North-Eastern region has potential to lead nation in space science, says Mangalyaan fame ISRO scientist Jayant Joshi

Agartala (Tripura) [India], December 23 : Mangalyaan project fame ex-ISRO scientist Dr Jayant Joshi on Wednesday said that the North East region has the potential to lead the whole country in the Space sector given the availability of resources in abundance.
He said that the activities pertaining to Space Science are not confined to a particular region and it has a wider perspective.
"During my interaction with the students especially coming from the North East, I have seen the type of questions they are asking about the space industry which shows that the future of the state is very bright. The infrastructure is already available because we have ample resources. The only thing is that the government should come forward and use those resources in the right direction which will definitely see the North East region lead the space sector in the coming times", Dr Joshi told ANI in an exclusive interaction.
Dr Joshi also highlighted how the Central Government's invitation to private players in the field of Space Technology opened new windows of opportunities.
"Space Activity is never confined to any particular state or any region in general. But I see a lot of potential, especially in the North East region. The region is having ample opportunity of scope available. ISRO had already opened its door to private players. It is no longer only the government. In Space science, we have many things that we have opened up. Even before that, whatever programme or mission we were working upon, 80-90 per cent of work was done by the private industries. We only designed and developed a prototype. We come up with a mission, establish their reliability and give it to the private industry. So now, it is officially being made public," said Dr Joshi.
According to Dr Joshi, Space Science or rocket science is not as tough as compared to how people perceive it to be. It is as simple as bursting a rocket cracker or spinning a top, he added.
"So small launch vehicles are being made by private entities now. Even satellites are being made by private industries. There is a huge scope and I wish that the government should take initiative in spreading awareness about Space Science. It should be taught to students in schools. Nothing is impossible to achieve. It is no rocket science. If you can burst a rocket cracker in Diwali or spin a top in childhood, you can spin a satellite and launch a rocket as well. As simple as that," he added.