‘2016 a remarkable year for Indian Space Science, ISRO’

Kunhikrishnan was to inaugurate the Second World Congress on Computing and Communication Technologies organised by the Department of Computer Science, St Joseph’s College. He said that computing and communication technology were coupled together in the space programmes which transmitted coded messages and stressed that the Prime Minister’s vision of digital India lies within these two areas. 

“Unless the outcome of technology reaches the common man, the whole effort is lost. So, digitisation must be made possible in all walks of life,” he said. Pointing out that the ISRO mission had a humble start with SLV, the director said that the space agency was able to develop highly successful launch vehicles like the PSLV that completed 37 successful missions till February 15 and another one was on the cards. 

“Now, we have the workforce for the PSLV as well as GSLV. The production of the indigenous GSLV-Mark III, the country’s most powerful launch vehicle built to place the heaviest Indian communications satellites in space is almost over and it will be dedicated to the country within the first half of the year,” he said. 

Stating that the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) had made the entire world to acknowledge India as a key player in space missions, Kunhikrishnan said, “We are the first country to place the probe vehicle in Mars orbit in the first attempt itself. The PSLV, with a good amount of changes, was used for the Mars mission.” 

Further, Kunhikrishnan said that India had developed its out-navigation constellation, named NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), which is also a GPS, that can be accessed via mobile phones also and it was dedicated to the country by the Prime Minister in 2016. During the congress, more than 65 technical papers were presented by scientists and researchers from India, Malaysia, Botswana and Australia.