Category: Science & Technology

New Delhi: The Indian government is thinking about making it easier for companies to get satellite communication licenses. This change could help companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink and Jeff Bezos’s Amazon Kuiper provide internet services in India through satellites. Recently, Musk’s SpaceX launched an important Indian satellite called GSAT-20.

Right now, companies that want to operate satellites in India must follow 30 to 40 rules. The government plans to relax some of these rules to keep up with global practices. These changes will make it easier for satellite companies to start their services.

Officials have been discussing these changes, especially the security rules, to see which ones could be updated. The government is also scheduled to meet with satellite companies that have applied for licenses.

Right now, some Indian companies like Bharti Enterprises and Reliance Jio have already gotten approval to offer satellite services. However, both Starlink and Amazon Kuiper are still waiting for their applications to be approved due to some pending security checks.

This situation is creating tension between the global satellite companies and Indian telecom companies like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The Indian telecom companies want to make sure that satellite and telecom services are treated equally, especially when it comes to using airwaves needed for communication.

Overall, there is a lot of interest in the satellite market, which could grow big in the coming years, possibly reaching $44 billion by 2033 according to estimates.

NASA has picked SpaceX, the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, to launch a special mission called “Dragonfly.” This mission aims to explore Titan, which is Saturn’s largest moon. Unlike any other mission before, Dragonfly will be the first to use a flying vehicle on another planet for science!

Dragonfly is like a big drone with eight rotors. It will fly around Titan and collect information about the surface and materials found there. This could help answer important questions about whether life could exist there. Nicky Fox from NASA said, “Dragonfly is an exciting scientific mission, and we can’t wait to get started.” He noted that exploring Titan will require advanced flying technology beyond what we use on Earth.

Here’s what you need to know about Dragonfly: NASA’s mission will send a flying machine to explore different locations on Titan. In a statement from November 25, NASA highlighted that this new way of exploring could help them learn more about the moon.

With help from international partners, Dragonfly will check if Titan could support life, study how chemicals for life might have formed, and look for signs of water or other liquids that could support life. Scientists believe Titan has had water and carbon materials for a long time.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, will manage the launch of the Dragonfly mission. The launch will cost about $256.6 million and will happen between July 5 and July 25, 2028. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 39A in Florida.

Dragonfly is expected to arrive at Titan in 2034. Once there, it will visit several interesting sites to search for the building blocks of life that might also have existed on early Earth.

This mission is being managed by NASA’s Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, featuring a team of experts who have worked on many space missions before, exploring from the Sun to Pluto. Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is run by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is now dealing with a lawsuit from major news outlets in Canada. These companies, which include CBC, Postmedia, Toronto Star, and others, say OpenAI has used their news stories without permission, which is against the law.

The news organizations claim they spend a lot of money each year to produce high-quality journalism, including original news and investigative reports. They argue that taking their content without paying for it hurts the value of Canadian news and could harm the industry’s future.

The media groups are asking for money from OpenAI, including extra penalties, a share of the profits made from their articles, and a stop to any further unauthorized use of their content. They insist that their work matters to Canadians and is protected by copyright laws.

OpenAI has responded by saying they believe their use of external content is okay since it supports public interests. They also say they work with news publishers for proper display and provide options for them to opt-out if they choose.

However, the news companies disagree and want OpenAI to be held responsible for what they call illegal use of their content.

The Indian IT ministry is planning to ask the Union Cabinet for a huge money package of Rs 40,000 crore next month. This package is aimed at helping local companies make more electronic parts. If approved, the investment could begin by April 2025.

This financial plan, developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), will focus not on semiconductors, but on other electronic components like circuit boards and batteries. The government wants to encourage more local production and to connect Indian companies with global electronics manufacturing.

After talking with businesses, MeitY is ready to submit a proposal in December. If the Cabinet gives the green light, companies will have 90 days to prepare for investments. Government officials are eager to get approval soon, so everything is set to start on April 1.

India’s need for electronic parts is expected to rise sharply to $240 billion by 2030. The goal is to increase local production from the current 15-18% to about 35-40% in the next five years, and even reach 50% eventually.

The total investment under this scheme could reach around Rs 82,000 crore, generating components worth between Rs 1.9 lakh crore to Rs 2.0 lakh crore. There are existing programs helping local assembly of electronic products, and the new plan is expected to focus on making phones and IT devices.

Discussions are ongoing about how exactly the support will look—like whether there will be subsidies for working capital or incentives linked to hiring more staff. Companies are hoping for quick approvals, especially for partnerships with firms from countries like Taiwan and China. Local businesses are also encouraging suppliers to invest in India.

The focus of the new scheme is to boost local production of vital components used in mobile phones and laptops. Right now, India heavily relies on imports for many of these important parts. It’s crucial that the country starts making more of its own products to avoid the risks associated with importing.