Science & Technology - Compass by Rau's IAS (2024)

Context: Malaria is all set to become a notifiable disease across India, with Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Meghalaya too in the process of putting this vector-borne disease in the category.

Malaria:

• Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by parasites (plasmodium vivax, plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium malariae and plasmodium ovale) that are transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• India was the only high-burden, high-impact country in the South-East Asia region to report a decline in malaria cases in 2020 as compared to 2019.
  • India witnessed 85.1% decline in malaria cases and 83.36% decline in deaths during 2015-2022.
• India has the vision to be malaria-free by 2027 and to eliminate the disease by 2030.
• India has the availability of near-real-time data monitoring through an integrated health information platform (HIP-Malaria Portal) and periodic regional review meetings to keep a check on malaria growth across India.

What are notifiable diseases?

• A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, provides early warning of possible outbreaks, and formulate a plan for their elimination and control.
• Registered medical practitioners need to notify such diseases in a proper form within three days, or notify verbally via phone within 24 hours depending on the urgency of the situation. Every government hospital, private hospital, laboratory, and clinic will have to report cases of the disease to the local government authorities.
• The onus of notifying any disease and the implementation lies with the state government. Any failure to report a notifiable disease is a criminal offence and the state government can take necessary actions against defaulters.
• Notifiable diseases in India: Cholera, diphtheria, encephalitis, leprosy, meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough), plague, tuberculosis, AIDS, hepatitis, measles, yellow fever, malaria, dengue.

Context: The Department of Biotechnology has said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the Centre-backed Genome India Project is about two-thirds complete. About 7,000 Indian genomes have already been sequenced of which 3,000 are available for public access to researchers.

Genome Sequencing

• Human genome is the entire set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) residing in the nucleus of every cell of the human body. It carries the complete genetic information responsible for the development and functioning of an organism.
• The DNA consists of a double-stranded molecule built up by four bases [adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T)].
• While the sequence of base pairs is identical in all humans, there are differences in the genome of every human being that make them unique.
• Genome sequencing is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome. It involves identifying the order of base pairs [adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T)] that make up the DNA molecule in each of the chromosomes of an organism’s DNA, to decode the genetic fingerprint of a human.

Human Genome Project

• In 1990, a group of scientists began working on the Human Genome Project which was an international programme that led to the decoding of the entire human genome. Completed in April 2003, the HGP gave the ability, for the first time, to read nature’s complete genetic blueprint for building a human being.

Applications of genome sequencing

• Disease Diagnosis and Treatment: Genome sequencing can identify genetic mutations and variations that contribute to the development of diseases. It has been used to evaluate rare disorders, preconditions for disorders and even cancer from the viewpoint of genetics.
  • Nearly 10,000 diseases — including cystic fibrosis and thalassemia — are known to be the result of a single gene malfunctioning.
  • Genome sequencing has been used to read the codes of viruses. In 2014, a group of scientists from M.I.T and Harvard sequenced samples of Ebola from infected African patients to show how genomic data of viruses could reveal hidden pathways of transmission.
  • In January 2020, at the start of the CoVID-19 pandemic, scientists sequenced the genome of a novel pathogen causing infections in the city of Wuhan. Then virologists evaluated the genomic sequence to understand how to combat the virus, track the mutating variants, and develop a vaccine.
• Drug Development: Can identify genetic targets for drug development and testing, leading to the development of more effective and personalized drugs.
• Prenatal screening: Can be used as a tool for prenatal screening to investigate whether the foetus has genetic disorders/anomalies.
• Agriculture: Can help identify genes that contribute to desirable traits in plants and animals, allowing for the selective breeding of crops and livestock.
• Evolutionary Biology: Can help trace the evolutionary history of species and understand the mechanisms underlying evolution.
• Forensics: Genome sequencing can be used to identify suspects in criminal investigations and to establish paternity in cases of disputed parentage.

Genome India Project (GIP)

• The Genome India Project (GIP) is a government initiative launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 2019 to execute whole genome sequencing and subsequent data analysis of 10,000 individuals representing the country’s diverse population by the end of 2023.
• The goal of the project is to create a comprehensive reference database of genetic variations in the Indian population and identify genetic variations that are associated with common and rare diseases prevalent in the Indian population.
• The project is being carried out in collaboration with several institutions, including the National Centre for Biological Sciences, the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Need & Significance of GIP

• India has around 1.3 billion population consisting of over 4,600 population groups, many of which are endogamous (disease-causing mutations often amplified within some of these groups). But despite being a large population with diverse ethnic groups, India lacks a comprehensive catalogue of genetic variations.
• Creating a database of Indian genomes allows researchers to learn about genetic variants unique to India’s population groups and use that to customise drugs.

Context: Army has used its emergency powers to order more than 300 indigenous suicide drones ‘Nagastra 1’ from Nagpur-based Solar Industries. The procurement would enable shorter selection time and expedited deliveries of the drones within one year.

Major Highlights

• Nagastra 1 is the first indigenous Loiter Munition (LM) which can strike targets within 15-30 km using GPS-enabled precision. It can loiter over a target for a maximum of 60 minutes and has an accuracy of less than 2 metres.
• The fixed-wing electric-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses GPS for precision strikes and is capable of destroying various soft-skinned targets using its pre-fragmented high explosive warhead. The munition also carries a day-and-night camera for surveillance as well.
• The Nagastra-1 in its ‘Kamikaze’ mode can search and destroy any target by crashing into it. If the target is not found or the mission is aborted, the munition can be called back and recovered using a parachute.
• Developed by: Economic Explosives Limited

Significance

• It is a cost-effective weapon against low-value targets. The drones can undertake shallow strikes with precision, without endangering the lives of soldiers.
• It will enhance options for armed forces to strike terrorist camps and launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan.
• The system has over 75% indigenous content, cutting down dependence on foreign sources, and is fully designed and developed in India.

It is also likely to have a strong export potential, given the growing demand for economical stand-off weapons that can deliver precision strikes.

Context: The EzriCare Artificial Tears, over-the-counter eye drops manufactured by Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare, is at the centre of a United States investigation into a multistate outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant bacterium strain associated with multiple types of infections including eye infections in the United States.

Major Highlights

• The outbreak strain — VIM-GES-CRPA is a rare strain of the extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium which has never been reported before in the US —detected in 68 cases from 16 states.
• The organism appears to have spread via a contaminated point source (eye drops) with possible secondary transmission among contacts in some healthcare settings.

About Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Pseudomonas is a bacteria that can be found in the environment, including in water and soil. There are multiple types of Pseudomonas – Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes the most infections in humans.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa can spread to people through contaminated surfaces, equipment, water and more. The bacteria can cause infections in the lungs, blood and other parts of the body. The bacteria could melt through the eye up to the cornea into the bloodstream pretty quickly.

Context: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy successfully conducted a maiden flight trial of sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal on April 21, 2023.

Major Highlights

• DRDO and the Indian Navy were successful in test-firing an endo-atmospheric interceptor missile, capable of taking down incoming ballistic missiles from sea.
  • Endo-atmospheric interception means the missile fired by Indian testing agencies had destroyed the incoming enemy ballistic missile within the Earth’s atmosphere.
  • Exo-atmospheric interception, on the other hand, is for destroying incoming enemy ballistic missiles outside of the Earth’s atmosphere at a higher altitude.
• The purpose of the trial was to engage and neutralize a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into the elite club of Nations having Naval BMD (Ballistic Missile Defence) capability.

India’s Ballistic Missile Defence capability

• The BMDs are capable of intercepting incoming long-range nuclear missiles and hostile aircraft including AWACS (airborne warning and control systems).
• Prior to this BMD test from a warship, India successfully demonstrated the land-based BMD system with the capability to neutralize ballistic missile threats emerging from adversaries.

In November 2022, India’s DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight test of Phase-II of the BMD interceptor, code-named AD-1 missile, with a large kill altitude bracket.

• AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles and aircraft.
• It is propelled by a two-stage solid motor and equipped with an indigenously developed advanced control system, navigation, and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the vehicle to the target.
• The successful trial of AD-1 from both land-based and sea-based platforms would provide great operational flexibility to the Indian armed forces.

Origins of the BMD Program

• India launched the BMD program after the war with Pakistan in the Kargil sector in 1999 to counter the enemy nation’s widening spectrum of ballistic missiles that usually delivered both conventional and nuclear warheads.
• The two-tiered BMD program involved Prithvi missile-based Air Defense that can intercept enemy missiles at altitudes of 50 km to 180 km in the first layer. The Pradyumna interceptor has replaced the Prithvi Air Defense BMD already.
  • The Prithvi Air Defense system was first tested in 2006, then making India only the fourth nation globally to have such capabilities, after the United States, Russia, and Israel.
• The second layer under the program is the Advanced Air Defense system for low-altitude interceptions. The Advanced Air Defense system is designed to destroy hostile missiles at 15 km to 40 km altitudes.
  • The Advanced Air Defense system got tested for the first time in 2007. Since then, both systems have gone through successive and multiple rounds of tests and are now in the process of deployment with the Indian armed forces.

India’s Other Missile Capabilities

• India conducted the first successful Anti-Satellite Test under its Mission Shakti project in March 2019, taking India to a league of nations such as the United States, Russia, and China possessing such a capability.

• While the India-made Akash missile is part of the air defence systems possessed by the Indian armed forces, it is now in the process of inducting the Russian-origin S-400 Truimf, even though the Ukraine war has delayed the delivery of these air defence missiles to India.

In 2021, the Indian Navy inducted INS Dhruv, a nuclear missile tracking warship, to join an elite club of nations such as the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France to have such a platform. The 17,000-tonne INS Dhruv was developed by the DRDO in collaboration with the National Technical Research Organization (NTRO), and built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited. It can be used to provide early warning of attacks by ballistic missiles launched from Pakistan and China.

Context: Cybercriminals have developed new ransomware LockBit designed to target macOS devices, making this the first major ransomware operation to specifically target Apple computers (both older Macs and newer ones running on Apple Silicon).

About LockBit ransomware

• It was first reported in September 2019 and dubbed the “abcd” virus, due to the file extension used when encrypting victims’ files.
• The LockBit ransomware is designed to infiltrate victims’ systems and encrypt important files.
• The virus is categorised as a “crypto virus” due to its requests for payment in cryptocurrency to decrypt the files on the victim’s device.
• LockBit gang operates on the ransomware-as-a-service (Raas) model and comes from a line of extortion cyberattacks.
  • In this model, willing parties put down a deposit for use in a custom attack and make profits through the ransom payment.
  • The ransom is divided between the LockBit developer team and attacking affiliates.
• The gang behind the LockBit ransomware reportedly maintains a dark web portal to recruit members and release data of victims who refuse to meet their demands, as part of their business model.

How does LockBit ransomware work?

• It works as a self-spreading malware, not requiring additional instructions once it has successfully infiltrated a single device with access to an organisational intranet.
• It is also known to hide executable encryption files by disguising them in the .PNG format, thereby avoiding detection by system defences.
• Attackers use phishing tactics and other social engineering methods to impersonate trusted personnel or authorities to lure victims into sharing credentials.
• The ransomware places an encryption lock on all system files, which can only be unlocked via a custom key created by the LockBit gang. The process leaves behind a ransom note, with instructions to restore the system, and has reportedly also included threatening blackmail messages.

Incidents of attacks

• Earlier in January 2023, the LockBit gang was reportedly behind a cyber-attack on the U.K. postal services, causing international shipping to grind to a halt.
• In the past, LockBit ransomware has been used to target enterprises and organisations in the U.S., China, India, Ukraine, and Indonesia. Attacks have also been recorded throughout Europe, including in France, Germany, and the U.K.

Context: Indian Space Policy – 2023, which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security on April 6, was made public recently.

About New India Space Policy 2023

(a) Role of Government entities:

• Indian Space Research Organisation shall transition out from manufacturing operational space systems and focus its energies on research and development in new space technologies and applications and on expanding the human understanding of outer space.
• Department of Space has been asked to implement the policy, interpret and clarify any ambiguities and establish a framework for safe and sustainable space operations and ensure that the different stakeholders are suitably empowered to discharge their respective functions without overlapping into the others’ domains.
• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) shall function as an autonomous government organization, mandated to promote, hand-hold, guide and authorise space activities in the country.
• NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), as the public sector undertaking under the Department of Space, shall be responsible for commercialising space technologies and platforms created through public expenditure. The policy:
  • Mandated NSIL to manufacture, lease or procure space components, technologies, platforms and other assets from the private or the public sector on sound commercial principles.
  • Tasked NSIL to service the space-based needs of users, whether government entities or non-government entities, on sound commercial principles.

(b) Role of Private companies:

• Private companies, referred to as non-governmental entities in the policy, will be allowed to undertake end-to-end space activity — launching and operating satellites, developing rockets, creating ground stations, building spaceports and mobile launch platforms, and providing services like communication, remote sensing and navigation, nationally and internationally.
• Private entities have also been encouraged to develop space situational awareness capabilities — a mechanism to track objects in space and avoid collision of satellites and space stations with each other or space debris.
• Private players can engage in the “commercial recovery” of asteroids or space resources. The companies will be entitled to “possess, own, transport, use, and sell” such resources in accordance with the law.

(c) Empower Indian Consumers:Indian consumers of space technology or services — such as communication, remote sensing, data services and launch services – whether from the public or the private sector, shall be free to directly procure them from any source.

Context: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C55 (PSLV-C55) mission on April 22 with Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite.

• PSLV-C55 mission has the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), where the spent PS4 (fourth and final stage of the PSLV launch vehicle) would be utilised as an orbital platform to carry out scientific experiments through non-separating payloads.

PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM)

• PSLV Orbital Experimental Module is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final, and otherwise discarded, stage of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• The PSLV is a four-stage rocket where the first three spent stages fall back into the ocean, and the final stage (PS4) — after launching the satellite into orbit — ends up as space junk. However, in the PSLV-C55 mission, the spent final stage will be utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments.
• POEM has a dedicated Navigation Guidance and Control (NGC) system for attitude stabilisation, which stands for controlling the orientation of any aerospace vehicle within permitted limits. The NGC will act as the platform’s brain to stabilize it with specified accuracy.
• POEM will derive its power from solar panels mounted around the PS4 tank, and a Li-Ion battery. It will navigate using “four sun sensors, a magnetometer, gyros & NavIC”.

Context: The Indian Air Force is trying to keep up its strength of fighter squadrons as its fleet struggles with the gradual phase-out of existing jets as well as delays in the order and procurement of new jets. It is also placing much hope in indigenously manufactured aircraft.

The Present and Future of India’s fighter jets

• Against the sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons, the Air Force has 31 squadrons.
• Out of the 31 squadrons at present, the three Mig-21 squadrons will be phased by 2025.
• MIG-29s, inducted in the late 1980s, will start going out by the early 2040s.
• India has an ambitious plan lined up for the acquisition of over 500 fighter jets.

How many aircraft are in Squadron?

• Squadrons typically include between 12 and 24 aircraft, depending on the type of aircraft and the branch of the military.
• Land-based squadrons with heavy aircraft may have around 12 aircraft in a squadron. However, fighter units may have 18 to 24 aircraft.

Indigenous fighter ecosystem

• IAF is supposed to get the 40 LCA from HAL,
• Defence Ministry signed a deal with HAL for 83 LCA-MK1A, the first three aircraft in 2024 and 16 aircraft per year for the subsequent five years.
• A more capable and larger LCA-MK2, which received sanction from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in September 2022, is expected to be ready for production by 2027.
• There is also a Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) on the drawing board for the Navy’s aircraft carriers.
• Navy Chief said that they may get up to 45 TEDBF by 2040 from HAL.
• MRFA is a reincarnation of the earlier Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest for 126 jets to be produced in India by a French company.

Characteristics of LCA

• A light combat aircraft (LCA) is a light, multirole jet/turboprop military aircraft.
• They are typically slower than larger multirole or strike aircraft such as the American F-18, F-15E Strike Eagle, or Russian MiG-29.
• Most light combat aircraft are capable only of subsonic speeds, although some are capable of reaching Mach 1+.
• An LCA will typically be equipped with bombs, gun pods, or short-range air-to-air missiles used for COIN or CAS missions.
• Some aircraft integrate more advanced armaments such as smart bombs, air-to-ground missiles, ECM pods (Electronic Countermeasures), and electronic targeting systems.
• These aircraft are usually used for self-defence or anti-hostile aircraft/helicopter missions, not for air-defence missions typically carried out by lightweight fighters.
• Some LCAs are capable of air-to-air combat or point air defence missions if equipped with multi-mode radar systems. the majority cannot perform these missions due to their small design and limited capabilities.
• LCAs are often used to patrol the skies and implement border patrol or air policing.

Characteristics of Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF)

• The HAL Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is a canard delta wing, twin-engine, carrier-based, multirole combat aircraft.
• The TEDBF is being designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• The TEDBF is intended to perform a multitude of missions, including air supremacy, air interdiction, anti-access/area denial (A2/AD), anti-ship warfare (ASW) and electronic warfare (EW) missions.
• The TEDBF is expected to replace the Mikoyan MiG-29K onboard the INS Vikramaditya and the INS Vikrant.
• The first flight is expected to be in 2026 with production planned for 2031.
• The design’s twin engines are expected to allow shorter take-offs from the Indian Navy’s Short Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) aircraft carriers.
• As a dedicated deck-based fighter, it will feature foldable wings for more compact storage. The TEDBF will predominantly be equipped with indigenous weapons systems.

Context: Astronomers have detected a repeating radio signal from exoplanet YZ Ceti b suggesting the presence of a magnetic field — one of the prerequisites for a habitable planet — around it.

Major Highlights

• YZ Ceti b is a rocky, earth-sized exoplanet rotating around a small red dwarf star, YZ Ceti, barely 12 light-years from Earth.
• Just as energy surges from the sun sometimes disrupt telecommunications on Earth and damage orbiting satellites, intense bursts of energy from the YZ Ceti star-exoplanet exchange produce spectacular auroral lights. This is seen indirectly in the form of the radio emission.
• These radio waves, strong enough to be detected from Earth, confirmed the existence of an exoplanetary magnetic field. Such signals can only be produced if the exoplanet orbits very close to its parent star and has its own magnetic field to influence the stellar wind and generate the signals.
• Survival of a planet’s atmosphere may depend on its having, or not having, a strong magnetic field, since the field protects its atmosphere from being eroded by the charged particles from its star.

Context: Union Cabinet has approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) at a cost of Rs 6,003.65 crore. The mission will have defined milestones that are expected to be achieved over the course of eight years (2023-24 to 2030-31).

Quantum Technology

• Quantum computers utilise the principles of quantum mechanics to perform certain types of computations much faster than classical computers.
  • Quantum mechanics is a theory in physics that deals with the behaviour of matter and energy at the most fundamental level (at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles).
• Classical computers process information using bits, which are either 0 or 1, whereas quantum computing uses quantum bits, or qubits, which can be in a superposition of both 0 and 1 states at the same time. This property of superposition allows quantum computers to perform certain types of calculations much faster than classical computers.
• The power of a quantum computer scales exponentially with the number of qubits, unlike classical computers, which scale linearly with the number of bits.
• The principle is used in semiconductors, lasers, Blu-ray, transistors, mobile phones, USB drives, MRI, electron microscopes, and even the basic light switch.

Major Highlights of the Mission

• The new mission targets developing 20-50 physical ‘qubits’ in three years, 50-100 physical qubits in five years and intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50-1,000physical qubits in 8 years.
  • In classical computing, the smallest and most basic unit of information that can be processed and stored is called a ‘bit’.
  • In quantum computing, the basic unit of information is called a ‘qubit’.
• Some of the deliverables of the Mission are:
  • Developing satellite-based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2,000 kilometres within India
  • long-distance secure quantum communications with other countries
  • inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km
  • multi-node quantum network with quantum memories.
• The mission will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems, and atomic clocks for precision timing, communications and navigation.
• It will support the design and synthesis of quantum materials such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for the fabrication of quantum devices.
• Single photon sources/detectors, and entangled photon sources will also be developed for quantum communications, sensing and metrological applications.
• Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) would be set up in top academic and National R&D institutes on the domains of ‘quantum computing’, ‘quantum communication’, ‘quantum sensing and metrology’ and ‘quantum materials and devices’.
  • The hubs will focus on the generation of new knowledge through basic and applied research as well as promote R&D in areas that are mandated to them.

Challenges

• Qubits are extremely delicate and prone to errors, and increasing the number of qubits while maintaining their stability is a major challenge in the development of quantum computers.

Significance

• Presently, only six countries — the US, Finland, Austria, France, China and Canada — have some capability in this domain. The mission will bring India to the forefront along with them.
• It will accelerate the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications and technology-led economic growth in the country.
• It would greatly benefit communication, health, financial and energy sectors as well as drug design, and space applications.
• It will provide a huge boost to “national priorities” like ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Stand-up India’, ‘Startup India’, ‘Self-reliant India’ and Sustainable Development Goals.
• The technology will secure the country’s defence communication but also act as a deterrent, preventing the attempt to hack into India’s communication networks.

India’s quantum mission

• India’s quantum mission has been in the works since 2018, when the Department of Science & Technology put out a call for proposals on projects related to the field of quantum computing.
• QuEST (Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology) falls under the department’s Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS) division.

Context: SpaceX has postponed the first test flight of the Starship rocket due to a technical issue.

• NASA has picked the Starship spacecraft for the Artemis III mission. Starship consists of a 50-metre-tall spacecraft designed to carry crew and cargo which is atop a 230-foot-tall first-stage Super Heavy booster rocket. It is the most powerful rocket ever built which is designed to send astronauts to the moon and Mars and beyond.

Artemis Mission

• The Artemis program is a series of missions for Moon exploration led by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) along with three partner agencies—the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• Aim:
  • Take humans to the Moon, explore the possibilities of extended stay there, and establish a permanent base on the Moon.
  • Investigate the potential to use the Moon as a launch pad for deep space explorations and to facilitate human missions to Mars.

Artemis 1

• The first in the series, NASA’s Artemis 1 mission was successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida on November 16, 2022.
• Artemis 1 is an unmanned lunar orbiter mission to test the Space Launch System rocket of NASA and the Orion space capsule, in which astronauts will ride on future missions.

Artemis 2

• Artemis 2 will be a 10-day long crewed mission where the four astronauts will fly around the Moon and return to Earth. The mission aims to test and stress Orion’s life-support systems to make sure that it is capable of supporting astronauts to live and work in deep space and collect valuable flight test data.
• After multiple manoeuvres, it will place the crew on a “lunar free return trajectory,” where Earth’s gravity will naturally pull the spacecraft back home after flying by the Moon.
  • In the lunar free return trajectory, the spacecraft does not need any propulsion on its return journey. It takes advantage of the Earth-Moon gravity field to ensure the planet’s gravity naturally pulls it back.
• Expected to launch by 2024.

Artemis 3

• Artemis 3 is a crewed mission which aims at landing humans on the Moon. It would be the first human landing on the moon by NASA since Apollo 17 in 1972.
  • It will land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon.
• The four astronauts aboard the Orion module will dock with the Lunar Gateway and remain in space for 30 days. The landing system will then take two astronauts down to the Moon’s South Pole, a region previously unvisited by humans.
• The astronauts are expected to spend a week exploring the surface and perform a variety of scientific studies, including sampling water ice – first detected on the Moon in 1971.
• Expected to launch by 2025.