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1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shortlisted two of its trained Gaganyaan astronauts for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with NASA. Scheduled for August 2024, the mission involves a fourteen-day docking at the ISS. Indian astronauts will receive training from NASA, SpaceX, and international partners, enhancing India-US space cooperation. The ISS, a permanently crewed orbital laboratory, involves collaboration between NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. It supports advancements in medicine, technology, and science. India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight is expected post-2025 after successful unmanned missions. ISRO also aims to establish India's first space station by 2035.
2. US wildlife officials have decided to cull Barred Owls (Strix varia) to protect the declining Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) populations. Under the plan, trained professionals and landowners will be permitted to shoot Barred Owls, but public hunting is prohibited. Barred Owls, native to North America, are larger and more aggressive than Spotted Owls and have a broad diet, enabling them to thrive and spread in the western US. This invasion has caused a significant decline in Spotted Owl populations, with reductions of 65-85% in some areas between 1995 and 2017. The cull will also benefit other species preyed upon by Barred Owls, such as salamanders and crayfish. Barred Owls are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, while Spotted Owls are Near Threatened. Their habitats include North American woodlands for Barred Owls and mature forests in British Columbia and Washington for Spotted Owls.
3. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has unveiled the prototype of India's indigenous light tank, Zorawar, which will undergo extensive trials. Jointly developed by DRDO and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), with contributions from various Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Zorawar weighs a maximum of 25 tonnes. The need for such a light tank arose during the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, emphasizing the requirement for lightweight, easily deployable tanks. In April 2021, the Army issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 350 light tanks weighing less than 25 tonnes. The design of Zorawar ensures it can be transported by air, fire at high angles, and perform limited artillery roles, enhancing both tactical and operational mobility.
4. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has unveiled the prototype of India's indigenous light tank, Zorawar, which will undergo extensive trials. Jointly developed by DRDO and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), with contributions from various Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Zorawar addresses the need for a lightweight, easily deployable tank that emerged during the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh. Weighing a maximum of 25 tonnes, its design ensures it can be transported by air, fire at high angles, and perform limited artillery roles, enhancing both tactical and operational mobility. In April 2021, the Army issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 350 such light tanks.