Putting man in space is India's next giant leap: AS Kiran Kumar

Time of India

4 hours ago

Mangaluru: The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), AS Kiran Kumar, stated that the space agency aims to establish India's own space station by 2035.
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He was speaking during an event titled 'Igniting the future: Isro's legacy and beyond' organised by the Ramakrishna Mission Mangaluru and Samatha Mahila Balaga at the Ramakrishna Math hall on Sunday.
"Visionaries like Vikram Sarabhai and Homi J Bhabha laid the foundation for Isro. Today, Isro plays a pivotal role in India's development. While other countries have used space activities for military purposes, India initially focused on non-military objectives like finding solutions to its problems such as weather monitoring, communication, broadcasting, and navigation.
After centuries of foreign rule, providing basic necessities like shelter and housing for all citizens was a major challenge in India.
In such a context, many naturally questioned whether priority should be given to the development of space technology," he explained.
"By the time we reach 100 years of Independence, and when we aspire to reach the topmost, we also need to build capacity and capability. Putting man in space is one such capability.
Originally, the plan was, by the 75th year of Independence, we should have put humans into orbit and brought them back. However, because of Covid-19 and other reasons, it got delayed," he said.
On the Gaganyaan programme, he said probably within a year or two, we will have Indian astronauts going around the orbit. "The ambitious
— to send a human to space — is India's next giant leap. The Gaganyaan programme requires large vehicles to be human-rated.
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Once we achieve this mission, we will become the fourth country in the world, beyond America, Russia, and China. It is an essential requirement because the world recognises only those who demonstrate capability," he said.
"Apart from launching its own satellites, India has successfully launched over 450 satellites from more than 34 countries. Through landmark missions like Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, and Aditya, India's capabilities have gained global recognition," he noted.
He called upon students to engage in space research and become scientists to contribute to the nation's growth. Swami Jitakamanandaji, secretary of Ramakrishna Math, Mangaluru, graced the event. The programme was inaugurated by Sumana Ghate, general manager, Karnataka Bank. The session was presided over by Katyayini Bhide, president of Samatha Mahila Balaga, Mangaluru. MM Nayak, former director of Isro's INSAT programme, Vijayalakshmi Rao, honorary president of Samatha Mahila Balaga, and MLC Manjunath Bhandary were present.
'Space on Wheels' exhibition
A mobile scientific exhibition titled 'Space on Wheels', curated by UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, was also held. A specially designed exhibition bus arrived from Bengaluru. The exhibition, which presented the history, achievements, and future vision of Isro, attracted more than 1,000 students from various schools and colleges.