NEW SPACE POLICY – SCI & TECH
News:
Space policy draws cautious optimism
What's in the news?
● Three
years after opening up the space sector to private entities, the Union
government released the Indian Space Policy document that sets out and
formalises the roles of private and government entities in the sector.
Aim:
● The
Indian Space Policy 2023 policy clarifies
the roles and responsibilities of the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO), NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and the Indian National Space Promotion
and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), as well as that of the private players in
the Indian space sector.
Provisions of the Space Policy:
1. Opportunities for private sector players:
● One
of the key aspects of the new policy is to open up the Indian space sector to
provide opportunities for private sector players to play an active role in
augmenting the development and
competitiveness of the Indian space program.
● This
will allow ISRO to focus on non-commercial missions, such as research and
development of advanced space technologies and space exploration.
2. Enhance overall ISRO missions:
● The
policy is expected to enhance overall ISRO missions with greater participation
of non-government entities, including
academia, the research community, startups, and industry.
3. Institutional setups:
● Strategic activities
within the space sector will be handled by NSIL,
an institution set up within the Department of Space that will address these
activities in a demand-driven mode.
● The
other recent institutional set up that will be critical in coordination between the public sector and the private players is
IN-SPACe.
4. Framework for use of ISRO facilities:
● The
policy outlines a framework under which the private sector can use ISRO facilities for a small fee.
5. Making Indian space programme competitive:
● The
private players are also expected to create new infrastructure in the space
sector.
● This
will be critical in ensuring that the Indian space program becomes more
competitive and developed.
6. ISRO will focus on research and development:
● In
a significant move, ISRO has stated that it will not do any operational and
production work for the space sector and will instead focus its energies on
developing new technologies, new
systems, and research and development.
● This
essentially means that the routine production and launches that the ISRO was
involved in until now will be handled by the private sector completely.
Significance of the Policy:
1. Messaging tool:
● An
open space policy can be used as a messaging tool, both for friends and
potential foes.
● It
can demonstrate India’s commitment to the peaceful use of outer space and build
confidence among other nations.
2. Moderating fears and concerns:
● An
open space policy can help to moderate fears and concerns about India’s space
activities, by providing greater clarity
on India’s space objectives and priorities.
3. Rebuilding confidence:
● An
open space policy can help to rebuild
confidence among other nations that India is committed to the peaceful use
of outer space.
4. Outlining objectives:
● An
open space policy can provide a clear outline
of India’s short-term and long-term space objectives and priorities.
5. Better resource allocation:
● An
open space policy can help to ensure better resource allocation for India’s
space program, by providing a clear framework for decision-making and
prioritization.
6. Space economy:
● The
policy will help India increase its share in the global space economy
substantially from less than 2% to 10%
in the future.
Challenges ahead:
1. Increased competition:
● An
open space policy could lead to increased competition among countries and
private entities to gain access to space and its resources.
● This
could lead to a potential arms race in
space and increased tensions between countries.
2. Security concerns:
● Open access to space could also create security concerns, as countries may develop space weapons or use space to conduct surveillance on other countries.
3. Rising space debris:
● As
outer space expeditions increase, more space
debris will accumulate.
● Because
objects orbit Earth at such high speeds, even a small piece of space debris can
damage a spacecraft.
4. Lack of regulation:
● Without
proper regulation, an open space policy could lead to the exploitation of space resources, such as minerals and water,
which could negatively impact the environment and lead to unfair distribution
of resources.
5. Increasing cost:
● Increased
space activity and access could also lead to higher costs for countries and
private entities, which may not be sustainable in the long run.
The
Indian Space Policy is an important step towards an open space policy that integrates both commercial and national
security requirements in a balanced fashion.