Relevance: GS III (Science & Technology) | Source: The Indian Express

1. What is the News?

India is building a massive ₹1,600-crore space laboratory called LIGO-India.

• The Delay: Nearly a year after the paperwork started, the actual construction is stuck. The final contract to start building the lab has not yet been given.
• The Target: Despite these delays, the government department managing the project aims to finish it by the year 2030.

2. Simple Science: What are Gravitational Waves?

To understand this project, you need to know what it is trying to find:

• The Bedsheet Example: Imagine the universe as a tightly pulled bedsheet. If you drop a heavy bowling ball on it, the sheet bends and vibrates.
• The Ripples: Similarly, when massive space objects (like two black holes) crash into each other, they create invisible “ripples” or vibrations in space. These are called Gravitational Waves.
• Why are they special? Normal telescopes use light to see stars. But black holes do not have any light. These invisible waves give scientists a brand-new way to “feel” or “listen” to the dark parts of the universe.

3. Important Facts about LIGO-India

For your UPSC Prelims, remember these key points:

• The Location: The laboratory is being built in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra.
• Why Hingoli? Because the land there is very stable and has a very low risk of earthquakes. The lab mirrors are so sensitive that even a tiny earth vibration can ruin the whole experiment.
• Global Teamwork: India’s lab will not work alone. It will work together with two similar labs in the USA.
• Pinpointing the Source: Having three labs located far apart on the Earth helps scientists perfectly calculate exactly where the space wave came from.

4. How Will This Help India?

• Global Respect: It places India in a small, elite group of countries doing top-level space physics research.
• Technology Boost: Building this lab requires ultra-modern technology, like highly exact lasers. Manufacturing these items in India will boost our local tech industries and create highly skilled scientific jobs.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the LIGO-India project and space observation, consider the following statements:

1. Gravitational waves can be easily detected by traditional telescopes because they emit highly bright light.
2. The LIGO-India observatory is being set up in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra due to its low earthquake risk.
3. The project is primarily managed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in sync with international facilities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3