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Image Jul 31, 2025

When the Pacific Plates Clash: Lessons from the Kuril-Kamchatka Quake

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A massive Mw 8.8 earthquake that struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the early hours of 31 July 2025 has re-awakened global concern about the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. The shock ruptured a 350 km segment of the Kuril-Kamchatka megathrust, sent 3-4 m tsunami surges racing across the North Pacific, and triggered evacuations from Hokkaido to Hawaii. While emergency sirens sounded, the episode also offered a textbook reminder of why this arc—where the Pacific Plate dives beneath the Okhotsk micro-plate at nearly 8 cm yr⁻¹—ranks among the planet’s most dangerous plate boundaries. The article that follows zooms out from the breaking news to unpack the static geography, geology, hazards and human stakes that every UPSC aspirant should master.

The Kuril-Kamchatka Sector in the Ring of Fire

Regional setting

  • The trench sweeps 2 200 km from Hokkaido to the Commander Islands and plunges to ≈ 10 500 m near 44 °N, 150 °E—one of Earth’s deepest points.

  • Four plates meet here: Pacific (subducting), Okhotsk (fore-arc sliver of Eurasia), North American (to the east) and the tiny Bering micro-plate.

  • Map work: locate Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Severo-Kurilsk, the Commander and Kuril island chains, and the Sea of Okhotsk back-arc.

Plate-tectonic mechanics

  • Oceanic–oceanic convergence: the 100-Ma-old Pacific lithosphere descends at 30-60° along a well-defined Benioff zone reaching 650 km depth.

  • GPS vectors show ~8–10 cm yr⁻¹ orthogonal convergence, storing elastic strain for Mw 8-9 ruptures roughly every 60–70 years.

  • Slab rollback and trench-parallel shortening have opened marginal basins such as the Sea of Okhotsk.

Ledger of Great Earthquakes & Tsunamis

pecific1

*inferred from tsunami deposits

  • Tsunamis generated here have crossed the Pacific and damaged Crescent City, California (2006) and Hawaii (2025).

Volcanism & Geomorphology

  • Over 30 active stratovolcanoes punctuate the peninsula; Klyuchevskoy (4 750 m) is the highest and erupts basaltic lavas and ash columns that reach cruise-airline corridors several times a decade.

  • Caldera complexes such as Uzon host >270 geothermal fields with 90-250 °C fluids—one of the world’s richest untapped geothermal provinces.

  • The arcuate Kuril island chain owes its “beads-on-a-string” relief to horst-graben tectonics above the downgoing slab.

Hazard Chains Beyond Shaking

Tsunami early-warning architecture

  • The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) integrates 600+ seismic stations and 500 coastal/Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoys to issue bulletins within 5-10 min of rupture.

  • 2025 alerts reached Mexico, Chile and the Philippines via the IOC’s 46-member Pacific Tsunami Warning System.

Volcanic ash & aviation

  • Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center tracks Kamchatkan plumes that can reroute polar flights, as during Klyuchevskoy eruptions in 2020-21.

Environmental ripple effects

  • High-latitude eruptions inject sulphur aerosols that can cool the Northern Hemisphere by up to 1 °C for 1–3 years, as modelling studies show.

  • Hydrothermal vents and chemosynthetic communities thrive at >9 500 m in the trench, adding a carbon-sink dimension to the subduction system.

Socio-Economic & Strategic Stakes

  • Salmon & pollock fisheries from Kamchatka supplied ~466 t in early-season 2025 landings and underpin coastal livelihoods.

  • Russia’s militarisation of the southern Kurils underscores the archipelago’s value as a Pacific gateway and as leverage in the Russo-Japanese territorial dispute.

  • Geothermal power prospects and rare-earth mineralisation in back-arc basins offer future energy and critical-mineral options.

Disaster-Risk-Reduction Lens (Sendai Framework)

  • The 2025 event highlights Priority 2 (“risk governance”) and Priority 4 (“build back better”) of the Sendai Framework 2015-2030, which urges resilient infrastructure and public education in subduction zones.

  • Coastal zoning, stilted housing and regular evacuation drills—routine in Japan—need reinforcement in lesser-prepared North Pacific communities.

Take-aways for UPSC Aspirants

  1. Map Mastery: practice a hand-drawn sketch that labels the trench, volcanic arc, back-arc basin and plate vectors.

  2. Inter-link Static with Dynamic: quote the 1952, 2006 and 2025 quakes to enrich answers on plate tectonics and disaster management.

  3. Cross-Paper Integration: tie fisheries (GS III Economy), the Kuril dispute (GS II IR) and Sendai priorities (GS III DM) into cohesive Mains essays.

  4. Diagram Discipline: one neat subduction cross-section can earn critical marks.

  5. Remember the Numbers: 10 500 m trench depth, 8 cm yr⁻¹ convergence, Mw 9.0 (1952)—UPSC loves crisp facts.

Conclusion

Today’s Kamchatka quake is not an out-of-the-blue catastrophe but the latest act in a relentless tectonic drama scripted by the Pacific Plate’s dive beneath Asia. A clear grasp of the Kuril-Kamchatka sector’s static underpinnings—its plates, trenches, volcanoes, hazards and human interfaces—converts a fleeting headline into lasting conceptual capital for the Civil Services Examination.

ChatGPT Image Jul 29, 2025, 08_24_28 AM

Seeing Earth in All Weather: NISAR, SAR Basics, and the GSLV Launcher

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What Exactly is Launching?

NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint Earth-observation satellite developed by NASA and ISRO. It features two SAR instruments on a single platform:

  • NASA’s L-band SAR

  • ISRO’s S-band SAR

It will orbit in a Sun-synchronous, dawn-dusk orbit at ~747 km altitude, 98.4° inclination, with a 12-day repeat cycle. A 12-meter gold-mesh reflector on a 9-meter boom captures a ~242 km swath. All data from NISAR will be free and openly available.

The satellite will be launched by India using the GSLV Mk-II (GSLV-F16) with a 4-meter fairing from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. The lift-off mass is ~2,400 kg based on ISRO’s I-3K satellite bus.

Mission Duration:
NASA outlines a baseline 3-year science mission with consumables for ~5 years. As of July 25, 2025, ISRO officially lists the mission life as 5 years, aiming for extended operations.

Workshare Details:

  • NASA: L-band radar, 12-m reflector, 9-m boom, GPS, solid-state recorder, high-rate telecom, payload data system

  • ISRO: S-band radar, spacecraft (I-3K), GSLV Mk-II launch, satellite operations

  • Both agencies will provide ground support and data distribution.

SAR Fundamentals (Static Core)

How SAR “Sees” (Active Microwave)

SAR is an active sensor: it sends microwave pulses and records echoes. It works day or night, in any weather, unlike passive optical sensors.

Synthetic Aperture: Instead of requiring a physically long antenna, SAR synthesizes one using the satellite’s motion to build high-resolution images.

Key Geometry Terms:

  • Along-track (Azimuth): Direction of satellite motion

  • Across-track (Range): Perpendicular to motion

  • Slant range vs Ground range: Important SAR image dimensions

L-band vs S-band

  • L-band: 1.257 GHz ±40 MHz (~24 cm wavelength)

  • S-band: 3.2 GHz ±37.5 MHz (~9 cm wavelength)

Penetration and Use:

  • L-band penetrates vegetation, dry soil, and snow, making it ideal for monitoring biomass, ground deformation, and ice sheets.

  • S-band interacts more with leaves and surface textures, useful for assessing crop structure, moisture, and sea-ice characteristics.

  • Dual-band SAR helps separate canopy and ground responses.

Polarimetry: NISAR supports various polarization modes (e.g., HH, HV, VH, VV). These enhance the ability to classify surfaces and estimate biomass.

Revisit and Repeat Cycles

  • Repeat cycle: 12 days (same ground track)

  • With both ascending and descending passes, average sampling = ~6 days

  • Sun-synchronous orbit ensures the satellite crosses the same area at ~6 a.m. and ~6 p.m., maintaining consistent lighting — crucial for change detection.

Interferometry (InSAR)

SAR captures the phase of radar waves. Comparing the phase from two different passes gives line-of-sight displacement — down to millimetre accuracy.

Interferograms: These visualize movement (e.g., tectonic shifts) with color fringes, each corresponding to half the radar wavelength of displacement. L-band is better for vegetated terrains due to longer wavelength and better coherence.

Orbit & Mission Profile

  • Altitude: ~747 km

  • Inclination: ~98.4°

  • Repeat: 12 days

  • Orbit Type: Sun-synchronous, 6 a.m./6 p.m. local time

  • Geometry: Left-looking

  • Orbit control: <500 m

Coverage Cadence: Entire Earth mapped every 12 days (ascending + descending = ~6-day average revisit).

Swath & Resolution:

  • Swath: ~242 km

  • Resolution: ~3–10 m (mode-dependent); ISRO cites 5–100 m

  • Achieved via SweepSAR: Transmits over full swath and “sweeps” receiving beams for wide, high-res coverage.

What Can NISAR Measure?

Biomass & Carbon:
L-band penetrates canopy, enabling estimation of woody biomass, forest degradation, and carbon stock changes — useful for climate goals like REDD+.

Ground Deformation:
Tracks earthquakes, volcanic activity, subsidence, and landslides using InSAR — valuable for disaster risk reduction.

Cryosphere:
Monitors ice-sheet flow, glacier movement, and sea-ice — vital for understanding sea-level rise.

Coasts & Wetlands:
Maps shoreline changes, mangrove extent, storm impacts — works well even in cloudy monsoon regions.

Agriculture & Water:
Tracks crop extent, health, soil moisture, and impacts of irrigation or groundwater withdrawal.

Disaster Response:
Plans to provide data within hours during emergencies. NASA’s Alaska hub and ISRO will distribute these datasets rapidly.

ISRO–NASA Cooperation & Open Data

Both agencies follow a free and open data policy.

  • NASA: Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) DAAC is the main data hub.

  • ISRO: Will mirror and distribute data via its own portals.

This policy enhances scientific use, supports operational agencies, and aligns with India’s evolving data policy.

Launch Vehicle Family: GSLV vs LVM3

The Launcher Chosen

GSLV Mk-II:

  • Uses CE-7.5 cryogenic upper stage (LH₂/LOX, staged-combustion)

  • Fairing options: 3.4 m (metallic), 4.0 m (ogive); NISAR uses 4.0 m

  • Capacity: ~2.5 t to GTO, ~5 t to LEO

  • NISAR (~2.4–2.8 t) fits within GSLV Mk-II’s range

Differences from LVM3

LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk-III):

  • Larger fairing: 5 m

  • CE-20 engine (~200 kN) on C25 cryogenic stage

  • Capacity: ~4 t to GTO, ~8 t to LEO

  • Used for Chandrayaan-2/3, OneWeb, and Gaganyaan

Key Comparison:

  • Engines: CE-7.5 (GSLV-II) vs CE-20 (LVM3)

  • Fairing: 4 m vs 5 m

  • Staging: GSLV Mk-II has three stages; LVM3 has two solid boosters, one liquid core, one cryo stage

Numbers at a Glance (Memorize for Exams)

  • Orbit: 747 km altitude, 98.4° inclination, 12-day repeat, SSO 6 a.m./6 p.m.

  • Antenna: 12 m reflector on 9 m boom

  • Swath: ~242 km

  • Resolution: 3–10 m typically, 5–100 m across modes

  • Frequencies: L-band 1.257 GHz (~24 cm), S-band 3.2 GHz (~9 cm)

  • Mission Duration: Baseline 3 years, goal 5 years

  • Launcher: GSLV Mk-II with CE-7.5 engine, 4 m fairing

  • Data Policy: Free and open via NASA and ISRO platforms

Likely UPSC Angles

  • Benefits of dual-band SAR over single-band (L penetrates canopy, S captures fine surface structure)

  • Concept of SweepSAR and how it resolves the swath–resolution trade-off

  • Differences between Sun-synchronous vs Geostationary orbits for Earth observation

  • Technical comparison between GSLV Mk-II and LVM3

  • InSAR applications: subsidence, faults, volcanoes, glaciers

  • Value of open data policy in supporting disaster management and scientific research

tribal genome

Decoding India’s Tribal Genome Project & the Genetic Essentials Behind It

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What exactly is the Tribal Genome Project, Gujarat?

  • First state‑run tribal WGS initiative. Launched in July 2025 by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) and the Tribal Development Department, the scheme will collect ≈4,158 blood samples from 20+ tribes across 17 districts and generate ~2,000 whole‑genome sequences (WGS). Sampling includes “genetic trios” (both parents + one child) to track inheritance.

  • Why?
    Fill the data gap: existing national efforts such as the 10,000‑genome GenomeIndia project pooled Indians in general, but tribal groups—8 % of India’s population—are still under‑represented.
    Precision public health: high rates of anaemia, sickle‑cell disease and infant mortality in tribal belts need variant‑specific diagnostics and drug dosing.
    Heritage science: unique lineages (e.g., the Sidi of African descent) can illuminate ancient migrations.

  • Ethics guard‑rails. The protocol follows ICMR’s National Ethical Guidelines—written consent in local languages, gender parity in sampling, and community briefings before data sharing or publication.

Static Foundations You Must Know

A. Human‑Genome Architecture

Chromosomes → Genes → DNA letters. Humans pack ~3 billion base‑pairs (A,T,G,C) into 23 chromosome pairs. A gene is a coding stretch that makes a functional RNA/protein. A single‑nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is a single‑letter change that varies among people (≈1 in every 1,000 bases). A haplotype is a cluster of SNPs that tends to be inherited together—think of it as a “genetic sentence” you receive intact from one parent. These blocks help trace ancestry and disease risks.
 

B. Population Genetics – Founder Effect & Genetic Drift

Picture a few families founding an isolated village. The founder effect locks in whatever gene variants those few carried—rare alleles may become common just by chance. Genetic drift is this random fluctuation carried forward generation after generation, strongest in small, isolated groups (many tribal communities), gradually shaping their gene pool independent of natural selection.
 

C. Monogenic Disorders Spotlight

Sickle‑cell disease (SCD). A single A→T switch in the β‑globin gene swaps glutamic acid for valine, making haemoglobin molecules stick together when oxygen is low; red cells distort into “sickles”, causing pain crises, anaemia and organ damage. Thalassaemia. Here, whole sections of the α‑ or β‑globin genes are deleted or mutated, cutting haemoglobin production. The body tries to compensate with rapid but ineffective red‑cell turnover, leading to severe anaemia that often requires lifelong transfusions. Both disorders are common in Indian tribal belts—hence the project’s focus.
 

D. Next‑Generation Sequencing (NGS) & Reference Genomes

Workflow in four bites: 1. DNA extraction (blood sample → pure DNA). 2. Library prep (DNA chopped into small fragments and bar‑coded). 3. Sequencing (millions of fragments read in parallel on an Illumina or similar platform). 4. Data analysis (software aligns reads to the current human reference build GRCh38/hg38, flags variants, and stores them in secure databases). The Gujarat project will eventually create tribe‑specific reference panels—useful for more accurate variant calling in those populations.
 

E. Bio‑Ethics: Informed Consent, Privacy, Community Engagement

Informed consent means individuals (and often village councils) must understand purpose, risks, future data use, and their right to withdraw. Privacy & data security demand de‑identification, restricted access committees, and compliance with Biotech‑PRIDE & forthcoming Digital Personal Data Protection rules. Community engagement involves co‑designing study aims, sharing plain‑language results, capacity‑building and ensuring benefits (like anaemia screening camps) flow back. Frameworks from ICMR 2017 Guidelines and global Indigenous genomics literature emphasise these steps.
 

Why this matters for UPSC

  1. Prelims: expect factual MCQs—e.g., “What is a haplotype?” or “Which state launched the first tribal genome sequencing project?”

  2. Mains GS III (Science & Tech): link how NGS + population genetics can enable precision medicine in marginalised groups, while highlighting ethical safeguards.

  3. Essay / Interview: showcases the balance between scientific advancement and indigenous rights—excellent fodder for discussions on inclusive development.

rivers link

Godavari–Cauvery link revived

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The Godavari–Cauvery cascade is back on the Union government’s agenda. A Special Committee on Inter-linking of Rivers has circulated a revived draft notification and begun one-to-one talks with the five party-States, re-opening a debate that sits at the junction of engineering ambition, cooperative federalism and environmental prudence. Below is a step-wise, UPSC-oriented explainer—first on the live issue itself, then on every “static” handle the Commission can mine for questions.

Godavari–Cauvery link: what’s on the table now

  • Concept & route – NWDA’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) splits the east-flowing transfer into three canals:

    1. Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) → Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)

    2. Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) → Pennar (Somasila)

    3. Pennar (Somasila) → Cauvery (Grand Anicut)

  • Water to be moved – about 148 tmc ft of “surplus” Indravati sub-basin flows, earmarked chiefly for irrigation and drinking-water. State-wise tentative shares: AP 43.9 tmc, Telangana 45.1 tmc, Tamil Nadu 40.9 tmc, Karnataka 15 tmc, Puducherry 2.2 tmc.

  • Why revived now? – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu pressed for quicker clearances; the Union Jal Shakti Ministry put the item on the July 2025 Special-Committee agenda, signalling intent to move from DPR to inter-State MoU and statutory clearances.

  • Flash-points – Equity in allocation (Karnataka’s “rightful share” claim), environmental impact along fragile deltaic tracts, and concurrence under Art. 262/Entry 56 of List I. These are fertile angles for mains GS-II & III.

River-Interlinking Programme (National Perspective Plan)

  • Launched 1980 to move water from surplus to deficit basins; now branded the National River Linking Project (NRLP). It envisages 30 links (14 Himalayan + 16 Peninsular) with ~35 million ha extra irrigation potential and 40 GW hydropower.

  • Claimed benefits—flood moderation, drought-proofing, navigation, fishery—sit neatly under GS-III “Infrastructure / Irrigation”.

  • Key challenges: social displacement, biodiversity loss, interstate/international riparian rights and a price tag > ₹5.6 lakh crore.

National Water Development Agency (NWDA)

  • Autonomous society (1982) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti; prepares feasibility studies, DPRs and gets statutory clearances for each link.

  • It also services the Special Committee on Inter-linking of Rivers, set up on Supreme Court directions (2012) to build political consensus.

  • For the Godavari–Cauvery DPR, NWDA hosted inter-State consultations in Feb 2025 and circulated a revised draft in April 2025.

Peninsular vs Himalayan link components

Riverlink

Inter-State Water-Dispute Tribunals (legal safety-valve)

  • Constitutional basis: Article 262 empowers Parliament to bar SC/HC jurisdiction and create tribunals; executed via the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

  • Notable tribunals relevant to the current link: Godavari WDT (1969 award 1980), Krishna WDT-II (2004) and Cauvery WDT (1990 award 2007); their prior awards constrain new diversion designs.

  • UPSC linkage: questions often test tribunal timelines, Article 262 vs. Art. 131 original jurisdiction, and the proposed single permanent tribunal amendment.

River-Basin Hydrology — the science behind the politics

  • Drainage (river) basin = land area where all surface run-off converges to one outlet; bounded by a drainage divide. It is the natural planning unit for water-resources work.

  • Catchment factors (size, shape, slope, soil, land-use) govern peak flows—hence canal dimensions and flood design for inter-basin transfers.

  • India’s dichotomy: seasonal monsoon loading (~80 % rain in 4 months) + spatial skew (east & north surplus; west & south deficit) justify storage-plus-transfer strategies like NRLP.

  • Hydrologic budget for each basin (P = Q + ET ± ΔS) is core theory for mains Geography/GS-I and optional papers.

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Dhole rediscovery in Kaziranga – corridor conservation

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Table of Content:

Kaziranga’s first camera-trap photograph of a dhole (Asiatic wild dog) in nearly three decades confirms that the park’s narrow forest “necklaces” linking it to the Karbi-Anglong hills are still alive. The sighting has refreshed policy talk on wildlife corridors, IUCN and WLPA statuses, and India’s marquee carnivore programmes—all staples for UPSC Environment & Ecology answers. Details follow.

Dhole rediscovery in Kaziranga & what it tells us about corridors

  • What happened? On 26 June 2025 researchers operating camera traps in the Amguri corridor—a teak-dominated patch south-west of Kaziranga National Park—captured clear images of a lone adult dhole; the species had been considered locally extirpated since the 1990s.

  • Why Amguri matters: Amguri is one of nine legally recognised passageways through which animals move between the Brahmaputra floodplains (Kaziranga core) and the Karbi Anglong hills. These corridors—Panbari, Haldhibari, Bagori, Chirang, Deopani, Kanchanjuri, Amguri, Harmoti and Borjuri—were mapped by an MoEF-appointed committee in 2019.

  • Conservation insight: Dholes are wide-ranging pack hunters; their re-appearance signals that at least seasonal connectivity has survived road widening, tea estates and sand mining. Protecting corridor land from further fragmentation is therefore critical for predators and prey alike.

Static handle-wise deep dive

IUCN categories & Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Slide4

IUCN uses quantitative criteria (population decline, range size, etc.) to assess global extinction risk.
WLPA Schedule I affords the highest legal protection in India—no hunting, trade or capture; offences invite ≥ 3 years’ jail. The Schedule includes 458 fauna species, dhole among them.

Wildlife Corridors & Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs)

  • Wildlife corridor = a linear landscape element that physically or functionally connects two larger habitat patches to facilitate gene flow and seasonal migration. The Kaziranga corridors above are “structural” (continuous forest strips).

  • Legal backing: Though corridors aren’t a separate category under WLPA, States can protect them by declaring Reserve Forests or Community Reserves, or include them in an Eco-Sensitive Zone—a buffer (typically 0–10 km) around a Protected Area where polluting activities are regulated under MoEF&CC 2011 guidelines.

  • UPSC linkage: Past Prelims have asked which corridor pairs (e.g., Kanha–Pench, Terai Arc) aid tiger dispersal; Mains often seeks policy tools to secure corridors (land-purchase, eco-development, ESZ zoning).

Project Tiger vs Project Lion vs Project Cheetah

Slide5

Take-away: All three are Centrally Sponsored Schemes but differ in species ecology, political hurdles and risk profiles—good fodder for a comparative Mains answer.

Biodiversity Hotspots concept

  • Origin: British ecologist Norman Myers (1988) identified regions that are both exceptionally rich (≥ 1,500 endemic vascular plants ~ 0.5 % global) and highly threatened (≥ 70 % original vegetation lost).

  • Global tally: 36 hotspots now cover just 2.4 % of Earth’s land, yet shelter ~60 % of plant, bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species.

  • India’s four hotspots:

    1. Himalaya (Eastern Himalaya section)

    2. Western Ghats–Sri Lanka

    3. Indo-Burma (includes NE India & Kaziranga)

    4. Sundaland (Nicobar Islands)
      UPSC angle: Prelims may test criteria or ask to identify which Indian states fall in multiple hotspots; Mains may ask for hotspot-specific conservation challenges.

How to embed these points in answers

  1. Intro hook: “The recent rediscovery of the Endangered dhole in the Amguri corridor of Kaziranga National Park underscores the critical role of structural wildlife corridors recognised by MoEF’s 2019 committee.”

  2. Body: Compare corridor safeguards (ESZ, Reserve Forest) and relate to flagship projects: tiger corridors (Project Tiger), proposed lion dispersal route (Project Lion) and inter-state grassland mosaics for cheetahs (Project Cheetah).

  3. Conclusion: Link back to hotspot status (Indo-Burma) to argue for landscape-level stewardship beyond park boundaries.

ChatGPT Image Jun 26, 2025, 09_08_00 AM

Indian astronaut on the ISS / Gaganyaan progress

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Historic ISS visit (June 2025)

  • Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian citizen to reach the International Space Station, flying as pilot on Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

  • The launch from Kennedy Space Center on 25 June 2025 ended a 41-year gap since Wing Cdr Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soyuz flight.

  • Besides 60 multinational experiments, India gained real-time experience with commercial crew operations—an important rehearsal for its own astronauts under Gaganyaan.

Where does Gaganyaan stand?

gaganyantab1

The human-rated LVM3/HLVM3 (adapted GSLV-Mk III) will carry three Indian astronauts for a 3-day low-Earth-orbit mission targeted for 2026, after two uncrewed dress-rehearsals.

Outer Space Treaty (1967), Moon Agreement (1979) & UN-COPUOS

Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967

The OST is the ‘Magna Carta’ of space law. Key principles:

  1. Peaceful uses only—no stationing of WMDs in orbit or on celestial bodies.

  2. Non-appropriation—space and celestial bodies cannot be claimed by sovereignty or occupation.

  3. State responsibility & liability for all national (governmental or private) space activities.

  4. Astronauts as “envoys of mankind”; duty of rescue and return.

Moon Agreement, 1979

Extends OST principles specifically to the Moon and other bodies:

  • Declares them the “common heritage of mankind” and calls for an international regime to govern resource use.

  • Requires sharing of scientific results and notification of any station’s purpose.

  • Ratified by India in 1982, but not by major space powers—the reason exploitation rules are still debated.

UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)

  • Set up in 1959 to frame space treaties, guidelines and capacity-building.

  • Works through two sub-committees (Scientific & Technical, Legal) that draft soft-law guidelines on space debris mitigation, long-term sustainability, planetary defence, etc.

Article 73 of the UN Charter – why is it mentioned?

Article 73 actually deals with the duties of states administering non-self-governing territories to act in the inhabitants’ interests. Although it does not speak of outer space, scholars draw an analogy: just as colonial powers had trusteeship duties, space-faring nations have fiduciary duties towards humankind when operating in the global commons of outer space. UPSC may test this conceptual link.

ISRO launch-vehicle evolution & cryogenic technology

gaganyantab2

Cryogenic propulsion (-253 °C liquid H₂/Lox) gives higher specific impulse, essential for heavy-lift and crew safety margins.

Institutional architecture: Dept. of Space, IN-SPACe & NSIL

  • Department of Space (DoS)—a direct portfolio of the Prime Minister; formulates policy and funds ISRO.

  • Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) – autonomous single-window body (2020) that authorises, promotes and supervises private space activities, issues licences under the Indian Space Policy-2023.

  • NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL) – DoS Public-Sector Unit (2019) that commercialises ISRO technology, markets launch services and coordinates full-vehicle production by industry consortia.
    Together, they separate regulator, promoter and operator roles, aligning with global best practice.

Draft Space Activities Bill (latest version under finalisation)

gaganyantab3

Human-factor challenges in crewed spaceflight

gaganyantab4

How to integrate in your study

  1. Prelims drill: Memorise treaty dates, firsts in launch-vehicle ladder, IN-SPACe vs NSIL roles, liability clauses.

  2. Mains angle: Use Shukla’s ISS flight as a contemporary example to evaluate India’s human-spaceflight roadmap, or to discuss private sector regulation under Space Activities Bill.

  3. Ethics paper: Trusteeship analogy from Article 73 can serve as a value-based intro on stewardship of global commons.