New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) India’s remarkable achievements in the space programme were possible due to the clear vision of the founders and continuous political and policy support, former Nasscom chairman Kiran Karnik said here.

Karnik, who also had a two-decade stint with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said India’s space programme had humble beginnings in the 1960s and it now ranks among the leading space-faring nations of the world.

Karnik made these remarks at a function to release the book ‘Space: The India Story’, written by science journalist and author Dr Dinesh C Sharma.

The book was released on Saturday by Karnik and Arun Maira, a former member of the Planning Commission here.

The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed every year to commemorate the maiden human space flight which took place on April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space.

A new book on India’s space heritage and technological journey recalls how Gagarin became a household name in India, and was accorded a public reception when he toured the country in November 1961.

Maira recalled how ISRO consistently embraced the principle of frugal innovation – achieving world-class results with modest resources.

The 240-page book is divided into two sections — India in Space and Indians in Space. The first section captures the achievements of India in rocketry, satellite development, applications as well as missions to the Moon.

The second part deals with the stories of astronauts, Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams as well as the four astronaut candidates of ISRO undergoing training for the mission to the International Space Station and the Gaganyaan mission. PTI SKU RHL