With the construction of its first hyperloop test track, India has made a major advancement in the transformation of transportation. The 422-meter-long test track, developed by IIT Madras with cooperation from the Ministry of Railways, allows for high-speed travel in a near-vacuum environment. Trains may now travel at speeds of over 1,000 km/h because of the technology, providing a glimpse of ultra-fast travel in the future. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the first commercial project will be deployed across a 4,050-kilometer site after the technology has been thoroughly tested and ap
For the first time, the United States Space Force has publicly released an image of its classified X-37B space plane in orbit, providing a rare insight into one of the most secretive spacecraft in use. The image, taken by an onboard camera, shows Earth in the background with the X-37B's solar panel and open payload bay partially visible. The Boeing-built X-37B has been in orbit for more than a year, having launched on its seventh mission on December 28, 2023, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Previously, the only known video of the spacecraft in orbit was a brief excerpt from a SpaceX lau
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has established a 5 billion rupee ($57.58 million) fund to assist early-stage space businesses in commercialising their innovations. The project intends to minimise India's dependency on space-related imports while increasing the country's footprint in the global space sector. The Technology Adoption Fund project will encourage collaboration between government agencies and commercial businesses. IN-SPACe stated that by providing financial support, India intends to establish itself as a vital role in the rapidly growing
India plans to launch its first privately produced Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) this year. The vehicle, developed by a collaboration of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), will transport the Technology Demonstration Satellite-1 (TDS-1). This mission will put 35 cutting-edge indigenous technologies to the test, a significant step forward for India's space sector. In an exclusive interview, Isro chairman V. Narayanan stated that the PSLV is nearing completion, with Isro providing technical support. The TDS-1 payload is currently being built, and it
A solvent recycling facility in Thailand is optimistic about the future, expecting a 10% income rise this year. The company also plans to participate in the carbon credit trading market. Solvents play an important role in EV manufacturing because of their ability to dissolve impurities and evaporate fast. They are widely used for cleaning automotive and electrical components, as well as mixing resins and pigments for vehicle coatings. Solvents play an equally important role in lithium-ion battery manufacture. Siamnat Panassorn, CEO of Sun-up Recycling, emphasised the difficulty of recov
India plans to revolutionise emergency medical transportation with the deployment of Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) air ambulances. This effort places India at the forefront of modern air ambulance technology. The $1 billion agreement between the IIT-Madras-based ePlane Company and ICATT, a renowned air ambulance service provider, marks a significant milestone in achieving this goal. According to the agreement, 788 eVTOL flying ambulances will be deployed in all Indian districts. These electric air ambulances will drastically shorten response times in medical crises, esp
Indian researchers made a spectacular discovery: TOI-6038A b, a new exoplanet. This planet is roughly 78.5 times the mass of Earth and has a radius of 6.41 times that of our own. Scientists from Ahmedabad's Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) identified it. The exoplanet orbits a bright, metal-rich F-type star, completing its revolution in roughly 5.83 days. It takes a nearly circular path through a large binary system. This planet is classified as a dense "Sub-Saturn," falling somewhere between Neptune-like worlds and gas giants, making it an intriguing target for planetary evolution resea
The UAE is taking a significant step towards smart mobility by planning air corridors for air taxis and freight drones. This effort intends to promote sustainable travel, improve urban connectedness, and minimise traffic congestion. During the World Government Summit, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) indicated that the mapping process and regulatory framework would be completed over the next 20 months. According to Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of the GCAA, these corridors are critical for seamlessly integrating autonomous aerial vehicles into the country's transportation sy
India has considerably increased the budget for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission to $2.32 billion, which includes the construction and operation of a national space station. Union Minister Jitendra Singh told parliament on Thursday that the country now expects to launch two crewed and six uncrewed missions by 2028. Gaganyaan is India's first human spaceflight endeavour. The mission's goal is to launch a habitable space capsule into a 400-kilometer orbit and return safely to the Indian Ocean by splashdown. Gaganyaan was originally budgeted at $1.1 billion and scheduled to have onl
Astronomers discovered "Quipu," the universe's largest known structure. It spans 1.3 billion light-years and is 13,000 times larger than the Milky Way. This result calls into question prevailing ideas of cosmic structure. Quipu, named after an ancient Incan measurement system, was discovered using galaxy cluster analysis. The paper, which is available on ArXiv, has yet to be peer evaluated. Previously, the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall held the record of 10 billion light-years, albeit its existence is still questioned. Unlike Hercules-Corona, Quipu is plainly visible in sky maps.