A 50-year odyssey
From remote sensing to telecommunications, space scientists have done much to help India develop economically
Fifty years ago on Thursday, India took its first fledgling steps towards space. The country’s first sounding rocket was launched that day from the sleepy village of Thumba in Kerala.
It has not looked back since then.
It is often argued that but for the massive technology denial regimes in place globally, India would have marched far ahead.
We differ. That block spurred generations of Indian scientists—from Vikram Sarabhai to Satish Dhawan to the space leadership now—to do what was needed: innovate.
India is often criticized for indulging in “prestige projects" while a large number of its citizens remain mired in poverty. That is a wrong characterization of our space odyssey. From remote sensing to telecommunications to mapping of resources, space scientists have done much to help India develop economically.
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