The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, spoke about the feats achieved by Indian startups in the space sector in his monthly radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday, June 26. He said India cannot lag behind as the youth is ready to touch the sky.
This was the 90th episode of Mann Ki Baat. The Prime Minister of India said that during one's childhood, stories of the Moon and stars in the sky attract everyone, according to a report by news agency ANI. He added that “for the youth, touching the sky is synonymous with making dreams come true”. He further said that today, when India is touching the sky of success in so many fields, how can the skies, or space, remain untouched by it.
Modi also said that in the past few years, many big feats related to the space sector have been accomplished in our country.
The Prime Minister of India stated that one of the achievements of the country has been the creation of an agency called In-Space. It is an agency promoting new opportunities in the space sector for the private sector of India, he explained.
Modi further said that until a few years ago, people hardly thought of startups in the space sector in India. However, today, there are more than 100 such startups.
Modi mentioned two start-ups, namely, Agnikul and Skyroot from Chennai and Hyderabad, respectively. These startups are developing launch vehicles that will take small payloads into space. The cost of space launching is expected to come down significantly through this.
The Prime Minister of India also mentioned Hyderabad-based startup Dhruva Space. This startup is working on high-technology solar panels for satellite deployers and satellites.
Modi also spoke about Tanveer Ahmed of Digantara, which is another startup trying to map waste in space. Digantara and Dhruva Space are aiming to make their first launch on ISRO's launch vehicle on June 30.