PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM)

• The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final, and otherwise discarded, stage of ISRO’s workhorse rocket, the 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.
• POEM has a dedicated Navigation Guidance and Control (NGC) system for attitude stabilization, 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.

Snake Island

• Snake or Serpent Island, called Zmiinyi in Ukrainian, is a rocky outcrop that extends less than 700 meters from end to end and is often described as being “X-shaped”.
• It is located 35 km from the coast, to the east of the mouth of the Danube, and roughly southwest of Odessa.
• The island is marked on the map by the tiny village of Bile that is located on it.
• The island is close to the coast of Romania, with which Ukraine has had a dispute — and which was settled in 2009 by the International Court of Justice, which drew a new maritime border between the two countries.
• Parts of the Black Sea around Snake Island are believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves.

Helioseismology

• Seismology literally means the study of earthquakes.
• There are, thus, different types of waves generated by natural quakes as well as explosions made by people.
• Helioseismology is a technique used to study the Sun.
• Derived from the words Helios (Sun), seismos (quake), and logos (study of), helioseismology is both similar and different from geo-seismology.
• The study of the waves generated by quakes and explosions (seismic waves) and what they reveal about the interior of the Earth.
• A major difference between geo-seismology and helioseismology is that while the Earth is solid, the layers in the Sun are fluid.
• Hence, there are no shear waves in the Sun following the quakes.

Udyami Bharat Programme

• Udyami Bharat is reflective of the continuous commitment of the government, right from day one, to work towards the empowerment of MSMEs.
• The program is carried out by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
• The government has launched several initiatives from time to time like MUDRA Yojana, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), etc.
• In order to provide necessary and timely support to the MSME sector, which has helped benefit crores of people across the country.

Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS)

• Catapult Assisted Take-off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR)
• An aircraft on board a carrier needs extra help to get airborne since the length of the runway on deck is insufficient to achieve the speed needed for take-off.
• One of the ways to provide this extra push is by the use of catapults.
• In this, an aircraft takes off from a completely flat deck with the help of catapults.
• Once the catapult is released, the aircraft attached to the catapult moves forward with great speed in a short time, which helps it to gain the speed required to take off before it reaches the end of the runway.
• There are two types of catapult systems — steam-powered, and electromagnetic ones called EMALS.
• While the former uses steam pressure to fire catapults, EMALS uses linear induction motors.
• The electromagnetic force generated is used to launch the aircraft.

Is India using EMALS?

• In 2017, the U.S. provided India with its EMALS technology, developed by the U.S. defence company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
• India explored the possibility of installing the system, but the Navy dropped the plan due to budget constraints, as per the Indian Defence Research Wing.
• However, the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited in Bengaluru is reportedly working on an EMALS model that could be tested for CATOBAR operations on Indian warships in the near future.
• Presently, India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya works on a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, or STOBAR mechanism with an angular ski-jump.
• India’s second aircraft carrier named INS Vikrant, set to be commissioned later this year, will use the CATOBAR system to launch aircraft.