Tirupati, April 10: IndianSpace Research Organisation chairman K Radhakrishnan said Space science was playing vital role in the socio-economic development of the country and was fast becoming part of our daily life.
Inaugurating the 41st Mid-Term Symposium on `Taking Telecom and IT Revolution to Rural India – Bridging the digital divide’ organised by the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) at the Sri Venkateswara University here today, Radhakrishnan said every measure was on for making the country self-reliant in space programme and to design low cost missions to access space.
“Today, we re on the threshold of an important mile stone in India’s space science and technology. On April 15, India will be flight testing its GSLV using indigenously developed cryogenic engine. It will be launched from Sriharikota and will be carrying an advance communication satellite,’’ he explained.
Stating that Indian space programme and satellite technologies have been proven from time to time, the ISRO chief said space was playing an important role in today’s economic development of the country. “It is acting as a catalyst to achieve self reliance to make the country a global leader,’’ he added. He said that our country, which had just over two per cent of geographical area, 4 per cent of water resources and 11 per cent of world’s population had a tough task ahead with regard to food, water and economic security.
“Given its socio-cultural diversity, different and difficult terrain with only 50 percent literacy, a low when compared to other developing nations, several parts of the country being multi-disaster prone, increasing population, over exploitation of resources particularly ground water, one should be very concerned,’’ he averred.
Radhakrishnan explained about various social initiatives of space like EDUSAT and its role in watershed development. He expressed happiness over Sujal, a water shed project in Karnataka by ISRO, bagging Globe Sustainability Research Award 2010. The award will be presented at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on April 29.
Delivering Vikram Sarabhai Memorial lecture on the occasion, S Ramakrishan, director (Projects) of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Tiruvanantapuram on `Access to Space Through Indian Launch Vehicles – Current Capabilities and Future perspectives’, gave a detailed picture of Indian Space journey from ASLV to the proposed LMV 3.
He said that next step was human space flight and every effort was being made in that direction. He said that plans were afoot to launch LMV 3 in 2011-12 apart from a Mission to Mars and Chandrayan II.
The inaugural session was presided over by IETE president Lt Gen Ashok Agarwal.
–Agencies