Operation Sankalp
Context : Indian Navy continues to deploy one warship for Operation SANKALP in order to ensure the safe passage of Indian Flag Vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz amidst deteriorating US-Iran relations.
- Indian Navy launched Operation SANKALP in the Gulf Region on 19th June 2019.
- Indian Navy warships and aircraft are deployed to establish presence, provide a sense of reassurance to the Indian merchantmen, monitor the ongoing situation and respond to any emergent crises like deteriorating US-Iran relations in the recent times.
US-Iran :
- 1979: US-backed Shah of Iran was overthrown and the country became an Islamic republic.
- Dozens of Americans were taken hostage inside the US embassy in the capital Tehran.
- 2015: Iran agreed on a landmark deal to limit its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of tough economic sanctions.
- This move improved Iran’s diplomatic relations with other nations.
- 2018: The US President abandoned the Nuclear Accord and reinstated US sanctions to force Iran’s leaders to agree to a new deal.
- Iran rejected it even the economy of the country was sent into recession.
- 2019: The pressure was stepped up in May by application of secondary sanctions on countries that continued to do business with Iran.
- Relations further deteriorated when oil tankers were sabotaged in the Gulf of Oman.
- Later, Tehran started suspending some of the commitments under the nuclear deal.
- It was followed by attacks and counter-attacks by both countries until January 2020.
- 2020: On 3 January, Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport.
- Iran abandoned the last limit on its enrichment of uranium imposed by the nuclear accord as a way of revenge.
- These issues have led to turbulent situations in the Gulf region.
NASA reported the discovery of an Earth-size planet
Context : NASA reported the discovery of an Earth-size planet, named TOI 700 d Found by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission
Do you know :
- Life on Earth started in water, and water is a necessary ingredient for life
- When scientists search for the possibility of alien life, any rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star is an exciting find.
Value addition for Prelims
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission
- Space telescope for NASA’s Explorers program,
- Designed to search for exoplanet
Goldilocks zone:
- Also called as the habitable zone
- It is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure
Exoplanet :
- Also Extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System.
- least massive planet known is Draugr
- HR 2562 b is the most massive planet known
Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) project
Context : An international team led by LIGO-Virgo scientists has identified another event of gravitational ripples from a collision of two neutron stars, making it the second time this type of occurrence has ever been observed in gravitational waves.
Background :
In August 2017, the first observation of gravitational ripples from a neutron star collision made history for being the first time that both gravitational waves and light were detected from the same cosmic occurrence.
What is LIGO :
It is a massive observatory for detecting cosmic gravitational waves and for carrying out experiments.
The objective is to use gravitational-wave observations in astronomical studies.
The project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Two are at Hanford, Washington, north-western US, and one is at Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern US.
The proposed LIGO India project aims to move one advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India.
About LIGO- India project :
It is piloted by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The LIGO-India project will be jointly coordinated and executed by three Indian research institutions: the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune and Department of Atomic Energy organisations: Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
Benefits for India :
- The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for scientists and engineers to dig deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier.
- The LIGO-India project will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting-edge technology for the Indian industry which will be engaged in the construction of the eight-km long beam tube at ultra-high vacuum on a levelled terrain.
- With its establishment, India will join the global network of gravitational wave detectors.
- Establishing an observatory in India also assumes importance because the further the distance between the observatories, the greater will be the accuracy in locating gravity waves.
Sources: the Hindu.
Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement signed between India and France
In News :
- The Agreement was signed in March, 2018 during the State Visit of the French President to India.
- Validity of Agreement: seven years.
- It incorporates provision for automatic renewal and a monitoring mechanism through a Joint Working Group.
- Significance: It is a major milestone in enhancing people-to-people contacts, fostering mobility of students, academics, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthening cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides.
Sea Guardians
Context : The sixth joint naval exercise between China and Pakistan started on 6th January, 2019. It is being held in the Arabian Sea.
- For the first time, the exercise has been named as ‘Sea Guardians’.
- ‘Sea Guardians’ is expected to become a series of naval exercises between China and Pakistan, similar to:
- Warrior: Series of joint land exercises
- Shaheen: Series of joint air exercises.