(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The prime minister said india was already sharing disaster management data with over 30 countries besides providing the benefits of telemedicin
Prime ministernarendra modi on monday exhorted indian space scientists to take up the challenge of developing a satellite exclusively for south asian association for regional cooperation (saarc) nations to facilitate india’s neighbours reap the benefits of the massive advancement made by the country in its space programme.“india must share the fruits of its advancements in space technology with the developing nations particularly the neighbours and the development of a ‘saarc’ satellite that can provide a full range of applications and services would be an ideal gift from india to its neighbours” a visibly elated modi said in his congratulatory address to space scientists at the mission control centre at sriharikota in andhra pradesh after witnessing the landmark launch of the polar satellite launch vehicle — pslv c-23.
isro launches pslv c-23 with 5 satellitesP. s. jayaramThe indian space research organisation (isro) added yet another feather to its cap on monday when it successfully launched the polar satellite launch vehicle (pslv c23) and placed five satellites from four countries in orbit which was witnessed by indian prime minister narendra modi.After a perfect lift off from the first launch pad in satish dhawan space centre at sriharikota at 9.52am the isro’s workhorse pslv-c23 placed all five satellites in their intended orbits perfectly.After the landmark event modi described the achievement as an endorsement of india’s space capabilities and said it was a privilege to witness the launch of pslv c23. the prime minister who arrived in sriharikota on sunday ahead of the launch of pslv on monday also congratulated the entire team of space scientists who had made it possibleBesides its primary payload of 714 kg french earth observation satellite spot-7 pslv c23 carried and placed in orbit 14 kg aisat of germany nls7.1 (can-x4) and nls7.2 (can-x5) of canada each weighing 15 kg and the 7 kg velox-1 of singapore. the french satellite spot 7 identical to spot-6 which isro had launched in 2012 was placed diametrically opposite to spot-6 forming part of the existing earth observation satellite. european space technology company airbus defence and space built spot-7.Germany’s aisat satellite would focus on global sea-traffic monitoring system with special emphasis on high traffic zones using ais signals. it is also germany’s first dlr satellite in the nano-satellite class. nls 7.1 and nls 7.2 are from the university of toronto institute of aerospace studies/ space flight laboratory in canada. both payloads would perform two-spacecraft precision formation flying using differential gps with centimetre-level relative position and sub-metre level accurate position control system.Satellite velox-1 from nanyang technological university singapore is a technology demonstrator for in-house design of image sensor mems-based attitude determination and control system and inter-satellite rf link. the five satellites were launched under commercial arrangements that antrix (isro’s commercial arm) entered into with the respective foreign agencies.Isro has so far launched 35 satellites from 19 countries around the globe - algeria argentina austria belgium canada denmark france germany indonesia israel italy japan korea luxembourg singapore switzerland the netherlands turkey and united kingdom bringing huge revenues to the country in foreign exchange.News?khaleejtimes.comThe prime minister said india was already sharing disaster management data with over 30 countries besides providing the benefits of telemedicine to afghanistan and african nations. “but we must do more” he said adding that space technology is a domain where india had pushed beyond mediocrity and achieved excellence to enjoy a cutting edge internationally.This is the second time that modi has reached out to the saarc nations after the bharatiya janata party (bjp) stormed to power in may this year. earlier he had invited the heads of all the eight saarc nations for his swearing in ceremony as the prime minister. the saarc nations include pakistan sri lanka bangladesh nepal afghanistan maldives and bhutan besides india.Calling upon the indian space community to proactively engage all stakeholders to maximise the use of space technology in governance and development the prime minister in his 30-odd minute inspiring speech in a perfect blend of english and hindi said india must fully harness this expertise in the developmental process for social change economic development and resource conservation. speaking of india’s age-old ethos of the whole world being one family modi asserted that the country’s space programme was driven by a vision of service to humanity and not a desire for power. “india has a rich heritage of science and technology including space. the works of our ancestors including visionaries like bhaskaracharya and aryabhata still continue to inspire generations of scientists” he said adding that the country should be proud of its indian space program which is fully indigenous and developed in the face of great international pressure and hurdles.The prime minister referring to the misconception that space technology was only for the elite class said the space programme had huge benefits for the common man. “it drives modern communication empowers children in remote villages with quality education and ensures quality healthcare to all through telemedicine. it has a critical role in realising the vision of a digital india — the power of 1.25 billion connected indians” he said.Stating that continued progress in space must remain high priority modi called for developing more advanced satellites and expanding india’s satellite footprint which should extend all over south east asia.Urging the indian space research organisation (isro) to involve the country’s youth in space programmes modi said he was pleased to have met the young scientists at sriharikota before the launch and admired their work and their achievements.“india’s space programme is the best example of his vision of scale speed and skill” the prime minister said and wished the team of scientists the best in their future endeavors. union parliamentary affairs minister m venkaiah naidu andhra pradesh governor e s l narasimhan andhra pradesh chief minister n chandrababu naidu and eminent scientists prof u r rao and dr. kasturirangan were also present on the occasion. for more news from khaleej times follow us on facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on twitter at ?khaleejtime
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