The Hindu Editorials Notes 5th July 2019 for UPSC CSE/ IAS Exam

●India’s space programme began from 1960s and has achieved significant milestones.

●These include fabrication of satellites, space launch vehicles and a range of associated capabilities.

●ISRO’s annual budget has crossed rupees 10,000 crores, growing steadily from rupees 6,000 crores five years ago.

●However demand for space-based services in India is far greater than what ISRO can supply.

●Hence private sector investment is critical and for this a suitable policy environment needs to be created.

●Also a national legislation is needed to ensure overall growth of the space sector.

●ISRO was established in 1969 and from then on its path has been guided by a mission and vision that covers both societal objectives and the thrust areas.

1.First area was of satellite communication, with INSAT and GSAT, to address the nation’s need for telecommunication, broadcasting and broadband infrastructure.

●Gradually came bigger satellites carrying a large array of transponders (a transponder is a wireless communications, monitoring and control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal) to provide services linked to areas like telecommunication, telemedicine, broadband, radio, disaster management and search and rescue services.

2. The second area of focus was- earth observation satellites and using space based imagery for a slew of national demands, ranging from weather forecasting to mapping and planning. With higher resolution and precise positioning, GIS (Geographical Information Systems) applications today cover all aspects of rural and urban development and planning.

3. The third and more recent focus area is – satellite aided navigation. E.g. the GPS-aided GOE augmented navigation (GAGAN), a joint project between ISRO and Airports Authority of India, augmented the GPS coverage of the region, improving the accuracy and integrity, primarily for civil aviation applications and better air traffic management over Indian airspace.

4. With growing confidence, ISRO undertook more ambitious space science projects like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missons, and a first manned space mission Gaganyaan is on the way, planned for its first flight in 2021.

●But these missions are not just technological demonstrations but also for expanding the frontiers of knowledge in space sciences.

●At present the value of the global space industry is estimated to be $ 350 billion and this is likely to increase to $ 550 billion by 2025.

●In this, despite ISRO’s impressive capabilities, India’s share is only $ 7billion (just 2% of the global market).

●And most of it comes from broadband, Direct-to-Home television(2/3rd. share), satellite imagery and navigation. And 1/3rd. of the transponders used in Indian services are leased from foreign satellites.

●Development of AI and big data analytics has led to the emergence of ‘New Space’ – a disruptive dynamic based on end-to-end efficiency conerpts, or, simply it refers to the commercialisation of the space sector.

●In India a parallel to the development of ‘New Space’ has been the independent app developers, who given access to Android and apple platforms, revolution arised smart phone usage.

●New Space entrepreneurship has emerged in India with about 2dozen start-ups who are not enamoured of the traditional vendor/supplier model but see value in exploring end-to-end services in Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer segments.

● However, at present there is no regulatory clarity, which is very essential for start-ups to take off.

●The New Space start-ups are the future to be explored.

●They discern a synergy with government’s flagship programmes like Digital India, Start-up India, Skill India and schemes like Smart Cities Mission.

They cam play a role as data-app builders between the data seller (i.e. ISRO/Antrix. Antrix is ISRO’s commercial arm which oversees marketing of ISRO’s products and transfer of technology partnerships) and the end user, taking advantage of the talent pool, innovation competence and the technology know-how.

●But for the development to their full potential they need an enabling ecosystem, a culture of accelerators, incubators, venture capitalists and mentors that exist in cities like Bengaluru, which is where most of the New Space start-ups have mushroomed.

●Also there needs to be clear rules and regulations.

●The all-encompassing dominant role of ISRO/Antrix as operator, licensor, rule-maker, and service provider needs to be diluted.

●Another revolution underway is the small satellite revolution. Globally 17,000 small satellites are expected to be launched by 2030. ISRO too is developing small satellites but there is also the need to give it the responsibility of AIT (Applied Information Technology) activities.

●Years ago ISRO had put forward the idea of Village Resource Centres (to provide the space based services directly to rural areas) to work in collaboration with local panchayats and NGOs but till now not much progress has been made in this regard.

●Expanding Village Resource Centres to rural India as a part of the India Stack and the Jan Dhan Yojana has the potential to transform rural India.

● With the Ministry of Defence setting up its own Defence Space Agency and Defence Space Research Organisation, ISRO should take up a civilian identity i.e. should separate its sphere to specialization in advancement of civilian related technology.

●There is also a need for New Space law with a clear aim and,

●A partnership needs to be developed between ISRO, the established private sector and the New Space entrepreneurs.