1 NASA announces astronauts for Artemis III mission
NASA has announced the names of three American astronauts and one Italian astronaut for its next Artemis III mission, scheduled for late next year . This mission will test SpaceX and Blue Origin ‘s lunar probes in orbit for the first time . American astronauts Andre Douglas , Frank Rubio , and Randy Bresnik , along with Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, will be part of the Artemis III crew. This four-member mission will test Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin’s lunar probes in space for the first time, demonstrating a delicate docking. At a ceremony in Houston, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that veteran astronaut Randy Bresnik will serve as commander, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio as mission specialists, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency as pilot. NASA astronaut Bob Hines has been named as a backup crew member and will train with the prime crew. Under the Artemis III mission, astronauts will not land on the Moon, but will orbit it. Artemis III is scheduled for 2027 and is considered one of the most complex manned space missions ever. Earlier, on April 1, NASA launched the Artemis II mission. Artemis II recently broke Apollo 13’s record for the longest distance by orbiting the Moon.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that international passengers from Varanasi can now complete immigration and baggage formalities before arriving in Delhi and travel seamlessly to destinations around the world. In a social media post, Mr. Naidu said that India’s hub-and-spoke aviation plan begins with Varanasi . He explained that Varanasi is the first city to join the easily connected flight model. The hub-and-spoke aviation plan is a network model where several smaller airports (spokes) connect to a central larger airport (hub). Passengers travel from their smaller city to the hub and then board larger aircraft to their final international or domestic destination.
On June 10 , Reliance Industries partnered with Meta to develop an AI data center . This is Meta’s first data center , which will be located in Jamnagar, Gujarat . The data center will have a capacity of 168 megawatts (MW) . It will be completed in the next two years. According to Meta, the data center will run on renewable energy and use desalinated seawater for cooling. This will be the first “built-to-suit” data center of its kind in India. Meta invested $5.7 billion in Jio Platforms in 2020. The two companies also partnered to develop an enterprise AI solution based on the Llama AI model in 2025. India is one of Meta’s largest markets, with millions of users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
4 India’s Srishti Kiran becomes world number 1 among under-13 tennis players
Bengaluru ‘s Srishti Kiran has achieved the world No. 1 ranking among under-13 tennis players . Srishti achieved this position by winning five consecutive ITF junior titles and finishing runner-up at the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J-100 Guatemala . The 13-year-old Srishti Kiran has achieved a career-best ranking of 357 in the ITF junior rankings, the highest ranking among under-13 players globally. She achieved this feat by participating in only eight ranking tournaments, two short of the maximum 10 tournaments required for ranking.
5 Harry Brooke overtakes Joe Root to top Test batsmen’s rankings
England captain Harry Brook has regained the top spot in the men’s Test batsmen’s rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday. Brook has overtaken teammate and former England captain Joe Root to take the top spot. Indian captain Gill has gained two places and moved up to eighth . Brook reached the number one spot after scoring a half-century in the first innings during England’s 115-run win over New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship match at Lord’s. Brook first reached the top spot in December 2024. Australia’s Steve Smith is in fourth place. Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis has moved up one place to fifth. Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is in sixth place, having dropped one spot. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is in seventh place. India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal is in ninth place, having dropped one spot. Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal has moved up one place to tenth.
6 World Eye Donation Day
World Eye Donation Day is celebrated every year on June 10th . This day provides an opportunity to spread the great message of humanity, sensitivity, and philanthropy, which can brighten the lives of others even after a person’s death. The purpose of this day is to make people aware of the importance, necessity, and social utility of eye donation. The common perception is that eye donation means transplanting the entire eye, but the reality is quite different. Eye donation involves safely removing the transparent part of a person’s eye, the cornea , after death and transplanting it into a needy patient. In 1905 , renowned Austrian ophthalmologist Dr. Eduard Zirm performed the world’s first successful cornea transplant . This achievement opened new possibilities in the field of medical science.
7 Bharathi Raja, film producer, actor and director, passes away in Chennai
Popular filmmaker, actor, and director Bharathi Raja passed away in Chennai . He was 84 years old. He received six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, and six Tamil Nadu Film Awards. Most of his films were composed by composer Ilaiyaraaja . He was also popular in Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada films . Bharathi Raja began his career with the 1977 film “16 Vayathinile.” Bharathi Raja’s notable films include “Kizhakke Pogum Rail,” “Sigappu Rojakkal,” “Alaigal Oivathillai,” “Kadhal Oviyum,” and “Mudhal Mariyathai.” Bharathi Raja also directed a few Hindi films, including “Solva Sawan” (1979), “Red Rose” (1980), and “Savere Wali Gaadi” (1986). In 2004, Bharathi Raja was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. Bharathiraja was honored with numerous awards, including six National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards South. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay paid tribute to him at his residence in Chennai.