Date:09/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/09/stories/2007060911830100.htm

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Kalam calls for cooperation in space exploration

Staff Reporter

Hassan: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam anticipates "an industrial complex on the Moon and a beginning of human habitat emerging at Mars" in another 50 to 75 years.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Indian Space Research Organisation's Master Control Facility at Hassan on Friday, Dr. Kalam emphasised on the need for international cooperation in deep space exploration with a view towards space industrialisation and suggested creation of a World Space Council to oversee the planning and implementation of explorations.

Dr. Kalam dedicated to the nation INSAT-4B, launched on March 12 by the European Ariane-5 ECA launch vehicle of Arianespace. With 12 Ku-band transponders and 12 C-band transponders, the satellite is intended to augment Direct to Home (DTH) television and communications services.

The President presented ISRO's lifetime achievement award of Rs 20 lakh and a citation to former ISRO Chairman U.R. Rao. Five scientists, N. Pant, S.C. Gupta, E.V. Chitnis, B.N. Suresh and P.S. Goel received Outstanding Achievement Awards of Rs. 10 lakh each. The Astronautical Society of India's Aryabhata Award 2005 was given to P.S. Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Governor T.N. Chaturvedi and ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair spoke.