2 October 2026
A paper in Nature, in the issue dated 1 October 2026, reports two independent single-ion optical clocks built on lutetium-176 ions whose accuracy has been verified at the nineteenth digit. The clocks use the optical transition from the 1S0 state to the 3D1 state at a wavelength of 848 nanometres. Each clock reached a fractional frequency uncertainty near 1 times 10 to the power minus 19, and the two clocks agreed with one another to 5.7 times 10 to the power minus 19. The work was led from the Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore, with K. J. Arnold as lead author. The authors note that optical frequency references have far surpassed their microwave predecessors, and that a same-species comparison of this kind supplies the rigorous verification needed as the scientific community works towards a redefinition of the SI second, which is at present defined by a microwave transition in caesium-133.
Ion used:
lutetium-176 (176Lu+)
Transition and wavelength:
1S0 to 3D1 at 848 nm
Fractional frequency uncertainty:
near 1 x 10^-19
Agreement between the two clocks:
5.7 x 10^-19
Institution:
National University of Singapore
Why it matters for exams: The definition of the SI second and the move from caesium microwave clocks to optical clocks is a standard units-and-measurement question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SI second International System of Units second — The world's base unit of time, at present defined using a microwave transition in the caesium-133 atom.
Optical clock Optical atomic clock — A clock that counts oscillations of visible or near-visible light rather than microwaves, giving far higher precision.
Fractional frequency uncertainty Fractional frequency uncertainty — A measure of how much a clock's tick rate may be off, expressed as a fraction of the rate itself.
2 October 2026
A study in Nature, in the issue dated 1 October 2026, finds that multidecadal changes in the length of Earth's day are driven primarily by gravitational torque exerted by the planet's inner core. The length of day is not constant: fluctuations of several milliseconds occur on timescales of 10 to 70 years, and the authors analysed the record from 1964 to 2019. They report a broad oscillation of about 60 to 70 years in the rotation of the inner core. Because the inner core rotates slightly differently from the mantle, it becomes misaligned in longitude with mass anomalies in the lower mantle, and the resulting gravitational torque dominates the multidecadal fluctuation. Electromagnetic and topographic coupling at the core-mantle boundary act in the opposite direction, resisting the change rather than causing it. The finding assigns the main cause of these long-period changes to the deep interior of the planet rather than to the atmosphere or the oceans.
Dominant cause:
gravitational torque of the inner core
Size of fluctuation:
several milliseconds
Timescales analysed:
10 to 70 years
Observation window:
1964 to 2019
Inner core oscillation period:
about 60 to 70 years
Why it matters for exams: Earth's interior structure and the variability of the length of day connect geography and physics, and both are examined directly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
LOD Length of day — The time Earth takes to complete one rotation, which varies slightly from day to day.
Inner core Earth's inner core — The solid innermost region of Earth, lying inside the liquid outer core.
Torque Torque — A turning force that changes the rotation of a body.
Core-mantle boundary Core-mantle boundary — The surface separating Earth's rocky mantle from its metallic core.
2 October 2026
A paper in Nature, in the issue dated 1 October 2026, reports that agricultural liming acts as a carbon sink in the Mississippi River Basin rather than a net source of carbon dioxide. Liming is the spreading of carbonate minerals such as limestone and dolomite on farmland to counter soil acidification. The authors estimate about 0.44 GtCO2 of carbon dioxide removal potential from the lime added to the basin since 1900, with roughly 90 per cent of that realised at the catchment scale. The Mississippi River Basin covers 41 per cent of the land area of the contiguous United States and 65 per cent of its cropland. The study argues that current accounting frameworks apply an incomplete counterfactual, attributing carbon dioxide emissions to the lime rather than to the human-caused acid inputs that drive the release. Measured against those acid inputs, liming is a net sink on decadal to century timescales while also improving crop yields and soil health. Institutions involved include the Environmental Defense Fund and Yale University.
Carbon dioxide removal potential:
about 0.44 GtCO2 from lime added since 1900
Share realised at catchment scale:
roughly 90 per cent
Share of contiguous US land area:
41 per cent
Share of US cropland:
65 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Carbon accounting, soil acidification and carbon dioxide removal are standing environment topics, and a finding that reverses a sign in the carbon ledger is readily asked about.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Liming Agricultural liming — Spreading carbonate minerals such as limestone or dolomite on farmland to reduce soil acidity.
Carbon sink Carbon sink — Anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases over a given period.
GtCO2 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide — A unit equal to one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Counterfactual Counterfactual baseline — The comparison case of what would have happened had the action not been taken.
2 October 2026
A study in Nature, in the issue dated 1 October 2026, reports chromosome-level long-read genome assemblies from 103 bat species, of which 42 are new, representing all 21 bat families. The authors combined the genomes with 44 pre-Quaternary fossils to rebuild the bat family tree. Their analyses conclude that bats, and therefore powered flight in mammals, probably originated in Europe in the late Palaeocene, rather than in Africa or North America as earlier hypotheses had proposed. The study resolves the long-disputed position of the Madagascar sucker-footed bat family, Myzopodidae, placing it as the earliest branch within the superfamily Vespertilionoidea instead of within Noctilionoidea. It also identifies Emballonuroidea and Vespertilionoidea as sister groups and supports a reconstruction of 26 ancestral bat chromosomes. Placing the fossils on the tree indicates that laryngeal echolocation predates the diversification of crown bats. The work appears alongside a companion paper on Myotis bat genomes and longevity.
Genomes assembled:
103 bat species, 42 of them new
Bat families covered:
all 21
Fossils used:
44 pre-Quaternary fossils
Ancestral chromosomes supported:
26
Proposed place and time of origin:
Europe, late Palaeocene
Why it matters for exams: Bats are the only mammals with powered flight, and a revised origin for them is the kind of finding that enters science and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Echolocation Echolocation — Finding objects by sending out sound and listening to the returning echoes.
Palaeocene Palaeocene epoch — The geological epoch that began about 66 million years ago, just after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Genome assembly Genome assembly — The reconstruction of an organism's full DNA sequence from many shorter read fragments.
2 October 2026
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission lifted off at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, 1 October 2026 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the Dragon spacecraft with four crew members aboard. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is the mission commander and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney is the pilot. They are joined by Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Roscosmos as mission specialists. Dragon was due to dock with the International Space Station at about 7:00 p.m. EDT the same day, roughly 7 hours and 50 minutes after launch. NASA said this would make it the fastest launch-to-docking by a United States spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station. The four join the Expedition 75 crew aboard the station.
Launch:
11:10 a.m. EDT, 1 October 2026
Launch site:
Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch to docking:
about 7 hours 50 minutes
Commander:
Jessica Watkins
Station expedition:
Expedition 75
Why it matters for exams: Crewed space missions, their vehicles and the agencies whose astronauts fly on them are regular science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
EDT Eastern Daylight Time — The summer clock time of the eastern United States, which is 9 hours 30 minutes behind Indian Standard Time.
Docking Docking — The act of joining a spacecraft to a space station so that crew can move between them.
Roscosmos Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities — Russia's state space corporation.
2 October 2026
Sachin Kumar Yadav assumed charge as the Managing Director of the Kerala Fibre Optic Network, known as KFON, on Friday, October 2, 2026.
He is also the Director of the Kerala State IT Mission and holds additional charge as the Chief Executive Officer of Technopark and as the Director of the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre.
KFON crossed the milestone of two lakh connections this month, with 2,00,073 connections as per the latest figures.
The connections include households, government offices, institutions and businesses, as well as free connections given to Below the Poverty Line families.
KFON's fibre network spans more than 34,505 km.
The network operates with the support of around 3,800 Local Network Providers.
KFON has extended services to both urban and rural areas, including remote and tribal regions.
Connections:
2,00,073
Fibre network:
more than 34,505 km
Local Network Providers:
around 3,800
Why it matters for exams: KFON's connection count, network length and the officer heading it are the kind of state-scheme facts Kerala PSC asks directly.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
KFON Kerala Fibre Optic Network — The Kerala government's own optical fibre internet network.
LNP Local Network Provider — A local operator that delivers KFON connections to the end user.
KSRSEC Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre — A state agency that works on remote sensing and environmental studies.
Background
The World Intellectual Property Organization is the United Nations agency that serves the world's innovators and creators.
It was established in 1967 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
It has 194 member states, which approve its strategic direction and activities in the annual meetings of the Assemblies.
Its Director General is Daren Tang.
It provides services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property across borders.
It acts as a forum for addressing cutting-edge intellectual property issues, and its data and information guide decisionmakers.
Its impact-driven projects and technical assistance are meant to ensure that intellectual property benefits everyone, everywhere.
Established:
1967
Membership:
194 member states
Director General:
Daren Tang
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Body approving strategy:
Annual meetings of the Assemblies
Why it matters for exams: WIPO's founding year, Geneva seat, membership and Director General are a standard set of objective facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization — The UN agency for patents, trademarks, designs and copyright across borders.
Intellectual property Legal rights over creations of the mind — Includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright.
Assemblies WIPO's annual meetings of member states — They approve WIPO's strategic direction and activities.
Background
The International Telecommunication Union is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
Its membership is made up of 194 Member States and more than 1000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations.
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has regional offices on every continent.
It is the oldest agency in the UN family, connecting people for over 160 years.
It was established in 1865 to manage the first international telegraph networks.
The Union allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits and develops the technical standards that let networks connect seamlessly.
2.2 billion people, largely in developing countries, remain unconnected.
Its Member States set two strategic goals for 2024 to 2027: universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.
Member States:
194
Other members:
More than 1000 companies, universities and organizations
Headquarters:
Geneva, Switzerland
Established:
1865, to manage the first international telegraph networks
People still unconnected:
2.2 billion
Why it matters for exams: ITU's founding as a telegraph body and its status as the oldest UN agency are standard questions on specialised agencies.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ITU International Telecommunication Union — The UN agency for digital technologies, based in Geneva.
Radio spectrum The range of radio frequencies allocated for communication — ITU allocates it globally, along with satellite orbits.
Digital divide The gap between the connected and the unconnected — ITU works to close it through universal connectivity.
Background
In the 1890s Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata decided to set up a world class university in India using his personal wealth.
The Regent Queen Maharani Kempananjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana provided 371 acres and 16 guntas of land in Bangalore, funds for capital expenditure, and an annual contribution.
The remaining money to set up the Institute came from the colonial government of India.
The Indian Institute of Science came into existence on 27 May 1909 in Bangalore following a vesting order and resolution passed by the government of India.
Its first Director was the English chemist Morris Travers, and twenty-four students joined when the Institute opened its doors to students in 1911.
The Institute started with just two academic departments: General and Applied Chemistry, and Electrical Technology.
The Department of Physics was set up under Sir CV Raman, a Nobel Laureate who also became the first Indian Director of the Institute in 1933.
The Institute has expanded to include a 1500-acre campus at Challakere in Chitradurga district, Karnataka.
Came into existence:
27 May 1909, in Bangalore
Land provided by the Regent Queen:
371 acres and 16 guntas
First Director:
Morris Travers
Students at opening:
Twenty-four, in 1911
First Indian Director:
Sir CV Raman, in 1933
Challakere campus:
1500 acres, Chitradurga district, Karnataka
Why it matters for exams: IISc's first Director, its founding endowment and CV Raman's role are recurring questions on Indian scientific institutions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Gunta A traditional unit of land area — Used along with acres in the Institute's founding land grant.
Vesting order A government order transferring property or rights — The order through which the Institute formally came into existence.
IISc Indian Institute of Science — A research university at Bangalore, with a second campus at Challakere.
Background
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has a dynamic network of 37 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 1 Innovation Complexes, and three units with a pan-India presence.
CSIR's R&D expertise and experience are embodied in about 3476 active Scientists supported by about 4000 technical and support personnel as of 31st March 2022.
CSIR covers a wide spectrum from oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology.
CSIR filed about 250 Indian patents and 213 foreign patents during 2022-23.
CSIR has a patent portfolio of 1,132 unique patents in force, out of which 140 patents have been commercialized.
CSIR also has 2,587 in force patents granted abroad in multiple countries.
In 2022, CSIR published around 5800 papers in SCI Journals with an average impact factor per paper of 4.9.
CSIR envisages a vision called CSIR@2030, aligned to the Government of India's vision for the next 25 years.
National laboratories:
37
Outreach centres:
39
Active scientists:
about 3476 as of 31st March 2022
Unique patents in force:
1,132
Patents commercialized:
140
Average impact factor per paper:
4.9
Why it matters for exams: The count of CSIR national laboratories and its patent figures are frequently asked in science and institutions sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CSIR Council of Scientific & Industrial Research — India's largest publicly funded multidisciplinary R&D organisation.
Impact factor A measure of how often a journal's papers are cited — Used here as an average per published paper.
Patent in force A granted patent that is still valid — Different from a patent merely applied for.
Background
The entry of private service providers brought with it the need for independent regulation of telecom services.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established with effect from 20th February 1997 by an Act of Parliament, called the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
TRAI regulates telecom services, including fixation and revision of tariffs for telecom services, which were earlier vested in the Central Government.
TRAI has issued a large number of regulations, orders and directives covering tariff, interconnection, quality of service and the governance of the Authority.
The TRAI Act was amended by an ordinance, effective from 24 January 2000, establishing a Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.
TDSAT adjudicates disputes between a licensor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, and between a service provider and a group of consumers.
TDSAT also hears and disposes of appeals against any direction, decision or order of TRAI.
TRAI established with effect from:
20th February 1997
Founding Act:
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997
TDSAT created with effect from:
24 January 2000
Function moved to TDSAT:
Adjudicatory and disputes functions
Why it matters for exams: TRAI's founding Act and the split of its adjudicatory work to TDSAT are a standard regulator-versus-tribunal question.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — The statutory regulator for telecom and broadcasting tariffs and quality of service.
TDSAT Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal — Hears telecom disputes and appeals against TRAI's orders.
Interconnection Linking of one operator's network with another's — One of the subjects TRAI regulates by order and regulation.
Background
Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, born October 30, 1909 and died January 24, 1966, conceived the Nuclear Program in India.
Dr Bhabha established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) for carrying out nuclear science research in 1945.
To intensify the effort to exploit nuclear energy, he established the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) in January 1954 for a multidisciplinary research program.
After the demise of Bhabha in 1966, AEET was renamed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
Dr Bhabha established the BARC Training School to cater to the manpower needs of the expanding atomic energy research and development program.
BARC is described as the mother of R&D institutions such as the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) and the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC).
Homi Bhabha's dates:
October 30, 1909 - January 24, 1966
TIFR founded:
1945
AEET founded:
January 1954
Renamed BARC after:
Bhabha's demise in 1966
Institutions born of BARC:
IGCAR, RRCAT, VECC
Why it matters for exams: The AEET-to-BARC renaming and the centres that grew out of BARC are repeatedly asked in science and institutions questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
BARC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre — India's principal multidisciplinary nuclear research centre, at Trombay in Mumbai.
TIFR Tata Institute of Fundamental Research — Set up by Bhabha for fundamental science research.
IGCAR Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research — A centre that grew out of BARC, at Kalpakkam.
Background
Catalogues of stellar distances and motions used by astronomers around the world rest on Gaia, a European Space Agency mission whose status ESA now lists as post-operations. ESA describes Gaia as a global space astrometry mission that built the largest, most precise three-dimensional map of our Galaxy by surveying nearly two billion objects. From 27 July 2014 to 15 January 2025, Gaia made more than three trillion observations of two billion stars and other objects throughout the Milky Way galaxy and beyond, mapping their motions, luminosity, temperature and composition. Through the mission Gaia monitored each of its target stars about 14 times per year, charting their positions, distances, movements and changes in brightness. It studied more than 1 million distant quasars and provided stringent new tests of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Gaia's data are used to identify which stars are relics of smaller galaxies long ago swallowed by the Milky Way.
Agency:
European Space Agency
Objects surveyed:
Nearly two billion
Observation period:
27 July 2014 to 15 January 2025
Observations made:
More than three trillion
Visits per target star:
About 14 times per year
Why it matters for exams: Space-science questions pair a mission with its agency and its purpose, and Gaia is the standard example of astrometry as against imaging telescopes.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Astrometry Astrometry — The branch of astronomy that measures the precise positions and motions of stars.
Quasar Quasar — An extremely bright, very distant object powered by matter falling into a massive black hole.
2 October 2026
Measurements by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network GLAMOS and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences show that more than 5 per cent of Switzerland's glacier ice disappeared in 2026.
In the past five years the volume of ice in Switzerland has fallen by almost 20 per cent.
The mean thickness of individual glaciers fell by between 2.5 and 4 metres, and on glacier tongues by as much as 10 metres over the summer.
Winter 2025/26 was among the ten least snowy winters since measurements began, and the freezing level stood above 4,000 metres on 76 days, more than twice the average and a record.
Small glaciers such as the Bella Tola Glacier and the Griessfirn/Plattalvafirn have disappeared, while the Allalin, Clariden, Aletsch and Rhone glaciers saw their greatest melt on record.
Between July and September the glaciers released about 2,200 billion litres of water.
The 2026 measurement period ranks just behind the record year of 2022.
Ice lost in 2026:
More than 5 per cent
Ice lost in five years:
Almost 20 per cent
Fall in mean thickness:
2.5 to 4 metres
Days with freezing level above 4,000 m:
76
Water released July to September:
About 2,200 billion litres
Why it matters for exams: Alpine glacier loss is the standard illustration of warming for environment questions, and these are the latest measured figures.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GLAMOS Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland — The network that measures long-term change in Swiss glaciers.
Freezing level Altitude at which the air temperature is 0 degrees Celsius — The higher it sits, the more of a glacier melts instead of gaining snow.
Glacier tongue Lower end of a glacier where it flows downhill — It is the first part of a glacier to thin in a hot summer.
Background
Uttar Pradesh's drive for industrial investment, seen again in the dairy proposals at its international trade show this week, rests partly on new transport projects such as the airport at Jewar.
Commercial flight operations at Noida International Airport began on 15 June 2026.
The first flight ran from Jewar to Lucknow and carried 170 farmers who had given land for the project, led by the Jewar MLA, Dhirendra Singh.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu was present at the inaugural ceremony.
In its first phase the airport can handle 1.2 crore passengers a year.
When complete, its capacity is expected to exceed 7 crore passengers a year.
It is intended to serve as a hub for both domestic and international operations.
Commercial operations began:
15 June 2026
First route:
Jewar to Lucknow
Phase 1 capacity:
1.2 crore passengers a year
Capacity on completion:
expected to exceed 7 crore a year
Why it matters for exams: New airports, their capacity figures and their locations are routine economy and geography questions, and Jewar is in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar belt of investment projects.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
2 October 2026
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority flagged off an expert team on 8 September 2026 to survey two high-altitude glacial lakes.
Saraswati Tal lies in Chamoli district at about 5,700 metres and Kedartal in Uttarkashi district at about 4,750 metres.
The team is to carry out bathymetry surveys and assess the lakes' present condition, water level and changes in size, so that glacial lake hazards can be reduced.
The team draws on USDMA, ULMMC, the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences Lucknow, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, NIH Roorkee, SDRF, NDRF and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, and the release names 20 members.
Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Vinod Kumar Suman flagged off the team, and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Disaster Management Minister Madan Kaushik conveyed their good wishes to it.
13 glacial lakes in Uttarakhand have been identified as sensitive, of which four have already been surveyed.
Saraswati Tal altitude:
about 5,700 metres
Kedartal altitude:
about 4,750 metres
Size of the expert team:
20 members named
Why it matters for exams: Glacial lake outburst risk in the Himalaya is a live exam theme, and this names the two lakes, their districts and their altitudes.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bathymetry Measurement of the depth and shape of a water body's floor — Mapping a lake bed shows how much water it holds, which decides how dangerous a sudden breach would be.
ULMMC Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre — The state centre set up to study and reduce landslide risk.
2 October 2026
The European Space Agency has announced that Smile, the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, has begun its science operations.
Smile is a joint mission of ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It was launched on 19 May 2026 and reached its target orbit on 20 June 2026.
Science operations were approved on 23 September 2026 after commissioning.
The spacecraft carries four instruments: a soft X-ray imager, an ultraviolet aurora imager, a magnetometer and a light ion analyser.
Smile studies how Earth's magnetic shield responds to the solar wind, including geomagnetic storms and auroras that can disturb power grids and satellites.
Launch date:
19 May 2026
Target orbit reached:
20 June 2026
Science operations approved:
23 September 2026
Instruments:
4
Why it matters for exams: Space weather missions and their instrument sets are frequent science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Smile Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer — A joint ESA and Chinese Academy of Sciences spacecraft studying Earth's response to the solar wind.
Magnetosphere Region of space controlled by Earth's magnetic field — It deflects most of the charged particles streaming from the Sun.
Solar wind Stream of charged particles flowing out from the Sun — Its gusts cause geomagnetic storms and auroras at Earth.
1 October 2026
Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha spoke at Women's College, Agartala, where he inaugurated renovation and development work on the Matangini Pritilata Auditorium. He launched the Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026, the Mukhyamantri Yuva Jogajog Yojana and Digi-SAPNE 3.0. He called young people a key resource for national development. He stressed the need to combine institutional education with modern technology and spirituality, and said the state is prioritising technology-driven upgrades to educational infrastructure, with a greater focus on Artificial Intelligence.
Scheme launched:
Mukhyamantri Yuva Jogajog Yojana
Challenge:
Seva First Innovation Challenge 2026
Programme:
Digi-SAPNE 3.0
Venue:
Women's College, Agartala
Why it matters for exams: Names of new state schemes and their launch details are routine scheme questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
1 October 2026
Four Crew-13 members launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, 1 October 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The crew is NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
Dragon's flight is expected to take approximately 7 hours 50 minutes, with autonomous docking planned for approximately 7 p.m., which NASA says would make it the fastest launch-to-docking by a U.S. spacecraft in the history of the ISS.
They are due to join the Expedition 75 crew.
After a brief handover, Crew-12 will return to Earth.
Research includes human stem cell-derived tissues for conditions such as heart disease and Parkinson's.
Launch:
11:10 a.m. EDT, 1 October 2026
Launch site:
Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral
Flight time:
approximately 7 hours 50 minutes
Joins:
Expedition 75
Why it matters for exams: Crewed missions to the ISS and the agencies that share it are standard science-and-technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
CSA Canadian Space Agency — Canada's national space agency, whose astronaut Joshua Kutryk is on Crew-13.
1 October 2026
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission lifted off on 1 October 2026 at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
A Falcon 9 rocket carried the Dragon spacecraft, which NASA said would dock autonomously to the forward port of the Harmony module at about 7 p.m. EDT the same day.
That would make the flight about 7 hours and 50 minutes, which NASA said would be the fastest launch-to-docking by a United States spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station.
The crew are NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
They join the Expedition 75 crew aboard the station.
Launch date:
1 October 2026, 11:10 a.m. EDT
Launch-to-docking:
About 7 hours, 50 minutes
Docking port:
Forward port of the Harmony module
Expedition:
75
Why it matters for exams: Space station missions, their launch sites and the agencies that take part are frequent science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ISS International Space Station — A crewed laboratory in low Earth orbit run jointly by the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.