NEW DELHI — Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for India to be the world's low-cost space technology supplier, minutes after witnessing the launch of a rocket carrying five satellites from France, Singapore, Germany and Canada on Monday. The launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle bolsters India's goal of capturing more of the $304 billion annual global space market, and Modi seized the moment with an uplifting speech about India's prowess in cheap space technology. “This fills every Indian's heart with pride and I can see it reflected in the joy and satisfaction on your faces,” said Modi, from the launch site. “Truly this is a global endorsement of India's space capability,” he said, adding that India's current Mars mission cost less than the budget of the Hollywood film Gravity. He asked ISRO to develop a satellite which will serve all the SAARC nations. Addressing Indian space scientists at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota after the successful launch of PSLV C23 rocket, he said the fruits of India's space missions should reach other developing nations, especially India's neighbors. “You should develop a SAARC satellite,” he told the scientists. “We should dedicate this satellite to our neighborhood as India's gift ... India is rooted in our age-old ethos of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbakom'. Our space science reflects that. We should share the fruit of this with our neighbouring countries,” he said.— Agencies
