Dr. V. Narayanan handing over a degree certificate to a student at Vel Tech University in Avadi on Saturday. Rangarajan Mahalakshmi Kishore, University Chairperson, is also seen.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working to launch the Chandrayaan-4 mission to the moon by 2028, its Chairman, V. Narayanan, said here on Saturday.
Speaking at the 15th Convocation of Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Narayanan said the Chandrayaan-4 envisages a programme where the rover lands on the moon, picks up samples, and returns to the earth with samples for experiments.
After the success of Chandrayaan-3, Japan tied up with India for the next mission. While the Chandrayaan-3 lander weighed 1,600 kg, the current one would be 6,800 kg. Similarly, the rover would weigh 350 kg as against the 25 kg rover of Chandrayaan-3, Dr. Narayanan told the students, drawing applause.
ISRO is also working on building a 52-tonne space station, fully funded by the Union government. This would be ready by 2035.
In 2040, ISRO plans to send a manned mission to the moon. “We are constructing a rocket, the height of which is equal to a 40-storey building,” Dr. Narayanan said.
57 satellites in orbit
Currently, there are 57 Indian satellites in orbit. They serve several critical applications, including television broadcasting, telecommunication, tele-education, telemedicine, earth observation, disaster warning and mitigation, connecting trains in real-time, and even monitoring potential fishing zones in the sea.
“Every day, we inform nine lakh fishermen, through satellite data, where they will get fish catch, and through that alone, ₹25,000 crore per year is the profit to the Government of India. Our annual budget is only ₹13,500 crore,” Dr. Narayanan said.
More than 10,000 trains have been connected in real-time via satellite link and plans are afoot to connect all trains, he further said.
Debashis Neogi, Managing Director, Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre, giving the example of the Renault Kwid hatchback that was developed and made in India and is being sold in many other countries, said young graduates should strive to make India a “product nation” rather than a “service nation”.
Anil Kempanna, Managing Director, Global Lead, Silicon-to-Software Engineering, Accenture, urged the students to continuously re-invent their knowledge base and skills to have an edge in the job market.
Rangarajan Mahalakshmi Kishore, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, and Rajat Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, Vel Tech Rangarajan Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, also spoke.
A total of 3,074 students, including 113 PhD scholars, received their degrees and honours.
Published – November 30, 2025 04:41 am IST