ISRO has ambitious plans lined up

Agra, May 5 (UNI) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to set up a platform to facilitate its various programmes, including landing of satellite.

''For the successful landing of satellite on earth, ISRO will establish a platform in the near future,'' ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said addressing a ceremony at Dayalbagh Education Institute here yesterday.

''If this materialises, we will be able to send capsules in the 100-150 km range. Besides, we will be in a better position to keep track of happenings in the galaxy,'' Mr Nair said.

The ISRO chairman said India made quite an achievment by launching its first commercial venture and placing a 352-kg Italian satellite AGILE on April 23, that rode atop a PSLV C8 rocket, marking the 11th successful lift-off of the indigenous polar launch vehicles.

He said after AGILE, India ranks four in terms of space technology in international level. Meanwhile, ISRO is planning to launch 48 such satellites by 2020.

ISRO's ambitious 'Chandrayaan I' mission scheduled for March 2008 will prove to be a stepping stone for the Indian space research, whereby, scientists will try to study minerals and salts present on moon, he informed.

Dr Nair said under 'Chandrayaan I', reserchers would also try to find out the possibility of life on moon.

UNI