News on Science, Technology and Research in India
The CE20 engine powers the cryogenic upper stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle, India’s heaviest operational rocket. LVM3 is the vehicle that carried landmark missions such as Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3, and it has also supported commercial satellite launches. The engine has now successfully flown on eight consecutive LVM3 missions, giving it a strong operational record in India’s launch vehicle fleet.
A tactical aerostat is a lighter-than-air surveillance platform that remains tethered to the ground while operating at height. Filled with helium, it can stay airborne for long periods and carry cameras, sensors and communication payloads. IIT Delhi’s demonstrated system used a tactical aerostat balloon of about 24 cubic metres and deployed it up to a height of 30 metres, carrying a payload of up to 10 kilograms for applications such as surveillance, security and remote communications.
The importance of this test lies in the final phase of a space mission, where the crew module must return through the atmosphere and descend safely toward splashdown. In Gaganyaan, the parachute-based deceleration system acts as the final guardian of mission safety. After re-entry, the crew module must reduce speed, remain stable, and reach the recovery zone in a controlled manner. This process demands precise sequencing, strong materials, reliable deployment mechanisms and verified redundancy.
Nameri Tiger Reserve covers about 344 sq km, with Nameri National Park forming the 200 sq km core. The reserve also includes buffer areas from Naduar and Balipara Reserve Forests, while Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary covers around 120 sq km as the satellite core.
Scientists at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), used epitaxial ultrathin titanium nitride (TiN) films to isolate the role of strain on plasmonic behaviour.
An international team of astronomers, including Dr. Aru Beri from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), used the e-MERLIN radio array, to observed 280 nearby galaxies selected from the Palomar sample and probe their central regions on parsec scales.
The record emerged during a long-term snow leopard and rangeland monitoring programme jointly carried out by the Sikkim Forest and Environment Department and WWF-India. The programme began after Sikkim’s first comprehensive snow leopard population assessment in 2022 and is aimed at tracking snow leopards, documenting associated wildlife and understanding the ecological health of high-altitude grasslands.
A banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, estimated to be around 700 years old, has been
The research was carried out by the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials, Hyderabad, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology. The work focused on joining stainless steel SS316L with the nickel-based superalloy Inconel IN718 through additive manufacturing, creating a strong and reliable interface between two very different metals.
Vande Bharatam has been designed as a national platform for Indians with ideas, innovations, prototypes, early-stage ventures or established enterprises. The programme will reach all 36 States and Union Territories, more than 800 districts, and multiple Indian languages, making it one of the broadest entrepreneurial discovery initiatives in the country.
