ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar on Monday
said the country has the capability to set up a space station, but it needed a
long-term approach and an ambitious planning.
His comment follows Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) display of technological prowess last week by launching 104 satellites in
a single mission.
“We have all the capabilities to set up
a space station. The day the country takes the decision, we will ‘ok’ the
project. Just draw a policy and provide us necessary funds and time,” Kumar
said here.
He was in the city to attend the
foundation day ceremony of Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology (RRCAT).
“We still talk about what would be the
immediate benefits of a manned space mission. That is why the country hasn’t
made up its mind about when to invest in a space station,” he said.
A long-term thinking was needed for
setting up a space station, he said, adding “the sooner the better.”
Kumar said ISRO was also mulling tying
up with the industry to enhance the country’s satellite launching capability.
Many more satellites were needed to keep
a tab on the land and weather conditions and to enhance the communication
network, he said.
This would be possible with increase in
the number of satellite launches, for which the country needed to enhance the
basic infrastructure and reduce the cost of equipment, he added.
The number of companies manufacturing
small satellites has gone up across the world, but these companies could not
launch them, therefore this area had immense commercial potential and India
could tap it by enhancing the launch facilities, the ISRO chief said.
Source :- Hindustan Times
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