Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma today performed the Bhumi Pujan and laid the foundation stone of the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) Advanced Radar Research Facility at Chandrapur in Kamrup Metropolitan district.
The facility is being established as part of ‘Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis’ (NETRA) to strengthen India’s Space Situational Awareness capabilities. It will be equipped with advanced radar systems and optical telescopes to monitor and track satellites and other space objects, thereby contributing to the protection of India’s space assets.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sarma said the facility marks a new chapter in Assam’s association with India’s space programme. He said the project will give a major boost to space science and research in Assam and the Northeast and create opportunities for scientific research, innovation and skill development.
The Chief Minister said the State Government has allotted around 200 bighas of land at the former Chandrapur Thermal Power Station site to ISRO for the project. He said the first radar for cloud research is expected to be installed by February next year, which will also help enhance scientific understanding of weather and atmospheric phenomena in Assam and the region.
