Assam pivots to space: ISRO's new radar facility to transform Chandrapur

Shedding its historical image as a region distant from India's tech hubs, Assam is firmly stepping into the aerospace sector. On Monday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone for ISRO’s Advanced Radar Research Facility (IARRF) at Chandrapur, near Guwahati. Built on 70 acres of a former thermal power plant site, the center is a critical node in ISRO’s Project NETRA, designed to track space debris and safeguard India's orbital assets. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan confirmed a world-class cloud radar will be operational by February, which will also aid in weather prediction and research. Sarma emphasized this strategic project firmly places Assam on India's space research map, transforming the region into a modern technological hub.