Tech Shout!

India is all ready to develop its first space university in the southern state of Kerala. This move is mainly to perfectly train experts who will finally help develop the country’s satellite and rocket programs.

The renowned Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been assigned the responsibility of setting up the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) to meet high technology requirements of ISRO. According to ISRO’s G. Madhavan Nair, the agency had set a ‘target’ of mid-August.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Nair stated that the main reason behind ISRO to come up with the concept of an institute as it encountered a ‘very alarming situation’ with respect to drawing the right talent for India’s space programs.

According to Nair, in the new university, students will be taught about propulsion, aerodynamics, navigation, guidance, sub-systems, avionics, control systems etc.

At first IIST will operate from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre campus, which is located at Thiruvananthapuram and is a lead centre of ISRO, and venue for launches. In the near future ISRO will design a complete infrastructure for IIST on a site next to the Kerala capital in around two years time.

What’s indeed is interesting is that for the first batch itself the institute is already having a good response. Approximately 150 students are expected to be enrolled in aeronautical and avionics engineering and integrated MSc (Master of Science) in space sciences in the first academic year.

“For the starting batch there are a large number of applicants from (Indian Institute of Technology) IITs,” said Nair.

For a fact, Indian brains are one of the most admired and intelligent ones around the world; though at times they may perhaps encounter a slight lack of opportunity. But all the same, initiatives like these are sure to bring out the best and polish.