SRO is moving forward with the development of heavy lift launchers, reusable re-launch vehicles, cryogenic engines, low-cost access to space, and development and use of composite materials for space applications, ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar has said.

“The aim is to be future-ready to maintain an edge in technology. ISRO is endeavouring to enhance them,” Dr. Kiran Kumar said in his address at GITAM University at its sixth convocation.

He attributed the recent success of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) to tremendous team effort and innovative use of limited resources to achieve defined goals. “It has brought in a high degree of confidence among people of all walks of life in the country and a self-belief that Indians can achieve great results,” he said.

With a strong and clear vision to develop and apply space technology for societal and national development, the Indian space programme had been orchestrated well with distinct elements such as satellites for communication and broadcasting, earth observation, space science studies, space transportation systems and related application programmes, Dr. Kiran Kumar said. He recalled how in its formative days, ISRO managed with scarce resources and used the satellite platforms provided by the USA, the USSR, and Europe.

Chancellor K. Ramakrishna Rao conferred honorary degree of Doctor of Science on Dr. Kiran Kumar and Laurus Labs CEO Satyanarayana Chava and Doctor of Letters on cricketer V.V.S. Laxman and music director and singer Vandemataram Srinivas.

Managing Director of Fujiyama Tools Tech Kurra Lakshmiah Choudhary was given away the Distinguished Alumnus award.

Prof. K. Ramakrishna (chemistry) and Dr. D. Govinda Rao (biochemistry) of the university were given best researcher awards.

P. Aswani Sai Laxmi of mechanical engineering got the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam gold medal and M. Sai Krishna Sandeep got GITAM President Gold Medal for overall first ranker from all branches of B.Tech. In all, 60 Ph.D. and 6 M.Phil. degrees, 50 gold medals and 2,513 graduation certificates were given away at the convocation. Prof. Rao, in his address, said GITAM’s vision was one of going beyond smart and becoming super (in the sense Sri Aurobindo used the word).

Vice-Chancellor G. Subrahmanyam said by 2020 the university planned to transform itself into a centre of excellence in teaching, research and consultancy. Registrar M. Potharaju participated.

The success of MOM has brought in a high degree of confidence among people of all walks of life