1. India's SHANTI Campaign for UNSC Seat (2028–2029 Term)
- Campaign Identity: External Affairs Minister launched SHANTI (Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity).
- Objective: Official diplomatic framework to secure India’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2028–2029 term.
- Election Details: India is contesting the sole Asia-Pacific Group seat against Tajikistan in the UN General Assembly elections scheduled for 2027.
- Core Pillars of Campaign:
- Advocating for Reformed Multilateralism and structural UN Security Council expansion.
- Amplifying the Voice of the Global South.
- Tech-driven and future-ready UN Peacekeeping.
- Human-centric Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and counter-terrorism measures.
- Constitutional & Legal Context — UNSC Structure:
- Composition: 15 members — 5 Permanent (P5 with veto power: USA, UK, France, Russia, China) and 10 Non-Permanent members elected for 2-year terms by the UN General Assembly.
- India’s Track Record: India has served 8 terms as a non-permanent member (most recently in 2021–2022).
- G4 Alliance: Grouping of India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan supporting each other’s bids for permanent seats in an expanded UNSC.
2. Exercise Pitch Black 2026 (Australia)
- Host & Venue: Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal, and Amberley in Australia's Northern Territory.
- Nature of Exercise: Biennial, multilateral air combat exercise involving allied and partner air forces from the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
- Indian Participation: Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent featuring frontline fighter aircraft (Rafale) and C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift transport aircraft.
- Key Focus Areas: Complex Large Force Employment (LFE) integration, tactical air combat maneuvering, nighttime flight ops, and coalition air combat interoperability.
- Bilateral Strategic Framework: India and Australia operate under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and are key partners in the QUAD grouping (India, Australia, USA, Japan), backed by the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).
3. Skyroot Aerospace Launches Vikram-1 (Mission Aagaman)
- Event Milestone: Hyderabad-based space startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, marking India's first privately developed orbital-class launch vehicle to reach space.
- Mission Code Name: Mission Aagaman.
- Launch Site & Target Orbit: Lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, placing payloads into a ~450 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
- Technical Architecture of Vikram-1:
- 4-Stage Configuration: 3 solid-propellant stages named Kalam-1200, Kalam-250, and Kalam-100 (after Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) + 1 liquid-fueled Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM) utilizing a 3D-printed engine.
- Payload Capacity: Up to 350 kg to Low Earth Orbit.
- Predecessor: Vikram-S (India's first private sub-orbital rocket launched under Mission Prarambh in November 2022).
- Regulatory Framework:
- IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre): Autonomous single-window agency under the Department of Space (DoS) that authorized and granted launch clearance to Skyroot.
- Indian Space Policy 2023: Enables Non-Government Entities (NGEs) to perform end-to-end space operations including rocket design, launch vehicle manufacturing, and spaceport utilization.