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The new campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, which is located in Valiamala near Thiruvananthapuram, will be inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minster, Dr. Manmohan Singh, through a tele-link ceremony, which will be held from the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday.
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, is the chancellor of IIST.
According to the IIST director B.N. Suresh, who was addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Manmohan Singh will be delivering his special address at 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday. He also added that the inaugural ceremony is scheduled tp take place at the new campus of IIST.
"This institute has been conceived as the world's first space university and will offer a complete range of academic programmes from the undergraduate to the post graduate level," Suresh said.
K.M. Nair, who is the controller of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), said: "Currently IIST functions from the infrastructure provided at VSSC. Even though the inauguration of the campus is taking place Tuesday, we will move to the new campus only January next year."
The ownership of about 54 acres of land will be transferred to IIST by the State Government of Kerala as a part of the inaugural function happening on Tuesday.
The campus has been developed on 100 acres, and the remaining land would be transferred from the VSSC unit at Valiamala.
