UPI Completes 10 Glorious Years
Syllabus: GS3/ Economy
Context
- The Unified Payments Interface has completed 10 years since its launch in April 2016.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- Launched by – UPI was designed and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016.
- Objective – It is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.
- Countries with operational or planned interoperability include: Singapore (PayNow), UAE, France, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and others.
Additional Information – National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
- Established in – It serves as an umbrella body for the operation of retail payments in India.
- Established by – Reserve Bank of India along with the Indian Bank’s Association.
- Established under – It was set up under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
Products of NPCI
- RuPay
- National Common Mobility Card
- Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM)
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- Bharat Bill Payment System
GalaxEye Launches Mission Drishti
Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology
Context
- Indian space start-up GalaxEye has launched Mission Drishti, the world’s first OptoSAR satellite, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from California in the United States.
Mission Drishti
- It is the world’s first OptoSAR satellite,
- It was launched on May 3, 2026, by Indian space-tech startup GalaxEye (founded by IIT Madras alumni) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
- This 190 kg Earth Observation (EO) satellite integrates SAR and optical sensors for all-weather, high-resolution imagery.
Key Features
- Technology: Combines Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with Multi-spectral Optical sensors (OptoSAR) on a single platform.
- Advantage: Unlike traditional satellites, it provides high-resolution imaging through clouds and at night.
- Applications: Border surveillance, disaster management, agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, and defence.
- Significance: India’s largest privately built satellite, boosting local private space capacity.
- Mission Goal: Part of a planned constellation of 8-12 satellites by 2029
Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range (NASM-SR)
Syllabus: GS3/ Defence
Context
- India successfully carried out the maiden launch of a Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range (NASM-SR) from a Sea King helicopter off the Odisha coast in the Bay of Bengal.
Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range
- It is an indigenously developed, air-launched anti-ship missile designed for helicopter-based maritime strike operations.
- It is India’s first indigenous helicopter-launched anti-ship missile.
- It is developed to replace British-origin Sea Eagle missiles.
- It aimed to provide the Indian Navy with a high-precision, indigenous strike capability against maritime targets, strengthening defence self-reliance.
- The system has been developed by the Research Centre Imarat under the Defence Research and Development Organisation, in collaboration with other labs.
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