NEW DELHI: Noting that Satellite platforms ‘will greatly help our economic growth’, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said tele-education and tele-medicine are among the readily identifiable areas for this.
Patil said space-based applications had revolutionised the way Government machinery reaches out to its citizens, even in the far flung remote areas of the country. Utilising the application of its research and work for the benefit of society should be one of the overriding objectives of any discipline of science and technology.
The President was speaking at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, where she interacted through videoconferencing with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) members. Patil inaugurated the new Mission Control Centre and Launch Control Centre. She dedicated the new control centre to the nation.
Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan made a brief presentation on the Indian space programme and explained the exhibits displayed at the control centre.
The President also lauded the way Isro had reached out to other countries, and noted that during her last visit to Austria, she had been informed that two mini-satellites built by researchers from the technical universities of Vienna and Graz are being launched by Isro. There are many other instances of Isro launching satellites of other countries. India does enjoy a niche amongst the space faring nations of the world, she said.
During her visit, she experienced what she described as ‘a fascinating simulation of the launch of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from our new Mission Control Center’. She also saw the integration of the soon to be launched PSLV - C19 being assembled in full swing at the launch pad.
Noting that satellite navigation was coming up as a whole new vista in the Indian space programme, she said she was happy that a constellation of seven navigation satellites would provide navigational services for civilian and strategic applications in the coming days.
The President was accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan; Minister of State (PMO) V Narayanasamy; Minister in waiting Sunitha Lakshma Reddy; Members of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Andhra Pradesh.
