India to Build Super Heavy Rocket, Says Isro Chief

 Hyderabad: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr V. Narayanan on Tuesday said that the country is building a 40-storey-tall rocket — a super heavy-lift launch vehicle that was capable of launching 75-tonne payloads into space.

Stating that India’s space journey has entered a globally competitive phase, the Isro chief said the new mega rocket — when completed — would compete with the biggest launchers in the world, including Nasa’s Saturn rockets (45 tonne) which launched missions to the Moon, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy (64 tonne), the European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 (21 tonne) and China’s Long March 5/5B (25 tonne).

He had recently stated that India would launch the 6,500-kg Bluebird satellite of the US, the heaviest so far. India’s previous record heavy launch was that of the GSAT11 that weighed 5,854 kg.

Dr Narayanan was speaking at Osmania University’s 84th convocation, where he was conferred the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in recognition of his contributions to Indian space science.

Dr Narayanan, the 50th recipient of an honorary doctorate from the university, said he accepted the honour on behalf of Isro’s 20,000-member team.

In a speech that drew thunderous applause, he urged students to dream beyond degrees, honour their teachers and parents, and aim for the next Nobel Prize. He recalled the vision of the Nizams in establishing Osmania University and described ISRO’s rise from dependency on foreign nations to launching satellites for over 30 countries. His address turned the venue into what many described as a “planetarium of imagination.”

A record 1,261 PhD degrees were awarded, making it the highest number presented in a single convocation in India this year. 121 gold medals were also handed out, including a new Chancellor’s medal for the best PhD thesis in English by a tribal student, and a memorial medal instituted by IAS officer A. Sridevasena for the top MBA Finance student.

Telangana Governor and Chancellor Jishnu Dev Varma told students their degrees were not just ceremonial but a “rite of passage” into real-world responsibility. He reminded them of India’s evolving educational landscape, from the Gurukul system to NEP 2020, and called on graduates to blend knowledge with compassion.

Referring to Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Dr Abdul Kalam, he said, “Be thinkers, not just achievers. Let learning lead to purpose.”

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kumar Molugaram announced the development of an indigenous semiconductor chip, a national first for a state university, and said that 64 per cent of OU’s students are girls, many of them first-generation learners.