News in Shorts: 03 April 2025

Chandrayaan’s ChaSTE Achieves a Historic First

Context: ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) became the first instrument to successfully penetrate the lunar soil and deploy a thermal probe.

• It provided the first in situ temperature measurements near the Moon’s south pole, confirming a higher-than-expected presence of water ice.

About Chandrayaan’s ChaSTE

• ChaSTE is an instrument onboard the Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3.
• ChaSTE was developed by Space Physics Laboratory (VSSC) in collaboration with PRL Ahmedabad.
• It uses a rotating deployment mechanism to push a probe into the lunar soil.
• The probe is equipped with 10 temperature sensors placed at 1 cm intervals.
• It reached a depth of 10 cm and operated from August 23 to September 2, 2023.

Findings of ChaSTE and Its Significance

• The successful deployment marks a milestone in lunar exploration, enabling future studies of the Moon’s thermal properties.
• It recorded the first-ever temperature profile of the Moon’s south pole.
• Data revealed that lunar soil provides significant resistance as the probe descends, influencing heat transfer.
• The findings support the hypothesis that water ice is more abundant than previously estimated.

Comparison with Previous Missions

• ESA’s Philae lander (2014) on comet 67P failed to deploy its temperature probe due to an unstable landing.
• NASA’s InSight HP3 (2018) struggled to penetrate Martian soil, preventing successful temperature measurement.
• Unlike previous hammering-based probes, ChaSTE’s rotational mechanism ensured successful penetration.

Significance of Moon’s South Pole

• Water Ice Reserves: The region contains permanent shadowed craters with large deposits of water ice, crucial for future lunar missions and deep-space exploration.
• Scientific Exploration: Offers insights into the early solar system’s history, as the untouched regolith preserves ancient cosmic records.
• Sustained Human Presence: Water ice can be used for drinking water, oxygen, and rocket fuel, making it essential for establishing a lunar base.
• Strategic Importance: The region receives consistent sunlight, ideal for solar power generation, making it a prime location for long-term missions.

New Damselfly Species

Context: Researchers have discovered a new species of damselfly in the Wayanad region of the Western Ghats, Kerala.

About damselfly

• Damselflies are flying insects belonging to the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata.
• They are closely related to dragonflies but are smaller and slimmer in body structure.
• About New damselfly
  • Scientific Name of the Species: Euphaea wayanadensis.
  • Euphaea wayanadensis belongs to the Euphaeidae family.
• Significance: It is Kerala’s 191st documented odonate species (includes dragonflies and damselflies).
  • It becomes the 223rd odonate species recorded in the Western Ghats.
    • Odonata is an insect order that includes dragonflies and damselflies.
    • It is one of the oldest insect groups in existence.

Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)

Context: India registered a 58.1 manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) in March 2025, representing the highest level since July 2024.

• Reason for Increase: The improvement is attributed to the increase in new orders with the index recording an eight-month high of 61.5, most in eight months.
  • Stock of Items Purchased recorded their highest level in seven months with rise in Employment 
• Sentiment: The market sentiment remained fairly optimistic, supported by demand conditions, better customer relations, and projects pending approval

About India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)

• PMI is a composite indicator designed to provide an overall view of activity in the manufacturing sector and acts as a leading indicator for the whole economy.
• Developed by: The Index is developed and compiled by S&P Global India and derived from a survey of 500 manufacturing companies. 
• Parameters: The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index is based on five individual indexes with the following weights
  • New Orders (30 percent):
  • Output (25 percent)
  • Employment (20 percent)
  • Suppliers’ Delivery Times (15 percent)
  • Stock of Items Purchased (10 percent)
• Range: A reading above 50 indicates an expansion of the manufacturing sector while a reading below 50 represents a contraction
  • A reading of 50 indicates no change

Island of Katchatheevu

Context: The Tamil Nadu assembly has unanimously adopted a special resolution urging the Union government to retrieve the uninhabited island of Katchatheevu (in Palk Bay) and review the 1974 Indo-Sri Lanka agreement.

About Island of Katchatheevu

• Katchatheevu is an uninhabited island in the Palk Straits, and a part of Sri Lanka
• Location: It lies northeast of Rameswaram in the Indian coast, lies in southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Sri Lankan Delft Island
• Origin: The Island is of volcanic origin and relatively new on the geological timescale having been formed in the 14th century.
• St Anthony’s Church: The island hosts the early 20th-century Catholic shrine i.e. the St Anthony’s church. 
• Katchatheevu Island Dispute:
  • 1921: The British colonies of India and Sri Lanka claimed Katchatheevu in order to determine fishing boundaries.
  • Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement: In 1974 the Indian Government accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory aimed at resolving the maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait.
  • Indian Fishermen Rights: As per the agreement, Indian fishermen were still allowed to access Katchatheevu.
  • Restrictions Imposed: Another agreement in 1976, during the period of Emergency in India, barred either country from fishing in the other’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

Strait Thunder-2025A

Context: China conducted military drills named “Strait Thunder-2025A” in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea.

About Taiwan Strait

• Location: Separates Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) from mainland China. 
• Waterways: Connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea. 
• Strategic Importance: A vital waterway for international shipping and a strategically significant region in East Asia. 
• Also known as the Formosa Strait or Strait of Formosa.

INS Tarkash

Context: INS Tarkash has successfully intercepted and seized over 2500 kg of narcotics in the Western Indian Ocean.

About INS Tarkash

• NS Tarkash (F50), meaning “Quiver” in Hindi, is the second Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy.
• It was built in Russia and commissioned in 2012.
• Now, part of the Western Naval Command.