President of India graces first National Space Day Celebration

Droupadi Murmu graced the first National Space Day Celebration at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today (August 23, 2024). National Space Day is being celebrated to commemorate the successful landing of the ‘Vikram’ Lander on the surface of the Moon on August 23, 2023. The President presented awards to winners of ‘Robotics Challenge’ and ‘Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon’ on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that ISRO has had a wonderful journey since its initial days. It has made remarkable achievements in the space sector. Along with this, ISRO has also made invaluable contributions to the country's social and economic development. She appreciated the dedicated scientists who have placed India's Space Program among the best Space Programs in the world by using minimum resources. She expressed confidence that our country will make continuous progress in space science and we will continue to set new standards of excellence.

The President said that the progress of India's space sector is extraordinary.  Be it a successfully completed Mars mission with limited resources, or the successful launch of more than a hundred satellites at once, we have made many impressive achievements.

The President said that space exploration has increased the capabilities of human beings and transformed our imagination into reality. But space exploration is a challenging task. Research conducted to solve the problems during space exploration accelerates the development of science and improves human life. Many sectors have benefited from developments in the space sector, including health and medicine, transportation, security, energy, environment, and information technology.

The President pointed out that with the opening of the space sector to the private sector, the number of start-ups has increased at a very rapid pace. This has not only brought progress in space research but has also given new opportunities to our youth to showcase and hone their talents. She was happy to note that just a few months ago, an Indian company successfully launched a single-piece 3D printed semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket, the first such achievement.

The President said that we have to be prepared for future challenges. Space debris can cause problems for space missions. She appreciated the ‘ISRO System for Safe & Sustainable Operations Management’ facility which is being operated to ensure continuous progress of space research activities. She was also happy to note that India is moving forward to make all its space missions debris-free by the year 2030.