Author: Dr. Siddhivinayak Barve

India has added a new capability to its Earth-observation programme with the successful launch of EOS-05, an advanced Earth-observation satellite designed for imaging from geosynchronous orbit. The satellite was launched aboard GSLV-F17 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on September 4, 2026. ISRO describes EOS-05 as India’s first imaging satellite from geosynchronous orbit, marking an important step in high-altitude Earth imaging.

Following launch, EOS-05 underwent a series of orbit-raising manoeuvres. The third and final manoeuvre was completed successfully on September 7, placing the spacecraft in an orbit of approximately 34,903 × 35,884 km. ISRO reported that the satellite was healthy after the manoeuvre.

From its geosynchronous vantage point, EOS-05 is expected to provide valuable Earth-observation data and strengthen India’s capabilities for monitoring large-scale changes over the country and surrounding regions. The mission also demonstrates the GSLV’s continuing role in placing sophisticated spacecraft into high orbits.

NASA and IBM are exploring artificial intelligence to improve how scientists study and map the Moon. Their collaboration uses AI foundation models capable of analysing large volumes of Earth and lunar science data, helping researchers identify patterns and features that would otherwise require extensive manual analysis.

For lunar exploration, AI can assist in processing images and other observations collected by spacecraft, potentially helping scientists map the Moon’s surface, identify geological features and select scientifically important areas for future missions. Such tools could become increasingly valuable as NASA’s Artemis programme generates huge amounts of data from lunar orbiters, landers and surface missions.

The NASA–IBM work is part of a broader effort to apply advanced AI to space science. By combining NASA’s scientific datasets with IBM’s AI technologies, researchers aim to make planetary data easier to analyse and use.

As lunar exploration enters a new era, AI could become an important tool for transforming vast streams of spacecraft observations into detailed maps and scientific insights

Scientists have identified a promising pre-flare phenomenon that could provide an earlier warning of powerful solar eruptions. Known as the Hot Onset Precursor Event (HOPE), the phenomenon involves changes in plasma temperature and emission measures in the Sun’s atmosphere before a major flare begins.

Researchers have now combined observations of HOPE with machine learning to estimate both the strength and timing of solar flares. The study trained its model using observations of 180 flares and tested it on 46 independent events. In a one-week proof-of-concept demonstration, the system detected all four flares stronger than M5.0, providing an average warning of about 17.9 minutes before the NOAA R3 radio-blackout alert.

Solar flares can disrupt radio communications, satellites and other space-based technologies. Earlier warnings could therefore improve space-weather preparedness and help operators protect vulnerable systems. The researchers emphasize that the method requires further testing before operational use, but HOPE offers a new physical signal for advancing flare forecasting.

August 2026 has emerged as one of the most extraordinary months in the modern temperature record. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the month was the joint-warmest month ever recorded globally, tying July 2023. The global average surface air temperature reached 16.96°C, about 1.65°C above the estimated pre-industrial level (1850–1900). It was also the warmest August on record, surpassing the previous August records set in 2023 and 2024.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) independently reported August 2026 as the warmest August in its record, with global temperatures 1.32°C above the 20th-century average. Global ocean temperatures also reached a record high.

Scientists link the exceptional warmth to continuing long-term global warming and strengthening El Niño conditions, which contributed to unusually high temperatures, particularly across the tropical Pacific

ISRO’s Oceansat-3 satellite has detected a decline in marine productivity across parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean as El Niño conditions developed in 2026. Scientists at ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre analysed satellite observations of chlorophyll-a, a key indicator of phytoplankton abundance, along with ocean-surface winds for April–June during 2023–2026.

Compared with June 2024 and June 2025, satellite observations from June 2026 showed a notable reduction in surface chlorophyll-a. ISRO linked the change to weakening and reversal of the usual easterly trade winds. This disrupts equatorial upwelling, reducing the supply of cold, nutrient-rich water to the sunlit surface and thereby limiting phytoplankton growth.

The observations demonstrate how satellite data can reveal the close connection between ocean circulation, climate variability and marine ecosystems. ISRO says that if the developing El Niño intensifies, the low-chlorophyll region could become more pronounced. Further observations will help track the evolving phenomenon

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured new images of a remarkable feature surrounding Saturn: a vast, 10-sided atmospheric wave known as the north polar hexagon. The enormous pattern, first discovered by the Voyager spacecraft in 1981, is a powerful jet stream encircling Saturn’s north pole.

Hubble’s observations show that the hexagonal jet stream remains a persistent feature of Saturn’s atmosphere, despite changing seasons on the planet. The structure is far larger than Earth, extending tens of thousands of kilometres across, while its winds race around the pole at hundreds of kilometres per hour.

Scientists believe the hexagon is produced by complex atmospheric dynamics, with Saturn’s rapid rotation and powerful jet streams playing key roles. Unlike a storm with a clearly defined centre, the hexagon is a long-lived atmospheric circulation pattern.

Hubble’s long-term observations are helping researchers understand how Saturn’s atmosphere changes over time. Studying this extraordinary wave also offers scientists a natural laboratory for understanding atmospheric flows on giant planets and, potentially, worlds beyond our Solar System.

South Korea’s colourful soft-coral ecosystems around Jeju Island are facing increasing environmental stress as seawater temperatures rise and extreme weather becomes more frequent. Scientists have documented a phenomenon known as “slumping”, in which soft corals lose their structure, droop and eventually disintegrate. A 2026 study linked a major 2024 event to unusually warm water combined with prolonged low-salinity conditions.

Unlike hard corals, soft corals rely on internal fluid pressure to maintain their shape, making them particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and salinity. Researchers and divers have reported renewed deterioration around Jeju in 2026, raising concerns about the ecosystem’s future.

Jeju’s soft-coral gardens provide habitat and nursery grounds for marine organisms and support local fisheries. Scientists say continued monitoring is essential to determine how warming seas, heavy rainfall, changing salinity and other human pressures interact. The findings highlight how climate change can affect even coral communities outside traditional tropical reef regions.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an important tool in biomedical research, helping scientists analyse complex biological data and accelerate the search for new treatments. Modern AI systems can examine genomic sequences, protein structures, medical images and clinical datasets at a scale that would be difficult to manage manually.

Researchers are increasingly using foundation models to identify disease-related patterns, predict how proteins interact and suggest promising drug candidates. AI can also help connect information from different areas of biology, potentially revealing relationships between genes, proteins, cells and diseases.

The technology is beginning to move beyond prediction. Scientists are developing AI-driven “virtual cells” and digital models of biological systems that can be used to test hypotheses before laboratory experiments. Such approaches could reduce the time and cost involved in early-stage research.

However, AI-generated predictions still require rigorous experimental validation. Questions surrounding data quality, reproducibility, privacy and bias also remain important.

As computing power, biological datasets and experimental technologies advance, the combination of AI and laboratory science could reshape how researchers understand disease and develop new therapies.

India’s space programme is entering a new phase in which ISRO, government agencies, start-ups and private industry increasingly work together across the space value chain. Reforms introduced in 2020 and the Indian Space Policy 2023 opened activities such as satellite development, launch vehicles and space-based services to non-government entities. IN-SPACe was established as the nodal agency to promote, authorise and supervise private participation.

The transition reached a significant milestone on 18 July 2026, when Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-I became the first privately developed Indian rocket to achieve an orbital launch from Indian soil.

ISRO says the changing structure is intended to complement, rather than replace, its role. The organisation will continue concentrating on advanced research, strategic missions, space science and next-generation technologies, while industry can scale mature technologies and commercial services.

With more than 440 space start-ups reported in 2026, India’s emerging public–private ecosystem is reshaping the country’s space industry and expanding opportunities for innovation, manufacturing and commercialisation.