Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was conferred with the US-based National Space Society’s (NSS) Wernher von Braun Memorial Award in San Diego.
The award instituted by NSS, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the creation of a space faring civilisation, was conferred on Kalam at the International Space Development Conference last evening.
The honour is given to recognise excellence in management and leadership in a space-related project, where the project is significant and successful and the manager commands the loyalty of a strong team that he has created.
At the conference, Kalam spoke about space-based solar power, which is attracting attention as a potential major global energy and electricity source.
He suggested the creation of the World Space Knowledge platform with a virtual laboratory for space industrialisation by US and India in collaboration with other space faring nations.
Kalam said the virtual laboratory for space solar power can bring a possible, workable and optimum solution particularly for transfer of such energy to terrestrial stations.