Current Affairs - Technology

China is preparing to launch its Tianwen-2 mission, a highly advanced asteroid sample-return operation targeting the near-Earth quasi-satellite 469219 Kamo‘oalewa. This mission represents a significant leap in China's space exploration efforts, placing it alongside the United States and Japan—nations that have previously returned asteroid material to Earth. The mission will use innovative techniques such as touch-and-go and anchor-and-attach methods to collect samples. Kamo‘oalewa is a rare quasi-satellite with a unique orbit and is believed to possibly contain lunar material, offering a valuable opportunity to understand more about the Moon's history and the dynamics of near-Earth objects.

OpenAI launched Codex on May 16, 2025, as an advanced AI software engineering assistant designed to handle multiple programming tasks autonomously. Codex operates within a secure cloud sandbox environment connected to a user’s codebase, enabling it to write features, debug, run tests, and draft pull requests, thereby enhancing developer productivity. Available initially to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team users, Codex leverages the codex-1 model optimized for real-world coding. This innovation marks a significant advancement in AI-driven software development, aiming to transform traditional programming workflows and support developers globally.

The PSLV-C61 mission, launched by ISRO on May 18, 2025, aimed to deploy the EOS-09 earth observation satellite but faced failure due to a glitch in the third stage of the launch vehicle. Specifically, a fall in chamber pressure in the solid rocket motor of the third stage caused the mission to fail to place the satellite into the intended Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit. This was ISRO’s 101st mission and only the third failure in PSLV’s history since 1993, highlighting the challenges in advanced space technology missions and ISRO’s commitment to thorough investigation and improvement.

India’s first manned deep ocean mission, ‘Samudrayaan’, is set to be launched in 2026. The mission will utilise the indigenously developed submersible MATSYA 6000 to explore ocean depths of up to 6,000 meters. Spearheaded by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, this initiative is part of the broader Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) launched in 2021. With a focus on marine biodiversity, oceanic geology, and mineral exploration, Samudrayaan represents a major advancement in India's marine research capabilities and aligns with its strategic goals under the Blue Economy and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

The LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration) mission, also known as Chandrayaan-5, is a collaborative lunar exploration project between India and Japan. The mission is targeted for launch in 2027-28 aboard Japan’s H3 rocket and aims to explore water and water-ice at the Moon’s south pole. ISRO (India) is building the lander, while JAXA (Japan) is responsible for developing the 350 kg rover. Both nations are contributing scientific instruments, with additional support from ESA and NASA. This joint venture marks a significant stride in international space collaboration, showcasing the growing global partnerships in planetary science and lunar research.