Mysuru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted India’s progress in space science, astronomy and research, saying the country’s growing capabilities in these fields were opening up new opportunities for young people and contributing to improving lives on Earth.
Inaugurating the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium, described as India’s first LED dome planetarium, Modi said the facility would add a new chapter to Mysuru’s contribution to India’s scientific journey and help nurture scientific curiosity among students.
Stressing on the importance of technology, Modi said that technology was transforming the world at an unprecedented pace.
“No country can afford to risk falling behind in this race. Over the past decade, India has made remarkable progress in astronomy, astrophysics and the space sector. We have established new telescopes across the country. India is now among a select group of countries that have made advances in several challenging areas of space exploration,” he said.
Modi stressed the achievements of the country in space sector.
“Through Chandrayaan-3, ISRO made India the first country in the world to land near the Moon’s south pole. With Aditya-L1, India established its first solar observatory in space. Last year, India also became the fourth country in the world to demonstrate the capability of docking and undocking spacecraft in orbit.
During this period, an Indian astronaut also travelled to the International Space Station and conducted several experiments. The experience gained from this mission is proving useful for our own human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan,” the Prime Minister said.
He said that the government opened up the space sector, creating new opportunities for private players. “Indian start-ups have also got an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities. Today, our young entrepreneurs are developing and launching their own rockets, placing satellites into orbit and undertaking several activities in the space sector that had never been attempted in India before,” he added.
Modi asserted that India in the 21st century is moving forward with this vision, and the youth are performing exceptionally well in this endeavour.
Speaking about the achievements of the youth, Modi stated that Indian students had performed well in international science Olympiads.
“Five students who represented the country at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Vietnam this year won four gold medals and one silver medal. Indian students also won gold or silver medals in international Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, marking a record achievement. The success reflected the importance of providing young people with opportunities, learning resources and technological support, adding that the Cosmos Planetarium would help nurture their scientific interests,” he added.
He urged the authorities managing the planetarium to encourage schools and colleges in the region to organise visits so that more students could experience the facility and develop an interest in astronomy and space research.
“Some of the children who come here to learn about the universe may one day return to this very place and tell us about the new discoveries they have made about the cosmos. That would be the greatest success of this planetarium,” he said.
Referring to Mysuru’s legacy of promoting education and research, he recalled the establishment of the University of Mysore during the reign of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and the Wadiyar family’s contribution to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
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