde levels.
2. TEMPO is a payload on the satellite Intelsat 40E. The satellite separated from the rocket about 32 minutes into launch. It will only begin its science activities in late May or early June.
3. The space agency says that TEMPO will be the first space-based instrument that is capable of measuring air quality over North America hourly during the daytime with a resolution of several square miles. The current limit is about 100 square miles or about 258 square kilometers.
4. Using TEMPO data, scientists will be able to study rush hour pollution, the potential for improved air quality alerts, the impact of lightning on the ozone layer, the movement of pollution from forest fires and volcanoes, and even the effects of fertilizer application.
5. According to the 2022 “State of the Air” report by the American Lung Association, more than 40 percent of Americans, which is over 137 million people, live in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of particle pollution or ozone. This presents an increase of nearly 2.1 million people over the previous year’s report.
6. The TEMPO mission is about more than just studying pollution – it’s about improving life on Earth for all. By monitoring the effects of everything from rush-hour traffic to pollution from forest fires and volcanoes, NASA data will help improve air quality across North America and protect our planet.
7. TEMPO will join South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-4 satellite to become an air quality monitoring satellite constellation that will track pollution across the Northern Hemisphere.

SC directs Media One’s license to be renewed

The Supreme Court set aside the Centre’s order refusing to grant the renewal of a broadcast license to Malayalam news channel Media One, which had been denied security clearance by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over alleged links with the Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind.

The case

1. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had on 31 January 2022, refused to renew the broadcast license of the Malayalam channel MediaOne on the ground that the Ministry of Home Affairs had declined to grant it security clearance while considering the request for renewal of the license.
2. The MHA, as per the Supreme Court judgment delivered on 5 April 2023, cited alleged links between the channel promoters Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited and the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

What did the Supreme Court say?

1. The Supreme Court on 5 April 2023 set aside the Centre’s order revoking the channel’s broadcast license as well as the High Court’s order upholding the government action.
2. The top court was critical of the sealed cover procedure adopted in the HC and the “cavalier manner” in which the Centre “raised the claim of national security” to deny the security clearance.
3. It said, “While we have held that it would be impracticable and unwise for the courts to define the phrase national security, we also hold that national security claims cannot be made out of thin air. There must be material backing such inference. The material on the file and the inference drawn from such material has no nexus”.
4. It noted that in this case, “the state is using national security as a tool to deny citizens remedies that are provided under the law. This is not compatible with the rule of law”.

Fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine test-fired

Skyroot Aerospace, India’s pioneering private rocket builder achieved a major milestone by successfully test-firing an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 200 seconds, a record for the company.

More about test

1. The endurance test of ‘Dhawan-II’ which demonstrated impressive performance results, was carried out at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using Skyroot’s indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad.
2. This achievement follows the November 2022 launch of Vikram–S, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.
3. The Dhawan-II engine builds upon the foundation laid by Skyroot’s first privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust Dhawan–I, which was successfully test-fired in November 2021.
4. The cryogenic engine series is named in honor of Satish Dhawan, an eminent Indian rocket scientist who played a crucial role in the development of India’s space program.
5. Next article: Today’s Headlines – 07 April 2023