When Manmohan Singh gave a leg-up for SHAR’s initial space missions

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with former ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan during his visit to Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: File Photo

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), especially the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR), was marked by support and vision to perpetuate the space missions.

During 1972-76, as Member-Finance of the Space Commission, Dr. Singh had contributed significantly to advancing India’s tryst with space.

When Satish Dhawan headed ISRO and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam led the SLV-3 project, Dr. Singh visited SHAR in 1976 to review the technical facilities for the project.

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It was a pivotal moment when his efforts paved the way for securing the government’s approval, facilitating the progress of India’s early space missions.

As Prime Minister, he visited SHAR on September 21, 2005, when he had unveiled Prof. Satish Dhawan’s bust in honour of the visionary leader’s space dream.

He once again visited SHAR on September 9, 2012, to witness the successful launch of PSLV-C21, which had given the much-needed morale booster to the array of scientists and employees.