Category: Tech

India is all set to introduce its first hydrogen-powered train on March 31, 2025, marking a big stride toward sustainable transportation. This project demonstrates the country’s dedication to green energy, lowering carbon emissions, and promoting clean mobility options. Unlike diesel engines, hydrogen fuel cells produce only water vapour, making these trains a significantly more environmentally friendly option.

The hydrogen train will travel 89 km through Haryana, between Jind and Sonipat. This scenic route will now provide travellers with a more environmentally friendly and calmer travel experience. Powered by a 1,200-horsepower hydrogen engine, it outperforms comparable trains in Germany and China, which have 500-600 horsepower. The train will travel at speeds of up to 110 km/h, ensuring efficiency while maintaining sustainability.

With 10 coaches, the train will carry 2,638 passengers, which is much higher than its global counterparts. Each train is expected to cost Rs 80 crore to manufacture. The Indian government also intends to install hydrogen trains in mountainous areas, boosting sustainability and environmental conservation efforts. Northern Railway will oversee the operations, in line with India’s goal of making its railways carbon-free by 2030.

The introduction of hydrogen-powered trains demonstrates India’s commitment to cleaner, more efficient public transportation systems.

On March 5, 2025, India achieved a key milestone in space technology when ISRO and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh showcased two powerful 32-bit microprocessors, VIKRAM3201 and KALPANA3201. Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, officially handed over the first production lots of these indigenous processors to Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary, DOS and Chairman, ISRO, at a special function in New Delhi.

The processors were developed in collaboration between ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and SCL and are intended for high-reliability applications in space missions. Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, along with key design teams, attended the event.

VIKRAM3201, built at SCL’s 180nm CMOS semiconductor fab, is India’s first wholly indigenous 32-bit microprocessor. It is an improved version of the VIKRAM1601, a 16-bit microprocessor that has been used in ISRO’s launch vehicle avionics since 2009. The new processor improves computing efficiency for launch programs by enabling floating-point calculation and supporting the Ada programming language.

The KALPANA3201, based on the IEEE 1754 Instruction Set Architecture, is a 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC processor meant to work with open-source software toolsets. ISRO also received more jointly created equipment, such as reconfigurable data acquisition systems and integrated circuits.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have made significant advances in space exploration by launching two satellites dedicated to Earth monitoring and climate tracking. The Saturday launch marks a key milestone in both Gulf nations’ expanding space ambitions.

Etihad-SAT, an advanced radar satellite created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), was successfully launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base at 10:39 a.m. UAE time (0639 GMT). The satellite, sent into orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, is designed to record high-resolution photographs in all weather situations. It will be vital in monitoring environmental changes, detecting oil spills, tracking maritime movements, and improving smart agriculture operations.

Bahrain also made history by launching its first satellite, Al-Munther, at 9:39 a.m. Bahrain time (0639 GMT), using the same Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), which allows it to analyse photos in space, saving data processing time. It will promote environmental monitoring, research desertification, and help with urban planning and food security.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Aseeri, CEO of Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency, stated that this launch marks a significant step forward for Bahrain’s rising presence in the global space sector.

Italian scientists have made a significant achievement by freezing light, which challenges fundamental physics principles. The discovery, published in Nature, shows that light can behave like a supersolid, a rare type of matter that flows without friction while preserving a hard structure.

The study, led by Antonio Gianfate of CNR Nanotec and Davide Nigro of the University of Pavia, demonstrates that light can achieve supersolidity under precise quantum circumstances, which was previously only observed in ultracold atomic systems such as Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC).

Instead of cooling light in the typical way, the scientists used advanced quantum techniques to manipulate photons within a semiconductor platform. Polaritons, hybrid light-matter particles, were generated by shooting a laser at a gallium arsenide lattice with nanoscale ridges. As photon density grew, they created satellite condensates, a characteristic pattern indicating supersolidity.

“At temperatures near absolute zero, quantum effects emerge,” the researchers noted. Their findings not only redefine light’s behaviour but also open up new possibilities for quantum computing and photonic circuits. Supersolid light has the potential to assist in stabilising qubits, which are the foundation of future quantum computers.

Beyond computing, this discovery has the potential to alter optical technology and increase our knowledge of quantum mechanics.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha that commercial satellite launches generated USD 143 million (₹1,240 crore) in foreign exchange revenue between 2015 and 2024. During this time, ISRO successfully launched 393 foreign satellites and three Indian customer spacecraft on PSLV, LVM3, and SSLV rockets.

India has offered satellite launch services to 34 countries, with the United States leading with 232 spacecraft, followed by the United Kingdom (83), Singapore (19), and several others, including Canada, South Korea, Germany, and Japan. Space cooperation agreements have been inked with 61 countries and five international organisations, addressing satellite navigation, communications, planetary exploration, and remote sensing.

India’s space sector has reached key milestones. In 2023, ISRO successfully landed Chandrayaan-3 at the Moon’s South Pole and launched Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission. Now, the government is preparing for Gaganyaan, its first human spaceflight mission, which is planned to launch this year. The Russian-trained astronauts will orbit the Earth before safely returning.

India’s ambitious aims include creating the ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ by 2035 and sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040. The country’s private space sector is also growing, strengthening its status as a major worldwide player in the space industry.

On Tuesday, NASA successfully launched a telescope worth ₹4,255 crore from California into orbit, starting a mission to discover hidden water reserves in the Milky Way galaxy and investigate the universe’s beginnings. The megaphone-shaped observatory, known as SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer), was launched into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

SPHERE is a two-year mission that will examine over 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way. It will create a detailed three-dimensional map of the universe by combining 102 different light wavelengths. The initiative attempts to advance scientific understanding of cosmic inflation, which depicts the universe’s fast expansion in the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

SPHERE will also look for frozen water and chemicals such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in interstellar dust clouds, which are necessary for the birth of stars and planets.

NASA also launched four satellites for its PUNCH mission, which aims to study the sun’s atmosphere and solar wind. These phenomena influence space weather, which can affect satellites and electricity infrastructures on Earth. SPHEREx and PUNCH represent significant advances in astrophysics and space exploration.

Singapore has launched a national program called Hybrid Quantum Classical Computing (HQCC 1.0), which aims to integrate quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. The program, funded by the National Research Foundation with $24.5 million, aims to expand middleware research, create novel algorithms, and improve workforce capabilities to foster smooth collaboration between classical and quantum systems.

Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, announced the idea at SupercomputingAsia 2025 on March 11, 2025. “We will take a further step forward today to seed capabilities in hybrid quantum-classical computing through the new HQCC 1.0 initiative,” Teo told the press.

The effort, led by the National Quantum Office, will draw on the expertise of the National Quantum Computing Hub and the National Supercomputing Centre in Singapore. A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing and Centre for Quantum Technologies will help with software and middleware development.

In addition, NSCC Singapore has inked two Memorandums of Understanding with AMD and CSC Finland to further supercomputing and quantum research. AMD will build a Centre of Excellence, and CSC Finland will work together on AI and HPC-quantum integration.

The UAE Space Agency has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), a key step forward in the ambitious deep-space exploration mission. The review, which took place between February 24 and 26, 2025, brought together a group of eminent Emirati and foreign specialists.

After this phase is completed, the project moves on to the assembly, integration, and rigorous testing of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Explorer, the spacecraft that will embark on the journey.

Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director-General of the UAE Space Agency, praised the feat, saying, “This success reflects the UAE’s commitment to making aspirations a reality.”

The CDR included a thorough review of the spacecraft’s design, engineering drawings, production techniques, and operational plans. It also evaluated the spacecraft’s capacity to resist severe conditions in deep space.

Mission Director Mohsen Al Awadhi emphasised the mission’s importance in promoting private sector participation and strengthening national capacities.

The project will last 13 years, with six years for development and seven years to explore the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It will investigate asteroids’ surface composition, thermal properties, and potential as resources for future space missions.

Bharti Airtel has announced a strategic alliance with SpaceX, the aerospace business founded by Elon Musk, to launch Starlink satellite internet services in India. This is Starlink’s first big collaboration in the country, establishing Airtel as a key player in the satellite broadband business. The partnership’s goal is to improve connection in rural and underserved areas, ensuring that isolated places have access to high-speed internet.

However, the launch is subject to regulatory approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre and the Department of Telecommunications. SpaceX is now awaiting approval to officially begin operations.

Under this deal, Airtel will incorporate Starlink into its existing satellite broadband portfolio, which also includes Eutelsat OneWeb, to expand coverage across the country. The effort aims to overcome India’s digital gap by connecting villages, schools, healthcare facilities, and companies.

The cooperation also includes ambitions to sell Starlink equipment over Airtel’s retail network and offer enterprise services. Additionally, Airtel’s infrastructure and market knowledge would help SpaceX expand in India.

India’s satellite broadband sector is growing more competitive, with companies such as Reliance Jio and Eutelsat OneWeb already obtaining the required licenses.

NASA is seeking designers from around the world to create a special zero-gravity indicator that will travel with astronauts on the Artemis II mission. These little, soft things act as visual cues, signaling the move into space. The chosen design will float within the Orion spacecraft when the crew begins their voyage around the Moon.

The competition, which runs until May 27, seeks innovative proposals that represent NASA’s Artemis campaign, space exploration, or scientific discovery. The design must meet specific material and size requirements. A maximum of 25 finalists, including young kids, will be selected. The Artemis II crew will select the final winning design, which NASA’s Thermal Blanket Lab will build for flight.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman emphasised the need for citizen participation. “This mission is for everyone, and we want to bring the world along with us,” he said. The selected indicator will accompany astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen as they go beyond the Moon.

As Artemis II preparations continue, engineers have finished stacking the SLS rocket boosters, bringing humanity closer to launching its next step in lunar exploration.