Article Posted on : - Mar 20, 2017

KOLKATA (PTI): India is going to launch GSLV Mark-III, the country's most powerful launch vehicle, in another two months, senior space scientist and ex-Programme Director of ISRO Prof T G K Murthy has said.

"In another two months we are going to launch GSLV Mark-III. We are going to launch four satellites from the Indian soil in the near future," Murthy told PTI on the sidelines of a three-day international conference on 'Advances in Science and Technology' in Kolkata.

ISRO has been successful in testing the high thrust cryogenic technology for use in the launch vehicle, GSLV Mark-III, the space scientist said.

The ISRO will also launch the SAARC satellite this month, to give member countries all the benefits as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Besides, India will launch a satellite to study the sun and global climate change, Murthy said, adding it will be named Aditya-L1 and weigh 400 kg, carrying one payload.

Pointing out that the Indian space mission has "wide ranging applications and wide-ranging facilities", he said, adding 90 per cent of the technology application materials being used by ISRO have been made indigenously.

He said the space department in combination with academics and industry start-ups was working to meet the growing demand in several areas including weather.

"India is going to take 10-15 per cent share of the global space market", and ISRO is having global customers as our research occupy pre-eminence in the world, he said.

Murthy also referred to India's first private mission to the moon.

"We will have private rocket for the first time in the moon. Our scientists are working on challenges like capsule re-entry, safety conditions and it promises to be one for the history books," he said at the conference that was hosted by a private engineering institute.

Addressing young scientists and researchers, Director General of National Council of Science Museum (NCSM) A S Manekar said in his speech that role of teachers was to impart knowledge to students, who must work for development of the society.

He underscored the need for sustained research to facilitate science and technology work for betterment of future for mankind.