The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) needs to focus more on research and less on production and delivery in the days ahead, ISRO chairman S. Somanath has said.
Inaugurating the 15th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Valiyamala, on Monday, Mr. Somanath also urged ISRO and IIST to remodel themselves for adapting to the transformations taking place in the space ecosystem in India.
Mr. Somanath noted that, over the years, the focus in ISRO moved to production and operationalisation. A shift to research and development is very important, as ISRO was originally designed for R&D, he said. ISRO was one of the few organisations that produced tangible outcomes from its research, he said.
Today, considerable research was oriented towards product improvement. But there could be better ways of engaging in research. Tasks associated with production should move out of the system, he said.
Mr. Somanath noted that several space-tech startups made their mark and grew in size with well laid-out future plans.
‘Dependence on imports still high’
Former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan delivered the 8th A.P.J. Abdul Kalam memorial lecture on 'Life lessons in leadership'. He said India's dependence on imports in the technology sector continued to be high. The country needed to move away from being 'technology dependent' and become 'technology adequate', Dr. Radhakrishnan, presently member, Space Commission, said. Technology, he said, would play a crucial role in moulding a future-ready society.
IIST Chancellor B.N. Suresh, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and IIST director S. Unnikrishnan Nair, IIST Registrar Kuruvilla Joseph, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre director V. Narayanan, and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit director Sam Dayala Dev were present.
