Chandigarh, January 3: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science & Technology (KCCRSST) at Chandigarh University. He also launched a Scholarship Scheme, worth Rs 10 crore, for the wards of Defence Personnel of the three Services.
“In the 21st century, the future of India can be secured only when you have a gleam in your eyes to reach the stars and planets. More Indians like Aryabhatta, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Kalpana Chawla will emerge from amongst you all if you eye different planets and constellations,” Singh told the students present on the occasion.
Remembering late India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Singh described her as a symbol of women empowerment, who took flight beyond imagination. He urged the people to maintain her zeal and enthusiasm and motivate their daughters to go ahead & touch unimaginable heights, echoing the Government’s vision of increased participation of women in all sectors.
Established with the objective of training students in space science, satellite development and meet future challenges in space research, the state-of-the-art KCCRSST would be the Ground Control Station for the Chandigarh University’s Student Satellite (CUSat), an in-house developed nano-satellite being designed by the students of the university and a Geo-Spatial Centre for research, besides other projects.
With the launch of CUSat, Punjab will become the first border State in India to have its own satellite in space. The launch of the university’s nanosatellite – CUSat will prove to be an important step for the country, as it will collect data related to border intrusion detection, agriculture, weather forecasting, natural disaster forecasting, which will be helpful in research and study of various problems in these areas. In addition, the GCS will help develop satellite research facilities and launch satellites in countries that do not have developed satellite technology.
Chancellor of Chandigarh University S Satnam Singh Sandhu, scientists, faculty and students were present at the inauguration of the KCCRSST.
