Prime Minister Manmohan Snigh will lay the foundation stone for the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) which began functioning at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here on Friday.
This was revealed by ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair while speaking after inaugurating the classes for the first batch of 144 students attending the four-year BTech in aerospace engineering and avionics, and five-year integrated masters in applied sciences.

He said the institute would offer undergraduate, postgraduate courses and doctoral programs to meet the high technology requirements of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The institute aims at producing the best minds for the country’s space program which is facing an acute shortage of talent.

ISRO plans to absorb all candidates who pass out with a first class every year.

“We have to develop new generation space technology and the institute is expected to provide the manpower for future space programs,” he said.

“ISRO has a long time goal and has prepared a vision for 2020. Meticulous planning was going on towards achieving this mission.”

Nair said the IIST would shift to the new campus being built in the picturesque Ponmudi hill station, 56 km from here, within two years. The IIST has deemed university status under the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The candidates will be taught in propulsion, aerodynamics, navigation, guidance, sub-systems, avionics, and control systems. ISRO has totally subsidised the course and the students passing out of the IIST are required to serve the space agency for five years or pay the bond amount.

IIST also plans to create its own full-fledged infrastructure to develop an excellent research atmosphere. Apart from this, students will have privileged access to advanced facilities of the ISRO to carry out high technology research in space technology and science.

Land scam
Nair said he did not want to comment on the Ponmudi land-deal controversy that forced Kerala Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob to go on a long leave.

“The land purchase agreement was transparent and conforms to the ISRO procedures followed for the past 30 years in all purchases right from nuts and bolts to a rocket,” he said.