Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised India's remarkable progress in the space sector, describing it as a true reflection of the country's "new thinking, innovation and youth power.
"In the 128th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister highlighted the efforts of a group of young innovators from Pune who participated in a unique drone competition organised by ISRO, where participants attempted to fly drones under Mars-like conditions.
He said, “A few days ago, a video on social media caught my attention. It was about a unique drone competition organised by ISRO. In this video, our country's youth, especially our Gen-Z, were attempting to fly drones in Martian-like conditions. In this competition, a team of young people from Pune achieved some success. Their drone even fell and crashed several times, but they did not give up. After several attempts, this team's drone managed to fly for some time in the conditions of Mars.”
“This video reminded me of the day Chandrayaan went out of network coverage. That day, the entire country, especially the scientists, was demoralised. But this setback did not deter them. On that very day, they started writing the success story of Chandrayaan-3. The determination of our youth is the greatest strength of Viksit Bharat,” he said.
In 2019, ISRO indeed lost communication with the Vikram lander during the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
Separately, PM Modi described the recent inauguration of Skyroot Aerospace's Infinity Campus as a “new boost” to India’s growing space ecosystem.
“India's space ecosystem got a new boost with Skyroot's Infinity Campus. All this has become a reflection of India's new thinking, innovation and youth power... Imagine that era, when there were no satellites, no GPS systems, no navigation facilities, even then our sailors used to take large ships into the ocean and reach their destinations. Countries are now measuring the infinite expanse of space. The challenge remains the same, no GPS systems and no communication support,” the Prime Minister remarked.
On November 27, PM Modi had virtually inaugurated Skyroot's state-of-the-art Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and also unveiled the company’s first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, which is designed to place satellites into orbit.
During the same Mann Ki Baat address, the Prime Minister also drew attention to two major developments in the defence and aviation sectors that reinforce India’s push for self-reliance: the inauguration of the world’s largest Leap Engine MRO facility in Hyderabad and the commissioning of INS Mahe into the Indian Navy.
He said, “A few days ago, in Hyderabad, I inaugurated the world's largest Leap Engine MRO facility. This is a big step towards the maintenance, repair and overhaul sector of aircraft. Last week, during an event in Mumbai, INS Mahe was inducted into the Indian Navy.”
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Earlier that week, PM Modi had virtually inaugurated Safran Aircraft Engine Services India's (SAESI) new Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad, underscoring the unprecedented pace of growth in India’s aviation sector.
SAESI is Safran’s dedicated MRO facility for LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines that power Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The new unit is not only one of the largest aircraft engine MRO facilities in the world but also marks the first time a global engine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has established an MRO operation in India.
Spread across 45,000 square metres within the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park - SEZ, the cutting-edge facility has been developed with an initial investment of approximately Rs 1,300 crore.
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