JNTUH-ISRO plans to set up Interplanetary Research Centre at Kukatpally

Students, researchers and faculty of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)-Hyderabad will shortly be engaged in unravelling mysteries of the cosmos.

Hyderabad: Soon, Kukatpally will have another geographical significance on the country’s map as it is going to be a centre for planetary research. Students, researchers and faculty of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)-Hyderabad will shortly be engaged in unravelling mysteries of the cosmos in the proposed Interplanetary Research Centre.

The JNTU-Hyderabad and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are drawing up plans to set up a state-of-the-art Interplanetary Research Centre on the varsity’s Kukatpally campus. The multidisciplinary facility is likely to bring together experts in planetary science, astrophysics and astronomy for research on planets and stars.

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Preliminary rounds of talks have already been held between the ISRO and JNTU-Hyderabad officials. As per initial discussions, according to officials, the ISRO is expected to extend its technology besides human resources for training in the technology for undertaking the research.

The project is likely to come up at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore, which the university is planning to raise from the State government, and Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Space.

According to university officials, a proposal seeking Rs 50 crore will shortly be sent to the State government and the remaining will be sought from the Departments of Space, and Science and Technology.

A tripartite agreement between the university, ISRO and the State government is likely to be executed for establishing the centre. Not just undertaking space research, the university intends to launch BTech and MTech programmes in Space Technology. With the research centre, the university will be approaching the All India Council for Technical Education seeking a nod for the introduction of these programmes.

The JNTU-Hyderabad’s Centre for Spatial Information Technology in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre, one of the primary centres of the ISRO in Hyderabad, has already been working on geographic information systems and remote sensing. The university is also offering MTech in Spatial Information Technology.