Union minister Jitendra Singh on November 10 credited the success of the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 missions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policy of "unlocking the space sector" through public-private partnerships and said even the US and Russia eagerly await for India to share information on these projects.
Singh emphasised that the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 missions symbolise India's fast-growing development. "Our missions started almost simultaneously. Chandrayaan-3's notable aspect was its landing on the southern pole (of the moon), an untouched region. We are gathering crucial data on the atmosphere, minerals and thermal conditions, and analysing the findings", he told reporters here.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir said globally, especially in the United States and Russia, who embarked on this journey much before India, there is keen anticipation for the latter to share information. "The US made the first landing of a human on the moon in 1969. But it was our Chandrayaan-3 that brought evidence of the existence of water (on moon) — the H2O molecule. It suggests the possibility for life (there). It is a significant area for investigation," he said.
Singh said even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking India's support now. "The US and Russia eagerly await India's sharing of information on it," he said.
"The Aditya mission has begun sending film. It is scheduled to commence work in January. It has garnered significant media coverage, with 10,000 people witnessing its launch at Sriharikota (in Andhra Pradesh)," the minister said. He said Modi's initiative opened up Sriharikota and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for public-private partnerships, fostering more than 150 startups in the space sector.
"During the last three to four years, we have had more than 150 startups in the space sector. Some have already become entrepreneurs," he added. Thanks to this, talented youngsters, who were previously compelled to seek opportunities abroad, are now flourishing in the space sector domestically, Singh said.
"Youngsters used to leave the country because they did not have any opportunity here despite their specialisation in the field. Modiji unlocked the space sector," he said.
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