NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday launched the first-ever space ‘Trigger Card’ titled Sakaar based on novel technique of “Augmented Reality” mobile communication depicting various facets of advanced activities and initiatives undertaken in the Department of Space and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Prof A.S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space was also present along with his entire team of scientists.
Addressing a press conference, Singh complimented the Ahmedabad based Development Education and Commitment Unit (DECU) of the Department of Space for having developed the Trigger Card, which is the first of its kind and said, this will not only help in spreading awareness and inspiring young scientists and students to take up space technology as career but will also give cue to the other departments within the government and outside to adopt this latest technology as a part of their working. He said, the Department of Space is already interacting and coordinating with as many as 190 Ministries and Departments of Government of India on diverse projects ranging from food and water scarcity, energy and infrastructure, environment and climate, geology and earth system, ocean and atmosphere, disaster and early warning, health and education and communication and navigation.
In a major announcement, Singh disclosed that Team ISRO has launched an ambitious initiative of “reusable launch vehicle” wherein after the launch of satellite, the launch vehicle will not go waste as was happening in the past but it will take a smooth landing on the surface of water from where it can be retrieved and used for the launch of another satellite. This would help in reducing the cost of launch to just one-tenth of the present cost and prove to be a huge economic boost for the space missions, he added.
Singh informed that on 10th July he will himself be present with Team ISRO for the launching of DMC-3 disaster monitoring satellites along with two micro satellites. In addition, he said, the navigation/communication satellite series of IRNSS-7 will launch two of its remaining satellites this year and the last one next year following which it will be providing its service area beyond the horizons of India to neighbouring countries in the region and thus truly assume a leadership role in South-East Asia.