The Hindu : National : President's vision for space missions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 29, 2005

National

National

President's vision for space missions

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday exhorted India to join the race to set up mining and manufacturing industries on the moon and Mars. The next industrial revolution would take place in space and India should prepare itself for manned missions to the moon and Mars, he said.

Mr. Kalam was presenting his vision for the country's space missions in the next two to three decades while inaugurating a symposium on launch vehicles, organised in connection with the silver jubilee celebrations of the first successful launch of the satellite launch vehicle SLV-3, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here.

He said the country should develop the capability to refuel, repair and maintain satellites in orbit. Cost-effective space transportation systems, using hypersonic reusable vehicles, should be developed.

Reusable launch vehicles, he said, would provide cost-effective transportation of heavy payloads needed for constructions of large structures. ``The future needs will be solar power satellites for generation of electric power and exploration of planets."

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