There is no doubt about high Return on Investment (RoI) in space programmes, since India is among the handful of countries having capability to launch satellites, which are of considerable help in agriculture, climate, transportation, A. Rajarajan, Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, said here on Saturday.
This capability and reliability are the reasons why many countries approach India to launch their satellites, he added, on the sidelines of a technology conclave he inaugurated that was hosted here by SCMS Group of Educational Institutions and BharatTech Foundation.
On whether attrition rate and many years of recruitment freeze had resulted in shortage of space research professionals – including at the management level in India, he said efforts were under way to develop mentorship and to encourage leadership, innovation, administrative skills and also bonding among personnel from centres spread across different States. Creating synergy among them in this largely virtual era is crucial. Promising personnel are being identified and encouraged. Over time, people have understood that more than the salary, it is motivation and a sense of satisfaction that are more important in the sector, Mr Rajarajan said.
Speaking of manned missions, he said the primary objective is to safely land humans on the moon and bring them back. On the success of Chandrayaan-3, he said a foolproof feedback system was in place, to ensure soft landing on the moon. Possessing the capability to reach another celestial body and soft land there is in itself an achievement.
He exhorted students to have clarity on what they aspired to be and to enjoy the process of attaining their goal. Life will be bliss if hard work and time management went hand in hand with communication skills. Youth must never skip their breakfast and must not compromise on a healthy lifestyle.
The others who spoke at the inaugural include Siddharth Narayanan, Founding Director of BharatTech Foundation; its Member-Kerala Srinivas P. and Radha Thevannoor, Registrar and Group Director of SCMS. Operations Director of Chandrayaan-3 Pradeepkumar P., Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation Sridhar Vembu and KSUM Director Karthik Parasuram were among those who spoke at the technology conclave.
