Prelims Focus 1st May 2025

01/05/2025

145 2 minutes read

Project Kuiper

In News: Amazon has successfully launched its first batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites into orbit, marking a major milestone in its $10 billion initiative to provide global high-speed broadband and directly compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

Key Details of the Launch:

Date and Vehicle: The launch took place on April 28, 2025 (U.S. time), using a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Satellites Deployed: 27 fully operational Kuiper satellites were placed into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 280 miles (450 kilometers).
Purpose: Project Kuiper aims to deliver fast, reliable broadband internet to underserved and remote areas globally, challenging the dominance of SpaceX’s Starlink, which currently operates thousands of satellites and serves millions of customers worldwide.

Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI)

In News: India has launched the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI) to establish a transparent and credible framework for certifying green hydrogen produced within the country.

Tailored to India’s regulatory landscape and aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the GHCI sets a stringent lifecycle emissions cap of 2 kg CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of hydrogen-stricter than the EU’s comparable standards.
The scheme mandates that hydrogen must be produced exclusively from renewable energy sources, such as electrolysis powered by renewables or biomass conversion, with emissions independently verified by Accredited Carbon Verification (ACV) agencies recognized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
The certification process is multi-tiered, including concept, facility-level, provisional, and final certificates, with the final certificate required for producers seeking government incentives or selling hydrogen domestically.
By ensuring transparency, traceability, and market credibility, the GHCI aims to boost investor confidence, facilitate carbon credit trading, and position India as a global hub for green hydrogen production and export while supporting the country’s broader clean energy and climate goals.

Near-Surface Shear Layer (NSSL)

In News: An international group of solar physicists, which include scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), has mapped dynamic plasma currents in the Sun’s Near-Surface Shear Layer (NSSL), revealing styles that correlate with the Sun’s 11-12 months magnetic activity (sunspot) cycle.

The Near-Surface Shear Layer (NSSL) is a critical area located only under the Sun’s visible surface, extending to an intensity of about 35,000 km.
In the NSSL, the Sun’s angular velocity (rotation pace) decreases rapidly with radius, creating a rotational shear that varies with depth, range, and sun magnetic pastime.
The examine discovered floor plasma flows converge toward sunspot latitudes however reverse midway inside the NSSL and glide outward, forming large flow cells.
These flows are shaped via the Sun’s rotation and the Coriolis pressure, which additionally influences Earth’s hurricanes. This connection provides an explanation for how the Sun’s spin behaviour varies with intensity.
Despite being dynamic, these localised flows do not drive the Sun’s massive-scale zonal flows, known as torsional oscillations, implying the presence of deeper unknown forces in the Sun’s indoors.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

In News: Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have developed a stable Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) that lets paralysed individuals govern a robot arm using only their thoughts, over 7 months, with minimal recalibration.

A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is a machine that allows direct communication between the brain and an outside tool, inclusive of a computer or robot limb.
It decodes brain indicators and interprets them into commands to govern machines, pass damaged neural pathways, and restore misplaced capabilities in men and women with neurological issues.
Earlier BCI systems ought to most effectively translate brain alerts into textual content, and that too with limited vocabulary, slow processing pace, and decreased accuracy.