about the Satellite Launch Vehicle( SLV), he asked me, almost in the same breath, to take up studies on a rocketassisted take-off system( RATO) for military aircraft. The two things had no apparent connection except in the mind of this great visionary. I knew that all I had to do was to remain alert and focussed on my purpose, and sooner or later, an opportunity to do a challenging job would enter my laboratory.
Prof. Sarabhai was ever-willing to try out novel approaches and liked to draw in young people. He had the wisdom and judgement which enabled him to realise not only if something was well done, but also when it was time to stop. In my opinion, he was an ideal experimenter and innovator. When there were alternative courses of action before us, whose outcome was difficult to predict, or to reconcile varying perspectives, Prof. Sarabhai would resort to experimentation to resolve the issue. This was precisely the situation at INCOSPAR in 1963. A bunch of young, inexperienced, but nevertheless energetic and enthusiastic persons were given the task of fleshing out the spirit of selfreliance in the field of science and technology in general, and of space research in particular. It was a great example of leadership by trust.
The rocket launch site later blossomed into the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station( TERLS). TERLS was established through active collaboration with France, USA and USSR. The leader of the Indian space programme— Prof. Vikram Sarabhai— had comprehended the full implications of the challenge and had not balked at taking it on. Right from the day INCOSPAR was formed, he was aware of the need to organize an integrated national space programme, with the equipment for the manufacture of rockets and launch facilities developed and produced indigenously.
With this in view, a wide-ranging programme for scientific and technological development in rocket fuels, propulsion systems, aeronautics, aerospace materials, advanced fabrication techniques, rocket motor instrumentation, control and guidance systems, telemetry, tracking systems and scientific instruments for experimentation in space were launched at the Space Science and Technology Centre and the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad. Incidentally, this laboratory has produced a large number of Indian space scientists of extremely high calibre over the years.
The real journey of the Indian aerospace programme, however, had begun with the Rohini Sounding Rocket( RSR) Programme. What is it that distinguishes a sounding rocket from a Satellite Launch Vehicle( SLV) and from a missile? In fact, they are three different kinds of rockets. Sounding rockets are normally used for probing the nearearth environment, including the upper regions of the atmosphere. While they can carry a variety of scientific payloads to a range of altitudes, they cannot impart the final velocity needed to orbit the payload. On the other hand, a launch vehicle is designed to inject into orbit a technological payload or satellite. The final stage of a launch vehicle provides the necessary velocity for a satellite to enter an orbit. This is a complex operation requiring onboard guidance and control systems. A missile, though belonging to the same family, is a still more complex system. In addition to the large terminal velocity and onboard guidance and control, it must have the capability to home onto targets. When the targets are fast-moving and capable of manoeuvring, a missile is also required to carry