NASA ended Operations of MESSENGER Mission To Mercury NASA on 1 May ended the operations of MESSENGER Mission. MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging and it was launched on 3 August 2004 to study Mercury’s atmosphere. The journey of the spacecraft came to an end with Expected Impact (EI) on Mercury’s surface. It plunged to the Mercury’s surface at around 14000 kmph, creating a crater up to 52 feet wide.NASA’s Messenger probe was launched on 3 August 2004 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Messenger was actually an acronym for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geo-chemistry and Ranging. ‘ Akash Weapon System ‘ Missile Inducted In Indian Army Indian Army on 5 May inducted the first regiment of the indigenously-developed Surface-to-Air missile Akash Weapon System (AWS). About Akash Weapon System (AWS) :- * Akash Missile is able to target a multitude of aerial threats of upto a range of 25 km. * Akash has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is being built by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). * It has a large operational range from a low altitude of 30 metres to a maximum of up to 20 km. * At 96 per cent indigenisation, it represents a major capability development for a crucial weapon system. * The first test flight of Akash missile was conducted in 1990, with development flights conducted up to March 1997. Indian Army Test Fires BrahMos Cruise Missile Successfully Land-to-land configuration of BrahMos missile was on 8 May successfully test-fired from the Car Nicobar Islands.BrahMos Block–III version i.e. land-to-land configuration of missile was launched from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its full-range of 290-km test. The missile flight test met all flight parameters, including high-level manoeuvres.It also hit the designated land- based target with the desired accuracy. INS ‘Sardar Patel’ Commissioned In Porbandar India’s latest naval establishment – INS ‘Sardar Patel’ – was commissioned in Porbandar, Gujarat, by state Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 9 May. It became the second in the state for the Indian Navy after INS Dwarka near Okha. It has been established as a Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Indian Navy. Cmde BR Prakash, VSM who is the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat, Diu & Daman) became the first Commanding Officer of INS Sardar Patel.