New Delhi: Furthering his ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Thimphu Ground Station of the South Asia Satellite during his two-day trip to Bhutan. “Through satellites, benefits of telemedicine, distance education, resource mapping, weather forecast & even warning of natural disasters reach even remote areas,” he said in a tweet.
Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) GSAT-9 communications satellite, popularly known as the South Asia Satellite, launched in 2017 was envisaged as India’s gift to its neighbours to increase regional cooperation by leveraging the country’s position as a space power.
Deccan Herald reported that Modi was joined by Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering to inaugurate the ground station, which has cost ISRO Rs 7 crore. “This (ISRO’s ‘Ground Earth Station’) will increase coverage of communication, public broadcasting and disaster management in Bhutan,” Modi reportedly said while addressing media persons.
The Indian prime minister expressed happiness that young Bhutanese scientists would now travel to India to work on designing and launching Bhutan’s own small satellite.
The earth station has been built and set up by Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. (ALDT), The Hindu reported. The report adds that the Thimphu station took nine months to complete and that one in the Maldives has also been executed. The Nepal station should be ready by December, with more to follow in Afghanistan and other countries.
Various news reports suggest that while the station will help Bhutan take advantage of the South Asia Satellite, it also serves a strategic function to counter China’s advanced satellite tracking station in the Tibet autonomous region.