Investments made in space program have benefited society, says ISRO Chairman Dr S Somnath

ISRO Chairman Dr. S Somnath today said that the investments that have been made in the space program have benefited society. He added that lakhs of people have got employment opportunities and thus, received direct and indirect benefits.

"The investment that we made in the space program has benefited the society. I think many times people don't realise how it impacts. And we have commissioned recently a study with some of the consultants to understand and measure what exactly the impact on society of the investment that we made in the space program," said the ISRO chairman while addressing a programme on 'Creating a Space Ecosystem: A New Era-Igniting Young Minds for Space Exploration'.

"It also has created jobs and employment opportunities for lakhs of people, direct and indirect. It also created support systems for fishermen, agriculture, crop forecasting, natural resources planning and disaster avoidance. You all understand the impact that it creates when Chandrayaan touches the surface of the moon," he added.

Earlier on Friday, the ISRO launched the Earth Observation Satellite (EOS)-08 onboard the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar congratulated the ISRO for the successful launch of the EOS-08 onboard the SSLV-D3.

Jaishankar said that it opened new possibilities for low-cost space missions and greater international collaboration.

The primary objectives of the EOS-08 mission include designing and developing a microsatellite, creating payload instruments compatible with the microsatellite bus, and incorporating new technologies required for future operational satellites, an ISRO release said earlier.

EOS-08 marks a significant advancement in satellite mainframe systems such as an Integrated Avionics system, known as the Communication, Baseband, Storage, and Positioning (CBSP) Package, which combines multiple functions into a single, efficient unit.

This system is designed with cold redundant systems using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and evaluation boards, supporting up to 400 GB of data storage.

ISRO is gearing up to mark National Space Day on August 23. The Union Government has declared August 23rd as "National Space Day" to celebrate the remarkable success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, which accomplished a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander, and deployed the Pragyaan rover on the lunar surface near the South Pole.

This achievement is being celebrated across the country to engage and inspire the younger generation in the field of Space Science and Technology.