Subbarami Reddy lauds ISRO for successful GSLV-D5 launch

The Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, environment and forests, T. Subbarami Reddy, has lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful launch of the GSLV-DS satellite.

Reddy was addressing a news conference in Bangalore.

"This January 5th, they (ISRO) have sent again another satellite to go around the earth. This will give great help in the field of agriculture, telecommunications and disaster management, and urbanisation, water, land resources, so many things it will help. So this has been done, this January 5th, it's done also by putting this in the world map, we also become one of the champions in the satellite," he said.

ISRO launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on January 5.

The GSLV is powered by ISRO's own cryogenic engine. Its success is crucial for India as it would be the first step towards building rockets and this would be the first mission of the GSLV after two such rocket launch failed in 2010.

ISRO planned to launch the rocket in August 2013 but had to abort just hours before the deadline due to fuel leakage from its second engine.

With such back to back successful missions, questions have now arised whether India will soon be able to launch human space flight. To this, Chief of ISRO, K. Radhakrishnan, said it is just the beginning.

"The priorities are space applications, communication satellite, remote sensing satellite, navigation satellite and space science. As far as human space flight is concerned, we are just in the beginning. At the moment we are studying the critical technologies required for that," he said.

ISRO used its indigenous cryogenic Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) programme in the GSLV D5 mission.

Reddy lauded ISRO for using indigenous technology and manpower.

"They want to do everything indigenously. They are not importing, nor they are getting any scientist or help from any other countries. Indian scientists, Indian technology has succeeded to achieve all these things," he said.

India launched its first rocket to Mars on November 5, 2013 aiming to put a satellite in orbit around the red planet at a lower cost than previous missions and potentially positioning the emerging Asian nation as a budget player in the global space race.

India's space programme began 50 years ago and developed rapidly after western powers imposed sanctions in response to a nuclear weapons test in 1974, spurring scientists to build advanced rocket technology. Five years ago, its Chandrayaan probe landed on the moon and found evidence of water.

India's heavy reliance on domestic companies for its space programme allows it to tap homegrown technicians and engineers who earn half as much as those in the West.