Rohitha Rajapaksa has thrown shade at the efforts of the two Sri Lankan engineers who designed and developed Ravana 1 described as Sri Lanka’s first ever satellite – claiming it is in fact not the first satellite developed by Sri Lanka.
Rohitha Rajapaksa and engineers of SupremeSAT inspect the progress
It may be a case of sour grapes given Rohitha himself is a space aficionado who claimed credit for the launch of a communication satellite back in 2012 – a venture carried out by the private-owned local company ‘Supreme Sat’ in partnership with a Chinese state-owned space technology firm.
Responding to a query at an interview where he was asked to clarify which claim is true – whether it is ‘his’ satellite or the recently launched ‘Ravana 1’ that deserves the honor of being the first satellite of Sri Lanka – Chi Chi said Ravana 1 is definitely not Sri Lanka’s first satellite.
“I wish the duo involved with the designing and development…but it is completely wrong to say that it is the first Sri Lankan satellite,” he says.
He also adds, “I saw another young boy had created a rocket and the President had promised to award him Rs. 10 million to build a bigger rocket. I think the President has been ill-advised on this subject because Rs. 10 million is not sufficient to build even the smallest part of a rocket…:”
Rohitha says he is a leading voice in space law and has written extensively and researched about it for his PhD. “There aren’t very many journal articles about space law…If you Google space law, my research will be among the leading search results.”
He goes on to say that claims made by the media may be due to intense politicization of every field in Sri Lanka that refuses to award credit or in this case ‘steal’ credit although it’s due.
“There are Sri Lankans working in the Hubble telescope project as well.There are close to 20 Sri Lankans employed in NASA but nobody writes or talks about it!,” Rohitha says. He adds he met these Lankans while he did an understudy in NASA during his academic term at the University of Southampton.
“This seems to me more like another attempt to claim revenge from the Rajapaksa family…” he says adding, those who write about these subjects aren’t even aware of the difference between a satellite and a rocket.
saurus / June 25, 2019
Why is CT taking potshots at the spaceman? Chi Chi is a harmless sort doesn’t really hurt anyone (at least upto now)
Don’t worry under a future Namal Rajapakse presidency, spaceman will go to the moon and bring back rice.
Something SworD Banda’s widow couldn’t achieve, DA Rajapakse’s grandson will deliver.
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Native Vedda / June 25, 2019
saurus
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Are you A.S.P. Liyanage by any chance?
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Old codger / June 25, 2019
1 Supremesat was entirely built in China by Chinese and launched from China with a Sri Lankan flag painted on. It is Srilankan by ownership, as much as an ex- US navy ship is Sri Lankan.
2. Ravanaa was built in Japan by Sri Lankans , taken to the ISS by a US rocket and launched by persons unknown.
Sadly, neither one is the first satellite launched FROM Sri Lanka
But Ravanaa has more local content than Supremesat, which has only a Sri Lankan sticker, probably printed in China.
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Native Vedda / June 25, 2019
Rohitha Rajapaksa
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“He adds he met these Lankans while he did an understudy in NASA during his academic term at the University of Southampton.”
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Not kidding!!!!
He is another egghead in the family.
Could anyone confirm
Chandana Rohitha Rajapaksa
C R Rajapaksa
and Rohitha Rajapaksa are one and the same person.
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His dreshare.com provides the following information:
A degree from St Thomas in 2008
B Sc Aeronautic Engineering from University of Southampton 2011
M Eng in Space Systems Engineering completed
M Phil from University of Colombo
PhD is being pursued in Mathematical Optimisation of Space Debri Mitigation and Strategy Analysis
Involved in a Doctorate in Business Administration Along with PhD.
https://www.dreshare.com/rohitha-rajapaksa/
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Goshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
He is also a pilot
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Where is Sajith Premadasa?
What have you been doing in the UK, you ought to ashamed of yourself.
Where are the brats Daham, Navin Nayaka (BSc, MSc …. …..)
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Raj-UK / June 25, 2019
Native Vedda
‘A degree from St Thomas in 2008’…? Is it St. Thomas Mt Lavinia you are referring to? (didn’t know St Thomas awarded Degrees} Why not say graduated with a Masters in Space Systems Engineering (from whatever university), instead of completed? Anyway, a M Phil. from University of Colombo, ‘pursuing’ a double Doctorate in ‘Mathematical Optimisation of Space Debris Mitigation and Strategy Analysis’ & Doctorate in Business Administration, is most impressive. I am sure all these qualifications entitles him to be titled as Professor & I am sure there would be a long queue of head hunters outside his door every day with lucrative employment contracts to snap up such a brilliant mind, he doesn’t have to make his fortune in politics like the rest of his family. He has certainly made SL proud.
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Native Vedda / June 26, 2019
Raj-UK
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I am not in a position to answer your questions. Being former president’s kid son he might have the gene to achieve all these qualifications. However please refer to the link below which provides all those information:
https://www.dreshare.com/rohitha-rajapaksa
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By the way his dad was awarded with a LLD from Colombo University and his uncle Gota was bestowed with a D Sc from Colombo Uni as well immediately after the end of war. Regular writer Dr Laksiri Fernando was the proposer. Later in 2015 after the change of government Dr Laksiri Fernando proposed a revocation of these honorary degrees in the Senate.
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I never understood as to why he had to wait six years and a change of government to propose a revocation.And I also never understood as to why he proposed them in the first place.
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Since I am bit thick I do not understand the kind of wheeling dealings that happen between politicians and academics.
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By the way both his father and elder brother Namal baby have law degrees and Namal is on his way to complete PhD.
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Mahinda was awarded with another three honorary degrees.
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His uncle Gota was awarded a in Masters Degree in Defence Studies from the University of Madras in 1983. After leaving the army he also obtained a obtained a Masters Degree in Information Technology from the University of Colombo.
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So you see this is a highly educated family.
By voting Gota we might end up with a highly educated Hitler/despot, with a highly educated extended first family.
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Gota will have first class team around him, lawyers with PhDs, Rocket scientists, ….. efficient murderers, …. a rounded fund manager with wide range of experience who did his articleship under Dutta Gamani, …
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Lester / June 26, 2019
Native Veddah,
“Gota will have first class team around him…”
They can always hire a Veddah with sarong and ax for entertainment.
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Raj-UK / June 26, 2019
Native Vedda
Thanks for the information. I don’t usually google or check websites of prominent people but was curious with your apparent ‘word for word’ description of Rohitha’s impressive CV. Anyway, glad to know there is a highly qualified Presidential candidate compared to the uneducated yob we have currently. I’ll take your word that the educated Rajapakse clan is the best out of a bad lot.
If white supremacist Christian middle America can elect Trump, a dodgy businessman who likes to act tough & the Conservatives can appoint a bungling joker as the party’s leader to take over as PM in UK, why not a tough talking, aspiring dodgy politician (who has pledged allegiance to America as well) backed by Sinhala Buddhist extremists in SL?
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Sammy / June 25, 2019
Why is this guy given publicity all of a sudden.
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Raj-UK / June 25, 2019
Native Vedda
‘A degree from St Thomas in 2008’…? Is it St. Thomas Mt Lavinia you are referring to? (didn’t know St Thomas awarded Degrees} Why not say graduated with a Masters in Space Systems Engineering (from whatever university), instead of completed? Anyway, a M Phil. from University of Colombo, ‘pursuing’ a double Doctorate in ‘Mathematical Optimisation of Space Debris Mitigation and Strategy Analysis’ & Doctorate in Business Administration, is most impressive. I am sure all these qualifications entitles him to be titled as Professor & I am sure there would be a long queue of head hunters outside his door every day with lucrative employment contracts to snap up such a brilliant mind, he doesn’t have to make his fortune in politics like the rest of his family. He has certainly made SL proud.
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Nathan / June 26, 2019
Why did they call it Ravana -1? Instead they could have said Rama-1, or Sita-1. Many dont have a good opinion about Ravana and also he is not a Lankan.
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Steve / June 26, 2019
We need Rocket Scientists since all our politicians have to be transported to a new planet very soon.
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Native Vedda / June 26, 2019
Steve
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“We need Rocket Scientists since all our politicians have to be transported to a new planet very soon.”
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I think they believe they are living on a completely different planets than the people.
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Native Vedda / June 26, 2019
Steve
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“We need Rocket Scientists since all our politicians have to be transported to a new planet very soon.”
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I think they believe they are living on a completely different planets than the people.
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