ISRO Delays Docking, Freshwater Species at Risk, and Leadership Change

India's space agency, ISRO, postpones its space docking experiment due to technical issues. Meanwhile, rocket scientist V. Narayanan is named the new ISRO chief, taking the lead as India strives to enhance its space capabilities. A study highlights the extinction threats to global freshwater species, showcasing biodiversity challenges.

India's space agency, ISRO, has delayed a much-anticipated space docking mission for the second time. The agency attributed the postponement to an unexpected issue involving excessive drift between satellites. Despite the setback, no new date for the mission has been announced.

In a significant leadership shift, India has appointed rocket scientist V. Narayanan as the new head of ISRO. Taking over from S. Somanath, Narayanan's appointment comes as ISRO aims to position India as a space superpower. Somanath, who led since 2022, is notable for making the agency more accessible to the public and younger audiences.

A new study has documented alarming threats to the world's freshwater species. Covering just 1% of Earth's surface but housing over 10% of known species, freshwater habitats are in crisis. Researchers have determined that 24% of the 23,496 freshwater species evaluated face a high risk of extinction, highlighting critical biodiversity issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)