Belagavi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is embarking on the development of its Next Generation heavy lift launch vehicle, GSLV Mk-III, which will establish the country’s indigenous capability in launching 4-tonne class communication satellites, its chairman, A S Kiran Kumar said on Friday.
Revealing that the first experimental flight of GSLV Mk-III was successfully conducted in December 2014, he said it validated the complex atmospheric regime of the flight and demonstrated the integrity of its design.
Mr Kumar, who was delivering the 15th convocation address of the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Belagavi, maintained that the Indian space programme was steadily progressing with integration of advanced technologies developed indigenously.
“Space transportation systems like PSLV and GSLV and satellites for comunication are providing much needed services essential for the nation,” he pointed out, noting that the country had been able to establish a well-knit space infrastructure network to support a multitude of applications addressing the social, economic and cultural aspects of Indian society at large. "Space technology is being increasingly utilised for energising a social process to enhance the quality of human resources and empower the local community,'' he added.
Recalling that Isro had achieved another milestone by successfully putting all seven Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites in geostationary and geosynchoronous orbits, he explained they were useful in terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, integration with mobile phones, precise timing, mapping and geodetic data capture, terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers and visual/voice navigation for drivers. On the status of higher education in the country, he said it was seeing rapid growth in terms of student enrolment as well as establishment of new universities, and institutes of national importance.
