India self-reliant in space development

Wednesday, 03 September 2003, 19:30 IST
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India's top space scientist Wednesday said four decades of work had made the country self-reliant in efforts to harness space for development, including launching unmanned lunar missions. G. Madhavan Nair, the new head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said his organization was ready for work on the country's unmanned lunar mission, announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his address to the nation on August 15. "The design activity for the lunar mission is complete, and it will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. "The spacecraft will be placed at a distance from the moon and used to study the moon. It would be a totally unmanned mission," he said. "The work of our scientists in the past four decades have made us self-reliant in the field of space research and application," Nair told reporters here. Nair was named chairman of ISRO after his predecessor, K. Kasturirangan, was last week nominated to the Rajya Sabha, Parliament's upper house, after heading the organisation for close to a decade. Research conducted under the Indian space programme over the last 25 years had enabled the country to reach a stage where it developed the capability to indigenously launch larger satellites with multiple uses. A major highlight in the coming years would be the launch of the home grown Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III to put a 4,000-kg satellite in orbit. "We currently carry payloads of 2,000 kg and the GSLV Mk-III is currently under development. By 2007 we expect it to be launched," said Nair. Another crucial project for ISRO is the launch of recovery satellites, which can bring back satellites floating around in space after completing their service life. The people would also benefit from a wide array of satellites to be launched by ISRO over the next few years, including EduSat, which will link the premier institutions with all major educational institutions across the country. "This is expected to be ready by the second half of next year," said Nair. Tele-medicine was another thrust area for ISRO. In Kerala, the Amrithananda Mayi Hospital at Kochi is linked via satellite to the Lakshwadeep Islands. The latest hospital that has availed of this service is the medical college here. Both Kasturirangan and Nair belong to Kerala. Kasturirangan was born in Palghat district while Nair belongs to rural Thiruvananthapuram. Nair, whose association with the Indian space programme dates back almost 35 years, was director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here before being named ISRO chairman. He said he was overjoyed to be following in the footsteps of leading scientists like Vikram Sarabhai, U.R. Rao, Satish Dhawan and M.G.K. Menon who have served as the ISRO chief. Nair also worked with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when the latter was with the ISRO centre here in the 1970s and 1980s.
Source: IANS