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Home > Smart Living> Innovation > Week in tech: A space tourism balloon and Uber's EV push in India

Week in tech: A space tourism balloon and Uber's EV push in India

A Japanese startup aims to make commercial space viewing affordable and Uber announces plans to introduce electric vehicles in India for ride sharing

A journalist photographs a two-seater cabin that a startup company says is capable of rising to an altitude of 15 miles, which is roughly the middle of the stratosphere, is displayed during a news conference in Tokyo, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.
A journalist photographs a two-seater cabin that a startup company says is capable of rising to an altitude of 15 miles, which is roughly the middle of the stratosphere, is displayed during a news conference in Tokyo, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (AP)

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Here's a look at what made news in the world of science and technology this week.

Fly me to the moon in a space balloon?

If you think you can’t make it to a commercial space tourism flight - with the likes of Virgin Galactic or SpaceX - then perhaps a space balloon might be your thing. On 21 February, Japanese startup Iwaya Giken announced its plans to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that could make such an experience economical for customers. The startup has developed an airtight two-seat cabin and a balloon capable of rising up to an altitude of 25 kilometers, from where the curve of the Earth can be clearly viewed, an Associated Press report says. While this won’t exactly be outer space – the balloon will go up to roughly the middle of the stratosphere — customers will still have an unobstructed view of outer space.

Uber electric taxis are seen outside a charging station in Mumbai, India, February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Uber electric taxis are seen outside a charging station in Mumbai, India, February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas (REUTERS)

Uber to bring EVs to India

Could you soon be traveling in an electric vehicle booked through Uber? Uber Technologies will be introducing electric vehicles (EVs) in India for ride sharing, the company said on 20 February. The taxi ride-sharing market in the country has seen an influx of new players like BluSmart, an electric mobility startup. Uber plans to introduce 25,000 EVs over three years, a Reuters report said. Uber's fleet partners will buy the EVs from Tata Motors, India's biggest electric carmaker, Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and south asia, told Reuters. The company has also set a 2040 target for 100% of its rides to be in zero-emission vehicles, public transport or with micro-mobility, including in India, the report further adds.

Scientists further explore earth’s inner core

There’s a limited amount of scientific information on the earth’s inner core, which is the innermost geologic layer of our planet with temperatures as high as the sun’s surface. But researchers, on 21 February, said an intensive study of Earth's deep interior, based on the behavior of seismic waves from large earthquakes, has confirmed the existence of a distinct structure inside our planet's inner core. According to the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the inner core's outer shell and its newly confirmed innermost sphere both are hot enough to be molten but are a solid iron-nickel alloy because the incredible pressure at the center of the Earth renders it a solid state. A Reuters report adds that the scientists studied waves from 200 quakes with magnitudes above 6.0 ricocheting like ping pong balls up to five times within the planet.

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