India's Space Ambitions and a Race Against Extinction

India's ISRO postponed its eagerly awaited space docking experiment due to satellite drift, while V. Narayanan steps in as the new ISRO chief. Meanwhile, a study reveals significant extinction threats for freshwater species, highlighting urgent biodiversity concerns in such ecosystems worldwide.

India's space agency, ISRO, has once again delayed a much-anticipated space docking test. The agency attributed the postponement to unexpected excess drift in the satellites involved, yet failed to specify a new timeline for the mission. Initially scheduled for January 7th, the test marks a critical step in India's growing space ambitions.

In related developments, the Indian government announced the appointment of V. Narayanan, an accomplished rocket scientist, as the new ISRO chief. Narayanan succeeds S. Somanath, under whose leadership the Indian space agency made strides in accessibility and youth engagement, as India intensifies efforts to establish itself as a global space power.

Separately, a comprehensive study has sounded the alarm on extinction threats facing global freshwater species. Although freshwater habitats make up just 1% of Earth's surface, they support over 10% of known species. The study assessed 23,496 freshwater species and found 24% are at high risk of extinction, underscoring the global biodiversity challenges these ecosystems face.

(With inputs from agencies.)