Students exhorted to join space sector

Vijayawada: In view of India’s rapid growth in the global space arena, students should actively consider careers in space science and research, said P Sunil, Deputy Director (System Reliability), Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. He addressed students at a programme organized by the Physics Department of PB Siddhartha College of Arts and Science at Mogalrajapuram in Vijayawada on Saturday.

Sunil noted that with missions such as Chandrayaan-4 and 5, Gaganyaan, Aditya, and the proposal to set up an Indian space station, the country is emerging as a strong space power. He said the scope for private space-tech startups is expanding, and even space tourism is gradually becoming a reality.

Delivering a special address, V Seshagiri Rao, Associate Director, Sriharikota Space Centre, said the world cannot function without satellite services. He explained that while 12,000 satellites are currently in service, the number is expected to rise to 68,000 within the next four years.

He added that interplanetary nano-satellites are already being used for deep-space photography, and satellite data centres and lunar GPS initiatives are taking shape globally. The global space economy, he said, has reached 613 billion dollars between 2020–24.

Siddhartha Academy Vice-Chancellor Dr P Venkateswara Rao, Siddhartha College Principal Dr Meka Ramesh, Director Vemuri Babu Rao, Dean Prof Rajesh C Jampala, Physics Faculty J Pandu Ranga Rao, Dr M Tasneem, Dr Sk Khaja Muswarin, Dr Vijayakrishna, and T Pujitha participated.