New Delhi, Aug. 24 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the creation of an astronaut pool, highlighting the need to nurture new talent for India's ambitious space missions. In his address to the nation on the occasion of National Space Day, PM Modi shared that his recent meeting with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, following his return from a two-week long mission aboard from the International Space Station, inspired the new initiative. "I saw the infinite courage and dreams of the youth during the discussion with Group Captain Shukla. We are going to create an astronaut pool to realise these dreams," he said, urging young people to participate. Modi also underscored the importance of exploring deep space. "Beyond galaxies, lies our horizon," said PM and emphasised the ambitious goals for missions like Gaganyaan and building of India's own space station. "We have already reached the Moon and Mars. Now we must delve deeper into regions of space where many mysteries for the future of humanity are concealed," he said. The PM praised India's growing role in the global space community. He pointed to India's chairing of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which saw participation from over 300 candidates from 60 nations. "This is a sign of India's evolving leadership role in the space sector. I am glad that Isro has launched a space hackathon and robotics challenge to drive interest in space among youth," Modi added.P6...