Oceanographer Srinivas Appointed Secretary Earth Sciences

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Oceanographer Srinivas Appointed Secretary Earth Sciences | Vikram 1 Launch

Today’s major current affairs, which are important for students preparing for government jobs:

NATIONAL

Today the first testing of private orbital-class rocket Vikram-1 will take place

On July 18, India’s private space company Skyroot Aerospace will conduct the first testing of its first orbital-class rocket Vikram-1.

Skyroot Aerospace’s mission is being operated under the name Aagaman. It will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

This rocket will place small satellites into Earth’s orbit. Several payloads are expected to be carried in this mission.

During its first test flight, Vikram-1 will reach an orbit of 450 kilometers at an inclination of 60 degrees.

The objective of Vikram-1 Cosmoserve is to test the world’s first ‘soft robotic capture system’ in orbit.

This technology is designed to capture defunct satellites and orbital debris using flexible robotic arms.

The aim of this technology is to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the space industry – the problem of space junk.

The company said that the objective of ‘Mission Aagaman’ is also to test the performance of Skyroot’s orbital launch vehicle and critical technology during flight.

Vikram-1 is Skyroot’s second space mission. Earlier in 2022, Skyroot had also successfully tested Vikram-S suborbital.

Vikram-S was the first privately built rocket to reach space from Indian soil.

Vikram-1

Vikram-1 has been designed and developed by Skyroot Aerospace.

It is named after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program.

This vehicle is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kilograms to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

This rocket is made entirely of carbon-composite material, which is 5 times lighter than steel and extremely strong

2. Country’s first hydrogen train launched

On July 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s first hydrogen train.

This train was launched from Jind Railway Station in Haryana. It has been named ‘Namo Green Rail’.

This is a completely indigenous technology-based ‘zero pollution’ train.

It uses fuel cells to generate electricity, which runs the train’s electric motor.

With this, India has become the fifth country in the world to run hydrogen trains after Germany, France, Sweden and China.

The hydrogen train will be a major step towards reducing pollution and green transport.

This hydrogen train is part of the ‘Hydrogen for Heritage’ scheme.

Under this, there is a plan to run 35 such hydrogen trains on different historical (heritage) and hilly routes of the country.

Hydrogen Train

These are trains that run on hydrogen fuel instead of diesel.

Fuel cells are used to generate electricity, which powers the train’s electric motor.

Hydrogen gas is stored in tanks on the train’s roof and a chemical reaction occurs between hydrogen and oxygen from the air in the fuel cell.

This process generates electricity. This electricity powers the train’s electric motors.

PM Modi flagged off the hydrogen train from Jind Railway Station to Sonipat.

APPOINTMENT

3. T Srinivas Kumar appointed as Secretary of Earth Sciences

On July 16, the Central Government appointed Senior Oceanographer Dr. T. Srinivas Kumar Tummala as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Earth Sciences is a major ministry of the Government of India, which works for weather, climate, ocean, seismology and forecasting and research of natural disasters.

He will be in this position for up to 2 years. He started his career as a scientist at ISRO in 1998.

Srinath worked on remote sensing, geospatial technology and disaster management projects in 2001.

Srinath has also worked in the Advisory Services & Satellite Oceanography Group.

Srinath has led ocean information services, marine forecasting and satellite-based ocean monitoring programs.

In 2024, Srinath worked at the UNESCO-IOC Head, Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) Secretariat in Perth (Australia).

Srinath has also worked in the Advisory Service and Satellite Oceanography Group.

4. PM Narendra Modi visited Chandigarh and Punjab

On July 17, PM Narendra Modi visited Chandigarh and Punjab.

PM Modi laid the foundation and inaugurated projects worth more than ?12,070 crores.

Along with this, PM Modi will also inaugurate 75 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Scheme from Jalandhar.

PM Modi inaugurated Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station and flagged off the new Shri Sant Ravidas Express running between Amritsar-Varanasi.

INTERNATIONAL

5. Rafale fighter jet reaches Darwin

On July 17, a contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) arrived in Australia to participate in the ‘Pitch Black 2026’ exercise.

The Indian Air Force has sent a contingent of more than 120 personnel along with four Rafale and two C-17 aircraft for the exercise to Australia.

The ‘Pitch Black 2026’ exercise will be held from July 20 to August 7 at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases in Darwin, Tindal and Amberley in northern Australia.

Nearly 100 jet aircraft and more than 2,500 personnel from 20 countries will participate in this exercise.

The Indian Air Force contingent will participate in complex air exercises together with the air forces of Indo-Pacific and European countries.

This is another step towards enhancing defense cooperation between the two countries. This will increase mutual coordination and operational knowledge between both nations.

Exercise ‘Pitch Black 2026’ is the Air Force’s largest training with our allies and friendly nations.

‘Pitch Black’ exercise, held in Darwin since 1983, is RAAF’s premier international air warfare exercise.

This exercise will include aircraft from India, USA, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, France and Spain.

Military personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, Finland and Sweden will also participate in this military exercise.

Miscellaneous

6. Air India launches new app for air booking

On July 16, Air India launched its mobile app with new features to make travel easier.

In case of flight delays or cancellations, passengers will receive direct information through the app.

In any such situation, complete information about hotel accommodation and cab services to reach there will also be available directly through the app.

Along with this, ticket booking, seat selection, meal selection, web check-in, flight status viewing, and trip management can all be done in a single app.

Real-time status of checked-in baggage can be tracked. Instant information about gate changes, boarding time, and flight status.

Today’s History

In 1743, a half-page advertisement was published for the first time in the world in a weekly newspaper in New York.

In 1872, the Secret Ballot Act came into effect in elections in Britain. Before this, voting was done openly.

In 1947, the Indian Independence Act passed by the British Parliament was approved by the British Monarch.

In 1980, the completely India-made satellite ‘Rohini-1’ was placed in Earth’s orbit.