9 October 2026
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released a draft Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Digital Rights Management based Digital Addressable Systems Audit Manual, 2026, and invited written comments from stakeholders.
Schedule X of the Interconnection Regulations specifies the requirements for DRM-based systems, which are used mainly by internet protocol television distribution platforms.
TRAI had issued a separate audit manual for conditional access systems, subscriber management systems and set top box based systems on 10th March 2026.
The draft sets out a section-by-section compliance check for Schedule X, the scope and procedure for pre-signal and annual subscriber audits, audit timelines, the roles of distribution platform operators, broadcasters and auditors, and standard formats for declarations and audit reports.
Comments are to be submitted by 30.10.2026 to advbcs-2@trai.gov.in and jtadvbcs-3@trai.gov.in.
The contact named for clarifications is Dr. Deepali Sharma, Advisor (B&CS), TRAI.
Issuing authority:
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
Schedule covered:
Schedule X of the Interconnection Regulations
Earlier manual issued:
10th March 2026
Last date for comments:
30.10.2026
Why it matters for exams: TRAI's regulatory instruments and the distinction between a draft manual open to comments and a notified regulation are regularly tested in polity and science and technology sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DRM Digital Rights Management — Technology that controls how a subscriber can access and copy protected television content.
DAS Digital Addressable System — A system in which television signals are sent in encrypted form to identified subscribers.
9 October 2026
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to launch its Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, MMX, on 20 October 2026 at 4:41:03 Japan Standard Time.
The launch vehicle is the H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10, from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center.
JAXA has set a reserved launch period from 21 October to 7 November 2026, and says the launch time may change within the window.
MMX is aimed chiefly at Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars, and also observes the second moon, Deimos.
The mission aims to return more than 10 g of material from Phobos to Earth, which would be the first return of samples from the Martian sphere.
It carries the IDEFIX rover, and the re-entry capsule is to be recovered in Australia in FY2031.
Planned launch:
20 October 2026, 4:41:03 JST
Launch vehicle:
H3 Launch Vehicle flight No. 10
Launch site:
Yoshinobu Launch Complex, Tanegashima Space Center
Reserved launch period:
21 October to 7 November 2026
Sample target:
More than 10 g from Phobos
Why it matters for exams: Space missions, their launch vehicles and their target bodies are asked directly, and MMX would be the first sample return from the Martian system.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MMX Martian Moons eXploration — JAXA's mission to study the moons of Mars and bring back surface material from Phobos.
JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency — Japan's national space agency.
9 October 2026
Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court has passed an interim order protecting the personality rights of actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Interim Application (L) 29905 of 2026.
The Court directed Google, Meta Platforms, other social media platforms and unidentified John Doe parties to take down objectionable and derogatory content featuring her.
It found a very strong prima facie case for interim relief.
The Court held that her personality and privacy rights under Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21 of the Constitution appear to be violated, particularly by morphed and deepfake images.
It also held that her moral rights as a performer, protected under the Copyright Act, are being violated.
Justice Jamdar reminded Google of its duty under Rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
He said intermediaries must exercise due diligence to prevent online harassment and the unauthorised uploading of a person's images or videos.
Advocate Rashmin Khandekar appeared for the applicant, and the matter will be heard further.
Case:
Interim Application (L) 29905 of 2026
Constitutional provisions invoked:
Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21
Intermediary rule cited:
Rule 3, IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
Why it matters for exams: Personality rights, the IT Intermediary Guidelines Rules, 2021 and performers' moral rights under the Copyright Act are a live cluster of law and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Personality rights Rights over one's name, image, likeness and voice — They let a person stop the unauthorised commercial or derogatory use of their identity.
John Doe order Order against unidentified defendants — A court order that binds unknown parties who cannot yet be named in the suit.
9 October 2026
Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh launched the redesigned, citizen-centric and multilingual websites of the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The launch was announced by the Press Information Bureau on 9 October 2026.
The redesign is aimed at making scientific information and departmental material easier for citizens to reach in more Indian languages.
The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal department for coordinating and promoting science and technology activities in the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh holds charge as Minister of State for Science and Technology, among other portfolios.
Launched by:
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State
Websites launched:
Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Science and Technology
Date announced:
9 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Which ministry a senior Minister of State holds, and what the Department of Science and Technology does, are both commonly asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DST Department of Science and Technology — The nodal department for coordinating and promoting science and technology activities in India.
9 October 2026
Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, delivered the keynote at the ITU Round Table on 'Implementing ITU Standards to Combat Fraudulent Communications', held during India Mobile Congress 2026.
India welcomed an ITU proposal for a joint trial involving governments, regulators, operators and technology companies to digitally verify caller identity on international networks in line with ITU standards.
The Minister said Indians lost over ₹22,800 crore to such fraud in 2024, and that fraud is a network problem that needs network-based and global solutions.
He said ASTR has helped disconnect over 82 lakh fraudulent connections and the Sanchar Saathi app has recorded around 25 million downloads.
The Digital Intelligence Platform connects over 1,600 organisations, and the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator has helped prevent suspected financial losses exceeding ₹5,000 crore in 15 months.
He suggested beginning trials on selected international routes between willing countries and feeding the experience back into ITU standards, and said trust must be built into 6G networks from the start.
Loss to such fraud in 2024:
over ₹22,800 crore
Fraudulent connections disconnected using ASTR:
over 82 lakh
Sanchar Saathi downloads:
around 25 million
Organisations on the Digital Intelligence Platform:
over 1,600
Suspected losses prevented by the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator:
exceeding ₹5,000 crore in 15 months
Why it matters for exams: ITU standards, ASTR, Sanchar Saathi and the Digital Intelligence Platform are frequently asked telecom governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ITU International Telecommunication Union — The United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies, which sets global telecom standards.
ASTR Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification — A tool used to detect mobile connections taken on forged or duplicate identity documents.
9 October 2026
The UAE-built probe for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt has completed vibration testing and is undergoing thermal vacuum tests ahead of a launch in March 2028.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, viewed a flight-identical model of the probe, developed by Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute.
The mother spacecraft, MBR Explorer, is to launch in a three-week window in March 2028 on an eight-year journey of about five billion kilometres.
It will use gravity assists around Venus, Earth and Mars, conduct fly-bys of six asteroids and reach the asteroid 269 Justitia in 2036.
The deployable probe will descend on a ballistic trajectory with no propulsion to slow it, striking Justitia at between 15 and 27 metres per second and possibly excavating a crater.
About 40 people worked on the probe over 18 months, according to the Technology Innovation Institute.
Justitia is of scientific interest because its spectrum more closely resembles objects in the distant Kuiper Belt than its neighbours in the main belt.
Mission:
Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt
Spacecraft:
MBR Explorer
Launch window:
March 2028
Journey:
five billion kilometres over eight years
Final target:
269 Justitia in 2036
Why it matters for exams: Interplanetary missions by countries other than India, and the asteroid belt and Kuiper Belt, are regularly asked in science sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Gravity assist Gravity assist — Using a planet's gravity to change a spacecraft's speed and direction without using fuel.
Kuiper Belt Kuiper Belt — A ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Background
ISRO's own FAQ says it has seven major Centres, besides several other Units, Facilities and Laboratories across the country.
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thiruvananthapuram handles the design and development of launch vehicle technology.
The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) at Bengaluru designs and develops satellites, while the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) at Sriharikota provides the launch base infrastructure.
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) develops liquid stages and the cryogenic stage; the Space Applications Centre (SAC) at Ahmedabad works on sensors for communication and remote sensing satellites; the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) at Hyderabad receives, processes and disseminates remote sensing data.
The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) at Bengaluru executes the Gaganyaan programme.
Major ISRO Centres:
Seven
Launch base:
SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota
Launch vehicle technology:
VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram
Satellite design:
URSC, Bengaluru
Why it matters for exams: Which centre does what, and where it sits, is a staple of science and technology questions in competitive examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Cryogenic stage Cryogenic upper stage — The upper rocket stage that burns super-cold liquid fuels, developed at LPSC.
Background
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, is the civil aeronautics and space agency of the United States.
Its own About page says NASA works at its 20 centers and facilities across the country, with NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
Among the centres are the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena, the Johnson Space Center at Houston and the Kennedy Space Center, FL.
The Goddard Space Flight Center is at Greenbelt, the Marshall Space Flight Center at Huntsville, AL, and the Glenn Research Center at Cleveland, OH.
The Ames Research Center is at Moffett Field, the Langley Research Center at Hampton, VA, and the Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards.
Other installations include the Stennis Space Center, the Michoud Assembly Facility at New Orleans, LA, the Wallops Flight Facility, the White Sands Test Facility and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
NASA operates the International Space Station, which its own page calls the world's leading space laboratory.
The agency's Artemis campaign is its programme to establish an exploration presence on the Moon.
Centers and facilities:
20 centers and facilities
Headquarters:
Washington, DC
Opened for business:
October 1, 1958
Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
Pasadena
Johnson Space Center:
Houston
Goddard Space Flight Center:
Greenbelt
Marshall Space Flight Center:
Huntsville, AL
Lunar exploration campaign:
Artemis
Why it matters for exams: Which NASA centre sits in which city is a standing one-mark question, and the agency's start date and centre count are the usual anchors for a question on the space institutions of the United States.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory — The NASA centre at Pasadena, listed among the agency's twenty centers and facilities.
ISS International Space Station — The orbiting laboratory operated by NASA with international partners and described on its page as the world's leading space laboratory.
Background
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station.
The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
Five space agencies, NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA, have contributed to the station's assembly.
The large modules and other pieces of the station were delivered on 42 assembly flights, 37 on the U.S. space shuttles and five on Russian Proton/Soyuz rockets.
Zarya was the first element of the station to be launched.
Four different cargo spacecraft deliver science, cargo and supplies: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus, SpaceX's Dragon, JAXA's HTV, and the Russian Progress.
Contributing space agencies:
NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, CSA
Assembly flights:
42
Flights on Russian rockets:
five on Russian Proton/Soyuz rockets
First element launched:
Zarya
Russian cargo spacecraft:
Progress
Why it matters for exams: Science and technology sections ask which agencies built the station and which cargo vehicle belongs to which partner, and Roscosmos is the Russian answer in both.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ISS International Space Station — It is the orbiting laboratory provided and operated by an international partnership of space agencies.
CSA Canadian Space Agency — It is the Canadian partner among the five agencies that contributed to the station's assembly.
Background
The U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), at Old Airport Road, Vimanapura Post, Bengaluru - 560 017, Karnataka, is the lead centre for building satellites and developing associated satellite technologies.
It was formerly known as the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC).
Its spacecraft provide applications in communication, navigation, meteorology, remote sensing, space science and interplanetary explorations, and the centre also pursues advanced technologies for future missions.
The ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment (ISITE) carries out the assembly, integration and testing of all communication and navigation spacecraft.
ISITE's clean room and test facilities include a 6.5 Metre thermo vacuum chamber, a 29 Ton vibration facility, a Compact Antenna Test Facility and an acoustic test facility under one roof.
A dedicated facility for the productionisation of standardised subsystems is established at ISITE.
URSC has a unit called the Laboratory for Electro Optics System (LEOS), situated in Peenya, Bengaluru, which is mainly responsible for research, development and productionisation of sensors for ISRO programmes.
Since inception, URSC has built more than 100 satellites for scientific, communication, navigation and remote sensing applications.
Location:
Old Airport Road, Vimanapura Post, Bengaluru - 560 017, Karnataka, India
Former name:
ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)
Satellites built since inception:
more than 100 satellites
Thermo vacuum chamber at ISITE:
6.5 Metre
Vibration facility at ISITE:
29 Ton
Unit at Peenya:
Laboratory for Electro Optics System (LEOS)
Why it matters for exams: Matching each space-programme centre to its city and to its job is a recurring objective question, and this is the centre that stands for Bengaluru and for satellite building.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ISITE ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment — The establishment at the Bengaluru centre where all communication and navigation spacecraft are assembled, integrated and tested.
LEOS Laboratory for Electro Optics System — A unit of the Bengaluru satellite centre, at Peenya, responsible for research, development and productionisation of sensors.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency reported that its Solar Orbiter spacecraft has traced a magnetic switchback back to its source on the Sun. Switchbacks are S-shaped kinks in the magnetic field carried by the solar wind, the stream of hot charged particles flowing out from the Sun. Solar Orbiter flew through a very large switchback and its Solar Wind Analyser sampled rarely observed particles, a mix of charged oxygen and carbon. The authors say this mix could only form within hot magnetic field loops at the Sun's surface, pointing to a process called interchange reconnection. The spacecraft was roughly halfway between Earth and the Sun when it made the measurements. The team concludes that reconnection appears to form the switchback at the Sun, while waves and turbulence govern its motion after it leaves the Sun. The study, 'On the Coronal Origin of Magnetic Switchbacks in the Solar Wind', was published in Nature Astronomy, led by Jesse T. Coburn of CNRS/LPP in France with Stephanie Yardley of Northumbria University in the United Kingdom among the co-authors. The work used images of the Sun's disc, magnetic field modelling and a new model linking Solar Orbiter's measurements to data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Spacecraft:
Solar Orbiter (ESA)
Instrument:
Solar Wind Analyser (SWA)
Mechanism identified:
Interchange reconnection
Journal:
Nature Astronomy
Lead author:
Jesse T. Coburn (CNRS/LPP, France)
Why it matters for exams: Solar Orbiter, the solar wind and space weather recur in science sections, and a named mechanism with a named journal gives an examiner a precise question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Switchback Magnetic switchback — An S-shaped kink in the magnetic field carried outward by the solar wind.
Solar wind Solar wind — The continuous stream of hot charged particles flowing out from the Sun.
Interchange reconnection Interchange reconnection — A rearrangement of magnetic field lines where a closed loop at the Sun joins an open field line going outward.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency announced on 8 October 2026 that its Solar Orbiter spacecraft has traced where magnetic switchbacks in the solar wind are formed.
Switchbacks are S-shaped kinks in the magnetic field carried by the solar wind.
Solar Orbiter flew through a large switchback while roughly halfway between the Earth and the Sun and sampled its plasma with the Solar Wind Analyser instrument.
The plasma held a mix of charged oxygen and carbon particles that could only have formed inside hot magnetic loops at the Sun's surface.
The team says this is evidence for interchange reconnection, in which open and closed magnetic regions interact and let trapped plasma escape.
Signs of waves and turbulence were also seen, but only after the switchback had left the Sun, so both processes act at different stages of its life.
The study was published in Nature Astronomy, with Jesse T. Coburn of CNRS/LPP in France as lead author, and used data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory alongside Solar Orbiter.
Daniel Mueller, ESA's project scientist for Solar Orbiter, said better knowledge of the solar wind improves preparation for solar storms.
Journal:
Nature Astronomy
Lead author:
Jesse T. Coburn, CNRS/LPP, France
Instrument used:
Solar Wind Analyser
Process identified:
Interchange reconnection
Why it matters for exams: Space weather and solar missions are standard science and technology material, and Solar Orbiter is the flagship European Sun mission.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Solar wind Stream of charged particles from the Sun — A continuous flow of plasma from the Sun's corona that carries the Sun's magnetic field outward.
SDO Solar Dynamics Observatory — A NASA spacecraft that images the Sun continuously from Earth orbit.
8 October 2026
The European Space Agency released the first images and measurements from the Sentinel-3C satellite on 8 October 2026.
Sentinel-3C was launched on 15 September 2026 on a Vega-C rocket, together with the FLEX mission.
It is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 series and part of Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation programme.
Its ocean and land colour instrument returned natural-colour views of Italy and of the Canadian Arctic captured on 30 September, and of Cuba and the Bahamas captured on 29 September.
The synthetic aperture radar altimeter measured sea-surface height over the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and mapped the elevation of the Greenland ice sheet between 30 September and 4 October.
ESA says the sea and land surface temperature radiometer will return its first observations soon.
Commissioning is expected to take about five more months, after which ESA and Eumetsat will run the mission jointly.
ESA notes that global sea level has been rising by about 3.64 mm per year since 1999.
Launch date:
15 September 2026
Launch vehicle:
Vega-C
Position in series:
Third Sentinel-3 satellite
Sea-level rise cited:
About 3.64 mm per year since 1999
Why it matters for exams: Copernicus Sentinel satellites and their instruments are a recurring science and environment question in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — The intergovernmental space agency of Europe, headquartered in Paris.
Copernicus European Union Earth observation programme — The EU programme whose Sentinel satellites supply free Earth observation data.
Eumetsat European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites — The Darmstadt-based body that runs Europe's operational weather satellites.
8 October 2026
In a session reported by the Department of Space on 8 October 2026, Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said India's space economy is about USD 9 billion and that if the current momentum continues it could reach USD 45 to 46 billion within 8 to 10 years. He said opening the space sector to private players has given young scientists and engineers opportunities at home and reduced the need to seek jobs abroad, naming the startup Skyroot as an example. He said government, industry, startups, academia and research institutions must work together, summing it up as 'The age of silos is over'. He said Indian satellites provide flood and disaster information to Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. He said gross expenditure on research and development rose from about ₹46,000-47,000 crore in 2013-14 to about ₹2-2.5 lakh crore. He also referred to the opening of the nuclear sector to private participation and a target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, and cited Chandrayaan-3 as an example of a cost-efficient mission. He was speaking at the NaMo Book Fest in Varanasi.
Space economy now:
about USD 9 billion
Projected size:
USD 45-46 billion within 8-10 years
Nuclear capacity target:
100 GW by 2047
Gross expenditure on R&D:
about ₹46,000-47,000 crore in 2013-14 to about ₹2-2.5 lakh crore
Why it matters for exams: The size of India's space economy and its projected size are standard figures in science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
GERD Gross Expenditure on Research and Development — The total money a country spends on research and development from all sources in a year.
Department of Space Department of Space — The central department under which ISRO and the other Indian space bodies function.
8 October 2026
A four-member international astronaut crew returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Thursday.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft made a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, confirmed at 1534GMT.
The flight concluded a 237-day scientific expedition in orbit.
The returning Crew-12 complement was NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, who served as mission commander, and Jack Hathaway, the mission pilot, with European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The four astronauts had launched toward the station on Feb. 13 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
Their return followed the arrival of the replacement Crew-13 mission, which launched on Oct. 1.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said teams aim to validate mobility suits, habitability, power systems and communications on the lunar surface before attempting crewed flights to Mars.
Mission duration in orbit:
237 days
Crew size:
four-member
Spacecraft:
Crew Dragon Freedom
Splashdown confirmed at:
1534GMT
Launch date and rocket:
Feb. 13, Falcon 9
Replacement mission launch:
Crew-13, Oct. 1
Why it matters for exams: Crewed spaceflight missions, the agencies that fly them and mission durations are regularly asked in the science and technology section.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ISS International Space Station — A crewed research laboratory in low Earth orbit run jointly by several national space agencies.
Splashdown Landing of a spacecraft on water — A return in which the capsule descends on parachutes and comes down in the sea rather than on land.
ESA European Space Agency — The intergovernmental space agency of European member states, which flies its astronauts on partner vehicles.
8 October 2026
The World Meteorological Organization published its Global Seasonal Climate Update for October to December 2026.
The update says forecasts point to a further intensification towards stronger El Nino conditions.
The Nino 3.4 sea-surface temperature anomaly is forecast at about plus 3.7 degrees Celsius for the season, peaking around December 2026.
Forecast systems agree closely with one another, which the update treats as high confidence.
Most regions are expected to be warmer than normal, especially in the Northern Hemisphere and across equatorial regions.
A positive Indian Ocean Dipole is expected to peak in October and then weaken, leaving a seasonal mean anomaly of plus 0.5 degrees Celsius.
The equatorial Atlantic is expected to stay warm, with both the North and South Tropical Atlantic above normal.
Nino 3.4 anomaly forecast:
about +3.7 degrees Celsius
Expected peak:
around December 2026
Indian Ocean Dipole anomaly:
+0.5 degrees Celsius seasonal mean
Why it matters for exams: El Nino, the Nino 3.4 index and the Indian Ocean Dipole are standard geography and environment questions, and the WMO is the UN's authority on them.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Nino 3.4 Nino 3.4 region — A box in the central equatorial Pacific whose sea-surface temperature anomaly is the standard measure of El Nino strength.
IOD Indian Ocean Dipole — The difference in sea-surface temperature between the western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean.
8 October 2026
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated new facilities at ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR-IIAB), Ranchi, by video conference.
They include the Admin-cum-School Building, Birsa Munda Multipurpose Hall, Jaipal Singh Munda Sports Complex and NEXTGEN Breeding Facility.
He laid the foundation stone of a new guest house costing ₹119 crore.
About 1,500 farmers from Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Ramgarh attended a pre-Rabi farmers' conference.
Nano urea, nano DAP and seed kits were distributed to farmers.
Chouhan urged scientists to undertake a nationwide 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' (Save the Fields Campaign) in the coming days.
Guest house foundation stone:
₹119 crore
Farmers attending:
About 1,500
Districts:
Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla, Ramgarh
Campaign called for:
Khet Bachao Abhiyan
Why it matters for exams: ICAR institutes, nano fertilisers and farmer-outreach campaigns are regular agriculture and current-affairs topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research — The apex body for agricultural research and education in India.
IIAB Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology — The ICAR institute at Garhkhatanga, Ranchi, for agricultural biotechnology research.
8 October 2026
The Department of Telecommunications held a ministerial session at India Mobile Congress 2026 titled 'Scale Without Boundaries: Investing in the Next Billion Digital Connections'.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said the next billion to be connected will be the hardest to reach.
Speakers included Estonia's Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta and Japan's Vice-Minister for International Affairs Hideo Fuseda.
Seizo Onoe of the ITU and John Giusti of the GSMA Foundation also spoke.
The discussion covered 5G-Advanced, 6G, satellite networks and AI, with a stated focus on advancing digital connectivity towards 2030.
Session title:
Scale Without Boundaries: Investing in the Next Billion Digital Connections
Chaired by:
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
Technologies discussed:
5G-Advanced, 6G, satellite networks, AI
Stated focus:
Advance digital connectivity towards 2030
Why it matters for exams: Telecom policy, 6G and international cooperation through bodies like the ITU feature in science-tech and economy sections.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
ITU International Telecommunication Union — The UN agency for information and communication technologies.
GSMA GSM Association — The industry body representing mobile network operators worldwide.
8 October 2026
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down on Thursday, 8 October 2026, at 8:34 a.m. PDT in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles.
The crew flew SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom: NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA's Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos's Andrey Fedyaev.
The mission launched on 13 February 2026 from Florida and docked with the International Space Station a day later.
It lasted 237 days, covered more than 100 million miles and made more than 3,792 orbits of Earth.
Meir completed four spacewalks, taking her career total to seven; Adenot completed three and became the first French woman to spacewalk.
Splashdown:
8 October 2026, 8:34 a.m. PDT
Time in space:
237 days
Spacecraft:
Crew Dragon Freedom
Launch:
13 February 2026
Why it matters for exams: Crew rotation flights to the ISS, multinational crews and spacewalk records are staple science-and-technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ESA European Space Agency — The space agency of Europe, whose astronaut Sophie Adenot flew on Crew-12.
Roscosmos Russian state space corporation — Russia's space agency, whose cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev flew on a US spacecraft.
8 October 2026
Environment Minister Sunny Joseph released the compilation of project documents "Red List of Ecosystems Assessment and Global Ecosystem Typology of Unique Ecosystems of Kerala", which assesses the current status and degradation of Kerala's ecosystems.
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board leads the project.
The release was held at the minister's chamber in the Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram.
It is part of the state government's 100-day action programme.
The state-level study follows version 2.0 of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems standards.
It covers ecosystems from the high-altitude areas of the Western Ghats to river basins, coastal zones and wetlands.
The methods use Google Earth Engine, Sentinel satellite imagery, R-based statistical analysis and QGIS mapping.
Standard followed:
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems version 2.0
Lead body:
Kerala State Biodiversity Board
Released by:
Environment Minister Sunny Joseph
Why it matters for exams: Biodiversity bodies and IUCN frameworks are standard environment questions; the Red List of Ecosystems assesses ecosystems, not species.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature — Global body that keeps the Red Lists of threatened species and ecosystems.