| Dr B N Suresh, Director of ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre (VSSC) at Thiruvananthapuram, has been elected by consensus
as the Chairman of Science and Technology (S&T) Sub-committee
of United Nations Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS)
for the current year. He was the nominee of Asian Group of countries
for the coveted post. Dr Suresh was elected to the post at the beginning
of the 43rd Session of the S&T Sub-committee, which commenced
at the Vienna International Centre, Austria, for its annual meeting
on February 20, 2006. This is the first time that a technical expert
from a developing country has been elected as the Chairman of the
S&T Sub-committee since its inception in the early 1960’s.
The S&T Sub-committee of UN-COPUOS, which is attended by 69
member states and other international professional organisations,
focuses on the international co-operation in the field of Space,
with specific reference to space science and technologies and their
applications.
Dr BN Suresh, who is the Director of ISRO’s largest Centre,
VSSC, has been leading the Indian delegation to the S&T Sub-Committee
of UN-COPUOS for the past three years. He has made significant contribution
to the development of launch vehicle technology and played a key
role in a number of bi-lateral co-operation agreements between ISRO
and other space agencies.
Dr Suresh’s election was facilitated by the efforts of Ambassador
and permanent representative of India to UN Vienna, Dr Sheel Kant
Sharma in close consultation with Dr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman,
ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, and Ministry of External
Affairs. Dr Suresh’s election is an important recognition for
ISRO’s outstanding achievements in development of space science
and technology and their applications to benefit the society.
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