<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1641903595436" alt="First of its kind – GM Pig heart successfully transplanted into a man" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

A man hailing from Maryland, United States has become the first transplant recipient of a heart of a genetically modified pig. After a procedure that went on for around eight hours, the 57-year-old man fighting from a life threatening heart disease received the heart on Friday, and is recovering now, according to reports.
Though it is hard to say about the long term success of the transplant, the procedure has opened the gates for similar kind situation where a human can be cured by using organs from animals.
"It was either die or do this transplant," Mr Bennett explained a day before the surgery. "I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice," he added, according to a statement.
The pig used in the procedure had gone through genetic modification to take out several genes that would have led to the organ being rejected by Mr Bennett's body.
The surgery was performed by a team at the University of Maryland Medicine. They are among the first to demonstrate the viability of a pig-to-human heart transplant – a field made possible by new gene editing tools.
“This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis. There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients,” Dr Bartley Griffith, who surgically transplanted the pig heart into the patient, said in a statement.
<ins>Growing field of genome editing</ins>
Scientists have been working enthusiastically to modify pigs whose organs would not be rejected by the human body. As research accelerated in the past decade by new gene editing and cloning technologies, few month ago some surgeons in New York successfully attached the kidney of a genetically engineered pig to a brain-dead person.
Genome editing (genome engineering or gene editing) is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted, modified, or replaced in the genome of a living organism. Unlike early genetic engineering techniques that randomly inserts genetic material into a host genome, genome editing targets the insertions to site specific locations.
Researchers hope procedures like these will usher in a new era in medicine in the future when replacement organs are no longer in short supply.
The chief medical officer of the United Network for Organ Sharing and a transplant physician, Dr. David Klassen said, “This is a watershed event. Doors are starting to open that will lead, I believe, to major changes in how we treat organ failure.”
However, he was also of the view that there are many hurdles to overcome before such a procedure can be broadly applied, noting that rejection of organs occurs even when a well-matched human donor kidney is transplanted.

First of its kind – GM Pig heart successfully transplanted into a man

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1641824223519" alt="ISRO’s Venus mission – ‘Shukrayaan-1’ orbiter" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

In a message welcoming 2022, Chairman of ISRO, K Sivan has informed that ISRO has made “very significant contributions in continuing the operational missions, conceiving many new missions, undertaking many technology development initiatives, and planning for the next decade of space activities.”
While it felt like 2021 was not a major year for the Indian Space agency because of “less number of launches”, 2022 will pave the way towards achieving India’s space goals.
ISRO has Chandrayaan-2, Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), and Astrosat missions operational, and Chandrayaan-3 could be set for a launch date by middle of 2023 with huge progress in incorporating design and testing.
Shukrayaan-1 is one of the three significant projects in the pipeline by ISRO. The other two being TRISHNA, in collaboration with CNES (French Space Agency), to accurately map land surface temperatures, and DISHA mission for a twin aeronomy satellite.
<ins>About Shukrayaan – The Venus Mission</ins>
Aimed to be launched in late 2024, Shukrayaan will be India’s first mission to Venus and will study the planet for more than four years. The mission’s primary objectives are to map Venus’ surface and subsurface while studying the planet’s atmospheric chemistry and interaction with the solar wind.
If ISRO misses the 2024 launch window, the other would come in 2026. It was noted that the optimal launch window (when Venus is closest to the Earth) comes about every 19 months.
Previously also, the launch date of the mission has been extended for a year due to pandemic related delays. ISRO was aiming for a mid-2023 launch when it released its call for instruments back in 2018.
Currently, Shukrayaan is planned to be launched on India’s GSLV Mk II rocket, although the prospect of launching it through the more powerful GSLV Mk III rocket is being analysed. The latter will allow Shukrayaan to carry more instruments and fuel.
Weighing around 2500 kilograms, the orbiter will carry a science payload consisting of a synthetic aperture radar and other instruments.
Upon launching, Shukrayaan is predicted to take a few months to reach Venus, where it will enter a highly elliptical orbit of 500 by 60,000 kilometers around the planet. Over the following year, it will use aerobraking to lower its orbit to 200 by 600 kilometers. This polar orbit will be the final one used for scientific observations.
The orbiter will also carry a ground penetrating radar, making it the first to map Venus’ subsurface. These observations would help scientists better understand Venus’ geology and evolution.
Venus is often described as the ‘twin sister’ of the Earth because of the similarities in size, mass, density, bulk composition, and gravity. It is believed that both planets share a common origin, forming at the same time out of a condensing nebulosity around 4.5 billion years ago. Venus is around 30 per cent closer to the Sun as compared to Earth resulting in much higher solar flux.
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Also read: <a href="https://policharcha.com/article/scitech/b8b0a5f1-d18b-41ac-abb4-63577fbb80a9/nasas-parker-probe-passes-through-the-suns-atmosphere" target="_blank">NASA’s Parker Probe passes through the Sun’s atmosphere</a>&nbsp;
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<ins>Countries that might join the mission</ins>
Almost 100 kilograms of Shukrayaan’s 2500 kg mass is set aside for scientific instruments, according to the call for instrument proposals ISRO issued two years ago soliciting payloads from India and abroad.
The open call for instruments marks a return to the approach ISRO took with Chandrayaan-1, the lunar orbiter it launched in 2008 carrying six instruments from countries other than India. The 2013 Mangalyaan Mars orbiter, and 2019’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter and lander, in contrast, carry only Indian instruments.
Consequently, instruments from 20 countries have been shortlisted. It is expected that Russia, France, Sweden, and Germany will have instruments on-board. The French space agency CNES announced in September that the Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker, or VIRAL, instrument it co-developed with Russia’s space agency, will fly on Shukrayaan.
According to ISRO, Shukrayaan will also carry an instrument suite capable of spectroscopic observations in infrared, ultraviolet, and submillimeter wavelengths to study Venus’ atmosphere. The possible detection of phosphine in Venus’ upper atmosphere excited many people about the prospects of life there.
The presence of phosphine and other biomarkers in Venus’ upper atmosphere could be confirmed using the orbiter’s Near Infrared Spectrometer. The instrument will also be used to detect and locate any active volcanism on Venus.
Only three spacecraft have orbited Venus in the past 30 years. NASA announced about two Venus missions earlier this year. The European Space Agency is considering a Venus orbiter mission called EnVision that would launch by the 2030s. Russia is working on a Venus orbiter and lander mission concept called Venera-D that would launch no earlier than 2023.

ISRO’s Venus mission – ‘Shukrayaan-1’ orbiter

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1639672779117" alt="NASA’s Parker Probe passes through the Sun’s atmosphere" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the Corona. A feat achieved first time in the history of the mankind. It sampled particles and magnetic fields present on the outer atmosphere of the Sun.
Considered as one giant leap in the domain of solar science, the new milestone marks one major step for Parker Solar Probe. Just like landing on the Moon allowed scientists to know more about the Moon was formed, Parker Probe touching the very stuff the Sun is made of will help scientists uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the solar system.&nbsp;
As it circles closer to the solar surface, Parker is making new discoveries that other spacecraft were too far away to see, including from within the solar wind. Solar wind is the flow of particles from the Sun that can influence us at Earth.
Back in 2019, Parker discovered that magnetic zigzag structures in the solar wind, called switchbacks, are plentiful close to the Sun, but how and where they form remained a mystery. Travelling a substantial distance to the Sun since then, Parker Solar Probe has now passed close enough to identify one place where they originate – the solar surface.
The first passage through the corona will continue to provide data on phenomena that are impossible to study from afar.
<ins>Background</ins>&nbsp;
Parker Solar Probe was launched back in 2018 to explore the mysteries of the Sun by traveling closer to it than any spacecraft before. Three years after launch and decades after first conception, Parker has finally arrived.
Unlike Earth, the Sun does not have a solid surface, but it does have a superheated atmosphere made of solar material bound to the Sun by gravity and magnetic forces. As rising heat and pressure push that material away from the Sun, it reaches a point where gravity and magnetic fields are too weak to contain it.
That point is known as the Alfvén critical surface, which marks the end of the solar atmosphere and beginning of the solar wind. Solar material with the energy to make it across that boundary becomes the solar wind, which drags the magnetic field of the Sun with it as it races across the solar system to Earth and beyond. More importantly, beyond the Alfvén critical surface, the solar wind moves so fast that waves within the wind cannot ever travel fast enough to make it back to the Sun.&nbsp;
Until now, researchers were unsure exactly where the Alfvén critical surface lay. Based on remote images of the corona, estimates had put it somewhere between 10 to 20 solar radii from the surface of the Sun which is about 4.3 to 8.6 million miles. Parker’s spiral trajectory brings it slowly closer to the Sun and during the last few passes, the spacecraft was consistently below 20 solar radii (91 percent of Earth’s distance from the Sun), putting it in the position to cross the boundary.
Earlier this year in April, during its eighth flyby of the Sun, Parker Solar Probe encountered the specific magnetic and particle conditions above the solar surface that told scientists it had crossed the Alfvén critical surface for the first time and finally entered the solar atmosphere.

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1639672827508" alt="NASA’s Parker Probe passes through the Sun’s atmosphere" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

<ins>In and out of the Corona</ins>&nbsp;
During the flyby, Parker Solar Probe passed into and out of the corona several times. This development has proved the hypothesis that the Alfvén critical surface is not shaped like a smooth ball. Rather, it has spikes and valleys that wrinkle the surface.
As Parker Solar Probe dipped just beneath the Sun’s surface, it transited a feature in the corona called a Pseudostreamer. Pseudostreamers are massive structures that rise above the Sun’s surface and can be seen from Earth during solar eclipses.
Passing through the pseudostreamer was like flying into the eye of a storm. Inside the pseudostreamer, the conditions quieted, particles slowed, and number of switchbacks dropped.&nbsp;
For the first time, the spacecraft found itself in a region where the magnetic fields were strong enough to dominate the movement of particles there. These conditions were the definitive proof the spacecraft had passed the Alfvén critical surface, and entered the solar atmosphere where magnetic fields shape the movement of everything in the region.
The size of the corona is also driven by solar activity. As the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle ramps up, the outer edge of the corona will expand, giving Parker Solar Probe a greater chance of being inside the corona for longer periods of time.
<ins>The Switchbacks</ins>
Even before the first trips through the corona, some surprising physics was already surfacing. On recent solar encounters, Parker Solar Probe collected data pinpointing the origin of zig-zag-shaped structures in the solar wind called switchbacks. The data showed one spot that switchbacks originate is at the visible surface of the Sun which is also called the photosphere.&nbsp;
By the time it reaches Earth, 93 million miles away, the solar wind is an unrelenting headwind of particles and magnetic fields. But as it escapes the Sun, the solar wind is structured and patchy. In the mid-1990s, the NASA-European Space Agency mission Ulysses flew over the Sun’s poles and discovered a handful of bizarre S-shaped kinks in the solar wind’s magnetic field lines, which detoured charged particles on a zig-zag path as they escaped the Sun. For decades, scientists thought these occasional switchbacks were oddities confined to the Sun’s polar regions.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The clues came as Parker orbited closer to the Sun on its sixth flyby. Data showed switchbacks occur in patches and have a higher percentage of helium than other elements. The switchbacks’ origins were further narrowed when the scientists found the patches aligned with magnetic funnels that emerge from the photosphere between convection cell structures called supergranules.
In addition to being the birthplace of switchbacks, the scientists think the magnetic funnels might be where one component of the solar wind originates. The solar wind comes in two different varieties – fast and slow – and the funnels could be where some particles in the fast solar wind come from.&nbsp;
Understanding where and how the components of the fast solar wind emerge, and if they are linked to switchbacks, could help scientists answer a longstanding solar mystery about how the corona is heated to millions of degrees, far hotter than the solar surface below.
While the new findings locate where switchbacks are made, the scientists cannot yet confirm how they are formed. One theory suggests they might be created by waves of plasma that roll through the region like ocean surf. Another contends that they are made by an explosive process known as magnetic reconnection, which is thought to occur at the boundaries where the magnetic funnels come together.

NASA’s Parker Probe passes through the Sun’s atmosphere

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India has successfully test-fired the Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) off the coast of Odisha on Tuesday. The air defence system is developed by the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and can engage targets at around 15 km.
"India has successfully test-fired the Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from off the coast of Odisha," DRDO officials said, as quoted by the ANI news agency.
The missile system is being developed by DRDO for naval warships, and the test was done in the presence of senior navy officers. It will strengthen the defence capabilities of the Indian Navy's warships against aerial threats, and will replace the older Barak-1 surface to air missile system while providing a 360-degree aerial shield against incoming targets.&nbsp;
The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the launch was conducted from a vertical launcher against an electronic target at a very low altitude. The flight path of the vehicle along with health parameters were monitored using a number of tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur. All sub-systems performed as per expectation.
In February this year, the DRDO had conducted two launches of VL-SRSAM which were a part of the maiden launch programme that demonstrated the multiple test capability of the launch campaign. The VL-SRSAM system, once integrated with the naval ships, will prove to be a force multiplier and assist defence forces against both close-range targets and sea skilling targets according to the DRDO.
The system has been developed jointly by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research &amp; Development Establishment (Engineers), and Research Centre Imarat (RCI) along with the participation from private industries. According to open-source information, the system is likely to be manufactured by a private sector company, in line with the government's flagship Make in India (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) programme.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had last month successfully tested the high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT), ABHYAS, used for evaluation of various missile systems, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Odisha.
<ins>In line with Government’s aim to strengthen border security</ins>
Last week on Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that India is developing indigenous anti-drone technology to thwart the growing threat from these devices on the country's borders, and it will soon be made available to the security forces.
Speaking on the occasion of the 57th Raising Day of the Border Security Force (BSF), Shah also said that for the Modi Government, border security is national security, and it is committed to provide the best border guarding technologies in the world to our defence forces.
"It is the commitment of the Government. There was a mention of a growing threat from drones. BSF, DRDO, and NSG are trying to develop an anti-drone technology. I have complete faith in our scientists that we will be able to develop an indigenous anti-drone technology soon," he said.

New VL-SRSAM defence system successfully tested; capacity building for Indian Navy

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1627394380602" alt="All you need to know about the Pegasus Spyware" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>


The Pegasus spyware is a military-grade surveillance software developed and sold by an Israeli firm called the NSO. According to the NSO group, the spyware is sold to vetted, verified, and authorised states and state agencies to fight terrorists and law enforcement situations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ins>What Information Pegasus Can Access?</ins>
Once the device is affected with the malware, the attacker can gain entire control of the device, and the infected device becomes a tapping and tracking equipment.&nbsp;
Pegasus spyware not only gives the attacker the user’s private chats, phone conversations, contacts, and email, but also uses the device’s GPS feature to track the location of the user. It can send the attacker the user's private data stored on the device such as passwords, calendar events, and even end-to-end encrypted messages. It also gives the attacker control over the device's microphone and video camera.&nbsp;
Antivirus software might not offer total protection from the Pegasus spyware as the latter only sends scheduled updates to the command and control server, i.e. the attacker. This helps in avoiding detection from antivirus software that might have been installed on the user’s device, and from forensic analysis. The malware can also be deactivated by the attacker remotely, if deemed necessary, making it incredibly hard to detect if a phone was ever or is still infected by the malware.&nbsp;
<ins>What makes the Pegasus Spyware so infectious?</ins>&nbsp;
Generally, malwares needs to be clicked on by the user; like opening an email where the malware is embedded. So, it generally warrants an interaction between the malicious software and the user.&nbsp;
However, that is not the case with the Pegasus spyware. It allows the attacker to use a series of ‘network injections’ to install the malware on someone’s phone, without needing any interaction by the user. Allowing for a ‘zero click’ attack on anyone.&nbsp;
One such way is its push-message option, which includes messages from an already installed app on the phone, making the target device load the malware covertly, without having to interact with the user of the device.&nbsp;
The Pegasus spyware only needs someone’s phone number to carry out its ‘network injection’, the rest is automated by its system. NSO, the firm responsible for creating the malware, has confirmed that this feature of ‘zero-click’ infection makes the Pegasus spyware unique.&nbsp;
<ins>Who has access to the spyware?</ins>&nbsp;
The NSO only sells the spyware to the vetted state and state agencies to assist in national security and law enforcement investigations. The firm has also clearly mentioned that the NSO group does not operate the Pegasus system, and that it can only be deployed by a government operator.&nbsp;
The spyware can only be deployed against one phone number at a time. Therefore, the tool is not designed for mass surveillance, as clarified by the NSO group.
The Pegasus spyware is sold in the form of a licence to the State or its agency, and its price depends on the contract between the firm and the agency. Reports suggest that the cost of one licence can be as high as Rs 70 lakh which allows you to track multiple smartphones. According to 2016 estimates, for tracking 10 people the NSO group would charge a steep price of Rs 9 crore, which includes an installation fee Rs 3.75 crore, and Rs 4.84 crore to hack 10 devices.&nbsp;
<ins>The Pegasus Project</ins>&nbsp;
Project Pegasus is a collaborative investigative journalism project by 17 news organisations from around the world, along with Paris-based journalism non-profit Forbidden Stories, and Amnesty International, a human rights group.&nbsp;
Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International got hold of a leaked list of 50,000 contact numbers which were ‘potential surveillance targets’ of the Pegasus Spyware. These included contact details of heads of state, journalists, and human rights activists.&nbsp;
The list is supposed to be of those, who according to NSO’s clients were potential targets. According to the NSO, its clientele goes across 60 intelligence, military, and law enforcement agencies in 40 countries which they refuse to name.&nbsp;
The list does not tell us who asked the Israeli firm to put a number on the list. Yet it has been identified that a large number of the contact information are from 11 countries namely, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungry, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Togo, and India.&nbsp;
The list is only a list of ‘potential targets’, which means that all contacts have only ‘probably’ been infected by the virus. One cannot be sure if a contact has been infected until and unless agencies make a proper forensic investigation on the instrument.&nbsp;
Amnesty International, however, sampled some of the devices related to the contact information and found that attempts were made on a few of the contacts while some were successfully hacked.&nbsp;
In India, there has been a major roar on social media, and even in the parliament. With many contacts of opposition leaders, and political functionaries showing up on the leaked list. Out of which some were Rahul Gandhi, who had two of his phone numbers listed as potential targets, one added in 2018 before the General Election, and one after the polls, in 2019.&nbsp;
Political strategist Prashant Kishore, who in recent years has become popular in the political context of India, helping many parties win some important state elections, recently winning in Bengal, also had his number show up on the list. Forensic reports suggested unsuccessful attempts in 2018, again in April 2021, a day before the last phase of the Bengal election, and a third, possibly a successful attempt in June and July 2021.&nbsp;
Chief Minister of Bengal Mamta Banerjee, who won the last State assembly election in a close battle against the saffron forces, has also been indirectly targeted as her nephew, and close political aide, Abhishek Banerjee along with her private secretary were featured on the list.&nbsp;
Ashvini Vaishnaw, BJP minister and the current Minister of Railways, and his wife also showed up on the list for having been targeted in 2017, when he was yet a part of the BJP cadre.&nbsp;
Another BJP minister who was targeted was the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel. Not just his number was feature on the list, but so did his wife’s and 15 other close associates.&nbsp;
Beyond political actors, people related to the case involving Ranjan Gogoi, the ex-Chief Justice of India, and the charges of sexual harassment levelled against him. Over 11 phone numbers of the staffer and her close relatives, who had complained against the erstwhile CJI were also present on NSO’s list.&nbsp;
Ashok Lavasa, a member of a three-man election commission, was also selected as the potential candidate for surveillance.&nbsp;
Project Pegasus found that 40 journalists were targeted from India for surveillance, reported the Wire, who is the Indian partner to the collaboration of 17 news organisations involved in bringing the Pegasus story to light. The leaked data includes the numbers of top journalists at big media houses like the Hindustan Times, including executive editor Shishir Gupta, India Today, Network18, The Hindu, and Indian Express, reported The Wire.&nbsp;
Besides Delhi-based Kashmiri journalists, and a prominent civil society activist critical of official policy towards Jammu and Kashmir, more than 25 people from the Kashmir Valley were selected as potential targets of intrusive surveillance between 2017 and mid-2019, reported The Wire.
<ins>Who is to be blamed?</ins>&nbsp;
According to the reports by the NSO, they have strictly maintained that they will not name their clients. However, they confirmed in their “Transparency and Responsibility” report that they sell their product to only approved, verified, and authorised state and state authorities, specifically to be used for national security, and major law enforcement-driven investigation.&nbsp;
The first finger points at the Israeli firm which has violated human rights concerns of multiple members of civil society for their clients, whoever it might be. The presence of such technology is already a concern for the right to privacy of human rights, and it becomes the firm duty to stop its product from being misused, as they themselves suggest.&nbsp;
The Pegasus Project at no point suggests that the spyware has not been put to use in relevant situations, yet the list that has been leaked is shocking, considering the names it contains –journalists, activists, and well known political actors.&nbsp;
The other question is obviously who is the client then? In India, many fingers have been pointed towards the incumbent BJP Government. The reason, one might ask is the fact that the NSO has repeatedly confirmed that their clients are majorly state or agencies of it. Secondly, the question is also about a fortune that using the service from NSO involves. Lastly, and probably the one which holds the allegation much stronger, is the people who have been targeted and the time of when they were added to the list.
Most involve adversaries to the BJP, most evidently people like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishore who have fought against the BJP in many elections. Some who have been vocal in their criticism of the parties rule since 2014, like Hany Babu, a professor at the University of Delhi, and accused in the Elgar Parishad case, and many more who have been accused in the case have featured on the list. In such a case, it is most definitely a serious violation of the human rights of the Indian citizenry by its state.
Such allegations only remain as speculation as no evidence of the Modi Government involvement has been traced, but the government response not being a concrete one has only put fuel to such theories.&nbsp;
Yet another theory that is being speculated is that some other state agency has identified, and is tracking and snooping on Indians, which means that country has huge national security looming over its head.&nbsp;
The West Bengal Government led by Mamata Banerjee, whose close acquaintances names have been on the list, has now set up a panel of retired to probe the Pegasus phone-hacking scandal. Mamata Banerjee has also previously been very vocal about how much the “surveillance state” is a threat to the democracy of the country, asking the opposition to unite ahead of the 2024 elections.&nbsp;
A petition has also been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the reports of alleged snooping by government agencies using Israeli spyware Pegasus over journalists, activists, politicians, and others. The petition filed by advocate ML Sharma, says Privacy is an “essential component of dignity and agency”, asking the judiciary to protect the people’s right to privacy.&nbsp;
<ins>The Government response to the reports and allegations</ins>
The Government responded to the questionnaire sent by the consortium of journalists. The Ministry of Information Technology, under the newly appointed minister Ashwini Vaishnav, posed that it has already answered the questions that were asked.&nbsp;
It pointed to an RTI that was filed raising the questions on the government involvement with NSO groups Pegasus Project. The Ministry claimed that it was sufficient to deny any claims of association of the Government of India with the NSO group. Yet the RTI response that the Government cites does not deny the purchase of the Pegasus spyware or even that it was not considering doing so. The response to the RTI instead read “In this regard, it is informed that no such information is available with the CPIO [Central Public Information Officer].”
The Government also mentions in its response that it has well-established protocols, which are followed while intercepting communication which includes sanctions and supervision from high ranked officers, making sure such procedure is done with the due process of law, and only for the national interest.&nbsp;
The Government also pointed to the allegation of the use of Pegasus on Whatsapp by the Indian Government where all the parties denied the use of Pegasus in the Supreme Court. Yet it should be noted, even at that time, the erstwhile Minister of MieTy, Ravi Shankar Prasad had never categorically denied or confirmed the purchase of Pegasus by the government, only saying “no unauthorised interception” were made.
It is also interesting to point out that, soon after Whatsapp denied any breach of its software by Pegasus in Indian courts, the company filed a lawsuit against the NSO group for helping government spies break into the phones of about 1,400 users across four continents, in the US courts.
The Government of India pointing to such instances suggested that the current breaking news reports are just another fishing ploy to malign the government without any “concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever.”

All you need to know about the Pegasus Spyware

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1623842477119" alt="NASA’s Artemis Accords: Where does India stand?" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Last year in September, NASA announced the Artemis Accords, which is an international agreement that aims to bring together countries to conduct operations on the Moon responsibly. The signatories to the Accords will be a part of Artemis Program led by the US.
Artemis Program aims to land two astronauts on the moon, the first time after 1972, by 2024; all to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the decade. These goals are courageous, but will need international cooperation and private sector support.
The number of participants in the programme has increased to 12 after New Zealand and South Korea signed the accord recently. The eight founding members – Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, UK, and the USA – have been joined by Brazil, and Ukraine as well.
Signatories have agreed to conduct all space activities in peace and to follow relevant international law. They are also committed to maintain the transparency of in the flow of information regarding their policies, exploration plans, and data sharing from resulting activities. Thought the accord, the participants also aim to render aid whenever needed to the best their abilities, and make hardware &amp; software ‘interoperable’ to maximize cooperative use.
<ins>Concerns</ins>
The Artemis Accords, although, has been criticised on the account that it is a-bit-too-much US-centric in its application and implementation. This has been a primary concern of Russian diplomats and other critics, who argues that the program which a country can only participate in, after signing the accord held by the US, effectively makes the US the de-facto gatekeeper of the moon and other planetary bodies of the solar systems.
The world's two most robust space agencies, China and Russia, are not part of this accord. China because of NASA’s inability to collaborate with it after the US Congress banned any such possibility in 2011, and Russia which had previously exclaimed their concerns about the US dominance in the accord.
The Kremlin also said that the accord’s principles were not in line with international cooperation, linking it to Trump’s executive orders to colonise space. While China did not officially respond to the accord, CNSA’s (China National Space Administration) Space Law Center Deputy Director, Guoyu Wang argued in an article in The Space Review that the accords cannot be viewed as an extension of the Outer Space Treaty, but are instead an attempt to create norms outside of established international regulatory frameworks.
Effectively a response, On March 9, 2021, the CNSA and Russian Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint construction of an autonomous lunar permanent research base. Such collaboration was no surprise to anyone, after the Artemis Accords.
<ins>India’s Space Plan and The Artemis Accords</ins>
For now the goals of the ISRO do not seem to be aligned with what the Artemis Accords is hoping to achieve. While India hopes to continue their mission to maintain a fleet of earth-observation satellites, it is also aiming to do its first manned mission to outer space.
ISRO is hoping to be on track with the goals, and have opened up its doors towards private space and tech companies. It has started the process of allowing private participation in building and launching its earth-observing satellites. India right now is also in the process of drafting a space law that helps make Indian Space efforts more categorised and concrete, rather than blanket statements.&nbsp;
However, even if the goal of Indian space exploration is distant from what the Artemis sets to achieve, there remain considerable benefits that the ISRO and India can receive in its space race if they do sign the accord.&nbsp;
India is right now trying to sharpen the technological skills of the ISRO with a special focus on R&amp;D, and the accord can undeniably boost such efforts. An early signing to the Artemis Accords can help India gain lessons from other countries that are members of the accord. This could be things like robotics from Canada, sample return and avionics from Japan, and ground station and deep space network expertise from the US and Australia.
Being a part of the accord will also mean that India’s space companies will become a part of a global supply chain, along with India’s SMEs and new space start-ups. Attracting important investment in capital towards the new startups will lead to the flow of capital into India.
In the past as well, India has taken help from western countries like the USA and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s to better understand sounding rockets and satellite technology. This experience can also be similar as the Artemis Accords will definitely provide an important opportunity to learn about the interplanetary mission and human spaceflight. These are the goals in which India has been lagging behind in comparison to other space faring nations. These windows of technological learning can only help.&nbsp;
<ins>QUAD Angle</ins>
India signing the accord also seems to be the next natural step in geopolitical terms as it becomes a natural extension to the QUAD’s Critical and Emerging Technologies Working Group. Since the US, Japan, and Australia are already signatories to the accord, India’s addition to the Accords would provide a better framework of coordination among the QUAD countries in space which might also translate to other critical developing technology.&nbsp;
USA also has keen eye on India as an important power to hold off the Chinese dominance in Asia, and this accord can also be a natural extension towards strengthening the alliance. India and the US have collaborated in the past with the Chandrayaan-1 and NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
There are also other signatories with whom India is individually collaborating in terms of its space-related plans. India is collaborating with Japan on a future lunar mission, called LUPEX, to the Moon’s surface. India also depends on Ukraine for semi-cryogenic engines – and Ukraine is a signatory to the Accords. India, for now, does depend on the Russian Space Agency for their human space programme, but there have been multiple nations who are part of the Accord which have offered a hand, like the US, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
India, however, does need to gauge the field with caution. The Artemis Accords may sound very elusive, and with reassuring substance, yet US’s promotion of the accord outside the ‘normal’ channels such as the UN committee for Peaceful Use of Outer Space is a concern.
The Accords, as suggested by many experts, makes its signatory interact through the US – this dynamic that it establishes makes NASA a de-facto coordinator and leader of the group. Asking signatories to sign bilateral agreements incites a fear that the US is applying its own quasi-legal rules. The circumstances of the accord shed a light of doubt on if at all this is an collaborative effort that US is pushing, or just another tactic of grabbing dominance of power of resource mining and exploration by the US and its allies.
<ins>The Other Lunar Project</ins>
Another alternative to India over the Artemis Accords is the Russian and Chinese collaboration. Russia is an old friend for India, when it comes to space, and even if Indo-Chinese relations in term of geopolitics have not been the best to say the least, both the countries have had few ‘framework’ documents on paper signed in the past about outer space collaborations, which can be a stepping stone towards joining the ‘other Lunar Project’.
A position, which in a way looks back at the Non-Alignment history of India in global politics, is India working as an independent arbitrator and fulfill the need of the “sensible” space power.
Experts like Ajey Lele, a senior fellow at MP-IDSA (Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses), in an article, claims that India can join the China Russian space collaboration as a part of an effective engagement strategy.
It is important to note that US and China have in the past clearly hinted toward the hegemonisation of space resources, and China might be of the more economically well-off and technological savvier of the two. Experts across the fields opine that criticism from the fence might not be the best idea, and only lead to losing out, so even if India as an independent nation of the two blocs, wants to keep a check on it, the best way might just be to join the game.
Even though, Russia has been an old collaborator, India’s relation with China in the current geopolitics is necessarily bad. With the ongoing border dispute in the Himalayas, Chinese efforts to contain India within the Indian Ocean, and the recent activation of the QUAD, where India has been an active particiapant, it seems a bit presumptuous to assume that China will allow India to participate in its space programme without forcing or at least nudging India to shift its geopolitical stance.&nbsp;
All said, there has yet been no murmurs from within India on joining either space projects which has brought many to the conclusion that India is still waiting for the ‘right time’, more especially after it has been able to at least initiate its homegrown space projects.

NASA’s Artemis Accords: Where does India stand?

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1621418337054" alt="5G, Second Wave, Protests, and China factor: Everything you need to know about 5G trials in India" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

India has taken a much awaited step towards having its own 5G network, which is the next revolution in the field of telecommunication. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), on May 4, gave its nod to telecom companies to conduct trials for use and applications of 5G technology in India. However, the service is not expected to be commercially available anytime soon.
The total duration of these trials is six months currently, out of which two months will be allotted for setting up of the equipment and such facilities. Chinese telcos, unsurprisingly, have been kept out of this process.
Indian private telcos, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, and the state owned MTNL will participate in the trials. The trials are expected to start within the next two to three months.
The technology will work largely in three bands – Low, Mid, and High frequency spectrum. Although, experimental spectrum will be given in these bands, companies’ existing spectrum can also be used to conduct the trials.
Some of these companies have arranged tie-ups with original technology providers and equipment manufacturers such as Nokia, Ericson, C-Dot; though, Reliance Jio is expected to come up with its own technology to conduct these trials.
This is also in line with DoT’s plan to transform India into a manufacturing and export hub of equipment related to 5G technology. The inclusion of telecom sector in Production Linked Incentive scheme of the Government can become instrumental in materialising the goal of India’s manufacturing and technological uprising.
Misinformation, however, continues to be a hurdle in this industrial advancement of the Indian telecom sector. Citing that trials of 5G technology is potentially a health risk, and is possibly related the deadly second wave of Covid-19, people in various parts of India have protested these developments.
<ins>Why protest? Is 5G risky for health?</ins>
Social Media is filled with rumours about 5G being the major reason behind the ongoing pandemic. According to a report by Business Standard, certain groups have amassed at several semi-urban and rural areas in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar, and Punjab to protest the DoT’s move. They want to put a stop to 5G trials, and have even uprooted existing mobile towers. The question remains, though, how can 5G trials are responsible for the ongoing second wave if the former is yet to begin?
"Moreover, it is informed that the testing of the 5G network has not yet started anywhere in India. Hence, the claim that 5G trials or networks are causing coronavirus in India is baseless and false," the DoT had said.
Prompted by the protests, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group for the telecom sector, has reached out to international organisations like The International Telecommunication (ITU), World Health Organisation (WHO), and International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and sought their assistance to curb the misinformation.
Some telcos have said that associating 5G with the virus can be the work of “vested interests” opposed to the trial runs, and subsequently, COAI has brought this matter to DoT’s notice.
According to the WHO, viruses cannot be transmitted by means of radio waves transmitted by telecommunication devices. This has been confirmed by the fact that coronavirus is present even in countries that do not have a 5G network. ITU has also debunked these claims, saying that they are not based on science. DoT and ICNIRP have also maintained that non-ionizing waves cannot damage the living cells, and the electromagnetic field guidelines have strict regulations for exposure limits and take into consideration all aspects of possible adverse effect on health.
<ins>5G and its applications</ins>
DoT said that, “the 5G technology is expected to deliver improved user experience in terms of greater download speeds, upto three times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra-low latency (the amount of time a networks need to process large amount of data) to enable Industry 4.0.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, in the past, also emphasised on the need of bringing 5G technology in the country.
5G is expected to bring a revolution in the sector. The fifth generation of wireless technology is designed for never seen before speeds and maximum capacity. It has the potential to dramatically change the face of many industries, from healthcare, to agriculture, to communications, to entertainment, to Virtual reality, to logistics, and much more.
To put things into perspective, Nokia registered a speed of record 8 Gbps on a commercial 5G network in Finland. As per Ookla, in 2020, South Korea had an average internet speed of 121 mbps, while India operated with an unimpressive average of 12mbps. According to a US report published in Fortune Magazine, 5G on an average is 10 to 50 times quicker than 4G LTE.
<ins>Issues with 5G in India</ins>
India has been a laggard in 5G technology so far. While South Korea, US, and some other countries have started rolling out 5G network commercially, India has now finally given the assent to conduct trials.
India is a huge market for telecom operators, but the problem is the pricing of 5G network which is sky high apparently. This pricing issue is on the top of the cash crunch in the industry due to low data prices in the country. The current data tariffs are unsustainable, and the operators are already under huge debts. This has forced multiple companies to leave the market. The surviving ones are on the edge as well.
The divide between rich and the poor means 5G will create a huge digital divide. A Parliamentary Panel report on 5G in India also flagged concern about this. It recommended at least 6 years of 4G in India right now.&nbsp;
<ins>Jio's Ambitious plans</ins>
After changing India's telecom industry, Jio is eagerly waiting for the 5G trials to begin, and the spectrum to be auctioned. Last year, Mukesh Ambani announced that Jio will rollout it's 5G by mid-2021. Though that will not happen, his plans to go beyond India's borders is still on track. Ambani had told publically that Jio services will also be exported out of India once it succeeds in the home country.
While other operators have tied up with international manufacturers for equipment and technology help, Jio will use its own indigenously developed technology to test its 5G network.
<ins>Ban on Chinese Operators</ins>
Chinese Tele communication giants like Huawei, and ZTE were not included in the list DoT shared on May 4. This formally puts out these companies from conducting 5G trials on Indian Territory.
According to the security directive released in December last year, the Government had hinted about excluding Chinese companies when it said it would identify “trusted sources” that service providers can use in their networks.
Huawei and ZTE were not officially banned which means they can still supply technologies, and other facilities such as equipment to Indian telcos, but the Government is set to come up with new procurement rules which might bar Indian Service Providers to deal with these companies.
India has been facing troubles with China at the Ladakh border. This has prompted Indian Government to employ tough measures against the Communist ruled country. The refusal to Huawei and ZTE can be seen as one of those measures.
Ministry of External had already clarified last year that there cannot be “business as usual” with the Chinese. China’s unwanted aggression on its borders has already made countries beware of its intentions.
Many countries including, Australia, Japan and, the US (India’s QUAD partners) have already barred Huawei from their 5G developmental process, citing security reasons. China’s latest Intelligence Law gives the Chinese Communist Party disproportionate powers which has been a point of concern for many countries.
<ins>China’s Response</ins>
Beijing has expressed concern on India’s decision, “We express concern and regret that Chinese Telecommunication companies have not been permitted to conduct 5G trials. To exclude Chinese Telecommunication companies from the trial will not only harm their legitimate rights and interests, but also hinder the improvement of the Indian business environment,” said Chinese Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi.
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This article is written by Gaurav Thakur

5G, Second Wave, Protests, and China factor: Everything you need to know about 5G trials in India

<img src="https://api-discussion.policharcha.com/1620470802166" alt="China’s out-of-control rocket expected to crash-land tomorrow" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Not even a-year-and-a-half has passed since the world came to know about the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, and, subsequently, wreaked havoc in the world; now China is back at giving the world another scare. This time, though, the magnitude of any danger to human life is next to negligible.
On 29th April, China sent its largest rocket ‘Long March 5B’ to space to launch the first core module ‘Tianhe’ of its upcoming space station Tiangong. After the launch, the rocket was supposed to fall back to Earth as debris in a controlled manner to a pre-identified and unpopulated location, but it had lost control.
The 100-feet-long rocket, weighing 23 tonne, is now travelling uncontrollably in low Earth orbit. It is speculated to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and do a crash landing on Saturday or Sunday – between 1:30 PM UTC (7:00 PM IST) on 8th May and 7:30 PM UTC on 9th May (1:00 AM IST on 10th May).
Long March 5B was launched from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island of Hainan, according to the China National Space Administration.
This is the same rocket that was in news last month when Chinese Communist Party compared it to Indian funeral pyres in Delhi. The post by CCP on Sina Weibo (China’s social media platform) sparked new diplomatic tensions between India and China, and was later deleted following a nationwide cry of expressing solidarity with India.
It was expected that Long March 5B core would execute an active manoeuvre to deorbit itself, but that appears not to have happened. The rocket is traveling at more than seven kilometres per second, according to satellite trackers.
Although, most space debris articles are burnt upon re-entry, the rocket's size has advanced a worry that big parts from it can cause damage even if they hit inhabited areas. Therefore, if the rocket does not break up significantly, it will be one of the largest instances of uncontrolled re-entry of a spacecraft in the atmosphere.
"I do not think people should take precautions. The risk that there will be some damage or that it would hit someone is pretty small – not negligible, it could happen – but the risk that it will hit you is incredibly tiny. And so I would not lose one second of sleep over this on a personal threat basis," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University told CNN.
The crash will most probably happen between latitudes 41.5 degrees north (North America, Southern Europe, and China) and 41.5 degrees south (South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand).
The China National Space Administration is yet to release any data about its preparation for the re-entry of the said rocket. The aluminium alloy exterior is expected to burn up in the atmosphere, but experts say many pieces of debris will survive the fall, according to the state-run newspaper Global Times.
Chances are that the aircraft will crash land on sea surface, but on the off-chance that it does not, China will be held responsible and liable to pay fair compensation for any damage caused by its space object, according to the 1972 Liability Convention.
Last year also, China had come under international scrutiny and criticism when a Long March 5B rocket’s part fell uncontrollably, and some of the debris crash landed in Cote d’Ivoire. So, this is not the first time that China is encountering a fault in its space crafts.
<ins>About Tiangong Space Station (TSS)</ins>
Tiangong (heavenly palace) Space Station is China’s large modular space station expected to be fully operational by the end of 2022. TSS will be placed in low earth orbit between 340 and 450 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.
Tianhe (harmony of the heavens) is the core module of Tiangong which was launched last month. China plans to launch the remaining modules through around 10 launches over the next year. TSS will be operational for 10 years, and this time period can be extended to another 5 years, depending on various conditions.
It is about one-fifth in mass as compared to the International Space Station, almost similar to Russian Mir Space Station, which operated from 1986 to 2001.
Russia is also planning to leave the ISS in 2025, and is expected to launch its own space station to be operational in 2030 if Russian President Vladimir Putin gives the green signal.

China’s out-of-control rocket expected to crash-land tomorrow

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1604933042641" alt="India Russia collab for ‘AIM-Sirius Innovation Programme’" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

India’s Atal Innovation Mission and Russia’s Sirius come together to launch ‘AIM-Sirius Innovation Programme 3.0’, a 14-day virtual programme that will provide a platform to the bright ‘techie’ school going children of India and Russia, to develop innovative tech solutions (mobile and web based) for the redressal of global issues.
In a first such virtual bilateral youth innovative initiative between India and Russia, about 48 students and 16 mentors will team up to produce 8 virtual products and mobile apps, aiming to address global challenges related to culture, distance education, applied cognitive science, health &amp; well-being, sports, fitness and gaming training, chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, and digital financial assets amidst Covid-19 pandemic.
The idea behind this year’s programme is to encourage collaboration and innovation in science, technology, and design products.
The solutions brought up by these students during this exercise will inspire the development of 21st century technologies such as machine learning, data analytics, app development, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 3D design &amp; printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, UI/UX, gamification, data analytics &amp; visualisations, and rapid prototyping among others, in India.
Last year, in a similar research-based programme, a cohort of 25 Indian students and 5 teachers had visited Sirius centre in Russia, where they developed 8 different tech-based products as to solve the issues pertaining to remote earth sensing, drones &amp; robotics, clean energy, biological &amp; genetic research, and data analytics &amp; frontier technologies.&nbsp;
All of the innovations were then presented to Russian president Vladimir Putin who lauded the talent and spirit of young techies.
<ins>What is Atal Innovation Mission &amp; its “tinkering labs”?</ins>
Nitin Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the country, Atal Innovation Mission aims to provide a platform through which creativity and innovation can be inculcated, encouraged, supported, and mentored.&nbsp;
AIM is establishing world class ‘Atal Incubators’ across the country so as to promote entrepreneurship at University, NGOs, Small and Medium Enterprise, and Corporate industry levels by supporting startups in every sector and all the states.
Atal Tinkering Labs is another determined attempt to cultivate creativity and innovative mindset at the school level. Under this, a grant of Rs 20 lakh is being offered to schools PAN-India to build a specific room called as ‘tinkering lab’. These labs will be equipped with DIY (Do-It-Yourself) kits based on latest technologies like 3D printing, Robotics, Miniaturized electronics, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things etc.&nbsp;
The students will be allowed to tinker with these kits as to generate curiosity and dig out creativity. The teachers are also to receive training so that they can effectively help the young minds flourish.&nbsp;
Additionally, this whole mission directs the country towards a future where we are not only modern and technologically advanced, but also self-reliant (Atma-nirbhar).

India Russia collab for ‘AIM-Sirius Innovation Programme’

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1603375492938" alt="JioPages. Jio Pages. Made in India browser" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Reliance Jio has launched a JioPages, a revamped version of its Jio Browser. The “Made in India” browser, “designed for Indians” will provide an alternative to the likes of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.&nbsp;
JioPages has been built using the powerful Chromium Blink engine that was developed with the contributions from tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Adobe Systems, Opera Softwares, Samsung, and IBM.
This will enable JioPages perform actions much faster and smoothly, therefore enhancing user experience. The new browser is designed to keep the privacy of user at its core while using “encrypted connections”.
Jio Pages is now available to download for Android users on Google Play Store.
<ins>Jio Pages’ Features &amp; What makes it different?</ins>
<ul>
<li><ins>For multilingual India</ins>: Jio Pages comes with eight Indian languages; Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.</li>
<li><ins>No more Annoying Ads</ins>: The users can block ads using the Ad Block+ feature of Jio Pages. Not many browsers provide this facility.</li>
<li><ins>Private Browsing</ins>: Jio Pages also supports incognito mode, but it is more than that. Users can choose to secure their private surfing with either a four-digit PIN or a fingerprint lock.</li>
<li><ins>Regional Content</ins>:- The new browser will provide users the facility of customising their content feed according to their region and favorite language.</li>
<li><ins>Personalized at every level</ins>: Jio Pages intelligently collects your user data to analyse what are your interests and preferences, and then customises your content feed accordingly. The users can choose their favorite theme enjoy a personalized experience.</li>
</ul>
<ins>What is Reliance Jio up to?</ins>
Reliance under Jio Platforms is looking to establish a digital empire of its own in India. Jio already has a strong hold over the telecom sector of India, thanks to its 40 crore (400 million) subscribers who have made Jio the biggest player of the industry in a very short time. Jio also has a host of smartphone applications like JioPay, JioCinema, JioTV, JioNews, JioMart and JioMeet.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With JioMart app, Jio is also eyeing e-commerce business which is presently dominated by Amazon and Flipkart.&nbsp;
Recently, Reliance Jio announced that it is working with Qualcomm to develop 5G network technology in India.