mumbai the students of iit mumbai need not go all the way to sriharikota near chennai to experience the thrill and suspense of a rocket being launched they can feel the excitement in their own campus at powai herenot that iit has become a rocket launching centre the students are able to experience the thrill of rocket lifting off because of the new launch vehicle simulation facility at iits centre for aerospace systems and designing engineering at the department of aerospace engineeringthe simulation facility was established by the indian space research organisation isroinstitute officials told tnn on saturday that it is the first facility in the world to be located in an academic institute offering aerospace educationthe facility was set up in february 2002 and has now become fully operational giving students an idea of how a rocket is launched the hitech system also aims to help students to understand the complexities of rocket technology an official saidthe new unit generates exciting experiments in real time simulation at the undergraduate curriculum it also offers opportunities for graduate level thesis addressing launch vehicle dynamics and control he statedaccording to him it has evoked an enthusiastic response from the students and often helps to provide a scientific feedback to isrothe project started when isro chairperson k kasturirangan visited the institute in august 2000 and saw presentations on the activities of iits integrated modelling and simulation facility after the presentations he assured isro would help iit in setting up a world class simulation facilityand the promise was honoured the unit among other things consists of three personal computers devoted to simulationremarked the official the setting up of rocket simulation facility marks a new phase of interaction between isro and mumbai iitcurrently the institute has three persons from isro who are doing their doctorate and one of them also from the space agency is an mtech studentthe official explained that the facility has been established at a time when isro has scheduled a number of rocket launches from sriharikota the polar satellite launch vehicle pslv is expected to be launched soon carrying a remote sensing satellite also the second geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle gslv will be launched soonindia is all set to take a major stride in the space sector he said in 2007 india is expected to launch an unmanned mission to the moonthe aerospace engineering department of the institute has played a key role in the design and development of a number of important defencerelated projects like the light combat aircraft and the missiles