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India’s Space Program: A backgrounder

1. Inception: Indian Space Programme began with the vision of Dr Vikram Sarabhai that we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies for the benefit of society.
2. Formation of INCOIS: It was with the formation of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962.
3. First rocket into space: It was followed by the first sounding rocket launch from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in 1963 that the space programme formally took off.
4. Establishment of ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was formed in 1969, superseding INCOSPAR.
5. Separate department: With the establishment of the Space Commission and the Department of Space (DOS) in 1972, ISRO was brought under DOS.

Organizations associated with ISRO

1. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Trivandrum: Hub for sounding rockets, solid propellants, etc.
2. Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad: Payload development and related electronics

Journey of ISRO

[A] Satellites

(1) Launching of a Satellite

• India’s first satellite Aryabhata, which was launched on 19 April 1975, from a launch centre in the former Soviet Union.
• Later, Bhaskara-I and II, the two experimental earth observation satellites, provided the confidence to build complex operational remote sensing satellites.

(2) Communication satellites

• APPLE- Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment was India’s first experimental communication satellite.
• These satellites were launched free-of-cost, which reflects India’s successful international space cooperation policy.

(3) INSAT Program

• Two further significant satellite communication experiments were SITE– Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (1975-76) and STEP– Satellite Telecommunication Experimental Project (1977)
• This paved the way for INSAT (Indian National Satellite) series of satellites.

[B] Transportation Modules

(1) SLV

• In the space transportation domain, the commissioning of the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3) project in the early 1970s was the first indigenous experimental satellite launch vehicle.
• As a four stage, all solid, launch vehicle, SLV-3 had its successful launch in July 1980, thrusting India into the select league of six countries with the capability to launch satellites on their own.
• The ASLV- Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle project, in the early 1980s, was the next step of evolution in launch vehicle technology.

(2) PSLV

• In mid 80s came the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project. PSLV was successfully launched in 1994.
• The vehicle has proven to be a workhorse of ISRO, logging over 50 successful missions, launching national as well as foreign satellites.
• On 15 February 2017, PSLV created a world record by successfully placing 104 satellites.
• The nation embarked upon a highly challenging quest to master the complex cryogenic technology.

(3) GSLV

• The commissioning of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in the 1990s was a step in this direction. The launch vehicle was designed with three stages.
• With the injection of Chandrayaan-2 into Earth Parking Orbit in July 2019, GSLV Mk III successfully entered into its operational phase.

(4) SSLV

• The Small Satellites Launching Vehicles (SSLVs) used for commercial launching of small satellites is under incubation.

[C] Remote Sensing Satellites

• INSAT-1B, India’s first multipurpose operational satellite was launched in 1983. It brought major revolution in
• India’s telecommunications, television broadcasting, and weather-forecasting domains.
• In 1988, IRS-1A, the first operational satellite built in India, started imaging the earth. During the 1990s, ISRO began building INSAT-2 series of multipurpose satellites indigenously.
• Today, India has a fleet of advanced remote sensing satellites.
• High Throughput Satellites (HTS) such as GSAT- 11, GSAT-29, and GSAT-19 are supporting the Digital India campaign by boosting the broadband connectivity in rural India.

Major accomplishments

(1) Chandrayaan

• The space science missions of India– Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, AstroSat, and Chandrayaan-2– have caught the attention of the world.
• With Chandrayaan-1, India became the fourth country to send a probe to the lunar surface after the United States, the Soviet Union, and Japan.
• It conclusively discovered water molecules on the lunar surface, it was widely hailed as a path-breaking discovery.

(2) Mission Mangal (Mars Orbiter Mission)

• Launched by PSLV in November 2013, the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft encountered Mars in September 2014.
• With this, ISRO has become the fourth space agency to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars orbit.

(3) Others

• AstroSat: It recently made a major breakthrough by discovering one of the earliest galaxies in extreme- Ultraviolet light.
• NAVIC: ISRO has also successfully established and operationalized Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) which provides highly accurate Position, Navigation, and Time information to users.
• GAGAN: Further, through GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN), ISRO is providing Satellite-based Navigation services for better Air Traffic Management over Indian Airspace.

Future Projects

• Gaganyaan Programme: It was approved by the Government of India in 2018. It has the stated objective of demonstrating human space flight capability to Low- Earth Orbit (LEO) for a defined duration and safe recovery after the mission.
• Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC): This was constituted in ISRO for implementing the vision on the human space flight programme.

Major breakthroughs: Commercialization of Space Activities

• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe): The creation of the IN-SPACE to promote, handhold, and authorise Non-Government Private Entities (NGPEs) to undertake space activities shall unleash the next wave of advancements in the sector.
• New Space India Limited (NSIL):  Empowering the PSU NSIL to own the operational launch vehicles and space assets of ISRO, opens up a new chapter in the management of space activities in the country.
• ANTRIX: ISRO also has a business branch called Antrix, which markets ISRO’s space products and technologies to a global audience.

Various challenges

• Security concerns from private activities: Government worries over knowledge sharing, launch methods, and satellite capabilities have led to a reluctance to allow private actors in the market due to the security concerns.
• Long gestation period: Many approval processes take a long time to complete. Approvals take around a year and a half. This comes at a time when the next three to four years are critical for the sector’s growth.
• State control: The ISRO is directly controlled by the Department of Space (DOS), which is under the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Licensing issues: Another regulatory worry is the licensing structure for satellite earth station gateways, which needs to be transformed to make it easier for any satellite operator to set one up.
• Limited indigenization: Another challenge is promoting indigenous innovation. In the new global climate, the challenge for the country is to continue to benefit from this innovation.

Way forward

• Creating a policy and regulatory framework that is predictable for both ISRO and private firms.
• Future planetary exploration and space travel should include the private sector.
• Allowing commercial enterprises to rent ISRO testing facilities for the purpose of testing their products and equipment.
• Improved regulatory clarity would result in fewer hurdles to entry for private companies and better synergy between ISRO and private partners.
• Private companies are given incentives to develop satellites or test rockets, lowering costs and increasing incentives for enterprises to build operational spacecraft.
• ISRO would assist the private sector in attracting both domestic and foreign direct investment by offering access to its satellite technology, facilities, and orbital slots (FDI).

Conclusion

• There is a need to liberalise the space sector and allow more private players to use ISRO facilities for developing, launching, and deploying a variety of applications.
• The government should take appropriate measures to enable the private sector to ensure that India remains at the forefront of the global space industry.

Also read:

[Burning Issue] India’s Space Programme