In an event on Tuesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said that for every rupee the organization spent, the society got several returns. He stressed their goal was not to compete for supremacy but to serve the nation.
At an event organized by the Social Welfare Department and Science and Technology Department of the Government of Karnataka, Somanath interacted with students from the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS). He shared a study by ISRO with the students and firmly stated that for every rupee spent by ISRO, the return was Rs 2.50. He pointed out the necessity for an ecosystem for business opportunities.
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"Going to the moon is a costly affair. And we cannot depend only on the government for funding. We must create business opportunities. If you have to sustain it, you have to create a use for it. Otherwise, after we do something, the government will tell you to close down," the ISRO Chief said.
ISRO Chief shares the manifold contributions of the National Space Agency
He also mentioned the organization does more than space exploration. For instance, they issue advisories to fishermen. “With the help of our advisory, they know where to go for the best catch. We use Oceansat to gauge the sea and issue the advisory after studying various parameters. By using this service, the fishermen not just get a good yield of fish, but they also save diesel required for the boats substantially," remarked Somanath.
The Chief also shared with the students about the first space project he participated in the 1990s – the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which initially failed because of altitude control issues. He said the team worked laboriously in the next 10 months to set it right and launch it successfully again.
Over 2 lakh students and teachers from the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society participated in the event. Several took part online and interacted over Zoom.
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