New Frontiers in Space
Context – This editorial talks about the Space domain, India’s space economy, private participation (Vikram-S rocket) and challenges pertaining to the sector.
Background:
India’s space economy is likely to be worth nearly USD 13 Billion by 2025, with the satellite launch services segment set to witness the fastest growth due to greater private participation.
The launch of the Vikram S rocket has been rightly hailed as an important milestone in India’s outer space journey.
How has India’s Space programme evolved over the years?
India’s main objective was to leverage outer space to accelerate national development. Eventually, military and commercial dimensions began to envelop the Indian space programme.
India’s space programme began with intensive cooperation with the Western countries and later with the Soviet Union.
India is part of the Missile Technology Control Regime that regulates commerce in space related commodities and technologies.
India is also part of the Wassenaar Arrangement that controls trade in dual use technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Why developments in Space sector is important?
Space avenue is an integration of the aerospace, IT hardware and telecom sectors. It is thus argued that investment in this arena would foster positive
carryover effects to other sectors as well.
Satellites can be used for delivering broadband internet. It will help reach out to more remote areas where conventional networks would require a heavy complimenting infrastructure.
Satellites provide more accurate information on weather forecasts and assess (and record) long-term trends in the climate and habitability of a region. This will eventually help the governments devise a practical plan of action to help farmers and industries.
It will help real-time monitoring and early warning solutions against natural disasters.
From space manufacturing we can shift to deep space exploration.
What are the challenges concerning outer space?
Approximately Rs. 15,000 crore is earmarked for ISRO's annual budget, most of which is spent on building rockets and satellites. Also, the private sector has a relatively small window of opportunity. Due to this, India's space economy is small, and its potential has not been fully realized.
Increasing space exploration is causing more space debris to accumulate in the outer solar system, which can damage ongoing and future space missions due to high orbital speeds.
China’s growing presence and influence in space is a matter of concern for India.
Commercialization of outer space is accelerating due to the development of satellite expeditions to provide Internet services (Starlink-SpaceX) and for space tourism (Jeff Bezos). If no regulatory framework is in place, rising commercialisation could lead to monopolization of space.
The current Indian share of the global space economy is barely 2 percent. The PM has been demanding that India rapidly increase its share to 8 percent in the coming years.
While startups like Skyroot can bring much needed innovation into space activity, it is only the large corporations that can bring much needed scale to make India an economic powerhouse in space.
Context – This editorial talks about the Space domain, India’s space economy, private participation (Vikram-S rocket) and challenges pertaining to the sector.
Background:
India’s space economy is likely to be worth nearly USD 13 Billion by 2025, with the satellite launch services segment set to witness the fastest growth due to greater private participation.
The launch of the Vikram S rocket has been rightly hailed as an important milestone in India’s outer space journey.
How has India’s Space programme evolved over the years?
India’s main objective was to leverage outer space to accelerate national development. Eventually, military and commercial dimensions began to envelop the Indian space programme.
India’s space programme began with intensive cooperation with the Western countries and later with the Soviet Union.
India is part of the Missile Technology Control Regime that regulates commerce in space related commodities and technologies.
India is also part of the Wassenaar Arrangement that controls trade in dual use technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
Why developments in Space sector is important?
Space avenue is an integration of the aerospace, IT hardware and telecom sectors. It is thus argued that investment in this arena would foster positive
carryover effects to other sectors as well.
Satellites can be used for delivering broadband internet. It will help reach out to more remote areas where conventional networks would require a heavy complimenting infrastructure.
Satellites provide more accurate information on weather forecasts and assess (and record) long-term trends in the climate and habitability of a region. This will eventually help the governments devise a practical plan of action to help farmers and industries.
It will help real-time monitoring and early warning solutions against natural disasters.
From space manufacturing we can shift to deep space exploration.
What are the challenges concerning outer space?
Approximately Rs. 15,000 crore is earmarked for ISRO's annual budget, most of which is spent on building rockets and satellites. Also, the private sector has a relatively small window of opportunity. Due to this, India's space economy is small, and its potential has not been fully realized.
Increasing space exploration is causing more space debris to accumulate in the outer solar system, which can damage ongoing and future space missions due to high orbital speeds.
China’s growing presence and influence in space is a matter of concern for India.
Commercialization of outer space is accelerating due to the development of satellite expeditions to provide Internet services (Starlink-SpaceX) and for space tourism (Jeff Bezos). If no regulatory framework is in place, rising commercialisation could lead to monopolization of space.
The current Indian share of the global space economy is barely 2 percent. The PM has been demanding that India rapidly increase its share to 8 percent in the coming years.
While startups like Skyroot can bring much needed innovation into space activity, it is only the large corporations that can bring much needed scale to make India an economic powerhouse in space.