Greater Exploration Needed in Aerospace Medicine: Defence Minister

Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh today visited the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru, where he met with the officers from the IAF. He drew attention to the increasing need for specialists in aerospace medicine due to the incessantly growing air and space traffic.

Singh asserted that in the coming days, the aerospace sector would witness never-before-growth, thereby making it instrumental in realizing the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government.

He also launched the Indian Council of Medical Research Extramural Research Project: Centre for Advanced Research at the institute.

The title of the project is ‘Space Psychology: Selection and Behavioural Health Training of Astronauts & Astronaut Designates for Indian Space Missions’.

“From the defence perspective, space has emerged as a major domain in warfare. We have taken a step forward in this direction and mastered the most advanced technologies such as anti-satellite. India has also become the fastest-growing aviation market in the world. As we are touching new heights in space, we need to explore more possibilities in aerospace medicine. There is a need for increased R&D as research in any high-end complex technology provides benefits to many fields,” he said.

“Whether it is an issue related to neurons, bone loss or mental problems, it is the responsibility of aerospace and space medicine to tackle these challenges. The field must prepare itself for bigger responsibilities in the future,” he added.