Space Tug

• A space tug is a type of spacecraft used to transfer space borne cargo from one orbit to another orbit with different energy characteristics.
• In India, the Indian Space Research Organisation has built an upper stage space tug called Payload Assist Module for GSLV (PAM-G).
• PAM-G is capable of pushing payloads directly to the Middle Earth Orbit (MEO) or Geostationary Orbit (GEO) from Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• PAM-G is powered by hypergolic liquid motor with restart capability, derived from PSLV's fourth stage.

No Money For Terror (NMFT) Conference

• The NMFT started in 2018 as an initiative of the French government which had.
• In 1989, the French government laid the foundation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• FATF is the international body at the forefront of combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
• The 2018 NMFT conference was titled ‘International conference on combating the financing of Daesh and Al-Qaeda’ and was hosted by France.
• The 2019 Conference was hosted by Australia.

NMFT 2022

• India hosts the 2022 conference.
• The agenda for the NMFT 2022 includes:
  • Use of virtual assets and crowdfunding platforms by terrorist entities
  • Use of the dark web by the terror outfits
  • The links between terror financing and legitimate economic activities, and payment intermediaries
• It is largely a build-up on concerns raised during the Interpol Conference and UN General Assembly’s Counter Terrorism Committee Conference held in Delhi recently.
• No terror outfits were blacklisted during the conference.

Mission Prarambh

• The mission, named Prarambh, or the beginning, marks the Indian private sector’s first foray into the promising space launch market.
• The rocket has been developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.
• It is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India’s space programme.
• The company is designing three Vikram rockets that will use various solid and cryogenic fuels.
• The Vikram series of rockets are among the few launch vehicles that have their core structure built using carbon composites.
• The thrusters used for spin stability in the vehicle have been 3D printed.
• The engine used in the launch vehicle is named after former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
• The Vikram rockets will be able to carry between 290 kg and 560 kg payloads into sun-synchronous polar orbits.
• In comparison, India’s workhorse PSLV can carry up to 1,750 kg to such an orbit.
• The newly-developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), meant for carrying smaller commercial satellites, can carry up to 300 kg to sun-synchronous orbit.
• Suborbital flight – In a sub-orbital flight, the vehicle travels slower than the orbital velocity, which means it is fast enough to reach outer space, but not fast enough to stay in an orbit around the Earth.

Environmental DNA (eDNA)

• It is defined as the genetic material obtained directly from environmental samples (Soil, sediment, water, etc.) without any obvious signs of the biological source material.
• It is an efficient, non-invasive and easy-to-standardise sampling approach.
• eDNA can be obtained from ancient and modern environments.
• It originates from cellular material shed by organisms (via skin, excrement, etc.) into aquatic or terrestrial environments.
• In aquatic environments, eDNA is diluted and distributed by currents and other hydrological processes, but it only lasts about 7–21 days, depending on environmental conditions.
• Exposure to UVB radiation, acidity, heat, and endo- and exonucleases can degrade eDNA.

Govind Guru

• He was born in a nomadic community in the Dungarpur-Banswara region of Rajasthan.
• He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Dayanand Saraswati to work for the socio-religious upliftment of people from the Bhil community.
• He founded the Samp Sabha in 1883 to promote harmony amongst the tribal communities.
• The Bhil community was always in debt that lingered for generations and thus Bhils worked as bonded labourers at farms.
• Govind Guru quickly saw the social setup and liquor as the primary causes of woes and decided to fight the malaise.
• He started Bhagat Sampradaya (sect) in 1908.