Indian space industry offers tremendous opportunity for private players, says ISRO Chief
Kochi (PTI): ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said the Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity to the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development.
He said the union government envisages the space sector in the country to become a 9 to10 billion dollar industry in the next 5-10 years from the current levels of 2 billion dollars.
Somanath was speaking after unveiling the carbon reduction initiative of SFO Technologies, the flagship company of the NeST Group, in a function here on Saturday, a company release said.
He also said that 400 private sector companies have benefited from the technology developed by ISRO for its various missions.
Companies like SFO Technologies are well positioned to take further advantage of the new policy initiatives in the space sector by the government of India.
"The Indian space industry is offering a tremendous opportunity for the private sector in the country as a new area of growth and development," the ISRO chief added.
Besides planting a sapling at the NeST Hitek Park to mark the occasion, Somanath also unveiled a replica of Chandrayaan at the campus highlighting the cooperation of SFO Technologies and ISRO.
He interacted with the NeST engineers and management team later.
The Carbon Reduction initiative of the NeST Group is in tune with the United Nations' objective of achieving a 50 percent reduction by 2035 and zero emissions by 2040, the release said.
SFO Technologies has close association with ISRO for many years, it said adding that the two have worked in multiple programmes such as the RF sub-systems for Chandrayaan and Aditya Missions, manufacturing of Antenna Systems, and Cryogenic Engine Control Systems for launch vehicles.
NeST Group Chairman N Jehangir said discussions are on with ISRO for various projects including the ambitious 'Gaganyaan' mission, aiming to carry human beings to the space for the first time.
SFO Technologies and NeST Group are committed to protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions, said Althaf Jehangir, CEO and Executive Director, SFO Technologies, Hardware and Manufacturing.
He also said that they have signed agreements with multiple partners to create a model of being a socially responsible organisation by minimising carbon pollution.
Nazneen Jehangir, CEO and Executive Director, Nest Digital, also spoke on the occasion, the release added.
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Israel strikes Gaza hospital, forcing evacuation as strikes intensify
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza), Apr 13 (AP): Israel struck a hospital in northern Gaza early Sunday, forcing patients to evacuate as attacks intensified across the Strip.
The pre-dawn strike hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, after Israel issued an evacuation warning, according to Gaza's ministry of health. One patient died during the evacuation because medical staff were unable to provide urgent care, it said.
The hospital, run by the Diocese of Jerusalem, was attacked on Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
Hours later, a separate strike on a car in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killed at least seven people, according to staff at the morgue of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
Israel said it struck a command and control centre used by Hamas at the hospital to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. It said prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm, including issuing warnings, and using precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
The strikes came hours after Israel's defense minister said that military activity would rapidly expand across Gaza and that people would have to evacuate from “fighting zones.” Israel also announced Saturday the completion of the Morag corridor, cutting off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, with the military saying it would soon expand “vigorously” in most of the small coastal territory.
Israeli authorities have vowed to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, 24 believed to be alive, and accept proposed new ceasefire terms.
Director of Al-Ahli Hospital, Dr. Fadel Naim, said they were warned of the attack before it was struck. In a post on X, he wrote that the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings were severely damaged, impacting more than 100 patients and dozens of medical staff.
The health ministry said the strike destroyed the ward for outpatients and laboratories and damaged the emergency ward.
Medical facilities often come under fire in wars, but combatants usually depict such incidents as accidental or exceptional, since hospitals enjoy special protection under international law. In its 18-month campaign in Gaza, Israel has stood out by carrying out an open campaign on hospitals, besieging and raiding them, some several times, as well as hitting multiple others in strikes while accusing Hamas of using them as cover for its fighters.
Last month Israel struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city, the largest in southern Gaza, killing two people and wounding others and causing a large fire, the territory's health ministry said. The facility was overwhelmed with dead and wounded when Israel ended the ceasefire with a surprise wave of airstrikes.
The war started after Hamas killed 1,200 people during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, mostly civilians, and took 250 people captive, many of whom have been freed in ceasefire deals.
More than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have so far been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive, according to the health ministry there, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
