India's development to be guided from space

India will soon be using space technologies and applications to develope its one billion and growing population.

The Space Summit, being held as part of the ongoing 90th Indian Science Congress in Bangalore, has sent out a strong signal that India's space capabilities will play a dominant role in making India a developed nation.

Union Minister of Space Vasundhara Raje and Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Kasturirangan on Saturday also sent a clear message that India will be extensively using its array of satellites and remote sensing systems for transforming the quality of Indian life.

Inaugurating the summit, attended by a galaxy of space scientists from across the world, Raje said space technology and applications would provide valuable inputs in remote sensing communications, navigation and connectivity to manage the country's natural resources and environment, entertainment, education, tele-health services, weather forecasting, and disaster management.

"Space will not only continue to inspire our ideas and fantasies, but also touch every facet of human life through technological developments. In the coming decades, space activity is also bound to be a big business with large investments in space systems, ground infrastructure, and an increasing downstream market for applications," Raje stated.

"Operational inter-agency coordination mechanisms such as the National Natural Resources Management Systems, the INSAT coordination committee, and the advisory committee for space science will integrate inputs for developmental planning and implementation," Kasturirangan said.

Apart from building, launching and operating a slew of satellites and remote sensing systems, ISRO will also embark on placing dedicating satellites in the polar and geo-stationary orbits for providing specific communication and information programs.

ISRO has already made a beginning with the launch of the Metrological satellite for providing exclusive transponders to monitor weather, climatic changes and relay high-resolution pictures for rescue and relief operations.

Besides satellites for communications, entertainment, broadcasting and weather, ISRO's future satellites will specifically cater to healthcare, education, and navigational purposes.