PIB Summary- 5th February, 2024 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Woman Robot Astronaut “Vyommitra”

Why in News?
The Government has recently announced that the uncrewed “Vyommitra” Mission is scheduled for the third quarter of this year. However, a manned mission “Gaganyaan” is scheduled to be launched in 2025.

About VyomMitra

• ISRO’s Vyommitra (vyoma = space, mitra = friend) is the prototype for a “half-humanoid”.
• She is also being called a half-humanoid since she will only have a head, two hands and a torso, and will not have lower limbs.
• It is designed in such a manner so as to simulate human functions in the Space environment and interact with the Life Support System.
• It is equipped with the capability to monitor Module Parameters, issue Alerts and execute Life Support operations.
  • It can perform tasks such as operating six panels and responding to the queries.
• She will fly to space on an unmanned mission later this year, aiming to lay the ground for ISRO’s manned mission Gaganyaan in 2022.

About INS Sandhayak

Why in News?
INS Sandhayak, the first Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ship, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam on February 03, 2024.

Key Points:

• The primary role of the ship is to carry out full scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels/routes, coastal areas and deep seas, towards enabling safe marine navigation.
• In its secondary role, the ship will be capable of undertaking a range of naval operations.
• INS Sandhayak is equipped with state-of-the-art hydrographic equipment including Deep & Shallow Water Multi-Beam Echo-Sounders, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, Side scan sonars, Data Acquisition and Processing System, satellite-based positioning systems and terrestrial survey equipment.

Significance:

• It has an indigenous content of over 80% by cost and is a tribute to the collaborative efforts between the Indian Navy and Industry, including MSMEs.
• The launch of the ship reinforces the Government’s commitment of indigenous shipbuilding as part of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and provides thrust to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. 
• INS Sandhayak will further strengthen India’s role as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific region and help the Indian Navy in maintaining peace & security.
• Blue economy is one of the core dimensions of growth as per the Government’s vision of New India by 2030.
• The vessel will be a major contributor towards meeting the initiatives and vision for sustainable development in the maritime domain. 
• It will ensure safe navigation of not just Indian ships, but of friendly foreign nations in the Indian Ocean Region. 
• Strengthen bilateral ties and in opening up & promoting trade opportunities for India in the long term.