ISRO takes copy of Bhagavad Gita and PM Modi’s photo to space

A copy of Bhagavad Gita in the form of an SD card and a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are part of a nanosatellite that ISRO’s PSLV-C51 carried to space along with Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and other satellites. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched PSLV-C51, the 53rd mission of PSLV, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR at Sriharikota at around 10.24 AM on Sunday.

“This is to show solidarity and gratitude for PM’s Aatmanirbhar initiative and space privatisation”, SKI had earlier said. The names of ISRO chairman K Sivan and scientific secretary R Umamaheshwaran have also been etched on the bottom panel of the Satish Dhawan SAT (SDSAT) built by Space Kidz India. Prime Minister’s photo and name appear on the top panel. The names of 25,000 individuals are etched on the panels. Space Kidz India an organisation working towards promoting space science among students. SDSAT is carrying three scientific payloads- to study space radiation, study magnetosphere and to demonstrate a low-power wide-area communication network. PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 mission was Isro’s first launch of 2021. It carried a total of 19 satellites to space.

The nanosatellite also carries three scientific payloads — one to study space radiation, one to study the magnetosphere, and another that will demonstrate a low-power wide-area communication network.