ISRO chief Somanath lauds PM Modi’s vision in advancing India’s space sector, highlights key policy reforms

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in strengthening India’s space ecosystem.

Speaking to ANI as the nation celebrates National Space Day on August 23, Somanath highlighted recent policy reforms and initiatives under the leadership of PM Modi towards advancing the space sector.

The ISRO chief said that PM Modi’s leadership has been crucial in several key policy interventions in India’s space sector. “As Prime Minister, Modi has not only created but also implemented policies through the governmental system,” he said.

Highlighting three major initiatives, the ISRO chief said, “After the space sector reforms, we were working on a space policy. This new policy clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Space, ISRO, and the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), paving the way for greater private sector involvement in space activities.”

“A foreign direct investment policy has also been announced in which the space sector private investments or foreign investments are allowed with certain controls and regulations which was not possible earlier. The third is done by DST, Department of Science and Technology on geospatial policy. That means all the geospatial data, satellite data is also now made available free of cost up to five-meter resolution to everybody so to create a secondary effect on it,” he added.

Reflecting on recent milestones, Somnath recalled the Prime Minister’s live participation in the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing event. “I remember our Prime Minister Modi was watching the live transmission and took a moment from the BRICS summit to join us,” he said.

Following the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, Modi declared August 23 as National Space Day and named the landing site ‘Shiva Shakti Point,’ while designating the Chandrayaan-2 landing site as ‘Tiranga Point.’

Somnath also recounted Modi’s visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he showed keen interest in the Gaganyaan mission and other space projects.

“We were asked to prepare a long-term roadmap, a vision for space 2047 in the Amritkaal. The Prime Minister was delighted with our presentation on future space missions, including the Gaganyaan program and plans for a space station,” Somanath said.

M Sankaran, Director, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) also recounted the Prime Minister’s visit to the space centre after the Chandrayaan-3 launch success.

“When he was talking, he was a bit emotional. Thanking all of us for being there and appreciated everybody’s effort. He was very clear that we have to involve other government agencies in the space activities that anyway that is what finally resulted in the space sector reforms also,” Sankaran said while speaking to ANI.

India is set to celebrate its first National Space Day on August 23, 2024. In 2023, on this very day, Chandrayaan 3 accomplished the safe and soft landing of Vikram Lander on the lunar surface. India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to land near the southern polar region of the moon.