Become risk-sharing partner in space field: Isro to industry

Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) K Radhakrishnan today advocated the need for Indian industry to become a risk-sharing partner for production of launch vehicles, satellites and ground equipment.

Delivering the convocation address at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), he said space-based applications should become part of the value chain of the user community, which should internalise them.

Radhakrishnan said, "Advanced research should be undertaken in tandem with academia on cutting-edge technologies, targeting to make India a technology leader in niche areas".

"India is a role model to the world in space applications, one of the six (nations) in the world with capability to make satellites and launch them from her own soil, one of the four that demonstrated capability for re-entry of spacecraft from space, presumably the first one to orbit 10 satellites in one single mission and facilitator for a major discovery of water molecules and water ice on the lunar surface."

"All these were achieved with a shoestring budget as low as 3% of Nasa's expenditure on space programmes," the Isro chairman said.

Radhakrishnan, an alumni of IIMB, recalled that he had the privilege to be a proud graduate when the first convocation was held 34 years ago.