Assam CM performs Bhumi Pujan for ISRO’s Advanced Radar Research Facility at Chandrapur
Himanta Biswa Sarma performed the Bhumi Pujan and laid the foundation stone for ISRO's ISTRAC Advanced Radar Research Facility at Chandrapur. The NETRA-linked centre is expected to strengthen space asset monitoring and widen Assam's role in space research.
- Sep 21, 2026,
- Updated Sep 21, 2026, 3:39 PM IST
- The Chandrapur centre will track space objects using radar and telescopes
- It forms part of ISRO's NETRA programme to monitor India's space assets
- Assam handed nearly 200 bighas for the advanced research project
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 21 performed the Bhumi Pujan and laid the foundation stone for ISRO’s ISTRAC Advanced Radar Research Facility (IARRF) at Chandrapur, marking a significant development in the state’s scientific and technological infrastructure.
The facility, which is part of ISRO’s NETRA programme, will use advanced radar systems and optical telescopes to track space objects and strengthen the protection and monitoring of India’s space assets.
The Assam government has provided nearly 200 bighas of land for the project. The facility is expected to expand Assam’s role in the country’s space research and scientific infrastructure.
Addressing the media after the foundation stone-laying ceremony, Chief Minister Sarma expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ISRO leadership for selecting Assam as the location for the advanced radar research centre.
Sarma said the establishment of the facility would place Assam on the map of India’s space research sector and described it as a major step forward in the state’s scientific infrastructure.
He said Assam had moved from a period marked by unrest towards building institutions and creating new opportunities, adding that the Chandrapur facility marks the state’s entry into a new phase of space science and research.
