The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the remarkable team work and output shown by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) over the years is a model for other departments and institutions. He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the week long celebrations of World Space Week, in SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh today. The Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Shri E.S.L. Narasimhan, the Chairman, ISRO, Shri Kiran Kumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.The Vice President said that his heart swells with pride with India’s prowess in space technology as country marches ahead to conquer new frontiers in space exploration. It is a double delight to him to be here as this internationally-renowned rocket launching site is located in his native district of Nellore, he added.The Vice President said that a thousand years ahead of Europeans, Indian savants knew that the zero and infinity were mutually inverse notions. He further said that with the launch of the first sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) in 1963 and the first Satellite, Aryabhata in 1975, India has made giant strides and has emerged today as one of the leading space faring nations in the leadership of visionaries like Prof. Vikram Sarabhai, Prof. Satish Dhawan and former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
The Vice President said that by putting 104 satellites into orbit in one go and placing the heaviest Indian satellite, GSAT-19 weighing 3,136 kg in its orbit earlier this year, India’s space scientists and technologists have not only done the country proud but made the world to sit up and take note of its accomplishments. It is not a question of mere technological advancement, but achieving launch after launch successfully at much lesser costs of similar missions in advanced countries which makes every Indian proud, he added.The Vice President said that this space port on the spindle-shaped island is one of the busiest satellite launch centres in the world and catering to global needs by truly epitomising India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. He further said that all the activities of ISRO have been centred on societal applications. ISRO now stands as one of the most reputed and leading space agencies in the world and is a huge source of inspiration to students and young and upcoming scientists, he added.The Vice President made a visit to the Vehicle Assembling Unit at the SHAR.