NEW DELHI, Feb. 3 -- Whenever I hear about tragic news, such as road, rail, and air accidents, human and property loss due to war, violence, cyclones, floods, and earthquakes, I wonder if the Earth is a safe place to live. The role of science and technology is supposed to be for the benefit of the people. They are to be employed to protect from various human-induced and natural disasters.

The Indian space program encompasses research in multiple areas, such as astronomy, astrophysics, planetary and earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, and theoretical physics, supported by scientific balloons, sounding rockets, space platforms, and ground-based facilities.

The important science missions of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) i...