US keen on buying space tech from India: Somanath

Rameswaram: Isro Chairman S. Somanath on Sunday said that space experts from NASA (National National Aeronautics and Space Agency) of the United States, after witnessing the work of Indian space scientists on the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, suggested that India sell its space technology

“In Chandrayaan-3, when we designed and developed the spacecraft, we invited experts from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA,” he told an event organized to commemorate the 92nd birth anniversary of late former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. “These experts had worked on all the rockets and most difficult missions.”

 “About five-six people from NASA-JPL came (to Isro headquarters) and we explained to them about Chandrayaan-3. That was before the soft landing took place (on August 23). We explained how we designed it and how our engineers made it... and how we are going to land on the Moon’s surface, and they just said, no comments… everything is going to be good.”

“They (US space experts) also said one thing, ’look at the scientific instruments, they are very cheap. Very easy to build and they are high technology. How did you build it? Why don’t you sell this to America,’ they were asking,” Somanath said.

Chandrayaan-3, which became the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, cost about Rs 600 crores. The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover completed all their tasks.

Somanath said, “Times have changed and India is capable of building the best of devices and rockets and that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened the space sector to private players.”

Appealing to the young audience at the venue to follow the ideology of Dr Kalam, Somanath said the most powerful tool is to dream and “Kalam sir told you that you should dream when you are awake and not in the night.”