First Hindu Temple, Abu Dhabi (UAE)
• Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi (Feb 2024)
• Built by BAPS, land gifted by UAE govt
• Example of India’s cultural diplomacy & soft power
Source: News on Air, PIB
IIT Madras – Zanzibar (Tanzania)
• First IIT campus in Africa
• Strengthens India–Africa education cooperation
• Part of India’s knowledge diplomacy
Source: PIB, Ministry of Education
IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi
• First overseas campus of IIT Delhi (launched 2024)
• Focus on engineering, energy, sustainability
• Linked to India–UAE strategic partnership
Source: PIB, EdexLive
University of Southampton (UK) – India
• Opened campus in Gurugram (2024)
• First under UGC Foreign Universities Regulations, 2023
• Key step in NEP 2020 implementation
Source: ET Government, UGC
Illinois Institute of Technology (USA) – India
• First US university approved to open campus in India
• Proposed campus in Mumbai
• Boosts India as global education hub
Source: Official University Release, MoE
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE – INDIA
(In News: Last ~18 Months)
1. Maratha Military Landscapes of India
• Status: INSCRIBED on UNESCO World Heritage List (2025)
• India’s Rank:44th World Heritage Site
• Significance: Network of strategic forts (hill, coastal & inland) reflecting Maratha military planning and landscape adaptation.
• Session: 47th UNESCO World Heritage Committee
Exam Angle: Cultural landscape, indigenous military architecture
2. Moidams – Ahom Dynasty (Assam)
• Status: INSCRIBED (2024)
• India’s Rank:43rd World Heritage Site
• Description:Mound-burial system of Ahom kings; often called Pyramids of the East.
• Type: Cultural HeritageExam Angle: Funerary architecture, North-East heritage
3. Additions to UNESCO Tentative List (2025)
(Mandatory step before final inscription)
• Kanger Valley National Park (Chhattisgarh) – Biodiversity hotspot
• Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs (Telangana) – Iron Age megaliths
• Ashokan Edict Sites (Multi-state) – Early inscriptions & dhamma
• Chausath Yogini Temples (Multi-state) – Tantric temple architecture
• Gupta Temples (North India) – Classical Nagara style
• Palace-Fortresses of Bundelas (MP–UP) – Medieval fortified towns
Exam Angle: Tentative List ≠ World Heritage Site
4. Natural Sites Added to Tentative List (2025)
• Seven natural sites added, increasing India’s tentative list count to ~69 sites
• Includes Deccan Traps, Meghalaya cave systems, ophiolite formations, etc.
• Shows India’s focus on geo-heritage & natural diversityExam Angle: Natural vs Cultural Heritage
QUICK FACTS FOR PRELIMS
• UNESCO WHS = Outstanding Universal Value (OUV)
• Tentative List → Compulsory before nomination
• India now has 44 World Heritage Sites
• Categories: Cultural | Natural | Mixed
NASA Missions & Major Developments
1) January 11 2026 — Pandora Exoplanet Mission Launched
- SpaceX launched NASA’s Pandora small satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket as part of the “Twilight” rideshare.
- Pandora will observe at least 20 known exoplanets in visible and infrared to study their atmospheres.
2) Early Jan 2026 — ISS Medical Evacuation & Crew-11 Early Return
- NASA ordered the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station due to a serious but undisclosed health matter involving one astronaut, prompting the early return of the Crew-11 mission.
- A planned ISS spacewalk was canceled due to the situation.
3) Jan 12–17 2026 — Artemis II Rollout Preparations
- NASA scheduled the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft rollout for January 17, 2026, as part of final preparations for the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby.
- The mission could launch as early as February 6–7, 2026, pending tests and weather.
4) Artemis II Mission (Scheduled Feb 6–7 2026)
- Artemis II is planned as the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program to travel around the Moon and back since Apollo era, with four astronauts aboard Orion.
- The mission will last ≈10 days and test deep-space systems and human responses.
5) Dec 9 2025–Mid Jan 2026 — ISS Expedition 74 & Crew Rotation
- Expedition 74 began on December 9, 2025, continuing long-duration research aboard the ISS while handling Crew-11 operations and upcoming rotations.
6) Nov 13 2025 — NASA Mars Orbiters Launched on Blue Origin New Glenn
- Two NASA spacecraft bound for Mars were launched aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket; they will study Mars’ atmosphere and magnetic field after Earth orbit then gravity assist toward Mars in 2027.
7) Sep 24 2025 — Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Named “Integrity”
- The Artemis II Orion spacecraft was officially named Integrity by its crew, highlighting mission values.
- Launch planned for early 2026.
8) March 11–12 2025 — SPHEREx & PUNCH Missions Launched
- NASA launched the SPHEREx infrared all-sky survey mission and PUNCH mission to study the Sun’s corona and solar wind aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
- SPHEREx will map the sky’s spectrum to investigate universe origins; PUNCH studies solar outflows.
9) August 1 2025 — SpaceX Crew-11 Launched to ISS
- SpaceX Crew-11 launched four astronauts to the ISS to support Expedition 73/74, conducting research and station maintenance.
10) (Ongoing) ISS Operations & Research
- Routine ISS science on biology, human physiology, materials, Earth and space science continued under multiple expeditions throughout 2024–2025.
11) 2025 Budget & Mission Impacts (Context)
- Reports in mid-2025 noted NASA budget cuts threatening dozens of missions, potentially affecting future science and exploration plans.
ISRO Missions & Major Developments (Last 18 Months)
(Chronological – Latest First)
January 12, 2026 – PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 (Launch Failure)
- Launch Vehicle: PSLV-C62
- Payload: EOS-N1 (Earth Observation Satellite) + co-passengers
- Issue: Trajectory deviation after third-stage ignition; payloads not placed in intended orbit
- Significance: Rare setback for PSLV; ISRO initiated failure analysis
- Source: Reuters
December 24, 2025 – LVM3-M6 Mission (Successful)
- Launch Vehicle: LVM3 (Bahubali)
- Payload: BlueBird-6 (commercial communication satellite)
- Achievement: Heaviest commercial payload launched by ISRO
- Importance: Strengthens India’s position in global commercial launch market
- Source: ISRO / Wikipedia
November 2, 2025 – CMS-03 Communication Satellite
- Launch Vehicle: LVM3-M5
- Purpose: Advanced communication services (strategic & civilian)
- Importance: Boost to India’s satellite-based communication infrastructure
- Source: Times of India
July 30, 2025 – NISAR Mission (NASA-ISRO Joint Mission)
- Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F16
- Payload: NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)
- Key Feature: Dual-frequency radar (L-band & S-band)
- Objective: Earth observation – land deformation, glaciers, earthquakes, climate change
- Relevance: One of the world’s most advanced Earth-observation satellites
- Source: ISRO / Wikipedia
July 2025 – Axiom-4 Mission (Indian Astronaut to ISS)
- Astronaut: Shubhanshu Shukla
- Mission: Axiom-4 private ISS mission
- Duration: ~18 days aboard ISS
- Significance: First Indian astronaut to visit ISS before Gaganyaan
- Link to ISRO: Human spaceflight experience & experiments
- Source: Business Standard
January 29, 2025 – NVS-02 (NavIC Satellite)
- Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F15
- Mission Type: Navigation
- System: NavIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System)
- Coverage: India + 1500 km region
- Importance: Indigenous alternative to GPS
- Source: Space.com / ISRO
2025 – Gaganyaan Programme Progress
- Major Tests:
- Crew Module parachute tests
- Abort & recovery system validation
- Upcoming Missions: G1, G2, G3 (uncrewed precursor flights)
- Goal: First Indian human spaceflight
- Source: ISRO statements / Parliamentary answers
2024–2025 – SSLV & Technology Demonstration Missions
- SSLV Missions: For small satellite commercial launches
- TDS-01: Indigenous electric propulsion & new technologies
- Significance: Boost to private sector & startup ecosystem
- Source: ISRO / Government releases
Quick Revision Timeline (Latest → Oldest)
- Jan 2026: PSLV-C62 failure (EOS-N1)
- Dec 2025: LVM3-M6 – BlueBird-6 (success)
- Nov 2025: CMS-03 communication satellite
- Jul 2025: NISAR Earth-observation mission
- Jul 2025: Indian astronaut on ISS (Axiom-4)
- Jan 2025: NVS-02 (NavIC) launch
- 2025: Gaganyaan human spaceflight tests
- 2024–25: SSLV & tech demonstration missions