Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Cosmos-Mysuru planetarium at the foothills of Chamundi Hill on Friday, presenting the facility as a new public institution for cosmology education, scientific research and training. The planetarium has been described as India’s first LED curved-dome planetarium.
Modi visited the planetarium’s sky theatre after the inauguration and watched a space presentation. He later addressed a public programme, beginning his speech in Kannada and saying that the facility would add a new chapter to Mysuru’s contribution to India’s scientific journey.
According to the remarks reported by Prajavani, the planetarium is intended to give young people and the wider public access to advanced technology and astronomy education. Modi said planetariums and science centres play an important role in creating curiosity among students and encouraging them to learn about the universe.
He urged the Cosmos-Mysuru team to work with schools and colleges, bring larger numbers of students to the facility and provide guidance on science learning. He said some of the children who visit the planetarium could go on to become scientists and conduct research on the universe.
The Prime Minister linked the new facility to Mysuru’s longer educational history, referring to the establishment of the University of Mysore during the reign of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and the Wadiyar family’s role in the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He said the city had a longstanding tradition of supporting learning and research.
The inauguration also formed part of a wider speech on India’s scientific and space programmes. Modi referred to the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, the Aditya-L1 solar observatory and India’s demonstrated space-docking capability. He also spoke about the opening of the space sector to private participation and the growth of space-related start-ups.
He cited applications of satellite technology in public and economic life, including warnings for fishing boats during severe weather, real-time train movement information and crop-yield assessment for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. These examples, he said, showed how space science and earth-observation technologies were being used beyond research institutions.
The Prime Minister also referred to more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Laboratories, which he said had benefited over one crore students, as well as the One Nation, One Subscription initiative and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation. He said a ₹1 lakh crore research, development and innovation scheme launched last year was intended to support researchers and help move technologies from laboratories towards practical use.
For Mysuru, the planetarium’s significance will depend on how effectively it connects a high-end public facility with the city’s schools, colleges and existing educational institutions. The Prime Minister’s stated next step was for the facility to build sustained partnerships with educational institutions and bring students to the planetarium for guided exposure to astronomy and science.
