Current Affairs - Technology

The next Planetary Parade, where seven planets align on one side of the Sun, is expected to occur in 2040. Such alignments are extremely rare, taking place only once in a few decades. During this event, five planets will be visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune will require telescopes to view due to their distance and faintness. This rare alignment is a fascinating spectacle for astronomers and skywatchers alike.

AIKosha, launched under the IndiaAI Mission, serves as a secure hub for AI innovation, offering datasets, models, and use cases. It features AI sandbox capabilities, content discoverability, and AI readiness scoring. AIKosha ensures data security with encryption, secure APIs, and real-time filtering. This initiative is designed to strengthen AI-driven research and innovation in India, playing a crucial role in advancing the country’s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence.

Tata Motors launched the first-ever trials of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks in New Delhi, marking a significant step in the advancement of clean transportation technology. These trucks are equipped with Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines (H2-ICE) and Fuel Cell (H2-FCEV) technologies, designed to reduce emissions in the heavy-duty vehicle sector. The trucks will be tested on India’s most prominent freight routes, highlighting Tata Motors' commitment to sustainable innovation in the automotive industry and contributing to the shift towards greener transportation solutions.

Aditya-L1, India’s first dedicated solar observatory, captured the first-ever image of a solar flare 'kernel', a rare phenomenon observed in the lower solar atmosphere. The mission, launched on September 2, 2023, and placed in orbit at the Lagrange Point L1, provides continuous solar observations, enabling groundbreaking discoveries. The mission’s instruments, such as the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), study various solar phenomena, including flare activity, solar dynamics, and energy bursts. This image contributes significantly to understanding solar flares and their impact on space weather and communication systems on Earth.

Firefly Aerospace successfully carried out the Blue Ghost Mission 1, which landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025. This marked the second private lunar landing. The mission was launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on January 15, 2025, and it carried ten scientific instruments, including a lunar soil analyzer. The mission will also study lunar dust behaviour under solar influence and capture significant lunar events like a total eclipse and lunar sunset. Firefly Aerospace played a key role in this pioneering lunar mission.