I I type on lunar tar-s1ae.

2.3. PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICI PAT ION IN SP AC E

Why in news?
The Prime Minister recently launched
th~ Indian Space Association (ISpA),
Jt
Preparing the
f,...dom to lnnovot•
ln the pnv01e 5(1(: tor
>-
0) an industry body consisting of various Next G.iwraflOII

0 st akeholders of the Indian space

0 domain.
=
-- More about news
®
J
)
• The industry association will act as Space sector I•
..ed o • o ~ommon•
an. i d d G<w•rnment oc~
n epen ent and a "single- as on ena1s1er rNOIIIW lo< t~
wr nd0w" agency for enabling the progrws c! humonJfy .
•... Four PIiiars of
opening up of the space sector to Spac:. Reforma
st art-ups and the private sector. via l•PA
• ISpA will also work towards
~uil ding global linkages for the Indian space
~nd ust ry t<;> bring in critical technology and The gamut of Space activities envisaged to be taken up by
rnvestmen ts into the country to create more private sector
high-skill jobs. • Production of components and subsystems of a launch
vehicle, launch vehicle Integration and testing which is

•
-
Status of India's Space industry
Driven by public sector: India's space
•
meant for space launch.
Production of components of a spacecraft, spacecraft
Integration and testing for the purpose of space
1-f programm e is one of the well-developed in launches.
0 the world and is driven by a state-owne d • Space launch of spacecraft on board a launch vehicle
L agency ISRO. and establishment/ operation of launch Infrastructure.
• H ~economic potential: The current global • Providing space-based services including operation,
space eqmomy is estimated a t US$ 360 billion, control and station keeping of spacecraft by
with India accounting for -2%. The Indian establishing and operation of ground segment/
stations.
space sector is projected to reach US$ 50
billion over next 5 years. • Deve~opment of s?ace-based appllc~tions . using
satellite data and rolhng out of commercial services.
•Limited participation in satellite and grou~d-
based services,:.. In the global space market, rocket and satellite launch services, an area in which ISRO
spec,altzes , amount to only 5% share. Satellite-ba sed services~ ~ ~u~ ased s,:siem~ account for the
remaining 95%. A~
0
-~
~ 1'- 0 'iJ ~ ~t,,..
Need for private sector participation - BS
I- o-\~f;\ ~ 411 tJ~
~ Growing demand: !SRO al~ can't c ~ to the ~ demand for s~e-base d app~ns and services
~q
within India. - --
• To enable ISRO to fulfil its strategic objectives: Private sector participatio n will allow ISRO to focus more
on strategic programm es like R&D activities, exploration missions and human spaceflight programme .
Lt--' Increase India's share in global space market.
• To secure our space capabilities and m~ them more r~t: by distributing them across many different
s a t ~ and spacecraf t.

DELHI I PUNE I HYDERABAD I AHMEDABAD I JAIPUR I LUCKNOW I CHANDIGARH I GUWAHATI 8468022022

 • To expan d satelli te~ sed servic es: Private se,tor ,an facilita
te dl!vel~ t of a rnst-effe,tive product
or a servic e, thus creilth1g hirge base of new consumers.
• ' I D ~ our g~ olltlcal objectives: Given the
current geopolitical situation of the country and security
threats, growt h in th e space sector can help the country gain
leverage over others.
• Other factors include attrac ting Innovation and culling
-edge technology, enhanced competitiveness,
creation of job opportunities, realisi ng vision of Aatma
nltbhar Bharat and reduci ng depen dence on
taxpayer's mone}~ (:..t"]_(__ 'S_J.P ~ Anfr i ,'( C.O.--c01.~ (.:J-c}, . - ) ~ 1
_ Challenges associated with Private Sector participation
~ ~t..c.. ~"'+r~e.t<,,f½ & 1~ - '?tr.
I
'
CLAP • Confli cts of ~
-
t As ISRO is both a Concerns related to Private sector
reg~lator a~d ~n operator, ~his con~lct • Monopollstlc
of interest 1s hkely to manifest during
,. M'<t ... ~ _.~ dispute resolution b~ n private
'I>""" - (J players and !SRO entities.
participation
trends: Space :ec~nology Is expensive and
needs heavy Investment. This kind of lucrative power is
= 7~
available only with selected rich corporates, thus can lead to ~
~
g;:~d~ u
monopolization of the sector.
°f • Procedural hurdles: Companies have • Social welfar
e may take a backseat: ISRO always worked on
..L( ~u{ ~ often cited multiplicity of approvals and
applications like remote sensing , tracking of land use,
,.. · procedural ambiguity as barriers to start
~ I~ t' . d'
resource mapping et~-, enhancing soci~I welf~re. However,
i ~ i~ :e;a ,~ns ::...1n ,a. private companies will have more profitable interests than
f . develo
' 1 ~ VV c o c~,ty on 1~1 o private L - - - -ping solutions.
inv~ ent Given that government ~ - - -- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - ~
"-fi' JJ,., ~~. . still considers some domains in space Recent steps - taken
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --,
for private sector participation
~ ,...,
~, •
, -· -
j . 1 .
"'-11 ~
. too crucial for national _ interest to allow • To enhance utilization and maximize benefits from the space
private participation. assets, it has been proposed to change the approach from
I✓ ------~ -.:...,_..
• ~ iJ:::" Absence of coherent policy: that could • "Supp ly Based Model" to "Demand Based Model".
IN-SPACe was created to encourage, promote and hand hold
c.o-,. ~ nf. provide support and guidelines to the private sector for their participation in Space Sector.
technolo_.sy manufactur.i.!]g businesses, Q New space
,o p a,y..;t,,; <..J;1 in~ g tax rebates etc. ..,.
India Limited (tifilb) is the commercial arm of
ISRO and primarily responsible for enabling Indian
J.J Limited technological advancements:.
a)_ pcl. ~ Most IP is owned ISRO and that has GJ,_ iQdystr ..,
ies to take up high-tech, space-related activities.
~~
ai 4 u I1
hi.ndered the technological advancements of rn~ ~~
a~~ J,x,d.->f- tJ< J.µ,,.( ~ .......
lhc,c.,k.J1 Charting the road ahead x.,' • .,,.
· , -tDl.i) o,,J. s i<-l4c.&:. ;,. .~ ~ 1 C.V.U a.be..
• Regulatory clarity:_to ensure fOmp~,
, ' ~ cii,..ib f"rVl( r't ~ 5:i()9tt.t J " ~ I+-.-
liance with India's international obligations, eftsunhg safety, coverin~
liabilities and standardization. Improved regulatory enviro
nment would mean fewer barriers of entry for v-.~1 -1
private finns. ·
• Independent regulator: Creating an independent
regulator can help in instilling confidence among private
players.
• Incubator and Grant Programs: that,support the
sector during this initial R&D phase will greatly improve
entrepreneurship and investor participation, as well as increa
se the success rate of these start-ups
• Incentives to private companies: Opening up of ISRO's
testing facilities to the private sector will reduce
cost and increase incentives for firms to build operational
spacecraft.
• FDI reforms; Govern ment can consider more liberal
FDI rules for the sector to encourage both domestic
as well as internationa l funding.

2.4. SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS (SSA)

Why in News? &, Threats to Space Assets
India, US finalise signing of new
Space Situational •
arran geme nt
Awareness [~ al l L_A;cident;i - \
-7
What is SSA? Space Weal her
l- - O.b11,)
--
I
\" Coll111on lsatellne<; &. .
"'"'mi,,'" GPS. 11.,dar $
Comnl<lniuticnwtttlittt

SSA is the practice of tracking LoW#'llhieh•tltudt

objects in space, Identifying them,
establishing their orbits,
Impact of meteorites
indl5 t~
1
-- -
ASAT weapon,

8468022022 DELHI I PUNE I HYDE~BAD I AHMEDABAD I JAIP,UR I LU_CKN~W I CHA~~I~ RHH?U WAHATI -
,;J. . '( <1tJ -~ ~
tst o ~1r o,a '-'- ~ wr1 1<L &(a ~~) ,~c :lt4
.,:1
;;; KID cPrrpltH -b-jt"tf ~ ~ Vi'I f\ AT/ cJJ 1,w.u
~
i~- ~ ~r~ faxf{ ~ f
!O,a -·.,.. · ..._
 2. 5. SPAC E DEBRIS
Why in News? ·
. . k. g apability by deploying new
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building up its orbital debris ~rac in c is (NETRA) project.
radars and optical telescopes under the Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analys
About Space Debris
• Space debris encompass es both natural meteoroid and artificial (human-ma de) orbital debris. Meteoroid s
. are in orbit about the
sun, while most artificial debris is in orbit about the Earth (hence the term " orb"t
I I"
a
debris).
Risks associated with space debris

• In-orbit risks: The rising number of space debris

increases the potential danger to all space

I
I
J.! vehicles, especially to ones with humans aboard
the International Space Station (ISS).
Abandoned
launch vehicle
sta,~es ·t !'~
. •. ~
tibe~te
Debris
creation like
• Kessler Syndrome: It is a scenario in which the - ~
0 . ••
density of objects in LEO is high enough that
collisions betweep objects could cause a cascade Source
where each collision generates space debris that of orbital
increases the likelihood of further collisions. debris ,,
• Increases Cost Satellite operators in the Upper stage , · Mission-related
geostation ary orbit have estimated that rockets deb . -, /.
protective and mitigation measures account for " ~
about 5-10% of mission costs and for LEO the cost Fragmenta tio '
is even higher. ,_ ~ debris,
• Interference with Scientific and other ..,,.,..~,r.i,WJ;,~ ,
observations: Space debris also disrupts · , ______,,__ *
reception of radio telescope and distorts photograp hs from ground-ba sed telescopes affecting the
accuracy of scientific results obtained.
Affect Air travel: Space debris may lead to significant problems for spacefligh t around Earth (higher risk
for objects orbiting at an altitude of around 1,000 kilometres ).
 ._,,, www.visio nias.in
I Strategies to Tackle Space Debris
• Preventive measures:
Spacecraft and orbital stages should be designed not to r 1
o Missions should estimate.and limit the probablllty of
oo Avoidance maneuvers f ftJ d
ac.d:::tse,
a
deb
c.o
, rls during normal operations
llslon during the orbital .
or spacecra co or . !nation of launch windows lifetime.
0
Move satellites In higher orbits ( particularly GEO) which ate t 00 f . should be considered
into a graveyard orbit. weII out sIde th. e regIon used' by ttctlve satellites
ar away to re.ent er tne
... atmosphere,
·
• Removal procedures: To reduce the number and rnass of oblects on o;blt . d
·ty of on orbit hvperveloclty collisions following techniques can l\.e , re uce the probability and
seven , . . bi u considered~
o S ace tether: will make the debris o ect move close enough to the u
F ~ ease from t.he tether, spirals and bums up. pper atmosphere that after
( o Lasers: This method is used t o slowing objects using high powered lase rs fired from E
S.: move out of orb't1 • arth, so that they
o Space tugs: A space tug is actually a spacecraft that Is used t o move multiple .
pieces of debris t
disposal orbits in GEO. o
• ISRO is working on a Self-Eating rocket based on materials for casings of Rockets th t b
· · · ·
with motors at fin al stage, helping m m1t1ga m t· g th bl
e pro em of space debris a can urn up along

Way forward Global Initiatives by Space agencies to ta kt

• Extensive research and discussion: to have a complete Space Debris c e
s
f
'1 understanding of the problems and its associated
solution.
• )nter-Agency Space Debris Coordinati

Gu1'd e1.mes.
0
Committee's (IADC) Space Debris M·itig t. "
a ion
-
Q

• Make mitigation guideline binding: International

f bodies such as UNCOPUOS could take the
• UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer
L responsibility of creating an intemationally,bind~ng law.
Space (COPUOS) deal with issue of liability for
damage caused by space objects.
J' • Encourage States to • Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency
o Ratify and implement existing spa~e tr,e aties _ (JAXA) and the European Space Agency {ESA)
o Develop domestic legislation and ·buikf capacity in have partnered with start-ups to help with
':/·.
. '.
space law ·i ,; ·. · removal of space debris.
o Adopt internationally accept~d best practice~_ ' • Remove DEBRIS (UK) has tested two different
• Limit future launches: Multi-mission satellites t,an technologies for removing space debris:
significantly reduce the number of potential launches capture with a net or capture with a harpoon.
in the future. ,. "
• Space Information Networks {SIN): It can accommodate many more commercial and governmental
contenders to address the limited orbital resources issue while fulfilling the requirements of the services
of every country.
0
• It brings toieth
internation al int er Stakeholders from b
ergo\lernrnental or . roader space communi .
About Space susta· b' . 1anizatlons and NGO ty, including from gov
•na 1hty ,- s, as Well as industry I ernmental institutions,
• Space sust . .. , pr vate sector and academia.
ainab1ltty refers Im
ensu_ring that all b,_umanit to portance of space sustainability
£,_ont1nue to u ~ can
f or peacef
.
-
I
se outer sp

soc1oeconornic benefit
-
u purposes and
ace
-- .r------+.----===----,
~ ~ e is-becoming - ; ~ C--f~ontinued
and ' h
• It •~ t e lp~g term.
now l ~ _ more accessible
-
m!!!,i ~tellites
-- use of s ace
will require international • light, ould ensure continued • Unsafe or irresponsible
(500 kg), lll!f_n>-s1tellites
cooperation, discussion, and (10-100 kg),
use of nee that actions by one actor can
support applications have long-term
agreements designed to n!.rutsatellites (1-10 kg) from global consequences for 111.
ensure that outer space is safe, etc are trjlnsforming communic.tions to
secure, and peaceful. messibili~ of space. financial o~tions;
• More thin 80 countries farming to weather
currently,contribute to forecasting etc.
Threats to sgac~ sustainability
the over 6 800 active • Lack of space
\.Y Orbital crowding and Space ~tellites i~ orbit. sustainability will
inc;cu_se cost of using
Debris: It poses a direct threat space, making continu~
to operations and safety of a use tog_expeosiye.
mission and is likely to cause
legal and insurance-related conflicts. For e.g., communication satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit face Increased
competition for orbital slots due to strong demand for satellite TV and global communications.
o Physical crowding of orbits can lead to a chain reaction called Kessler syndrome.
✓ It is a scenario where density of objects in Low Earth Orbitishigh enough that collisions between objects can
create a cascading effect where each collision generates debris increasing probability of further collisions.
o Also, after completion of a mission, an 'end-of-life protocol' requires space objects to be moved to graveyard
orbit or to a low altitude . Neither of options are sustainable in long run .
I.I" Conflict and tension in space: Tensions in space is _w
.---a_t_e_ll-it_e_s_a_n_d_d_e_b_r_is_i_n_lo _h
_a_rt
_ E _ 2_
b-i t-, -, 9-6_0-
__o_r_ 0_ 10 - .- ,
5
risi ng due to growing militarisation and
weaponisation of the space.
o With more nations integrating space into
their security measures, there is an increased
risk that any interference with satellites
could spark or escalate tensions and conflict
in space.
1960 1970 1980
o The development and testing of destructive
anti-satellite lASAT) weapons by US, Russ ia,
China and India are a case in point. ,..! l , ·.-\,, . • .

• Rendezvous and proximity operations {RPO) : It ,_: ' •.J, ' •;

involves altering the trajectory of one or more

{ _'~ f >
space objects to bring them into close proximity
to each other. The proliferation of RPO
capabilities presents significant space 1990 2000 2010
sustainability challenges .
Widespread and sophisticated RPO capabilities could result in accidents that generate new space debris or
o
misperceptions that fuel increased tensions and possibly lead to conflict.
w" Space weather: Space weather can impact ..,.__ satellites by damaging onboard electronics and disrupting
communications or navigation signals, leading to temporary seNice disruptions and a long-term degradation of
spacecraft reliability and lifetime.
o Another concern is that natural events might be confused with hostile action .

101 www.yjsjonias.io ©VisionlAS

 I fl l
I /

·-.._
_r"°'o 4- ,.. "'

tow3rds ~pat! \
~veltJ! .ernational trea ii;';
\. co POUS oversees. .ing space law: j
lnitl atlvM tlll<l'n underp1nn -----
susu1in11bllltV
Global lnltllttlVt'S ':
u N omct for srzice ,\ff
sir~ ( \..-'Outer Space Treat,,:, . 11 ,._, J
• ·
Out er
(UNOO SA): II ~llflpOr ~ governments l ~oon ,\grtement: It
- \ the ba1ic fram ewor l(
/4~ ~ international space law such0 ~ ~
t'' ,,,,.,.

'

in bu
ilding Jt'f i!, te~ cal, an
pollUte l intrastrutture to sup
d
port
ides that the M()()l1
pr;ts n3tu1 al iesources . ~ )
(
:=. ( \, ~ peaceful use o;rrc~ ~nd th. \
basic responsib1 y an liabili~
"

aa~ the comm on heritage J of state for launc hing ;pace 1

\..A
glob a~ pace activities
~ terence on Disarmament(~ ): It 15
. of mankind. L ---- - )

the inhlmatlonltl fgrWI\ for wot'

k on \,lfk cue agreement: It
ctJganament, and for matters related
prov ides that states shall
to weapons in s~ and othe r Rt1iitrf1tion Conventio~ : It
s~ e take all possible steps to
secu rity issues. lays down the rules apph ca·
rescue and assist
ble for the registration of
c One of its core focus areas is the space 0 ~ ts, and the og!n
astronauts in distms and
prevention of an ~ race in promptly return them to
and free access of these
the launching state.
outer space (PAROS~ ~ gisters.
l,,-' Guide11nes on spac """""""' ainability : In
e sust
.201 9, U.N. Committee on
the
'Pea ceful Uses of Outer Spa vCiability Convention: It
ce provides for a ~ e lia~ility
(COPUOS) has adopted a set of
21 on the P.art of a launching
voluntary, non-binding guidelines state to p;;-compensation for
to
ensure the 'long-term sustain a'frnage caused by its space
ability
of outer space activities. objects.
• Space Sustainability Rating (SSR): h' h ·
World Economic Forum introduced a
•
recognis e, reward, and encoura
11::::1: new standard called SSR w 1~ aim s to
ge space actors to design and .imp
.
a bl e and responsible space
•
lement sustam
missions.
• ASAT test -ban resolution: Recently,
United Nations General Assembly (UN
calling for a ban on kinetic anti-satelli GA) passed a non-binding resolution
te (ASAT) tests. . .
o It was sponsored by United States
along with a number of other countri
ASAT tests on sustainability of outer es concerned about consequences
space. of
o India has abstained from voting
on the resolution.
4 Indian Initiatives
• Project~ : Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) has initiated 'Project NETRA' to
o It would provide first-hand informa monitor space debris.
tion on the status of debris, which
space assets. would aid further planning on protect
ing
V. Space Situational Awareness : SSA
is comprehensive knowledge and und
environme nt that enables timely, r erstanding of the space and t~
~ t , decision-quality and accurat al
protect space assets. e assessments , in order to successfully
o IIIT Delhi is currently working on
a research project called 'Orbit Com
Space Situational Awareness' to putation of Resident Space Objects
predict the probability of collisions for
o further, India and the US have also in space.
signed a bilateral space situational
SPADEX : To prov ide in-orbit serv awareness arrangement.
icing, ISRO is developing a space doc
o It looks at docking a satellite on king experiment called 'S~ X' .
an exis ting satellite , offering suppor
while enhancing the capability of a t in re-fue lling and other in-orbit serv
satellite . ices
Others
o India is party to all the major inte
=-
rnational treaties relating to Outer
o Ind ia participates actively in the Space.
discussions on Long Te rm Sustainabil
COP OUS. itv of Outer Space activities at the
UN

www.visio nias.i n
C,Visioo IAS
 Measures to strength en space sustaina bility

poliCV measures
orbit as a
~ Space governa nce: Effective governa nce system could be founded on global understa nding of Earth
global common .
tory nations.
✓ Bringing new law/trea ties: It should conside r evolvlng technolo 1les and Increasi ng number of participa
v- Data Sharing: To better manage and safeguard assets, mitigate risk; and improve reliabilit y of operations.
Technical measure s
her in
• Better space weathe r fo~ecas ting: Global efforts are needed to devise enginee ring standard s w ith space weat
mind, as well as continue d collabor ation on research and forecast ing program s.
gy to
• Space debris mitigati on and remova l: There Is a need to invest in research and develop ment of t echnolo
afficked
ensure reuse and recycling of satellite s at every stage. Techniq ues that can move debris from heavily t r
orbits include:
..e- Oeorbit ing satellite s at End of Life (EOL);
I.Qi'
-
Orbital lifetime reductio n at EOL;
o Moving objects into less populat ed "dispos al" orbits at the end of their function al lifetime ; and
~ Active remova l of debris from orbit.
access into
• Effectiv e Space Traffic manage ment: STM is set of technica l and regulato ry provisio ns for promot ing safe
outer space, operatio ns in outer space, and return from outer space to Earth .
...,_.. Enhanci ng Space Situat ional awaren ess globally .
 More about news h man spacefllaht
d' maiden u
1
h an
• The objective of In ia s , emonstration of u~
programme Gaganyaan is d Earth Orbit, which is a
ability to Low
Tourism Program ,
rne
spaceflight cap
precursor to future Spa~:w f easib1lity studies for a
• ISRO has carried out a IA,~-b~o~ut~IO~O~k~rn~ - = ut= - t;,:;::;:;;:;::::;:-
t urls m misslo1,. . tfJ\ Altl tud• l~
\V Spoe&aroft Is pl0o0d 0f1
sub•orbftal space o t of the Gaganyaa n mission, ofewrnln ••
E,p orlonc1ngvlfy
0
tr0Jector11 w hore lfcft,,.,
,
\
environment, -o
• After the accompllshmen . shall be firmed up . In o low s;h from spoc!'.i ond ,emoln In ,poce for est l•ost
activities towards space tourism Ji feature see tho oo h
the curvotL1re of the eort .
one o,blt.

USO $ 598 m~llon In 2021

G lobal space tourism market

~ ABOUT SPACE TOURISM ,- --

size

Space tourism is o commercial actMty rela ted to the · Rise In Tech acfva~rmafions
11~ ents,_
. , ,, . tent 'f ransfo ,n
·" cosmos thot Includes going to space as a tourist, !qp) cons1s d h . . 1
'(!'~, technology, on t ~ riSing /
,~' watching o rocket launch, stargazing, or traveling to
o ~ t r l c destination.
L_. tren~ of space tourism __J
/4ii;\
Various companies like Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and
( Decfin1ng-costof ~ our1sm \
L llke the emergence o n~w ·
~ Elon ~ s Space)( etc have already entered space :'
[ i "commerc iol lounch providers,
tourism. \::flj) such as SeaceX and Rocket La b1/
Various steps in line with space Tourism has been taken in l creating 07onieetit ive market. 1
.00 Indio like Gaganyoan, lndlan National Space Promotion
~ and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Reusable Launch considerable economic Impact,
Vehicle- Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) etc. the market for space to urism
would reach multi- billion dollar
levels in the next 10 years.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPACE TOURISM

Information about the universe,
___,_ b O rb I \ Tourism beyond eart orbit like Ola'solar system, and our galaxy
~ : Su ~tarts ) ~ flt rb~ >@ Lunar space tourism to complete via space tourism
--_ space _ u m1 9 / full tri s to the moon.

Challenges in space tourism

..-, High cost: Space tourism is prohibitively expensive, with prices reaching tens
of thousands of dollars per seat, limiting accessibility for most people.
'0r
DO YOU. KNOW?
II" Environmental impact: The carbon footprint from space tourism flights is
significant and may contribute tocif"mate change. • When ostronoul$ vi.w th. EOfffl from
.,r Noise pollution : The noise generated by spacecraft can disturb people and t,>.~,f, '· orbrt, they experience who, is " -
~~,; • aa the Oven,1- l!fhct, which Is a,,
wildlife on Earth and interfere with radio communications and navigation ' intellectual shill.
equipment in space.
"f' Lack of responsibility and regulation: The space tourism industry is relatively new, and there are insufficient
regulations to ensure the safety of passengers and the environment.
'--" Depleting ozone layer: Aircraft carrying tourists into low-Earth orbit emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, which can
damage the ozone layer and increase harmful UV radiation on Earth 's surface .
.,,,, Space debris: Space tourism and satellite deployment have contributed to a significant amount of space debris
orbiting Earth, which poses risks to future space missions and the safety of spacecraft.

99 ©Vision !AS
 t.
7. SCIENCE AN D TECHNOLOGY
f1.1. INDIAN SPACE POLICY - 202 3
WhV In news?

Recently, Indian Space Polic _202

Y -==3 was approved bY t he Governm ent.
More on News

• The Space polic y unde r ines th e grow lr

Gov ernm ent of lndi h ng 1mportance of Prlv
•
Non -Gov ernm ent E~ti~:ss~~~~~
re~orms I~ space dom al~ 1 0~:t~;:~ ~1;
;lc:~atio~ in Space.

• Su~sequ ently , Gov ernm ent ~g~t~~h

an ~1m to provide them a le'!!.I play~ng ~:i~ ors for
i:
eQ.bance_ ! participation of
.
India n Space Policy - 2023 provide regulatory certa inty to space activ rious stake holde rs.
• t ie~ by va
formulated as an overa h'
impl eme nt this refo rm . . has

~1!iJ..~
thus been
v1s1on.
re ing, com posit e and dyna mic fram ....
- ew•~•to

1
/ con,p,."-'alv• \
.-a mphos: [ o ~ ~ ! ~~n
oflnd io's~ lneat
1~
,~
'\ -~ fostenng
1nno110tion pr~ .
lflc ro
for ma Vision of the Sp ace Policy
.. throug h . ato

\_-::::::~ // Including I
lb.Ce,N
d DoS.
:~'.
~
*
../ Sign ifica nce \.,tievelop o Pin.a
___.-- .... of the Spa ce flourl•lilng
CoHoborote cQRV Mrclol emcttonol
Facili tating
poli cy boily in ~ lnspoc e Ilona.
addressing globa l
'. ij ) ._..M alan cholle nges-
~ -,.•' -!!, fora ·~ ·, ,/ /~a "" ·
\ vibra nt space
c! / . T ~nge. ;~ ~
\ ecouo m7. s1age
•-~,--
ldpa f on.....1-n
disast er
manag emen t
etc.
.¥
a.yata m for
e"-cth re ~
\~
ceful
•xplorotlon of
---
St...... ... of
pubic DWDII I
lmplementotlon of ond scientiilc
space applications. outer space . quest.

Strategy outl ined in the policy

J ~takeholder Role -A..&.D

' '
.
Gover-nment c...- Encouraging adva nced Rese arth & Development.
t hrou gh IN-SP ACe .
....... Stable and predictable regulatory framework to provide a level playing field to NGEs
-
• Prom oting .~nd support t o swrt-u es. .·
l!V development .
~ Using SRace as a d1lver for overall technolo
communication services.
Non- • Offer natio nal and international space-based
Governmenta l • Est~blish and PPl!rate s, e.g. Satellit e Cont rol Cent res (SCCs).
Entities lHGE$) 0 Ground facfllties for space objects operation
0 Remote sensing satellite systems. India and outsi de India.
objects for communicat ion servlc;es over
• l)se Orbi~I Reso urces tp ~stablish spflce communication and
i!nd augmenti ng t he sat elllt e navigation.
• C.Ommer~ alfse technologfes for enhancing
remote-sensing,
e>ld reso urce or a space resource .
• Engage in the commercial recovery of an aster .
n Space Policy,20 23.
Department of • Nodal department for impl eme ntati on of the India data to fulfil the nat ,ona
1
ity of continuous & Improved earth obse rvati on capability and
Space (DOS) • Ensure availabil
requ irem ents .
©Vis ion !AS
www .yisi onias.i n
JS
 . satellite d
'tical remote sensing
. ffotts by providing en a\a
- --- --r• -;:;;;.;~;-Tr · ~Intern ational e Is etc
Participate in
management, for sus
talnable development goa
safe and sustalna
ble spate operations, in compliance w·
. rk to ensure . , . '
Estabhsh
• internati tramewo . mitigatio n guidelines. .
onalspace debns ~- ISRO
Role under policy
•
Indian Space • flRI 111'11
0 Focus primarily
Research
Organization on
and
research
di E·H·Mil 0epamnent of $poC!

development 5
of new spac~~ (D ffllllll!l lnd1an Notional eo,n,nttt" for ~
~(1!!.C QSPAR ) up by In~-
WOt .., - - - - - i i - - -- r - - -
technologies \A ISRO wot formed In • tupe'Mdlng

--
A,1kAIOffl01•
and INCOSPl'R,
applications. • Brought under DOS In~ -
0 Expanding the raalM!II .... development and application of • ~ technology
human
understanding
ft f&fflffifflil
ll"l N NatfoMI S,.- .._ency,
for varloUI notlonol needs.

Vo
of outer space
Share
/a il#M 'HIM II~
ho ..-.fCNY of DOI ond Chalrmon of Space com-
iffi11jij+ii!'Heoded by Chairman, w 1s
technologies, tll ~ mluion - I opex body thot formulatM the poIlcl• on~ ove
rseos the implenwtntotlon of
products, -.i: lndlon Spoc• Programme
processes and
best practices with NG Es
\...ti Enable open data access from remote sensing satellites of ISRO.
,. ,
, ··
\...o Demonstrate human spaceflight ca~y and develop a long term. road-map for sustaine
d human
presence in space.
IN-SPACe- • Act as the single window augg for the authorisation of space activities by govt entities and
NGEs.
lndlan National • Work with industry to establish India as a preferred service provider at global level.
Space • Ensure a level playing field for the utilization of all facllltles created using public expenditure.
Promotion & Decisions of
INSPACe shall be binding on the operators of such facilities.
Authorisation Facilitate the transfer of technologies developed by IS~.
Centre • Prescribe guidelines regarding liability of potential damages due to the space activities .
New Space • Responsible for comm~rc~allsing space technologies and platforms created through public
· lndla1
expenditure.
Limited • The operationa·I part of ISRO's missions will be moved to the NSIL. ' ·
J NSIL),, • Service the space-based needs of users.
Significance of Private Participation in Space

• Focus on R&D: This approach allows ISRO to concentrate

on cutting-edge research and development, exploration
missions and human spaceflight programme.
• Shift from supply driven model to demand driven model:
Almost every sector, starting from agriculture to
transport, weathe r department and even urban
development, now wants satellite data and space
technology.
o Entry of the private sector into end-to-end spate
activities enable s to meet the new demands in these
areas.
< Rapidly rising space industry: The Indian space sector is
projec ted to increase at a "'48% CAGR over the next five
years to reach US$ 50 billion.
Enhance share in global space economy: Currently, India
accoun ts for only about two per tent of the space
economy, much behind the major players - the US and
China.
16 www,yisionias.in (C)Vis\on
 'I
Diversify space act l lt l "'-'aur Ca
. h v es ton
w h ic ISRO specialises- ew areas: In the lo
remaining 95%. amount to only S% sha~e bal space market, rocket and .
• Innovation and . . Satelllte-ba~ d s rvices a
I, "'"· /J
satellite launch services
Focus lndl1enlsatlon· Private sectot Pl'lrtl I nd ground-based systems -an area in
on publl . • Th t Pa_\l.P._n In Spac . ' account for th
partnerships c-prlvate , ! re ate {lroun,d fit t e sector: Current status e
transfer

. '
'
resources ena:les sharing of
technology

nowledge, and
• Ind ia had more th anijso ~::~ce
ln "various dotMlnsoi'u r•ups registered with the ISR0 d

• In 2022, Vikram-S India' ce tech companl~in 2021

sector. =:: an are working closely

expertise between the public Prarambh' . It was,.dev s fir st privately bl!llt rotl<et wa~ la
and private sectors '-- PSlV Production · NSILeloped ~Y Hyderabad-bas ed s\Vroot uAnthed under Mission
• p
romote Make .
· MO · and Hindusta A - erospace =-
:~~~
U for producinPS . n eronautics limited ( th
active private pa~~ci~:~i: ~
can aspire t o become a satellite
~~~~~asures prlvat~ P~ ~~i~ ~~~~~r:; : ::g with HALin the l;~ 0
~~~:~ged e
' w- Indian rom SNSIL and IN•SPAC e, at her .institutions
include
manufacturin g hub pace Association (ISpA) : Launched in , . .
laun h and a Industry body exclusively workin 2021, it is the apex, non-proflt
fro c t~ad for the world ranging and development of private and :ut~':'a;ds successfu l exploration, collaboration
m . e Small Sateflite Launch o It will undertake Polity Ad ic pace Indust ry in India. ,
Vehicle to the Geosynchronous and act as a catalyst for ac::~:;:~i~n~~ge ani Operate with all Stakeholders
Satellite Launch Vehicle. of space-related domains. g e exc ange of knowledge, technology
Conclusion ~ Antrix Corporation Limited: Incorporated as a marketin
Indian Space Policy 2023 sets the ISRO's commercial deals for satellites and launch gar; ~f ISR~ . It hand~es
stage for a b Id .. customers. ve 1c es with foreign
0 and amb1t1ous I.A" 5
future for India's space secto ~ ~~trepreneurship & Enterprise Development rc:.er:nl• Conceived as
. . stage enc ouragement program me to~
openmg · t h e door to innovaf r, compet1t1ve early a
f startups and MSMEs in
collab . ion, L _ _o_c_u_s_a_re_a_s_of_1_n_te_re_s_t_to:_i:.=S~RO.:::.:__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __J
oration, and international .
cooperation . However, it is essential
India must embrace adaptability d to reco ~ nise tha. t t he global space landscape is not static but constantly evolving.
an s. t.rateg,c foresight. to keep F ee with these rapid changes UC...O ,; ~
L\Cto i·~ d.).PJ . ~ o,crow ~
~
/ 11
7 .. 2 . LIGO-INDIA PROJEC:
~
T . · · : ,Lt- · \ · d..a,..l!.!l, \Ctsiz-.
~
~~~ ~
• '~ ,. ~l;t; t~-~ ; • •

Why in news? CurrenHIGO facilities ~<?( .

IA UGO-India will be the third observatory of its kind.
Union Cabinet has approved the Laser
• Currently, UGO consists of two widely sepa7.rted installations
Interferome ter Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or
within the United States -- one in Hanford Washington and the
UGO, project to build an advanced gravitational- other in Livingston, Louisiana. -
wave detector. The instru~ t the~rvato ries are so sensitive that they
\.r"
can easily get influenced by events like earthquakes, landslides,
More on News or even the movement of trucks, and produce a false reading.
v, That is why multiple observatories are needed to revalidate the
• Components will be made in India· improving signals.
the technologica l expertise of Indian scientists
\K Also, multiple detectors can help ~ all possible sources of
and engineers. gravitational waves, and to improve the qualitv and accuracy of
The project will have multidisciplinary benefits
• on India's information.
Astrophysics research, high end UGO sister facillties
technologica l developmen t. "' g
Located in l~ y, Virgo is gravitational wave interferometer
with arms 3 km long (UGO's are 4 km long). It is funded by the
About the project European Gravitational Obser.1atorv (EGO), a collaboration of the
• UGO - India is a planned advanced gravitational- Italian and French governments.
wave observatory to be located in India as part • / GE0600J t is a 0.6 km (600 m) interferometer located near
of the worldwide network. Hannover, Germany, funded bl/ both the German and British

~
• Genesis: The project was given "in principle" ,~ ents.
approval In 2016 to be completed by ~ · • Japan 1, cunentlv bu\\ding a 3~ interle,omete< ioside
~- i,..- Location: Hingoli di~ t in Maharashtra . L - o~f~th~e~K
:a:m:io:~:a :m:.in::_
e~, _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ ___.
SRnl~c.e\"'l.\ tJ:
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• c...,t:t'rJ t.l.3'- ~ µ,"Id t 6J,,l

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y
 . and Technology (DS
T).
oepartrnent Of science d h
h institutions an t e LIGO
(DAE) and the . of Indian researc
f Atomic Energy consortium
. oepartment o
• funding, . ollaborative proIect between a
for the lab,
~ c ovide keV components
• capacltv: It is
USA, The US will pr
ddepartmen ts Involved:
• Institutions an tomlc EnergV,
oepartment of A
o t f Science an dTechnolo&V•
0 oepartmen °
u.s. National science f oun.datn lonserv
.
0 t of construct10 ices &
o 01rectora e ,
Mumbai.
Estate Management, f r Astron
omy and
o Inter-University Centre o
Astrophysics, Pune.
Research,
o Institute For Plasma
Gandhinagar.
Raja Ramanna Cent re for Advance
d
0
Technology, Indore.
What ls UGO and how It works?
• UGO is atool to detect gravitation
al waves with
the use of laser interferometers.
• UGO detectors consist of
two 4-km-long
vacuum chambers, arranged
at right angles to
each other, with mirrors at the end
.
• The experiment works by rele
asing light rays
simultaneously in both chambers.
• Normally, the light should retu Illustration of ho w m as s
rn at the sam e time
in both chambers.
• However, if a gravitational wave bends sp ac e
passes through
,
one chamber gets elongated
while the other gets
squeezed, resulting in a pha
se diff
erence in the
returning light rays.
• Detecting this phase difference
confirms the
pre
sence of a gravitational wave.
What are gravitational waves?

•
Gravitational waves are 'ripples
' in
caused by some of the most violent space-time
and energetic
processes in the Universe.
• Gravitational waves are invisibl
e.
• They travel at the speed of ligh
t (186,00 0 miles per
second).
o Gravitational waves squeez
e and stretch
anything in their path as they
pass by.
• Albert Einstein predicted
the existence of
gravitational waves in 1916 in his
general theory About Spacetime
of relativity.
• In our everyday lives we think
• One of the main conclusions of gen of three-dimensional space and
eral theory of time as completely separate thin
gs.
relativity is that objects of mass
warp the very • But Einstein's theory showed
fabric of spacetime. that the three spacial dimens
p~us time are actually Just par ions
t of the same thing: the fou
dimensions of spacetime. r
S ~ye .a. ,£« . 1,,1 <)...11)..cJ:;.o,r\ c»l C,.l<) ~ Llt,.O,
cJ O • Not only are space and time par
t of the same thing, butthey are
both warped by mass or energy,
causing a curved spacetlme.

- -- -- - -- -- -
 I

/. scJENCE AN D TECHNOLOGY
1.1· ouT ER SPACE GOVERNANCE
f
' vJh'I In NeWS?
Nations (UN) has rece ntly relea d a Policy b -
rhe United " se nef titled "For All
Governance, Humanity _ Th
cu e Future of Oute r Space
More on News Earth observat1 on: Satellite data and Im
I •
•f
The po II cy bne came ahead of th e upcomin U
u
ta
Q.
enabl I
e sc entlsts to mo it age
patterns, temperat fin or weath er

( g N "'
Summit of the Future, scheduled for Septe mbe r 2024, CII ure uctuat lons, etc.
in New York.
o The sum mit aims to facili tate mult ll at eral solutions
'5C Communlcetlon· l'
communication • wenty-first- century
t gth •- on access to spanetwborks rely increasingly .
and s ren en global governance t 0 address ; ce ased assets.
future challenges.
· ln~s changes in oute r space such
The poli i br~ef exa_m1
~ Satellite navlgatlon:The use of global navi
• ::s gat!o~ satellite systems Is vital to our 9loba.1
as sphace our!s m,. ~I ,tanz ation , etc. and an assessment st
log• •cs chain and economic devel opment
.
of t e sustainab1hty, safe ty and secu n·ty impacts of
t:0
a.
these changes due to loop hole in existing f ramework. a. Sci
ence: S~ientlfic experiments In orbit have
0 been a maJor driver of growth.
Existing gove rnan ce fram ewo rk
b ..
• In 1958, the Unite d Natio ns Gen eral Assembl Y esta lished the Com mltt h
e Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN
use of f ee on t
•
CoPUos) to gove rn the expl orati on and
The UN COPUOS has been supp orted in its
wor:~ac:h or the benefit of all humanity.
e Affairs (UNOOSA).
n tiy el Unite d Nations Office for Outer Spac
• That work has led to the crea tion of five inter a ona space treaties·
les Gov · •• • .
o Oute r Space Trea ty 1967 : Trea ty on Princi ~~~e!~e Activ ities of States In the Exploration and Use of
~Celestia;~n
Oute r Space, Inclu ding the Moo n and Othe

·a· ·
@
Rescue of Astronauts, the _Space Debrla
o Rescue Agre eme nt 1968 : Agre eme nt on the
cts Launched into oute r Space.
Ret~r_n of Astro na~t s, and the Retu rn of Obje 8,410 satellites
Da
o Uab1hty Convention 1972: Conv entio n on International Liability for !!}_ orbiting the Earth 1n
mage Caused by Space Obje cts.
on Registration of Objects ~ • outer apace
0 Registration Convention 1976: Conv entio n
Launched into Oute r Space.
o Moon Agreement 1979: Agre eme nt Governing
the Activities of States on
36,5 00
· •
~
1
along with
·
larger thon 10
the Moo n and Othe r Celestial Bodies. plecesd obf . • r / 0 • cent imet res
ies but has ratifi ed only four. India
/

• India is a sign atory to all five of thes e treat space e ns .

'd •
d1 not ratify the Moo n agre eme nt.

Need for the new mec hani sm explo ratio n, explo itatio n, and
inter natio nal fram ewor k on space resource
• Resource activ ities: Ther e is not an agre ed
futur e imple men tatio n.
utiliz ation , or a mec hani sm to supp ort its decades.
of comm ercia l space activ ity in the comi ng
o Space mini ng will be one of the majo r focus areas bein g launched into low
poun ded by the large num ber of satellites
• Space debris: It is a chall enge that will be com
Earth orbit . facil itate its removal.
not at pres ent an inter natio nal mech anism or body to mon itor space debr is or
o Ther e is
e traff ic with diffe rent sets of
traff ic coor dina tion: At pres ent, natio nal and regio nal entit ies coor dina te spac
• Spac e
ages, and mod es of inter oper ab!li ty.
stand ards , best prac tices , defin ition s, langu ing it hard er for them
for coun tries with less space capa city, mak
o This relat ive lack of coor dina tion wide ns the gap
incre asing ly com plex envi ronm ent.
to oper ate their limit ed spac e assets in an
ed to prev ent any extension of
entfo n o f conf l fct In oute r spac e: Addi tiona l norm ative fram ewor ks are need
• Prev
ent the weap oniz ation of oute r space.
arme d conf lict into oute r spac e and to prev
©Vision lAS
www.visionjas,in
91
 .Qf~
ny ca pabilities. Any satellite capabte
f ma 0
·ty · the du al-use nature o
un ts .
o A major challenge in space sec f I inc rea se in sa tel lite launches ov er the Past
satellites.
maneuvering to change can destroy other
satellite launch: There has been an e~~one_n ,a

...
• Increase In the
decade, driven by both government
and private sector part,c,pat,on. 1ml
• Un ite d Na tio ns O ffi ce fo r :•• •• •:
ef
Recommendations given In the po lic y bri
security: The UN ou te r Sp ac e Af fa frs (U NO O SA ) New Delhi
• Ne w treaty for peace and
ment of a
recommends the negotiation and develop ate d a, a sm all expert un it wi thi n
new treaty to ensure peace, security,
and the l icJ4,t4id lnltlallyiatcre
In 1858, ft wa s es tab fis he d In Its
• the UN se cre tar
preventfon of an arms race in outer space. present for m In 1993.
• Space debris removal: Devel
op norms and
that take into 9 Membership: 102 co un trie s.
principles for space debris removal In the a....;.;.;_,.;..;..;____,;.--'
of space @ To foster glo ba l co lla bo rat lon
account the legal and scientific aspects lon of ou ter apace,
pe ac efu l uti llz atf on an d ex plo rat
•p ac e sc ien ce
debris removal. as well as th e effective appllcatlon of
an effective an d tec hn olo gy to ac hie ve su sta
ina ble ec on om ic an d
• Space traffic management: Develop
situational
framework for the coordination of space social progress.
to
d space It assists an y UN Me mb er Sta tes
awareness, space object maneuvers, an $.:J, y fra me wo rks to go ve rn
objects and events. · establish leg al an d reg ula tor
th e ca pa cit y of
velop an effective space ac tiv itie s an d str en gth en •
• Space resource activities: De developfng co un trie s to use sp
ac e sc ien ce tec hn olo gy
ploitation, t
framework for sustainable exploration, ex an d ap pli ca tio ns for de ve lop me nt
celestial
and utilization of the Moon and other
bodies. ld build upon th e five United
no n-legally binding asp ec ts an d sh ou
o NThi~ framew~rk could includce e binding and
at,ons treaties on outer spa . · · ••
ilitate the · ·
• Inclusiveness: Member er States to consider how torkfacf t part,, c,p at,~n of co mm erc ial actors, CIVIi so cie ty
actors in the wo l processes.
representatives, and oth relevant o ou er space-re ate d intergovernmenta
 DtA'S sPAcETECH POTENTIAL - A.e ~a i1 ''-
Why In tht news?
A repon titled •explonn
1
Opportunities for Indian India's space economy
DownstNam Spacetech• was
1·.
Jointly launched by ..,
tru , ,
11
ti 'r~---- \ ...J::../t--- , \,::; 7
. .. '\ Currently, 2\share It More
• LL vt i#c .li • atI the Indian in the accounts for
Indian Space Conclave 2023. than190
space global space . about registered
economy ls economy (with 0.25%
The paradl1m shift In India's valued at space
a vision to of India's start-ups
Space Journey around Increase GDP
$8.4blllon asof2023
ltto 10%)
• '111:re. . lndia".l Space
1

journey started with the Table 1: Space Value Chain2.,,, • lJ OA

formation of INCOSPAR Upsnam Segment Downstream Segment Auxiliary Sagmtnt
(Indian National

~ (i )
i
Committee for Space
Research) in 1962f ISRO
L __ ./
(Indian Space Research This segment refers to This segment refersto Primarily referring to
Organization) in 1969 and all activities, products all applications. activities, products and
the Department of Space and infrastructure services and devices
ensuring the services derived from
(DoS) In 1972. relyin g on satellites to space technology 8'
development, testing, create ~usiness value.
• Government was the only launching, operations othe r sectors, such os
"'"inrslncludes dual- manufacturing and
· player: Since then and up and monitoring purpose services and
(including space healtH. It includes
till the 2010s, the space app licat ions that cate r additional
situational awareness) to strategjc space-related activities
sector was effectively a of space assets. E.g. r~uirements. E.g.,fQ.cth
Spa such as space
domain of the Government ce Tour ism. Spa ce Observation insurance and
mining etc. awareness, education
with negligible private
and training.
sector participation.
• ~•try of Private Sector:
..
.
Space 1s no 1onger the exclusive domain of Government, and it is set to be driven by synergistic efforts between
public and private sectors due to its strategic and . . ·ra
economic s1gn1 ,cance.
_, www,Yisjonjas,in - - ~
 - J
~ ('

.
('~
.r: nt·I
ification.· U r now ' most of the contn.but/
er1tal divers ace tech m th
" 'l
o t 'er1t of the value chain th rough sat eIii te manufactu on ochf sp1 etc no/ogy has been fro e upstream
un ln
,,. . , new space policy 202 as opened oppo t rl~1e,slafor a

l,e11 tial a
,,,d,a
segmen
reas for
s

th
t. ~
_
e Indian d own strean,
3 h rU niti 5

,- - -
·,
P ce te no
ch logy to se rve even the dow
nstream
~---
1 t
sector
f'P
JP3,e Ob • •
Ind/ans pace Assoc/at/o
ensing/Earth
, Remote
s
s services
i servatfon (ISpA)
O): Include
(E or storage of ~ ,..,_._
t~ --.."'
ata d ata
satellite d and Launched fn
2021.
en t , of a ;.nal~sfs
developm In
: PP •cations.
sectors like , bo ly fo r
-profit fn dbuost ~ dy, setu p exclusive e
o A g ri cu lt ~
soil ma . , weather monitorin
.
ure: Cro rdentrfrcation,
..
(D - H o
the success
n
ful colla
d ustry in '~ :~ deve
lopment of
th
ce In
. te.e.!!
-~ on management etcJB g, .c8th. Private Spa
@h,i•IM,IH§t Lor . /co (Tata
rrn g a tr · P·M c.Toub ro, Ne
0 Urban
Plannin and "W' rou p), OneWeb
, Bh~ rti A i~e~ e~

n "' · g G
ent
Deve lo p m e M aster I
P an e Governm

.
ct 1
''·
t
develop.m en ' Urban heat
on and mon
itoring etc.
island
"'f A P
o
11' a a •i
n d,G
/ ifilatAectIndasustaryb. ri·dge
r1v
between th

o p ~ ed 1 Prediction
nagem en t:
Disa ster Ma er Management d WtfaeMof!iDoing Business and Policy Sta b
ility.
isast
and Post-Dco .
(Fisheries,
·
':/!!I • FEoasstering Awareness.
B lu e E nom y
o Detection & •
al Partnership
s.
phy): Fish • Internation
oceanogra ing zones
otential Fish
forecasts , P ion,
etc. roadcasting . . , co mmunicat
atCom): .
Co mm unications__
(S
se comm un ication s ate/lites for serv ices hke b
Satellite tbat u
• and services
Focuses rn on produncetsctivity.
a nd in te e t con remote areas.
y fo r tia nl < 6ranch es in Delive ry.
o Con ne tt
iv lt ce rvices on
u ca ti o n a nd Governan D ig ita l C ommerce et
c.
g o f as se ts navigation se
d ed for ,track in
o R e a ltti
,E ments, Trade, ' ·
"S ec fi:> rs : Tourism, Pay (P N T ): I
, nc lu des services us
o Other ing services
g , N av igation & Tim on, Railways.
o n in
• ~ tind and sea etc. te rp rise s, Toll collecti
air, la for en ions etc .
ce: Drones
, Navigation irport Operat ose
o G u id a n
m er cial A viatio n, A
et c. s alw ay s b een a dual-purp
iati<1n : Co m an ce ain, space ha
o Civ il Av , Energy; Fin erational dom
c h ro n iz a tion: Telecom e fo u rt h op
yn th
o Tim e S ategorised as
te_g ic Purposes: C d strategic interests . eness et c.
r.S. tr a
• S11ace fo rve national security
an
an d an d C ontrol Centre. et, M arin e Doma in Awar
rated Comm ss
sector to se i.cation : Integ : Strategic S
urveillance, A
C o m m u n n ai ss an ce
o Secure Recon
lllance and find their
In te llig ence, S! f Je p ac e ec osystem m pan ies need to
o v ate S d ia n co
g Indian Pri itive, and In
r the emergin h ighly compet
Cha lle ng es fo
ace in d u st ry is e downs tream
m p e ti tio n : Global sp e ef fe ct iv el y. re am ac tivi ties while th
o et pst
• Interna
tional C
ate themse
lves to comp ustries rela
ted to the u
fe re n ti th e in d it ed access
niche and d if
aj o r fun din g is fo r
p ly ch a in s, le ading to lim
M
to Capital: ts disrupt sup
• Access in lo w er a m ounts . an d g eo p olitical conflic
ull ility
companies p isruption : Global instab
C h a in D
• Supply ate sector. pa bili ties .
ey e q u ip m ent for priv re aa tlo n an d ana lytics ca h cost of space resources.
to k agg e hig
o n c e rn s : s co m p re h ens ive data es tm e n t (R OI) due to th ©V ision IAS
c rket lack on Inv
• Other spa c e te ch m a fy in g R e tu rn
o Indian nges in justi
e c to r faces challe io
www visiaoias
o S p ac e s

97
 ' -
1.suENcL. ,\ ND TECHNOLOGY
7,1. SPACE TECH ST ART . UPS
IN IND IA
Why in th e. New s,'
Und er S I , l '
fo r dev f ,,, ,nf , ,-
l I
1 SDJ e will pro vrde support to start-up
ment and
s Da ta Ba nk /D
ip ~t~l ut1ons rn urb an develop c urre nt glob a l
disas ter, ,. in2.111 ,. ,, I ► USO 360 bill ion 1s tt1e
l ' '- 5u nolo gy.
i :1g sp ace tech re ,s wh,ch lr>d 1o's sho
ci~ spa ce ec- )r 1Jn1 , ir-

only 2%.
About Seed fun d s-cn errfe

• Backgr oun d Seed f

un sc eme aimed at prom
d h
otin g space /► 48% is the proi ecte d CAGR of Indian
spa ce eco nom y, reoc hrng USO
50 billio n
by the IN-Space in March 2023. yea rs
te chn o logv w1s ann ounced ,n the nex t five
• Pu r po e: Tc , I, 1' r r' r, p a ce-st ar t -up s to develop inno vati ve

sp aet JI C 1t :!
1
Ji(P \ .hat Cil r rrn pro ve the qua lrty
of lr fe c· 189 Space Sta rt- Up s 1n IndiIITa
(2073) lncre o s,ng from 1 in 2014
(DP
dr, 1 Jnd aro und the wor ld Sta rt- Up Indio Po rta l)
of Cc.IT 1, c·· J
- - -~
t 1 CCI" ,, l o fundrng, M enl orship, Tra rnrn
g _- - - - -
• S
up po t o l e. ', L !- -- - - -
and Net wor v 0p po 1tunr t, es
s periodic ally.
anno unc es sector opp ortu nitie
• Sectors cov ere d : In -SPA CE ro an d a detailed imp lem enti ng
ld e a clear business plan , a well-defined target market,
Ide al JI pp lican ts: 71 ey Shou
hav
•
st r a'e ,y - - -- - - - - - -- - -
- - - -- -- ~ •
- -

In di a 's M aj or Sp ac e St ar tu ps
ket tha t can car ry
s: Bui ldin g a lau nch -on -de ma nd orb ital -cla ss roc
Agniku l Cos mo sign an agr eem ent
to Low Ear th Orb it. It is the first com pan y in the cou ntry to
100kgs
wit h ISRO und er IN-SPACe.

>--- up Lo lo •inc h a private

~ § . :,• .-,.0r osp c : e: Sky roo t is the first lnd1un '- tort
( ,,;~ ,,..,,:.vr:t from Ind io. - - - - - - - -- - - ~
V ~ -- -- -- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - --
, ~
rem ote sensing,
s a specialisation in pro vid ing
~ SatSure: The com pan y own , ban kin g, and
lytics solu Lions for agn culture
@)_~ ~ \ f' c :hi r, e learning, and dat a ana
,nc ,o l ser 11, e issu es. - -- -- - -- -- - - - - - - - - -- - -
-'
\ ff-'.
'· - - -- - - - - - - --

elli tes. It has

ers p e.; tr._ . e 1r ~~ ;T ""'.f r g sat
.-: .: Develo p s a net work of hyp
Inc's Google.
ru 1sed funding from Alp hab et

Eff ect Thruster,

first priv ately d eve lop ed Hall
" -:· t:J ~ /\erosr:;ac e'ne ste d India's mo nce Gre en Pro pul sio n
,i t-i- Pe rfor
( _c;/r
Hig
I
f. r '1
1
o,d introclu ced he nation's initial PSLV- CSB mis sio n
,:...:., ra were on' 1:Jr ncl c1:1 •~;PQ's
, r ~ud ra. Elot h A <a and Rud
:; I . ~) - - -- ----_,I
! -- - -- -- - - --
- -- -- - - - +- - - - - --

hno log y com pan y foc use d

al Aw are l~in nin g spa ce tec
--O~m 10 ~pa ce: It is a Na ti
.r 1ng full-sta ace engineering solutions.

-- -- - -- --
www.vi siim i,'.):, 111 <oVi si on IAS
 /
'1 ol ogv a~ l 'J c::>'C ,nit, I odt,{ O' erv1ces
•
th DPl!l and sho uld oe u~1ng tee ;
' . l t>red v,. Id no t have gone thro ugh a funding round
pan y 5 ou
l• JI'!, by 1ndfan should be 80¾ and com
✓ However, mv '> trnent from venture ca pit a
· r15t i5 perm itted · . ·f pl'ica tio n must at least match th e
.investmen t in t h e st art-up at t he ti me o ap
gel investors

i:IJ~'.i»~.."r~
)l'l ... :c:t mor.e th an 50 akh su pport und er any ot he r ce ntral/sl ate schem es . I b
• '' i · , J ,r:l.1dc priz e mo ney fro m co mpet it ion. subsid1 ~e d w ork 1•1 g ,,p ace, acces s to a s, or acce ss to
Cl~t,- y.
• Fu ffdlmtJ,D:'the'"' , .s
· · f t ·111 stalm ent.
" n t c,t uµ t ~ r e iP three or more ins talments, upto 40% may be give n 1n irs
c c,r .t'l t ~houl d be uti lised fu lhr within a period of three years.
if ~ n c 11c • (. ndN the prog ra m shal l be owned by start up
"' ~tart-u ps; in Ind ia

• G'lo fr o• ~ FJre1gn pri vate com pa nies like SpaceX, Blue Ori gi ·1, Ar.a r so ace . etc. have transformed the
glo, , ci 1l.ing costs and tu rn around ti me .
~ s ', vale spa ce pl ayers have mainly served as vendors or suppliers to the government's space
program .
o Th e ref or to pro vide th em a level playing field, Centre allowed them to carrying out end-to-end activities in the
p -: e uorr a1n
• Ha , ln i.J--~ -·-·· -s ·r , pace....e.c ono my · At present India's sh are ,n t his 1s onlv 2% w hich needs to be enhanced .
c ' ' v ·v cc· Id Comp lementing government's reso Ltrces to enhanc. uu r space economy.
0

• Red ~ J>ort" l C'!' y: Acco rdi ng to t he Government dat a, Ind ia's impor t usts m t he space technology sector
are ' .,, 1 · 11 f I t h an the earni ngs fro m exports .
o I 1~ m.:1101 1mpor tf' d item s include electronic and electrical engineering components, high-strength carbon
fibres, sp ace -qu al i fied solar cells, detectors, optics and power amplifiers among others
• Fre c" 11:..>up tfic ISJ...O JLJ.m anci llary activities : Start-ups participation could free up ISRO to focus in the core areas of
rese, r<.h a, d r r · r 1 nterp lanetary explo ration, and strategic laun ch es.
1 i nt,

• S:01· ........-..-~--- 1; fits . Gy rinding innovative solution s lo p; ess 111 g chall " nges in areas such as agriculture,
disa r •· •n rnuni ca tion . t li e pr ivate se ctor can u1 mg s1g 11 1loc ;:i nt ;r.provement to peopl e's lives .
<.1 'it , io al ma nufactu , ing 1n space te chnol O[W wil l ger eratP e· .ployme nl
• Ge o.- . , ': JJ .::o llab orat1on between space-tech private players of India and partner countr ies, such as the
US, wll l empower India as a counterbalanc e to China .
o 1
1 dia n spa :-e- l ech ', l ar l -ups could enable India to strategically offset the influence of China in the space arena.

India's !1i 1 ?ti'tc s t,:, . r .., •: space-tech start-ups

• Ke ·. ,:, ga1•i~a~ ,,... ~
,: , .' ro!":lo lio •1 and Authorization Centre (tr !-SP t\Ce)· It s 11 cl Jtonomous agency under the
1

' ([',. >)

..,. re lr. ,, il :; re~ ulating, promoting, guiding, monitoring, and supervising the space activities• of Non-
Governm enta l Private Entit ies (NGPEs) in India .
✓ It can ars o allow a NGPEs to use the facilities of DoS.
.) A1t ri x Corpo r?ticr Umi tc d (ACL): ACL, a commercial arm of ISRO, was setu p in 1992 and is a wholly owned Govern ment
~• lnd 11 Cr ... ) 1, •• rs eri gag ed in providing space products and services t o in •.erna t.ional customers.
Nttv.5pict ln"1a Li,rvted ' :\JSIL): N., JL is a Sc'i edule 'A' Cat egory Cor.1panv u1·de · DoS It .Nas set up in 2019, to handle the
C011,1~f a.d!.\fft't$ 6/, j /W .
., m,~l,lcHJl"cti4»f' 'J.... tnes te, t ake up high technology -te ch S!'a ce activiti ~s :! nt iJlso promotes the commerc,al use
r rrc o c • sc vic es fro m the In dia n space progr am .
C
lrd ian Sp;ice ~ sociatio n (ISpA}: Established in 2020, ISpA is an apex non-profit industry body, setup for development
of the priva te space industry in India.
✓ Rep rc : . ented t;y lea ding do mestic and global corporations, 1t aim s to build global lin~ages, bringin~ critical
t,!ch r·o l op ar-d inve stments t_o;:_t:..h...:e_c_o_u_n_t_ry.!.,._ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _
©Vision \I
www.v j-;1o111a ..,,1 u
10()
..
 ott: e· Ini ti ati ves
,..,dia n Sp ace Po licy _
2023 - --
t t v1t,es . . En ables end-to --
·end Parti .
Fo r eign Diri; ct Inv t c,pation of Non -G
es me nt · FD! . overnment E
. . in space sector . ntitie s (NGEs) in all d .
c oerz t 1on ~. Tl· e Dos a amain of space
resou rces nd DPIIT is in the P is allowed unde r G
. rocess of review! overnmen t ro•Jte f
o T
A~ xl~en efits : Sate lli t e launche s ar . ng th e FOi policy guidelines o~~;:tellit e establishm ent and
e exempted from GSi ce sect or lo attract more
CJ a n nova ti on Mission (AIM)
✓ ATL S .
pace Ch allenge: AI M in
Ch allenge. coll ab oration with th e ISR
• It O and CBSE launch d h
E v.,a -; open t o all school student c t c Ala i Tinkering l ab IATL) Space
xplo re Space, Reach S a - s _across th e co untry and w,1 • rP " .
Leverage Sp c:l cc.P sen t d mth fou r broad challenge themes -
' '.t\t al ln cul::- ati on Centr e (AI C~ s: ~~l~l~~b1t Space and
indust ry across Ind ia. The foc u . AIM has supported more th an 15 startu s w
Air Taxi , Spac e debri s t l( s areas for these startups are in UA V Oro ~ S ork1ng in Space Tech and related
ot~;:;"lan ce Equipment, Aero tech, \
✓ ANIC-ARISE p rogram : rl~~s1ng an_d rno ~i ~~ri~g service, to
spa ce educat;on a::~;
.
I d. a national in1t1at1ve
n ,_an startu ps an d MSM Es. Su p ort is . promote research & innova tion and increase competitiveness of
o M ento rin g: Li st of re t ired ISRO b. P also being offe red to space -tech stratups .
su Ject exp erts is publish ed on IN-s PACe Digital Platform (IDP). NGEs can approach these I
n~c~~ ~::~tiy for ~ pert advice etc.

Chall enge s i n p romotio n of spa ce-tec h start-ups in India

----- I
Riskv N atu r e o f Ind u st ry : Absen ce of . .
•
p r iva t e organ iza ti o ns. ass ured m arket and long incu bation period s lead to a cautious approach bv

• · y ·in later stages, pos es a si gn ifi ca nt chall en ge . Lack of indigenou s

Fun d i ng Con str ain ts·· lnadeq uat e f un d .ing, especiall
n delays.
rn atena l~ and high relian ce on import s increase costs and cause productio
5t wi ns me nt ality of st art-ups ov erlooks hid den expenses and future
• ~ns u ama bl e bu<:i n ess models: Lowest cost
1mp,=ct, lead ing :c un ,, u sta in abie bu sin ess models.
• limited Tal ent Po ol : ScJ rc1ty o f sk il led professionals adds to existi ng chal lenge s.
Way ahead fo r prom o ti ng space-te ch startups in India
rity, focus, and propulsio n for the industry.
• Enact Space Activitie s Bill: The Space Activities Bill will f urther provide cla
s (like m o r.e t ax incent ives, exemptio n), t o
• Enh ance Fin an ci al Viab ility: Estab li sh soft funds and additiona l incentive
ad d r es s f un ding cl1alle nges
eco norny using consiste nt m ethodolo gy.
• Secu r e M arke1 Jl.cce ss: Con du ct a ded icated st udy t o define the Ind ian ,, pace
r F;cil,ta te -; v1 ,., rn r.r :nt co n t racts fo r pr ivJ te sta rt-ups to fo st er m arket de m ancl .
exper tise and ma rkets
0 Ensure p art :1c · sh ·ps bet wee n st art -ups, ISRO , and fo rei gn co m pani es to ac cess
eco sy stem.
• Glo bal Be st Pract ices : Stud y globa l ini tiatives t o develop and en han ce t he Indian space
Invest in traini ng p rogr am s to enhance
• Capacity bu ilding: Emp hasize academi c program s on system develo pment .
sk ills in syst ems enginee r ing .
er d epend ence.
Als o, integrat e the spac e seg m en t as a un ified 1system , br idging gap s in int

Conclustor
o! the spa ce industry and nurturin g i nnovatio n
Moving forward , al ign ng g0 vern men t p ol ici es wi th the dy namic nee ds
rapidly evolving spac e d omain .
among Soa ce-tech -; 1 a -· -u p-, will b e crucia l fo r Ind ia to rea liz e it s amb ition '> in t he
 About space habitation f habitation for humans
now the ter~ ,,,,-v .
0
fl,.,7>"" (
• · efers to setting up 0 ~ ()

• Space habitation r M on Mars etc. 0 Goldilocks zone: The Goldilat~ • ~ c

beyond earth such as on o. ' . zone or the habitable zone is ',
• It could be done in two wl ay~. I bodies such as mars which come the area around a star where it'
Habitation of the ce es a
o in the goldilocks zo~es. rm of capsule modules which
is not too hot and no~ too co\a \
o Building space habitats I~ f~he solar system. For example: for liquid water to exist on the
can be 'located anywhen':! tn surfa ce of surrounding planet s.
1
,fntemational Space Station d as self-
Ti s and O'Neill Cylinder have been propose d
• Stan ford oru . h port agriculture an
su-staining habitats in space wh1c ca~ sup .
.
various ac tivities in a microgravity environment.
.. h t haped) space station with a central hub and a
t oidal (doug nu -s
o Stanford Torus proposed by NASA env1s1ons a or
rotating outer ring. • rf f the ring a ll owing for human habitation.
"fi • I ·ty on the inner su ace O ' •
✓ The rotation would create arn cia gravi , . onsists of a pa ir of large cyhnders rotating in
✓ O'Neill Cylinder, named after physicist Gerard K. 0 Net , c 11
. 'fi • I ·ty on their inner surfaces.
opposite directions to create arti cia gravi . . . . . s to send their astronauts to moon and to
• Different countries such as USA, China, and India have been taking initiative
explore the possibilities of space habitation. . sire of building and supporting a
• Additionally, private space entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk has expressed his de
permanent human settlement on Mars.
, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -:...,_----- -~-
Benefits from Space Habitation

• We might find answer to the question on existence of extraterrestrial life.

• Inspiration to scientific community as well as kids to generate interest in
Scientific science and future space exploration.

• Row materials such as gold, silver, platinum, etc. could be harnessed

from space bodies.
• Development of habitation technology opens up new sectors such as life
EcotlOfflie support, radiation shields, etc. which can generate employment
opprotnuities.

/ -
1l..-----Acfdress
global
'
• Enhanced global partnerships and exploration capabilities may help
advance fnternatlonal preparedness for protecting the Earth from
catastrophic events such as some asteroid strikes.
• Advancing collaborative research on space weather and protecting
'- challenges...J space<;raft by developing new means for space debris removal.

• Inventions of new materials for space habit-at ion can help people in other
aspects of life (eg. Nitinol used for satellites are being used by
orthodontists now)

~Vioon U.<:
 Issues associated with the space habitations
• Enormous Costs: The development of essential technology and lnftastr t f
costs. uc ure or space exploration incurs significant
o Ad~itionally, t~e extended gestation period of such technology adds to the financial burden
• Execution: Managing oxygen, food, medical supplies, power sources communications and t ·
Earth poses technical and operational challenges. ' ' ransportation to and from
• Health Implications: Cosmic radiation, lack of a breathable atmosphere reduced grav·t · i •
stress pose health risks to inhabitants. ' 1
Y, ,so ation, and psychological
• Environmental Modification : Altering other planets' environments may harm their landscape d ·b
debris, with a possibility of triggering the Kessler syndrome. s an contn ute to space
o The Kessler syndrome envisions a situation where a sln1le collislon between two space objects generate d bn
and this debris, in tum, increases the llkellhood of further colllslons. 5
e s,
• le~a! ~nd Political: It includes issues regarding the ownership of resources, governance, and regulation of space
activities.
• Ethical issues: Potential damage to the intrinsic value of alien planets raises ethical concerns.
Way ahead

• Resource Utilization: Reduce Exploration Costs by relying on space resources rather than launching everything from
Earth.
• Technological development: Develop advanced technologies for mining and processing space resources .
o
For example, robots designed to scoop icy soil on the Moon, and machines that are capable of thermally extracting
water from the clay minerals of planets.
• Ownership of Habitable Planets: Global collaboration is needed to devise legal framework to address questions of
territorial claims and private property if a country or company makes a planet habitable.
• Ethical Considerations: Engage in ethical discussions around space habitation, addressing issues of commons tights,
risk burden, and justice.
• Collaborative approach: Global collaboration and sharing of knowledge and best practices among stakeholders is also
critical to expand the reach of humanity in the space.
o This collaboration should align --------- --------- -=-----= -----=--= -- - - - - - i1
with international treaties ·international treaties under UNCOPUOS.for governing Outer Space
• Outer Space Treaty: Deals wi.th principles governing the activities of states in the
established by the United
exploration and use of outer space, in.eluding the Moon and other celestial
Nations Committee on the
bod~s. \
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space • Rescue Agreement: Deals with the agreement on the rescue and return of
(UN COPUOS}. astronauts, and the return of objects launched into outer space.
• Moon Agreement: It is also known as Agreement Governing the Activities of
Conclusion
States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. It governs the activities of states
For space habitation, humans should on the Moon and other celestial bodies.
adhere to the trusteeship principle, • Liability Convention: Deals with the liability for damage caused bv space obie_rts-
taking responsibility for the well-being • Registration Convention: Deals with the registration of objects launched into
of non-human animals and the L _~ou~t~e!_r~sp~a~c~e·~ - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -q=-=~ J
environment , both on Earth and beyond, including in space.
 7. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
7.1 . SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Why in the news? .
d the Indian Space Situational Assessment Repo
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) release erations Management (1S40M) . rt (ISSAR) for 2023
compiled by ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Space OP D
About Space Situational Awareness (SSA)
!/-- o you knoW ~ - __
! __.,__.
(SSA) is the knowledge, l > ISRO was preVi -:;;,
• Definition· Space situational awareness
characteri;ation, and practice of tracking space objects an
d th I i National C~~~sly the Indian l
er i Research (INcoree for Space '
operational environment (mainly orbits). ! the Go~~rnll\ent~i~), set up by
Space assets operating in outer space are vulne~able to variouds
0
environmental hazards- natura I ob'ects
J like asteroids, comets,. an , ...__ ____ara 1
~s en;: n8d by Dr.~~t~~n 1982,
.
________,_______ "'qmA .
meteoroids energy and particle flux, and artificial space obJects. S - - - ---·-··-·/
' M ers (CAM) space operators can use SA data
0 In order to enable Collision Avoidance aneuv ' h to forecast 0 bj ct
conjunctions and warn them against any potentially hazardous near approac es. e
Key Highlights of Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) 2023
• Satellites: Since beginning of Indian space era, 127 Indian satellites, including those from private operators/academic
institutions have been launched till December 2023.
o Numbe~ of operational satellites owned by Government of India is 22 in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and 29 in GEO
(Geo-synchronous Earth Orbit).
• Space Debris: There were five major on-orbit break-up events in 2023, resulting in a net addition of 69 fragmented
objects to space debris population by the end of 2023.
• Space Object Proximity Analysis (SOPA): ISRO regularly carries out analyses through 1S40M/ ISTRAC (ISROTelemetry
Tracking and Command Network) to predict close approaches by other space objects to Indian space assets and to
undertake Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs).
o An increasing trend in CAMs per year is observed, which can be correlated with the growing congestion in outer
space.
About Space Debris
• Definition: Space debris is defined as all non-functional, artificial objects, including fragments and elements thereat,
In Earth orbit or re-entering into Earth's atmosphere.
• Debris concentration: Maximum debris concentrations can be noted at altitudes of 800-1000 km, and near 1400 km
(mainly in Lower Earth Orbits (LEO).
• Origins: Majority of debris objects originate from on-orbit break-ups as well as on-orbit collisions.
o Space debris also originates from defunct satellites, missing equipments, spent rocket stages, and use of space-
based weapons.
• Kessler syndrome: It is a phenomenon in which the density of objects in the Low Earth Orbit grows leads to collision,
triggering a chain reaction that generates more space debris and further collisions.

Concerns/Risks associated with Space Debris

• Operational risks: Space debris objects can cause harm to operational spacecrafts and satellites .
o Impacts by debris larger than 10 cm are assumed to cause catastrophic break-ups, which completely de st r 0 Y the
spacecraft, thus ending its operation, and generating thousands of debris fragments.
o India had to carry out 23 CAMs to protect Indian space assets.
• Threat to astronauts' lives: Due to rate of speed and volume of debris in Low Earth Orbit, current and future space -
based explorations and operations pose a safety risk to astronauts. .
Risk to ground population: Large space debris objects that reenter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled way can survive
·•
reentry to reach Earth's surface, creating risk to the population on ground.
©Vision lAS
79 www,yjsjonjas.in
, Limited natu ral reso urce ·• Orbi t s are a limit ed natural
. . I f resource and space debris th reatens the economically vital
orbits, pote ntial ly mak ing them unusabl e n uture .

initiatives for mlt1 1atln 1 Space Debris

Global inltia ttves and lntem atton al parb

il hi
,
Inte r Aaency 0.brt
rs ps
0
• Coordh\atlon tom mltt at (!Abe)• £
* International governmental
activities rela~e;:abllshed In 1993, It Is an
forum for the worl dwid e to'0 rdina tlon of
Pre ared o man -made and natural debris In space.
o UN Space Debrts Mltlattton Guld •llhe s: eful Uses of Outer Space (UN-
Asse ~bly In~ ~; Committee on the Peac
COPUOS) and endo rsed by \JN 'General
.
o Zero Debris Charter: Signed by 12 countries. ·dAuSt rla, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland
Portugal, Rotnania Slovakia , Swe de" d U '
' 11 an nite Kingdom
✓ •
It cont ains high -leve l guidina . .ip 1es and ambitious, joint ly defined targets to become debris neutral by
e pnnc
2030 _
• Indian initiatives
· · . . by all Indian
0
Debris Free Space Missions (DFSM) 2030·· Th·1s m1tia
· · t1ve aims to achieve debris-free space missions
ct rnmental by 2030.
spac~ a ors, gove rnme ntal and non-gove safeguard
s Man agement (1540M): Operational since 2022 to
0
ISRO, System fQr :Safe and Sustainable Operation lines on the Long-Term
liance with internationally recognized guide
ISRO s space a'Ssets and to impr ove comp .
ities.
SuSt aina bility (LTS) of oute r space activ
tracking data
Established in Bengaluru, it assimilates the
0
~ S~t ion al Awareness Control Centre (SSACC):and enable research activities pertaining to active debris
infor mati on
of mac t,ve sate llites , generates useful
and mitig ation.
remo val, space debr is mod elling n up the establishment
and Analysis (NETRA): Under it, ISRO has take
0 Project Network for Space Object Tracking
ork with radars and optical telescopes.
of Space Surv eillan ce and Tracking netw

Way Forward
launch vehicles throu gh
n during operational life of satellites and
• Minimize generation: Avoid debris generatio
ts.
regu lator y actio n or inter natio nal agreemen sphe ric reen try or re-or bitin g
safe disposal of space objects throu gh atmo
• Guarantee successful disposal: Ensure the
to a safe altitu de. st passivation tech niqu es
mon itorin g must be impr oved , and robu
• Avoid ·internal break-ups: Satellite health
up from withi n.
impl eme nted to prev ent satellites breaking g expl ored as possible ways to
magnets, lasers, and slingshots are bein
• Active Debris Removal (ADR): Harpoons,
LEO.
capture space junk and bring it down to

Retated News 3 in respect of Authorization at Space

s, Guideline s and Pr:ocedures (NGP ) for Implementation of Indian Space Policy-202
Norm
Activities ,
NGP include$. the list Qf s~ce activities
otion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe),
• form ulm! d by ,,,.,ian.NatlonaJ Space Prom itions to be adhered to.
granting authorization and necessary cond
which need authorization from IN-SPACe, criteria for e with a mandate to authorize all
JN-SP.Ac:e j$ an a11ta nomo us sJngf e wind ow nodal agency withi n Department of Spac
o
~ activities undertaken by Governme
nt and Non-Government Entities in the country.
• Key:h-"'1,t,ts; of India including the area to
y carrying out space activities to or from Indian territ ory or withi n the jurisdiction
o Any· entit
the ljmit of it$ exclusive economic zone 11eed
s auth orfia tion from IN-SPACe.
t need authorization from IN-
, guidance and re-entry of any space objec
o Any space activity in,luding launch, operation
SPACe.
ng A~thQrizatlon,
o Only an tndlan Entity can apply to IN ..SPACe $eeki Authorization through an Indian
Activity In India can apply to IN-SPACe for
0 'Non-lnd~n Entitles desiring to ~nduct.,Space ent recognised by the
venture pr any other collaboration arrangem
Entity which could be Jts Indian subsidiary, joint
Government of India.

()Vision fAS
www.visjonias.in
 mental
Adopt circular bloeconomy: The principles at the
circular economy (reuse, repair and recycle) are a funda
•
the total amoun t of waste and Its impact can be
gh reuse, repair and recycl.ing,
ed.the bioeconomy . Throu
part of
reduc
from the USA: Like the $2 billion invest ment made
for startups in USA tor transi tioning into large-s cale
• ing ing.
Learnfactur
manu
Single window cleara nce: Implement a single windo
w clearance system for all select ed Blomanufacturers .
•
matics (STEM) talent within India for
• talent
STEMined : Retain 25% of global Science, technology, engineering, and mathe
susta growt h.
USA, Japan, Australia, Finland and European countr ies, have
• Intern ationa l Collaborations: Many nations like the t framework for biomanufacturing.
set up a robus
put forward their polici es, strategies and roadmaps to
7.2. NATI ON A L SPA CE: p;;D AY
~ ~ .... - ~ .....

Why In the News?

commemorate the historic landing of
n National Space Day (NSD) on 23 August, 2024 to
rd
India celebrates Its Maide
Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon.
Abou t Natio nal Space Day ;:======================================~~-
• Chandrayaan-3 missio n accomplished safe and
ISRO
soft-landing of Vikra m Lander on the lunar surface
on Augus t 23, 2023. .f. i:IY-i-Meei4•\1 Department o f Space
o With this, India became the fourth country to • W§,i@?J1ndian Natio nal Com mitte e for
land on the moon and first to land near the up by
Spac e Rese arch {INCOSPAR) was set
southern polar region of the moon. in 1962.
• The soft-landing was followed by successful • ISRO was form ed in 1969 supe rsedi ng
deployment of Pragyan Rover . The landing site was INCOSPAR.
named as 'Shiv Shaktl' point (Statio Shiv Shakti). • Brou ght unde r DOS in 1972.
• Them e: Touching Lives while Touching the Moon
:
India's Space Saga. Prime Minister

India's Space Saga ce Commission

• Aryabhata was India's first satelUte, launched in

1975, carried scien tific Instruments to study the
Earth's atmosphere and radiat ion belts. IN-SPACe
• The space agency has executed 123 spacecraft
missi ons and 95 launc h missi ons (as of January
2024) .
• International partnerships signify a new chapt er of
~ •M•l•f•M&'IAs National Space Agency,
India's prom inent role In the globa l space arena .
~ deve lopm ent and appli catio n of spac e
techn ology for vario us natio nal need s.
E.g. Artem is Accor d.
• India is the 8th largest space economy (in terms of
fundin g) in the world . 1~_ .......,
w .•....M
™ . •f-t111 ,AHeaded by Chai rman , who is
··-
secretary of DOS and Chai rman of Spac e
nts comm issio n the apex body that
How has ISRO achieved so many achieveme
form ulate s the polic ies and overs eas the
desp ite having less resources?
• Visionary leader: Vikram Sarabhal also Known as
the •fath er of lndlan Space Program" laid the
found ation of ISRO.
L=-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=--=---
L~ -_-_-_-_-_:. _-_-~ .:._.:._~.:._.:._.:._.:._~_ _,
imple men tatio n of India n Spac e Prog ramm e

1 1 comp lex big system, strict

He emph asise d on botto m-up
o approach to large~ lnl~_fyat t~:\y stem , minia ture the
has made effort to srmp '
• Cost Effective Missions: ISRO
ct.
quali ty contr ol and maxim ise outpu t from a produ
©Vision IAS
www,visjonjas,in
101
 · _ . ndr aan- 1 were used In other operations.
0
More than 30% of the sub-systems that went Into Cha , : orts end tried to lndlgenlse critical compone
• Indigenous Technology Development: !SRO has reduced p nta Ill
much as possible.
0 E.g. Polar Satellite Launch veI,Ic1e (PSLV) d b Soviet Kos mos-3M rocket.
b ti • Aryabheta wM taunche Y .
• Partnerships and Colla ora on. . . R Mt I n (NISAR), Astronauts of 0 aganyaan are being. t rain ..
Recent example$ Include NASA-ISRO SA III o ed In
0
Russia, etc. d ,. merit of local Industry for designing, manufacturlnganci tesr
• Engagtn,Prfvate Players: ISRO hBs promote en"'age 1ng
of critical components end systems. 11 d stry
o E.g. Many products of Chandrayaan-3 were supplied by loca n u .
9
Why is India, being a developing countrY, lnveatlng In space ml 99 lon ?
• . . lt ll • E g NavlC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), India's reg1onal
• Nattonal Seeunty througtl 58 -re ance. . .,
navigation system. S)
o It will reduce dependence over US's Global Positioning System (GP . lllta movements
Robust satellite system Is helping In monitoring borders, tracking m ry • and gather
0
lntellflence. nd surveying crops and
• Socfo-ecOnomic Benefits: India has developed its satellite capabilities for mapping a
damage from natural disasters and erosion.
ft atso used satellite communication to bring telemedlclne and telecommunication to remote rural areas.
o
• Space Diplomacy: E.g., South Asia Satellite Project (See related article).
• Scientific research: Chandrayaan-3 performed experiments using the instruments on Vikram and Pragyaan.
• Revenue Generation: Indian space sector generated$ 60 billion revenue in the last ten years (2014-2023) against an
investment of$ 13 billion.
• MultipUer Effect: For every dollar produced by the space sector, there was a multiplier effect of $2.54 to the Indian
economy.
Key Future Missions
M"rssion ,Detail . .. ............ ·, ._, .. , ... .......... ,, .... ... .
Chandrayaan-4 • .. It w1ll brinifr.cfof<carid. sdff:sirfis:i'tes\b'adRfto.,t (te:Earth. '
Gaganyaan Mission • .. En,visagesFtfem,§tf~fri;itio:tUqhhum'ifn°'"space'.fliijtii c'a'pability by laur.1ching crew of 3
,.memblirsi8arfi&r6ir BNiodf~m:fdfafo.ciays\h1i$Stdn' ii'~ci bring them back safely to earth.
Venus Orbiter
Mission
/ (Shukrayaan)

Lunar Polar • .. Ac~mc~pt"f.nj.~~·,~~'. irrcb'ltabor:atiori #tli')A)(A tcrexplor.e thtfMoon's South Pole region.
Exploration Mission •.; :,: ; .; :·, :\; "::/::·;:\;; ... ;:, .. ,·.
. : .

Bharatlya Antadksha • A planneq space statiorfthat wo_uld weigh:20.tonnes ~md maintain an orbit appcoximately
1
Station (2028-2()35) 400 kilometres above Earth, where astron·auts could stay for 1s-20 days.
Conclusion

The success of ISRO has set up an example in front other countries as well as well as for different organisations in India
that team effort and planning will yield results in positive way. Indian Space Policy-2023 will facilitate further integration
of Private sector, paving path tor new milestone.

Related News
Space Diplomacy
• India and Nepal signed MoU to provide grant assistance for the launch of Nepal's Munal Satellite
o This collaboration highlights the growing role of space technology In diplomacy.
o The satellite will use NewSpace India Umlted's (NSIL) Polar SatelUte Launch Vehicle.
. • >..

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