ISRO is doing to boost the use of NavIC, India’s version of GPS
ISRO is doing to boost the
use of NavIC, India’s version of GPS
Why
in News
To
promote the use of ‘NAVigation with the Indian Constellation’ (NavIC), the
Indian version of GPS, ISRO will introduce the L1 frequency in all its future
satellites.
Key Points
To
promote the use of ‘NAVigation with the Indian Constellation’
(NavIC), the Indian version of GPS, the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) will introduce the L1 frequency in all its
future satellites.
The seven
satellites in the NavIC constellation currently use two frequencies for
providing positioning data — the L5 and S bands. However, most mobile
System on Chips(SoCs) and wearable devices support the L1 band.
To
overcome this drawback, ISRO announced that new satellites from
NVS-01 onwards which are meant to replace these satellites will also have
L1 frequency.
L1 frequency is one of the most commonly used frequencies in
the Global Positioning System (GPS), which even the less
sophisticated, civilian-use devices such as smartwatches are capable of
receiving. Thus, with this band, the use of the NavIC in wearable devices
and personal trackers that use low-power, single-frequency chips can go up.
NavIC:
NavIC, or
Navigation with Indian Constellation is an
independent stand-alone navigation satellite system developed by the
Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO). NavIC was originally approved in
2006. It was expected to be completed by late 2011 but only became operational
in 2018. NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s
landmass and up to 1,500 km from its boundaries.
Currently, NavIC’s use is limited. It is being used in public
vehicle tracking in India, for providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen
venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity,
and for tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
The main difference is the serviceable area covered by these
systems. GPS caters to users across the globe and its satellites
circle the earth twice a day while NavIC is currently for use in India and
adjacent areas.
QZSS operated by Japan is another regional navigation system covering the Asia-Oceania region with a focus on Japan.
20 New Nuclear Power Plants to be Commissioned in Country by 2031
20 New Nuclear Power
Plants to be Commissioned in Country by 2031
Why News
India
plans to commission 20 nuclear power plants by 2031, adding nearly 15,000 MW in
power generating capacity, the government told the Lok Sabha.
Key Points
India plans
to commission 20 nuclear power plants by 2031, adding nearly 15,000
MW in power generating capacity, the government told the Lok Sabha.
The first
of these 20 nuclear power plants, a 700 MW unit, is expected to be commissioned
in 2023 at Kakrapar in Gujarat, which already has three atomic power
generating units operational.
According to a written reply by Minister of State in the PMO
Jitendra Singh, the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at
Kalpakkam is likely to be operational in 2024, followed by two 1,000 MW
units at Kudankulam in 2025.
Two 700
MW units at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan are likely to be completed by 2026, while
another two 1,000 MW units are likely to be completed at Kudankulam by 2027, he
said. Two 700 MW units are expected to be completed at Gorakhpur in Haryana by
2029, the minister said listing out details of projects under consideration.
In addition, government had accorded administrative approvals and
financial sanctions for building 10 atomic power units of 700 MW each
at Gorakhpur, Haryana (units 3&4), Kaiga, Karnataka (units 5&6),
Chutka, Madhya Pradesh (units 1&2) and four units at Mahi Banswara in
Rajasthan.
These 10 nuclear power units are likely to be completed
progressively by 2031, Singh said. In a written reply to a separate question,
Singh said the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Project (units 1&2) had
contributed 48,382 Million Units of electricity to the national grid between
2017-18 and 2021-22.
Nuclear
Power Plants in India:
There
are 22 reactors in the nation running above 80% plant load factor as
of 2021, with a combined installed capacity of 6780 MWe.
There are
four light water reactors and eighteen pressurised heavy water reactors
(PHWRs) in total (LWRs). Under Homi J. Bhabha’s direction, India’s nuclear
energy programme was started around the time of independence.
The Mumbai-based Apsara Research Reactor is Asia’s first
nuclear power plant. India has a little indigenous uranium deposit; hence the
country must import uranium from other nations to fuel its nuclear power
industry. Russia has been India’s main source of nuclear fuel since the 1990s.
SpiceJet awarded ‘Safety Performer of the Year’ award by GMR Delhi airport Why In News SpiceJet has been awarded the 'Safety Performer of the Year' award by GMR Delhi Airport Awards. SpiceJet has been awarded the ‘Safety Performer of the Year’ award b
SpiceJet awarded ‘Safety
Performer of the Year’ award by GMR Delhi airport
Why In News
SpiceJet
has been awarded the 'Safety Performer of the Year' award by GMR Delhi Airport
Awards.
SpiceJet has
been awarded the ‘Safety Performer of the Year’ award by GMR
Delhi Airport Awards for being the top performer among the self-handling
airlines and as it has been able to reduce ground safety violations
significantly. SpiceJet ground handling team at Delhi Airport achieved this
performance through constant focus on quality improvements, innovation and hard
work. Moreover, their role in minimising incidences of ground safety violations
ensured compliance with safety guidelines and regulatory requirements.
SpiceJet:
Recently,
the airline was audited by the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO), and its operations, safety processes, and systems were found to be
strong and at par with the global best practices and safety standards.
The
airline was the only scheduled Indian airline part of the audit conducted by
ICAO, the United Nations aviation arm. The audit of SpiceJet safety systems
“helped India achieve” its highest-ever safety ranking in ICAO audit
Earlier
this year, as many as 90 pilots of Spicejet were restrained from flying Boeing
737 Max aircraft after the DGCA found they were not properly trained. That was
followed by multiple snags in its aircraft.