What is the issue?
- India is being watched for its space feat especially with the recent launch of a record-breaking 104 nano-satellites into orbit from a single rocket.
- Experts however feel that India can do a lot more, given its potential.
What are India's strengths?
- Scientists attribute much of ISRO’s success and prolific output to the way the organization is run.
- Tight cost-control driven by the organization’s ability to do everything in-house – including building rockets, satellites, propulsion systems, and sensors – has helped.
- Cheaper Indian labour — scientists, engineers, technicians, support staff — as compared to those in the U.S. or Europe is another plus.
- ISRO is now recognized as a reliable source by many countries to outsource their launches to.
- Apart from commercial space activities and for agricultural purposes, India is also augmenting its capacity to pursue diplomatic and security objectives.
What are the opportunities at present?
- The recent achievements have helped strengthen India's place in the burgeoning private space market.
- With surging demand for telecommunication services India’s primacy in the field of space exploration and space-based services will skyrocket further.
- Demand for small, inexpensive satellites, like the ones ISRO fired off, is especially expected to boom.
- ISRO now has its eyes set on interstellar missions (travelling between stars or planetary systems) which is expected to set the template for future interstellar missions.
- There are a range of other missions under way such as Aditya-1 (first Indian space mission to study the sun), Chandrayaan-2 mission, an orbiter to Venus, etc.
Where to focus now?
- Indian government has been augmenting ISRO’s budget year on year. Even so, the organization’s current annual budget of $1 billion is just 5 percent of NASA’s.
- ISRO’s average annual revenue over the last three years is approximately $200 billion which is very low in comparison with the global launch services market.
- ISRO has to fully leverage its capacities and talents to earn more profits, which can help expand its operations.
- Despite its successes, India needs to claim a larger share of the global space economy pie. It should fully tap the potential and earn substantial profits for its commercial launch services.
- Indian government should formulate policies to optimally use its scientific and technological expertise to nurture home-grown enterprises.
- This can help expand a range of products and services for the domestic market as well as increase the participation in the global space industry.
Source: The Diplomat
