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Newdelhi:25/11/23:The Diamond Jubilee of India’s first sounding rocket launch from Thumba in Kerala providentially coincides with the year 2023 which saw the historic twin feats of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions, said the Union Minister of State for Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today.
The year 2023 will also go down in history as the year when Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi declared 23rd of August, the day Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon, as ‘National Space Day’, he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, who is also the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, and Atomic Energy, was addressing the Commemoration of the 60th year of the First Sounding Rocket Launch at a function at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS).
On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh witnessed the ceremonial launch of a similar Sounding Rocket undertaken from the Space pod where the original launch took place on November 21, 1963. In a symbolic gesture, the countdown was announced by Shri Pramod P. Kale, who read out the countdown way back on the first launch 60 years ago.
Later, addressing the media, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions reiterates India’s indigenous capabilities and vindicates the dream that Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the first Chairman of ISRO and the founding father of India’s Space Programme, saw six decades ago.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the last ten years have been a watershed period in the scientific transformation in India’s journey since Independence. And as far as Space and geospace and the entire ecosystem is concerned, it is even more visible, more so in the last five years.
“Till the year 2013, 40 launch vehicle missions were accomplished with nearly 3 launches on an average per year. This has doubled in the last decade with 53 launch vehicle missions at an average of 6 launches per year,” he said, adding, “ISRO had launched 35 foreign satellites till 2013. This has seen exponential growth in the last 9-10 years with the ISRO launching more than 380 foreign satellites, earning more than 220 Million Euros and over 170 Million US Dollars by launching American satellites.”
Referring to Amritkaal and Prime Minister’s vision for “India@2047”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the value addition to India’s economy is going to come from hitherto unexplored sectors including the Space sector. From that point of view, he said, the Space economy is going to make a significant contribution to the nation’s economy when Independent India celebrates its 100th Independence Day and will be a frontline nation of the world.
“Due to the opening up of the Space sector, emergence of Space Startups and Industry linkages, India’s Space economy could skyrocket from about $8 billion at present to $100 Billion in the years to come, as projected by foreign trade experts who are amazed by India’s quantum leap,” he said.
