Current affairs 31 December 2023

Gujarat to introduce India's first submarine tourism in Dwarka.

• Gujarat government collaborates with Mazgaon Dock Limited (MDL) to launch India's first submarine tourism in Dwarka.
• Operationalization of the submarine tourism facility is expected before Diwali 2024, allowing tourists to dive 100 meters below the sea.
• The submarine, weighing around 35 tonnes, will accommodate 30 passengers and provide an immersive view of marine life.

SpaceX set to launch military's X-37B robot spaceplane.

• SpaceX set to launch the military's X-37B robot spaceplane on its seventh mission using the Falcon Heavy rocket.
• Launch, scheduled from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, marks the first time the X-37B will ride atop a rocket capable of reaching a higher orbit.
• The Boeing-built X-37B, resembling a miniature space shuttle, will deploy payloads and conduct experiments on extended orbital missions.

Space startups set to launch payloads on ISRO's PSLV-C58 XPoSat task.

• Dhruva Space, Bellatrix Aerospace, and TM2Space to launch payloads on ISRO's PSLV-C58 XPoSat Mission.
• Dhruva Space's LEAPTD (Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Technologies Technology Demonstrator) will showcase microsatellite subsystems.
• Bellatrix Aerospace plans to launch two payloads, including the Rudra 0.3 HPGP green monopropellant thruster and ARKA 200, a thruster variant.

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ISRO to launch 50 Geo-Intelligence Satellites in next 5 years.

• ISRO plans to launch 50 satellites in the next five years for geo-intelligence tasks to strengthen India's national strength, stated ISRO Chairman S Somanath.
• These satellites will form an orbital layer capable of tracing troop movements and imaging large areas.
• These satellites will enhance changepoint detection capabilities, bolstering surveillance capabilities.

Mengxiang, China's deep sea mining vessel to study earth's mantle.

• 'Mengxiang,' meaning 'dream' in Chinese, is a state-of-the-art ocean drilling vessel unveiled by China.
• It aims to explore Earth's mantle and vast deep-sea resources.
• The ship is China's first independently developed and constructed drilling vessel has got world's deepest drilling capacity.
• Mengxiang was officially named and launched on December 18, 2023.