Dr. V. Narayanan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre,

Shri D. Sam Dayala Dev, Director, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit,

Dr. Biju Jacob, IA&AS, Chief Controller,

Shri A. Shooja, Deputy Director,

Shri V. Kishorenath, Associate Director,

Shri S.R. Vijayamohanakumar, Convener, World Space Week,

Dear Scientists, Researchers,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellavarkkum Ente Namaskaram.

       It gives me great joy to inaugurate the World Space Week celebrations of this year at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.  This is my first visit to this prestigious institution, which has always elevated India's global image in Space Research.

       Let me at the outset convey my wholehearted appreciation for the scientific and technological strides taken by this Space Centre over the years.

       I also pay my humble Pranaams to the sacred memory of the Late Dr. Vikram Sarabhai who showed that India could lead by exploiting the most modern technology and of the Late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President who inspired millions   through his vision and simple living.

       Today, as we begin the celebration of World Space Week on the theme Space Unites the World, we are aware of India's strength as the second largest reservoir of scientific and technical manpower and the sixth in the race for Space.  This has instilled a great level of trust and confidence in the minds of our people about India's scientific capabilities. India's achievements have also encouraged more youngsters to opt for Space related studies. Therefore, I am certain that the joint celebration by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU)will educate students and the people on how Space Research benefits their daily lives.

       There was a time when scientific research remained distanced from the lives of ordinary people. It was Space research which took the lead in reaching out to society by using inventions and findings for improving the living conditions of ordinary people. Fifty years ago, who would have thought that Satellites could spot fishing zones and enlighten us on paces rich in various resources? But now, such things are not wonders, but simple services that we take for granted.

Considering India’s leadership in satellite remote sensing of earth and its applications for cyclone monitoring, disaster management, monitoring of rescue operations, national security etc., the people’s expectation from such facilities is also rising day by day.  When disaster affected areas get disconnected from the rest of the world, satellite images is the only way to identify the gravity of the disaster. Thus, satellite-based remote sensing and communication systems are becoming a critical requirement for disaster management across the world. But, ensuring such data during night has been a problem. I am happy that Satellite-based microwave remote sensing is now being put into service in India to get such images and data during nights and bad weather.

I am certain that all people in Kerala would recall with utmost gratitude, the services and support ISRO had extended through its space-based and ground-based sensors. The
C-Band Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Thumpa and the S-Band Radar at Kochi were continuously monitoring the weather up to 500 km radius. During the Ockhi cyclone also we had seen how ISRO came to the rescue by supplying vital data for interpretation by the Indian Meteorological Department.

Yet, it is surprising why different agencies engage in blame game about the timely availability of information during natural disasters. Personally, I have felt a need for better clarity and simplicity in the communications that reach the people. Ultimately, the manner in which we communicate matters to society decides how people understand important warnings about weather and more importantly, Climatic change.  I would suggest that ISRO could take an initiative in coordinating the flow of such vital information. Programmes for updating the media through training modules can also be considered so that they could convey scientific information with better clarity.  With a National Information system for Climate and Environment Studies (NICES) in place, the expansion of such information sharing would not be a problem at all.

       As Chancellor of the universities in the State, I too share the anxiety that Dr. K. Kasturirangan, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organization [ISRO] expressed three years ago. He was worried about Space Science not spreading into the university research system. His worry was that even after Chandrayan and the announcement of Mangalyan, very few research papers on these projects had come from universities. But, I do not believe that the fault is with universities alone. We need a more flexible and encouraging policy to involve universities also in space research. With ISRO supporting universities willing to launch their own satellites, I hope there would be positive changes.

I sincerely hope that the extension activities planned as part of World Space Week would reach the maximum number of people, especially students. Let our students learn the  effectiveness of teamwork by understanding how Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre develops satellite launch vehicles, how Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) designs and develops propulsion stages for the Launch Vehicles and how the Inertial Systems Unit  designs and develops Inertial Systems for these Launch Vehicles. In short, the World Space Week should become an opportunity to convey to our society, the real worth of a national assets like ISRO, VSSC, LPSC, IISU etc.

Let me also convey my decision to take a close look at the exhibition arranged here as part of World Space Week.

I compliment the organizers for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind