A massive truck carrying heavy and sophisticated space research machinery took 1 year to get transported from Maharashtra to Kerala.
The truck reportedly started its journey from Nashik in Maharashtra in July 2019 and travelled across four states to reach its destination, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 19th July, 2020.
It carried a machine called Aerospace Horizontal Autoclave used to make weightless material for space research.
With a height of 7.5 meters and width of 6.65 meters, the machine weighs 70 tonnes. Owing to its giant size, the truck moved only 5 km per day.
The truck’s journey also got extended due to the extended lockdown imposed in the country since 25th March this year in order to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Moreover, 32 staff members accompanied the giant machine.
Talking to media, a staff person said:
We’re using rope to carry cargo’s weight. It’s being pulled by two axles, front & back, both have 32 wheels each & puller has 10 wheels. Puller is pulling it all. Drop deck weighs 10 tonnes and cargo weighs 78 tonnes. Weight is being distributed in two axles.
While some people were shocked to know that it took one complete year for the machine to reach its destination, others applauded the staff members for their patience and efforts.
There were some who questioned why wasn’t the sea route used for transportation.
When asked why they didn’t choose the sea route, an official said that they had to choose roadways due to the height of the machine.
While India has made a lot of advancement in space technology, transportation of this machine taking excessively long, raises several questions on state of logistics in our country.