Science and Technology (S&T) Digest (16-31 May 2025), Issue 62

Dr Saroj Bishoyi, Senior Fellow, VIF

June 20 , 2025 Views: 194 Comments: 0

In this Issue

I. Defence and Security

Akashteer, Unseen Force Behind India’s New War Capability

In the dark skies, a new kind of warrior awakened. It did not roar like a fighter jet or flash like a missile. It listened. It calculated. It struck. This invisible shield, Akashteer, is no longer a concept confined to defence journals. It is the sharp edge of India’s air defence, the unseen wall that stopped a barrage of missiles and drones on the night of May 9th and 10th, when Pakistan launched its deadliest attack on Indian military and civilian areas. Akashteer is India’s fully indigenous, automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System, that intercepted and neutralised every inbound projectile. What stood between them and their intended targets was not just technology, but years of commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat. Click here to read…

Indian Navy to Induct and Unveil Name of Ancient Stitched Ship

Indian Navy will induct and unveil the name of the Ancient Stitched Ship during a ceremonial event on 21 May 2025 at Naval Base, Karwar. The stitched ship is a recreation of a 5th century CE ship, inspired by a painting from the Ajanta Caves. The project was formally initiated through a tripartite agreement signed in July 2023 between the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy, and M/s Hodi Innovations, with funding from the Ministry of Culture. The construction of the Stitched Ship was carried out using entirely traditional methods, and raw materials by artisans from Kerala, led by master shipwright Babu Sankaran, who executed thousands of hand-stitched joints. Click here to read…

Approval of AMCA Programme Execution Model

In a significant push towards enhancing India’s indigenous defence capabilities and fostering a robust domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has approved the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme Execution Model. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is set to execute the programme through Industry partnership. The Execution Model approach provides equal opportunities to both private and public sectors on competitive basis. They can bid either independently or as joint venture or as consortia. The entity/bidder should be an Indian company compliant with the laws and regulations of the country. Click here to read…

RM Reviews Performance of Eight DPSUs in Meeting with CMDs

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held a review meeting with CMDs of eight Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) at South Block, New Delhi on 26 May 2025. Raksha Mantri commended the role of the entire defence industry, including DPSUs, in developing platforms and technologies that demonstrated the preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor. He emphasised that the remains committed to strengthening the defence industrial base and enhancing the competitiveness of the DPSUs. In view of the prevailing geopolitical scenario and the recent developments, he directed the DPSUs to enhance their production on latest technologies with more focus on research and development in the emerging fields of modern warfare. Click here to read…

DRDO Inaugurates Quantum Technology Research Centre

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) inaugurated the Quantum Technology Research Centre (QTRC) at Metcalfe House, Delhi on 27 May 2025. The facility was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat with the aim to further strengthen indigenous quantum capabilities for strategic and defence applications. QRTC is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental set-ups designed to propel research and development in critical quantum domains. The key capabilities of this centre include Characterisation of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers and Distributed Feedback Lasers; Test-beds for evaluating single-photon sources; Set-up for characterisation of Micro Fabricated Alkali Vapor Cell. Click here to read…

II. STI in Space Sector

Indian Astronaut to Conduct Food & Nutrition Experiments Onboard ISS

As part of the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to conduct exclusive Food & Nutrition Experiments Onboard International Space Station (ISS), Announces Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. The first ISS experiment will examine the impact of microgravity and space radiation on edible microalgae – a high-potential, nutrient-rich food source. The study will focus on key growth parameters and the changes in transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of various algal species in space compared to Earth conditions. The experiments – developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA – aim to pioneer space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems vital for future long-duration space travel. Click here to read…

First ISRO-DBT Convenes JWG Meeting under the BioE3 Policy

The 1st Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)- Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting was convened on 28th May 2025. The Union Cabinet has approved path breaking initiatives in the field of human space programme and biotechnology with the announcement of establishment of a Bharatiya Antariksh Station and the unveiling of ‘BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Policy for fostering high performance Biomanufacturing’ in the country, respectively. Under the initiative on fostering high performance biomanufacturing, futuristic space biotechnology/biomanufacturing is one of the Thematic areas. An ISRO-DBT joint working group (JWG) has been constituted to take collaboration forward. Click here to read…

Deploying a Practical Solution to Space Debris

Researchers share the design and implementation of an incentive-based Space Sustainability Rating. At this moment, there are approximately 35,000 tracked human-generated objects in orbit around Earth. Of these, only about one-third are active payloads: science and communications satellites, research experiments, and other beneficial technology deployments. The rest are categorized as debris — defunct satellites, spent rocket bodies, and the detritus of hundreds of collisions, explosions, planned launch vehicle separations, and other “fragmentation events” that have occurred throughout humanity’s 67 years of space launches. The problem of space debris is well documented, and only set to grow in the near term as launch rates increase and fragmentation events escalate accordingly. Click here to read…

Surface Modification on Jupiter's Moon Europa Uncovered

A series of experiments led by Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Ujjwal Raut support spectral data recently collected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that found evidence that the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa is constantly changing. Europa's surface ice is crystallising at different rates in different places, which could point to a complex mix of external processes and geologic activity affecting the surface. Water ice can be divided into two broad categories based on its structure. On Earth, crystalline ice occurs when water molecules arrange into a hexagonal pattern during the freezing process. Click here to read…

SpaceX Starship Completes Ascent Burn, Coasts through Space

SpaceX's Starship successfully completed its ascent burn and is now coasting through space, according to an update shared by the company's official Twitter handle. The latest test flight marked significant progress for the spacecraft, especially when compared to earlier missions. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, confirmed the milestone on X (formerly Twitter), posting: "Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight! Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent.” The successful engine cutoff and intact heat shield tiles during ascent highlight the technological improvements since previous flights. Click here to read…

III. Nuclear Technology

New Research Project to Enhance Water Forecasting

The IAEA is launching a new research project to integrate isotope tracers into hydrological and climate modelling systems for more robust simulations of water availability. Forecasting climate and hydrological extremes is one of the most important means of adapting to climate variability and potentially limiting the risks associated with those extreme events. All regions across the globe have a climate type that features characteristic changes in rainfall across the seasons, average precipitation amount, snowfall period, average temperatures and daily temperature ranges. However, under enhanced atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, the predictability of changes in weather conditions and hydrological extremes is more uncertain, leading to changes in groundwater availability and recharge. Click here to read…

Interest in Nuclear Power on Rise in Countries Across Latin America

With interest in nuclear power on the rise in countries across Latin America, the IAEA was in Brazil earlier to take part in the region’s largest nuclear industry event and spearhead discussions on financing newbuild projects, the role of small modular reactors (SMRs) and strengthening global cooperation. Organized by the Brazilian Association for the Development of Nuclear Activities (ABDAN), the Nuclear Trade and Technology Exchange (NT2E) brought together participants from around the world to discuss opportunities and challenges for the nuclear sector, with a focus on Brazil and the wider region of Latin America. Click here to read…

Kenya Ramp Up Stakeholder Engagements to Start Up Its First Reactor

The IAEA is helping Kenya ramp up its stakeholder engagement efforts as the country looks to start up its first reactor by 2034. Recently, the IAEA hosted a delegation of 35 Kenyan officials, governors and policymakers at its Vienna headquarters for a visit that aimed to foster informed dialogue and raise awareness about what is required for a successful nuclear power programme. Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) announced at a November 2024 parliamentary meeting that Kenya is on schedule to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant by 2027. Uyombo, in Kilifi County, is one of the preferred sites for the country’s first nuclear power plant, and representatives from the Kilifi County Government were among the delegation in Vienna. Click here to read…

World’s First Major Gathering of Nuclear Community Leaders

The IAEA hosted the world’s first major gathering of communities with nuclear facilities, with scores of mayors and other local representatives from around the globe, including indigenous peoples, sharing their experiences and insights. Hosting a nuclear facility, whether a nuclear power plant, uranium mine or related site, is a major endeavour involving significant local community participation. Project success requires transparent communication, a two-way dialogue centring local perspectives to address concerns, maximize benefits and enable long-term sustainability. Participants agree that for enduring results and host community satisfaction, meaningful conversations that consider the full spectrum of opinions should begin at an early stage and be held on a regular basis. Click here to read…

Trump Unveils $175 billion 'Golden Dome' Missile Defence Plan for US

US President Donald Trump announced new details about his administration's US $175 billion large-scale missile defence initiative, the "Golden Dome", noting that it would be fully operational in under three years, as reported byThe Hill. According to The Hill, Trump, while speaking from the Oval Office, said that the US had finalised the system's architecture, which will be overseen by Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein. Trump claimed the defence shield would integrate seamlessly with existing capabilities and be completed before the end of his second term. The system is expected to counter intercontinental threats from nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Click here to read…

IV. Emerging Technologies and Applications

Scientists Design Fast-Charging & Long-Lasting Sodium-Ion Battery

In a world racing towards electrification – from cars to villages – one thing remains crucial: affordable, fast, and safe batteries. While lithium-ion batteries have powered this revolution so far, they are costly. Besides, lithium resources are limited and geopolitically constrained. But scientists in Bengaluru may have just found a powerful alternative. A research team at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has developed a super-fast charging sodium-ion battery (SIB) based on a NASICON-type cathode and anode material, that can charge up to 80% in just six minutes and last over 3000 charge cycles. Click here to read…

New Drugs Offer Promise for Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders

Peptidomimetic drugs – or synthetic molecules that mimic the structure of natural proteins can be repurposed to provide an effective therapeutic strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) by promoting neuronal growth and survival. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) have been a major global health challenge. While neurotrophins, proteins crucial for neuronal survival and function, have shown promise as potential treatments, their instability and rapid degradation have hindered their therapeutic application. Neurotrophin peptidomimetics are developed to target specific biological functions and can be valuable tools in drug discovery, especially when natural peptides have limitations like poor oral bioavailability or susceptibility to degradation. Click here to read…

India Accelerates National EV Charging Grid

Union Minister for Heavy Industries, H.D. Kumaraswamy chaired a inter-ministerial coordination meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and Ministry of Heavy Industries to review and accelerate the implementation of EV charging infrastructure under the PM E-Drive scheme. The scheme, launched under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, aims to build a nationwide EV-ready ecosystem to enable cleaner transport and reduce India’s dependency on fossil fuels. With a financial outlay of ₹2,000 crore, the PM E-Drive scheme will support the installation of approximately 72,000 EV public charging stations across the country. Click here to read…

DoT Introduces FRI To Strengthen Cyber Fraud Prevention

In a major step towards combating cyber fraud and financial crime, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced sharing of “Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI)” with stakeholders- an output from a multi- dimensional analytical tool developed as part of the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) to empower financial institutions with advance actionable intelligence for cyber fraud prevention. This will enhance cyber protection and validation checks in case of mobile numbers flagged with this tool when digital payment is proposed to be made to such numbers. It is a risk-based metric that classifies a mobile number to have been associated with Medium, High, or Very High risk of financial fraud. Click here to read…

Aadhaar Authentication Crosses 150 billion Transactions

The total number of Aadhaar authentication transactions have crossed 150 billion (15,011.82 Cr) marks, making it a milestone moment in the journey of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and for the broader Aadhaar ecosystem. The landmark highlights the extensive usage and utility of Aadhaar, and the growth of digital economy in the country. The cumulative number was achieved by the end of April 2025, since inception. Aadhaar based authentication has been playing a stellar role in aiding ease of living, in effective welfare delivery, and voluntarily availing various services offered by service providers. In April alone, almost 210 crore Aadhaar authentication transactions were carried out, nearly 8% more than the same month in 2024. Click here to read…

V. International Cooperation

India-US Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation

The 8th meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation (JWGACTC), constituted under the auspices of the India – US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), was organised in India from 13 to 16 May 2025. A six-member US delegation headed by RAdm Casey Moton, Programme Executive Officer (PEO), Aircraft Carriers visited various defence establishments in Delhi and Goa. The opening session of the Joint Working Group Meeting was held on 13 May at New Delhi, which was co-chaired by RAdm Vishal Bishnoi, Assistant Controller Carrier Projects (ACCP). During the meeting, the RAdm Casey Moton highlighted the importance of the Joint Working Group and the progress it has made over the last 10 years. Click here to read…

India Leads Capacity Building Initiative on Digital Transformation in BRICS

India hosted a Virtual Capacity Building Session on Digital Transformation in BRICS, organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) through the National Communications Academy – Technology (NCA-T), Ghaziabad. Convened under the BRICS ICT Working Group, the event brought together digital thought leaders from across the BRICS nations to explore shared challenges, best practices and chart a path forward for robust ICT cooperation among the group countries. The session was inaugurated by Mr. Daniel Cavalcanti, BRICS Chair, and Mr. Atul Sinha, Director General of NCA-T, India. There were four thematic sessions addressing pressing challenges and opportunities in the digital domain. Click here to read…

Indian Delegation Takes Part International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition

An Indian delegation led by Raksha Rajya Mantri, Sanjay Seth participated in the opening ceremony of the 17th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025), at Langkawi, Malaysia on 20 May 2025. The five-day event was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim. Raksha Rajya Mantri inaugurated the India pavilion at LIMA 2025, which showcases India's prowess of indigenous defence industry with participation of key Defence Public Sector Undertakings and private companies. The event underscores India’s strategic push for self-reliance in defence, with the Indian Pavilion showcasing indigenous technologies including BrahMos and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-made Dornier aircraft. Click here to read…

India Reinforces Commitment to WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy

At the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva under the theme “One World for Health,” India reiterated its strong commitment to strengthening Traditional Medicine (TM) systems as part of an integrated approach to healthcare. Speaking on behalf of India, Mr Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, welcomed the adoption of the new WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 and highlighted India’s efforts to embed evidence-based traditional practices into national and global health frameworks. India’s approach, characterized by the integration of modern medicine with scientifically validated traditional systems such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, and Siddha, was emphasised as a practical model for other nations. Click here to read…

Study Shows Several Tactics Together Boost Vaccination against Deadly Diseases

Around the world, low immunizations rates for children are a persistent problem. Now, an experiment conducted in India shows that an inexpensive combination of methods, including text reminders and small financial incentives, has a major impact on immunization. Led by MIT economists, the research finds that a trifecta of incentives, text messages, and information provided by local residents creates a 44 percent increase in child immunizations, at low cost. Alternately, without financial incentives, but still using text messages and local information, there is a 9 percent increase in immunizations at virtually no expense — the most cost-effective increase the researchers found. Click here to read…

VI. Regional and Global Trends

A New Approach Could Fractionate Crude Oil Using Much Less Energy

Separating crude oil into products such as gasoline, diesel, and heating oil is an energy-intensive process that accounts for about 6 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Most of that energy goes into the heat needed to separate the components by their boiling point. In an advance that could dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed for crude oil fractionation, MIT engineers have developed a membrane that filters the components of crude oil by their molecular size. “This is a whole new way of envisioning a separation process. Instead of boiling mixtures to purify them, why not separate components based on shape and size? The key innovation is that the filters we developed can separate very small molecules at an atomistic length scale”. Click here to read…

A New Technology for Extending the Shelf Life of Produce

Researchers used microneedles to inject fresh-cut crops with melatonin and delay spoilage. We’ve all felt the sting of guilt when fruit and vegetables go bad before we could eat them. Now, researchers from MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have shown they can extend the shelf life of harvested plants by injecting them with melatonin using biodegradable microneedles. That’s a big deal because the problem of food waste goes way beyond our salads. More than 30 percent of the world’s food is lost after it’s harvested — enough to feed more than 1 billion people. Refrigeration is the most common way to preserve foods, but it requires energy and infrastructure that many regions of the world can’t afford or lack access to. Click here to read…

New Supercomputer Project Announced in California, US

A new supercomputer named after a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is to help power artificial intelligence (AI) technology and scientific discoveries from a perch in the hills above the University of California, Berkeley, US federal officials said. US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced the project alongside executives from computer maker Dell Technologies and Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang. The new computing system at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is to be called Doudna after Berkeley professor and biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for her work on the gene-editing technology CRISPR. Click here to read…

US Tightens Curbs on Shipments of Goods to China

The US has ordered a broad swathe of companies to stop shipping goods to China without a license and revoked licenses already granted to certain suppliers, three people familiar with the matter said. The new restrictions — which are likely to escalate tensions with Beijing — appear aimed at choke points to prevent China from getting products necessary for key sectors, one of the people said. Products affected include design software and chemicals for semiconductors, butane and ethane, machine tools and aviation equipment, the people said. Many companies received letters from the US Department of Commerce over the past few days informing them of the new restrictions. Click here to read…

TSMC Warns US of Consequences of Chip Tariffs

TSMC told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s administration, which launched an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Click here to read…