Current Affairs

Huawei Technologies working on Fifth Generation (5G) Technology

July 24th, 2013

Chinese equipment maker Huawei Technologies is working on the Fifth Generation (5G) which will be probably available for use by 2020. Samsung has also promulgated that it has tested 5G technology and it will be ready for commercial use by 2020.

Advantages of 5G Technology :

 §  Expansion of connectivity by providing possibilities for billions of connections.
§  Offer people to have a fibre network like they experience on a wireless connection.
§  It can provide speed of 10 GBps, which is 100 times faster than the mobile technology used these days.

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World’s first ever mission to Moon’s South Pole Planned for 2016

July 24th, 2013

The International Lunar Observatory Association and Moon Express announced first mission to the south pole of the moon in 2016 at NASA Lunar Science Institute conference at NASA ‘s Ames Research Center.

 Objective of the Mission:

  §  It will be a scientific as well as commercial mission.
§  To install a permanent telescope on the lunar surface to assist professional research.
§  To deliver the International Lunar Observatory (ILO) aboard a Moon Express Robotic Lander.
§  Moon Express is aiming to discover the moon’s South Polefor mineral resources and water. Lunar probes have provided substantial indication of mineral and volatile deposits in the Moon’s southern polar region where energy and resources may be plentiful.

 International Lunar Observatory Instrument and its use:

  §  ILOA and Space Age Publishing Company have been founded by Steve     Durst.
§ ILO which is a 2 meter dish antenna will help in carrying outInternational astrophysical observations and communications from the lunar surface thus providing commercial broadcasting, scientific research and enabling Galaxy 21st Century education and “citizen science” on the Moon.
§  ILO will display the scientific study of the galaxy, moon, earth, sun and stars  The ILO and its originator will have an internet based access and control system.

Current Affairs

INSAT-3D and Alphasat satellites launched successfully July 28th, 2013

European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket launched INSAT-3D  and Alphasat satellites from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana, giving a boost to weather forecasting and disaster warning services.

About INSAT-3D:

• Designed to provide meteorological observation and monitoring of land and ocean surfaces.
• INSAT-3D also carried the newly developed 19 ‘Channel Sounder’, the first such payload to be flown on an ISRO satellite mission. It will perform weather monitoring through its atmospheric sounding system, which provides vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and integrated ozone from surface to top of the atmosphere.
• It will provide continuity to earlier missions and further augment the capability to provide various meteorological as well as search and rescue services.
• The Data Relay Transponder (DRT) will be used to receive meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic data from remote, uninhabited locations over the coverage area from Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) like automatic weather station, automatic rain gauge and agro met stations.
• It is equipped with a Search and Rescue payload that picks up and relays the alert signals originating from the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land based users to the Indian Mission Control Centre located at Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network here.

Who will be the major users of Satellite Aided Search and Rescue service in India?

• The major users of Satellite Aided Search and Rescue service in India are Indian Coast Guard, Airports Authority of India, directorate general of shipping, defence services and fishermen.

What will be the expanse of service region of INSAT-3D?

• The Indian service region includes a large part of the Indian Ocean region covering India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania for rendering distress alert services.

What are Alphasat satellites?

• Alphasat is Europe’s largest telecommunication satellite-ever manufactured and results from a large-scale public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Inmarsat.