Imphal | ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan said that 10 satellites are continuously working for a strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of the country's citizens.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Central Agricultural University in Manipur's Imphal on Sunday, he said India is becoming a "vibrant space power" and will have its first space station by 2040.

"Today, 433 satellites of 34 countries are lifted from India and placed in orbit...I am also happy to inform you that today, 10 satellites are continuously working 24/7 for a strategic purpose to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of the country," the ISRO chief said during the programme.

His comment came amid the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The country launched Operation Sindoor on early May 7 to destroy terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Narayanan also said, "If we have to ensure the safety of our country, we have to serve through our satellites. We have to monitor our 7,000 km seashore. We have to monitor the entire northern part continuously. Without satellite and drone technology, we can't achieve that." He said the Indian Space Research Organisation is developing a satellite for G20 countries to study climate and air pollution and monitor weather.

The progress that the country has made since Independence was "phenomenal and outstanding", he added.