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Monday, September 29, 2008

National Remote Sensing Agency becomes an ISRO Centre


Considering the importance of the activities carried out in the area of aerial and satellite remote sensing, the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), an autonomous society under Department of Space (DOS) has been converted into a full-fledged Government organisation called National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) from today (September 1, 2008).

NRSA was established as a registered society under the Department of Science & Technology in 1974 with the objective of undertaking and facilitating remote sensing activities in the country. The administrative control of NRSA was transferred to the Department of Space during early eighties and with the growth of indigenous efforts in space borne remote sensing, NRSA played a major role in the ground segment under the Indian Remote Sensing Programme. NRSA, through its training establishment Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehra Dun, has become an institution of international repute for capacity building.

It is expected that, with the conversion, NRSC will, as part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), fully integrate with other ISRO Centres in the development and operations of the ground segment of the large constellation of India Remote Sensing Satellites and will also take a bigger role during the R&D phase of IRS programme.

NRSC as a Government entity, is expected to fulfill its goals playing a major role in important national programmes, through linkages with all concerned Government departments/agencies such as Ministries of agriculture, water resources, urban development, Home Affairs, etc., including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Dr V Jayaraman has been appointed as Director, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad and he took charge from Dr K Radhakrishnan, the out-going Director.

Dr Jayaraman holds a Bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from University of Madras, Master of Science in electrical engineering from IIT, Madras and a Doctorate in Physics from Bangalore University. He is recognised for his contributions in the areas ranging from spacecraft systems engineering to applications development and positioning of policies & regulatory framework for integrating the high technology inputs into national development. Dr Jayaraman has brought coherence amongst technology, research and applications of direct relevance to Earth science.

Dr. Jayaraman is a fellow of institution of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers, Fellow of Indian Geophysical Union, Member of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Indian Society of Geomatics and Astronautical Society of India.


The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national tasks. ISRO has established two major space systems, INSAT for communication, television broadcasting and meteorological services, and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) system for resources monitoring and management. ISRO has developed two satellite launch vehicles, PSLV and GSLV, to place INSAT and IRS satellites in the required orbits

About ISRO.

Indian space programme driven by vision of Dr Vikram Sarabhai considered as the father of Indian Space Programme.


"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 exploration 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. "

Government of India set up Space Commission and Department of Space (DOS) in June 1972. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under DOS executes Space programme through its establishments located in different places in India.
Main objective of space programme includes development of satellites, launch vehicles, Sounding Rockets and associated ground systems.
Crossed several major milestones.
Experimental phase included Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), Satellite Telcommunication Experiment (STEP), remote sensing application projects, satellites like Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Rohini and APPLE and launch vehicles, SLV-3 and ASLV.
Present operational space systems include Indian National Satellite (INSAT) for tele-communication, television broadcasting, meteorology and disaster warning and Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) for resources monitoring and management.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) used for launching IRS Satellites and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), intended for launching INSAT class of satellites.
Space Science activities include SROSS and IRS-P3 satellites, participation in international science campaigns and ground systems like MST Radar.
ISRO's co-operative arrangements cover several countries and space agencies.
ISRO provides training in space field to personnel from other countries.
ISRO's hardware and services available commercially through Antrix Corporation.
Other Related Sites
Indian Space Science Programme
Research Sponsored by ISRO (RESPOND)
CHANDRAYAAN - 1
ISRO-GEOSPHERE BIOSPHERE PROGRAMME(GBP)
ISRO Satellite Centre - KANNADA Website
Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU)
Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres (RRSSC)
National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS)
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
Space Applications Centre (SAC)
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
Physical Research Laboratory (PRL)
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL)
Antrix Corporation Limited
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS)
Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in the Asia Pacific region (CSSTE-AP)
National Informatics Centre (GISTNIC)
Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL)
Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data Analysis Center (MOSDAC)
Indian Government Portal

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