Date:08/01/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/08/stories/2003010805571200.htm

National

`No need for global force to protect satellites'

By P. Sunderarajan

BANGALORE JAN. 7. A top official of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said today that there was no need for a special international force to protect satellites and other space assets of different nations, as suggested by the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Addressing a summit of space agencies of the world organised here on Saturday as part of the Indian Science Congress, Dr. Kalam had called for the creation of such a force to prevent terrestrial geo-political conflicts from spreading to outer space on the ground that though launched by countries individually, satellites and other objects in space were the assets of the entire humanity and needed to be protected by a special force constituted with the participation of all countries.

Speaking to reporters here today, James Dodge, Director of Earth Sciences at NASA, said: There are lots of satellites in space. They are all good for mankind, I do not think there is any threat to mankind from them and there is, therefore, no need for a force to protect them." Dr. Kalam's concern for humanity was welcome and it was hoped that there would be general peace in the world," he added.

Dr. Dodge, who was addressing the press conference jointly with Kenneth Hodgins, Deputy Director, Office of the Space and Advanced technology in the U.S. State Department, appreciated India's progress in space technology and said the U.S. was eager to help India in all ways in space research.

India and the U.S. have agreed to launch a new programme of cooperation in space technology following discussions between the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the U.S. President, George Bush, during Mr. Vajpayee's visit to the U.S. Several areas of cooperation have been identified and this include satellite navigation services, environmental monitoring and of the global position system (GPS). As a follow up, an India-U.S. conference on space technology would be organised in India later this year. A team from NASA would come again for a discussion about the conference and the various elements of cooperation.