India’s first solar-powered cruise boat- Aditya

 

Kerala is gearing up for the launch of the country’s premier solar-powered cruise boat by December.

• The initiative comes from the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), whose solar ferry Aditya in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route has proved to be a success.
• The cruise boat can carry 100 passengers.
• The hybrid vessel will be powered by a motor that can source energy from solar panels, batteries, and generators.
• Its battery will have 80 KWh (kilowatt hour) power backup, as compared to 50 KWh backup in Aditya.
• Aditya incurs a rock-bottom energy expense of ₹200 a day, as compared to the approximately ₹8,000 needed for diesel-powered ferries.
• Solar vessels do not create air and noise pollution.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

 

Sri Lanka’s first satellite: ‘Ravana-1’

 

 

Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Ravana-1’, designed and developed by two local engineers- Tharindu Dayaratne and Dulani Chamika – studying space engineering at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology.

• The satellite was launched into orbit this week from the International Space Station (ISS).
• Ravana 1, the cube satellite, and weighing around 1.05 kg, was launched into orbit.
• Ravana-1 was deployed to the 400-km of orbit using the JAXA (Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency) owned Kibo experiment module.
• It will have a minimum lifespan of one and a half years but was expected to be active for up to five years.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

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