New Delhi: Noting that India's space
programme faces several challenges, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh today said the Space Vision 2025 should reflect how the
country could more effectively harness space technology for
development.
Exploring new frontiers of space technology aimed at
low-cost access to space, development of heavy lift boosters
to launch heavier satellites, realising high power and high
bandwidth communication satellites and remote sensing
satellites with all- weather capacity are some of the
challenges, he said.
He was addressing top scientists of Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) after inaugurating
Thiruvananthapuram-based Indian Institute of Space Science and
Technology (IIST) through tele-link from his residence here.
"The Space Vision should spell out not only our
expansion plans but also the new frontiers of technology that
we wish to master. We should reflect on how we can more
effectively harness space technology for developmental
purposes", Singh said.
The Prime Minister also gave away annual ISRO awards
for 2007 to several scientists for their significant
contribution to the growth of ISRO in a variety of capacities.
Observing that the IIST would be able to cater to half
the annual manpower needs of ISRO, he said necessary
conditions should be created to attract the best and the
brightest to scientific and technological study.
Lauding the remarkable achievements of the Department of
Space and ISRO, the Prime Minister said there were 11
communication and nine remote sensing satellites, providing a
wide array of space based services to the country.
"I recall the pride I felt, like all other Indians, when
I was informed of the success of the Chandrayaan Mission to
the Moon. You have earned the respect of the entire
international community," he told the scientists which include
ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair.
He said India's space programme is based on two features
-- it is a shining example of self-reliance and indigenous
effort in an area of highly advanced technology and another it
is firmly rooted to the ground.
The applications of country's space-based capabilities
were of direct benefit to national development goals, he said
adding that 50,000 classrooms were connected through the tele-
education network.
More than 375 hospitals were providing tele-medicine
services to over three-lakh patients and over 475 village
resource centres were providing single window-based space
services in the country, he said.
Singh also laid the foundation stone of ISRO's Space
Complex which would come up at Sadiq Nagar here.
IIST is the only space university in the world offering
courses at undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-
doctoral level with specific focus to space science and
technology.
Currently, IIST offers B Tech courses in Avionics,
Aerospace Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Set up under the Department of Space, IIST was started in
an alternative campus in 2007 as a premier national institute
and as a university offering courses from under-graduate
level.
The institute provides full-fledged infrastructure of
world standard for academic and research activities in space
sciences.
The institute is conducting B.Tech programmes in
Avionics, Aerospace Engineering and physical Sciences and
post-graduate programmes in soft-computing, RF and Microwave
communications and Applied and Adaptive Optics.
Besides, IIST would offer facilities for doctoral and
post-doctoral programmes to meet the requirements of ISRO.
In addition to regular curriculum, the courses have special
modules for space technology and space sciences on high-end
research activities.
A message from Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan was read
out at the function here, which was attended among others by
state Education Minister M A Baby.
Bureau Report