The CEC Survivor Lifeboat is a simple and primitive design that allows a ship's crew and passengers to escape to safety from their doomed vessel. Upon release, the Lifeboat automatically activates an emergency beacon to permit easy location by rescue craft. As to the reason why the Lifeboat only carries 6 hours of fuel - most survivable accidents generally occur a few hours away from a planet. This design was on the market before the Battle of Yavin.