File picture of Dr Jitendra Singh

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has announced in the Parliament that "Chandrayaan-2", India's Lunar Probe, will land on the surface of moon in 2017 and, among other things, it will explore the possibilities of extra-terrestrial life there. Similarly, India's landmark Solar Mission "Aditya-L1" is to be launched in 2019, he informed.

Lauding the glorious achievements of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) during the last one year, Dr Jitendra Singh informed about the successful launch of six Singapore satellites from Sriharikota to mark the Golden Jubilee of the independence of the Republic of Singapore. He further informed that this launch was agreed upon on commercial basis and the government of Singapore has paid 26 million euros for it.

In an elaborate reply to a question, Dr Jitendra Singh said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the past one year has been a year of glory, not only because it placed India as a frontline nation in the field of space technology, but also because India's space programme emerged as true example of Prime Minister's "Make in India" mission.

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