THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “I see in this ceremony the timeless endeavour of man to reach out farther and farther into the great unknown. This station is a tiny part of the vast programmes of space exploration, which have already carried rockets to the moon and Venus.” This was part of the optimistic speech made by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, when dedicating the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) to the United Nations in 1968.
Friday, February 2, marks the 50th anniversary of the strategic dedication ceremony, which aided India’s fledgling efforts to make a mark in space technology, then the province of western nations.
ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba is planning to hold a programme on Friday to mark the anniversary.
Former staff of the sounding rocket programme and TERLS range will be honoured on the occasion. A short documentary detailing the growth of Indian rocketry, a special souvenir and the unveiling of a commemoration plaque are part of the programme.
India’s space programme officially lifted off on November 21, 1963, with the launch of the American-made sounding rocket Nike-Apache from Thumba. Rohini-75, the first Indian-made sounding rocket, lifted off from Thumba on November 20, 1967. On February 2, 1968, TERLS was dedicated to the UN as an international range for carrying out experiments near the magnetic equator.
“There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the explorations of the moon or the planets or manned space flight.
But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society, which we find in our country,’’ Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, said at the dedication ceremony.
And Indira Gandhi had this to add: “Ultimately, it is the quality of man that matters more than the instruments he uses. India is engaged in a mighty struggle to improve the quality of her people.”