(This article varieties a a part of the Data Point newsletter curated by The Hindu’s Data workforce. To get the newsletter in your inbox, subscribe right here.)
On August 23, India made historical past by turning into the fourth nation to efficiently land on the moon. The Chandrayaan-3 mission executed a mushy touchdown close to the moon’s south pole, marking a first in lunar exploration. This achievement got here on the heels of Russia’s failed lunar touchdown on August 20, due to an engine malfunction.
What units India’s lunar mission aside is its cost-effectiveness. Despite a comparatively modest price range allocation of $1.66 billion for the Department of Space within the final fiscal yr, ISRO managed to execute the Chandrayaan-3 mission at a frugal price of simply $75 million, capturing international consideration.
A key technique for price range effectivity was the mission’s flight path. Unlike Russia’s Luna-25 mission, which took a extra direct route, Chandrayaan-3 adopted a longer trajectory that took over 40 days to attain its vacation spot. This strategy conserved gas and allowed for much less highly effective—and cheaper—propulsion methods.
As India gears up for the September launch of Aditya-L1, a space-based photo voltaic observatory, now could be a becoming time to look again at 5 pivotal moments in India’s area historical past, together with their related prices.
Aryabhata
From The Hindu Archives: Indian Scientific Satellite Project Director Prof. U.R. Rao presenting a {photograph} of the ‘Aryabhata’ to Indian President, Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 24, 1975.
Named after the traditional Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata, this was India’s first satellite tv for pc, launched on April 19, 1975. Although ISRO designed and assembled the satellite tv for pc, its launch was facilitated for free of charge to India by means of a Russian-made Kosmos-3M rocket. Aryabhata’s mission concerned finding out Earth’s ionosphere, measuring photo voltaic neutrons and gamma rays, and conducting X-ray astronomy. Unfortunately, the mission was short-lived due to electrical energy system failures.
Rohini Satellite RS-1
On July 18, 1980, India reached a important milestone with the profitable launch of RS-1, an experimental spin-stabilised satellite tv for pc. This mission marked the debut of India’s indigenous launch car, SLV-3, and price ₹1.5 crore. RS-1 had various purposes, together with communications, tv, and useful resource mapping, laying the groundwork for future superior launch car initiatives.
From The Hindu Archives: Image of the Rohini satellite tv for pc RS-1, the payload in car SLV-3 printed on July 19, 1980.
Indian National Satellite (INSAT) System
From The Hindu Archives: The picture of the primary of two multi-purpose satellites, INSAT-1A, launched from Cape Canaveral on April 10, 1982, aboard a Delta rocket, proven minutes earlier than launch
On July 18, 1980, India reached a important milestone with the profitable launch of RS-1, an experimental spin-stabilised satellite tv for pc. This mission marked the debut of India’s indigenous launch car, SLV-3, and price ₹1.5 crore. RS-1 had various purposes, together with communications, tv, and useful resource mapping, laying the groundwork for future superior launch car initiatives.
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Program
From The Hindu Archives: The picture of Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-1A)
Initiated with the launch of IRS-1A on March 17, 1988, India’s IRS program has launched a sequence of superior indigenous remote-sensing satellites. IRS-1A’s launch price was ₹7.5 crore, and the satellite tv for pc served for over eight years. The program’s most up-to-date addition, EOS-04, launched in February 2022, is a radar imaging satellite tv for pc designed for purposes in agriculture, forestry, hydrology, and flood mapping, with an approximate price of ₹490 crore.
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
The Red Planet: An image of the planet Mars taken by Mars Colour Camera (MCC) onboard India’s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft. PTI Photo / (ISRO), June 19, 2017.
Launched on November 5, 2013, MOM was India’s inaugural mission to Mars. The mission utilised the PSLV-C25 launch car and had a whole price of $73 million. MOM’s targets included testing key applied sciences for interplanetary exploration and finding out Mars’ floor and ambiance. The mission has made important contributions to our understanding of the Martian exosphere.
In abstract, India’s area endeavours are characterised by cost-effective missions and important achievements, establishing the nation as a formidable participant within the international area neighborhood. These milestones, achieved inside price range constraints, mirror ISRO’s dedication to advancing area exploration whereas optimising useful resource effectivity.
Recap
- While the variety of Indian college students heading to the United Kingdom (U.Okay.) has elevated, with Indians now forming the second largest cohort of overseas college students, the variety of those that handle to keep in that nation by securing jobs or pursuing additional research has been poor lately. Data reveals that within the U.Okay. of the Indian college students who arrived in 2017, solely 17% switched to work visas, whereas 5% managed to prolong their examine visas. In distinction, a majority of visas (76%) expired by 2022. Data additionally revealed that many Indians enrolled in faculties with low-quality programs, which hints on the purpose behind the difficulty.
- As India celebrated its 76 years of Independence, the Data workforce checked out India’s relative progress compared to different choose international locations. Data confirmed that of the 26 international locations in contrast, India’s GDP per capita rating of 24 remained unchanged between the Nineteen Sixties and 2022. The nation’s HDI rating worsened by three ranks from 1950 to 2021 of the 31 international locations in contrast.
- On July 10, the Centre filed an affidavit within the Supreme Court which mentioned that since 2019, Jammu and Kashmir (J&Okay) has been witnessing an “unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity” after the dilution of Article 370. Data revealed that whereas civilian deaths have seen a downward development, militant deaths have remained excessive for the reason that main inflection level in 2016 when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed. Notably, post-dilution, comparatively peaceable districts similar to Poonch and Rajouri within the Jammu area, have additionally seen sharp spikes in terrorism-related deaths.
- After physicists in South Korea reported that that they had synthesised a materials that was a superconductor at room temperature and ambient stress on July 21, knowledge reveals how tough it’s to discover such a materials. The retraction of many variety of claims of discovering a room-temperature superconductor after impartial scrutiny is proof that it is going to be after such verification that the newest declare will likely be accepted.
- When on-line training platform, Unacademy, fired an teacher, Karan Sangwan, after a video of him speaking to college students about voting for educated candidates went viral, and the difficulty snowballed, Data confirmed that the controversy was a lot ado about nothing, as about 72% of the present MPs accomplished commencement.
Fortnightly
- 10,000 e-buses have been authorized by the Union Cabinet below the PM e-bus Sewa scheme for metropolis bus providers throughout India. The scheme is aimed to shore up city infrastructure below inexperienced mobility initiatives with a deal with cities having no organised bus providers. An e-bus is any bus whose propulsion and accent methods are powered solely by a zero-emissions electrical energy supply. The scheme could have an estimated price of ₹57,613 crore, of which the Centre will present ₹20,000 crore. It will assist bus operations for 10 years, an official assertion mentioned.
- 14 States and Union Territories are but to signal a essential Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Education Ministry, which mandates the implementation of the National Education Policy to avail funds price nearly ₹13,000 crore for the following three years below the Centre’s flagship scheme for State-run larger training. Officials from a number of Opposition-ruled States knowledgeable The Hindu that they’ve raised considerations in regards to the MoU, provided that 40% of the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) price range should be borne by the States themselves, and no further funds have been earmarked for NEP reforms. The Centre says it holding discussions to iron out variations with dissenting States.
- 521 lakh tonnes of rice to be procured by Union Food Ministry this kharif season. Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra knowledgeable that the goal for rice procurement was determined after discussions with all States. He added that the Ministry is on observe to obtain the goal of 100% distribution of fortified rice throughout all rice-consuming districts within the nation.
- 230 Indian nationals from the Meitei ethnic neighborhood, went throughout the border to Myanmar when violence broke out in Moreh, a business city in Manipur bordering Myanmar. With little time to assume, they believed that they had escaped to security, however have been stranded within the jungle since May 3. Moreh, by means of which the Asian Highway 1 runs, connecting Tokyo to Turkey, is at the moment surrounded by the Kuki-Zo tribes. The ethnic battle has impacted about 60,000 folks throughout the State.
- 70 million folks in Asia have been pushed into poverty due to inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic, in accordance to Asian Development Bank. The financial institution mentioned an estimated 155.2 million folks, or 3.9% of the area’s inhabitants, have been residing in excessive poverty in 2022 — 67.8 million greater than would have been with out the pandemic and better residing prices. Poor folks have been damage essentially the most by larger inflation, the report mentioned.
Chart of the week
The chart reveals the university-wise common variety of Indian college students enrolled previously three years. The larger the circle, the upper the variety of college students. The circles on the correct are higher ranked.
Data reveals that previously three years, about 30% of Indian college students enrolled in universities ranked over 100 by The Guardian. The University of Hertfordshire (ranked 74) adopted by The University of East London (ranked 113) have been the highest two locations for Indian college students. Only about 13% of Indians have been enrolled within the 24 prestigious Russell Group universities which incorporates the University of Oxford and Cambridge.
Click right here to know extra in regards to the reasonings behind why many Indian college students finding out within the U.Okay. are unable to keep within the nation by securing jobs or pursuing additional research.
Flashback
When retail inflation noticed a sharp spike at 7.4% in July, knowledge confirmed that meals and beverage inflation was liable for the best enhance within the final 15 months. Vegetable inflation had quickened to 37% (the best in 40 months) owing to the 200% acceleration within the retail inflation of tomatoes, the highest-ever since not less than January 2015.
When the value of tomato went previous ₹100 per kilogramme (kg) mark on the final day of June in not less than 50 cities, knowledge confirmed that it was the sudden and speedy fall within the amount of tomatoes introduced to numerous mandis throughout India within the final week of June that created a demand-supply mismatch main to a speedy enhance within the retail value of the staple vegetable.
Thank you for studying this week’s version of the Data Point newsletter! To subscribe, click on right here. Please ship your suggestions to rebecca.varghese@thehindu.co.in
