To advance Assam in space technology, state Science and Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta held a high-level meeting with ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan at Dispur on Tuesday night. Important discussions were held in this meeting regarding the development and launch of Assam’s first satellite ‘Assamsat’. The purpose of this satellite is to strengthen the state’s capabilities in agriculture, disaster management and urban planning. Many top officials of the state were also present in the meeting, mainly Chief Secretary (Environment and Forest) M.K. Yadav, Principal Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office K.K. Dwivedi, Principal Secretary of Revenue Department G.D. Tripathi and Science and Technology Secretary Pallav Gopal Jha.
ASMSat will be built with full technical support from ISRO
Several senior ISRO officials also attended the meeting, including Dr. A.K. Anil Kumar, Director of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network, Dr. J.V. Thomas, Director of Earth Applications and Disaster Management Program and Dr. S.P. Aggarwal, Director of North East Space Applications Center (NESAC). During the discussion, ISRO agreed to provide technical expertise, logistical support and guidance to the Assam government. ISRO will play an important role in planning, prototype manufacturing, procurement and launching of the satellite. ‘AssamSat’ will greatly help the state in forest and agriculture monitoring, disaster management, land administration, water resources management and urban development.
100 students from Assam will get a chance to visit ISRO
During the meeting, ISRO Chairman Dr. Narayanan assured to provide all possible technical support to this satellite project. He informed that ISRO will also use space-based data to prepare policy guidance for administration, environmental monitoring and public welfare schemes. To promote science education, a plan has also been made to take 800 students from the Northeast, including 100 students from Assam, on a tour of major research centers of ISRO. Its objective is to generate interest in space science and technology among the youth.
AssamSat will give new technological achievements to the state
AssamSat in collaboration with ISRO will help in strengthening the disaster management capacity of the state, efficient management of resources and advancing scientific research. Now the Assam government will move towards the detailed planning and rapid completion of the development work of this satellite project. This satellite can prove to be a historic achievement for Assam and can take the state to new heights in the field of space technology.
