The Hindu : International / India & World : A day at rocket design centre

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Saturday, Jun 04, 2005

International

International - India & World

A day at rocket design centre

K.V. Prasad

India, Ukraine can cooperate in space research: Kalam

DNEPROPETROVSK (UKRAINE): For a person who gained fame as the missile man, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday paid a visit to the Yuzhnoye design office here that played a role in the development of a missile based on new technologies and use of a self-contained guidance and control system.

Considered a repository of rocket and satellite technology, Mr. Kalam was given a presentation by its general director Stanislav Konyukhov on the achievements of the firm and its association with India since the launch its first satellite, Aryabhatta, in 1975.

The President, accompanied by senior scientists, flew in from Kyiv to the city, 500 km south of the Ukrainian capital on the penultimate day of his four-day visit here.

The design office which was earlier known as the special design bureau was established in 1954 and with the attainment of Independence and denuclearised status of the country, a new programme of missile development began taking into account the missile technology control regime and Wassenaar agreement that includes deployment of anti-aircraft missile defence systems.

Offer of cooperation

Mr. Konyukhov, who described the President as "father of Indian rockets" put forward a set of proposals on which the firm was willing to cooperate with India. The technical discussions would be conducted here by the Indian Space Research Organisation team headed by its chairman G. Madhavan Nair in the next two days.

Yuzhnoye has been one of the first companies in aerospace industry to set up the Telemetry Data Processing Centre in order to facilitate a solution of important problems while carrying out the flight tests of strategic missiles and launch vehicles.

The machine building plant here makes serial production of missiles, space launch vehicles, satellites and rocket engines. The plant participated in projects of ballistic missiles R-1 (SS-1) serial production and others in the serious including intercontinental ballistic missiles till the break up of former Soviet Union.

The firm currently has taken up projects like Okean-O oceanographic satellite; Koronas-F solar observation satellite; Zenit - 3SL three-stage launcher for sea launch project and Dnpere launch vehicle, the converted ss-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Over 50,000 scientists and experts are employed in the firm whose plant has production branches of rocket and space articles; of engines and civil products; of testing and utilisation; trolley cars and mechanical and preparatory production.

Earlier, during his meeting with the teaching staff and students of the Kyiv National T. Shevchenko University, the President suggested synergy between Indian Universities and Kyiv through cooperative programmes and establish a school of societal transformation to transform both countries into knowledge society.

Mr. Kalam said both countries could work together in space research, nano science, mathematical science and information technology. "The product which we choose should become a pioneering product within the next few years. This will enable marketing of the product with in the shelf life of the product globally," he said.

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