SPACE ACE

NO ROCKET SCIENCE

In 1962, astrophysicist Vikram Sarabhai impressed upon Jawaharlal Nehru the imperative of developing indigenous space technology. He did the spadework to create the infrastructure for solid propulsion rockets at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram, seeking only technological inputs from his extensive contacts in the US, former USSR, Japan and France. He created a culture of open-ended experiments and innovations that contributed to a healthy competitive environment and team spirit at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Blossoming as a space power, India today occupies pride of place with its mastery of rocket and satellite manufacturing expertise. This has engendered confidence in the country’s engineering and scientific R&D capabilities. Despite ISRO’s ex-chairman Satish Dhawan’s claims about ‘the