India-U.S. Space Cooperation

February 13, 2023

Context:

India and the United States agreed to advance space collaboration in several areas, under the ‘initiative on critical and emerging technology’ umbrella, including human space exploration and commercial space partnership.

This follows from the eighth meeting of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG), which was held recently.

Probable Question:

Q. India-U.S. cooperation can advance at a measured pace, to enable sustainable long term civilian and military space partnerships. Critically discuss in light of structural limitations of the partnership.

Indications showing deeper cooperation possibilities:

The U.S. kicked off its Artemis programme by launching the Orion spacecraft towards the moon and bringing it safely back to earth. India itself is set to embark on its first human spaceflight mission (Gaganyaan) in 2024.
The two countries have also taken significant strides in advancing the private space sector.
India could secure technologies and expertise by collaborating with the US; the U.S. could strengthen its relationship with India on a matter that seems less controversial than others.

Structural factors limit the extent of collaboration:

Mismatch in the interests in outer space:

- The U.S. has committed to returning to the moon and this time to stay there for the long term. India’s scientific community focuses on building the nation’s capability in and under earth orbits.
- India’s top priority is to substantially increase its satellite and launch capabilities in earth orbits and catch up with other spacefaring nations such as China.

Number of launches: (ISRO) currently undertakes fewer than 10 launches each year. The U.S. has the highest number of registered satellites in space.
Role of private sector:

- SpaceX has managed to achieve a record 61 launches in 2022, far higher than the number of launches undertaken by any other commercial entity or country.
- The American private sector has also assumed the challenge of replacing the International Space Station by 2030 with many smaller stations.
- The Indian government opened the space industry to the private sector only in 2020.

Capacity mismatch: The greatest challenge for India here is lack of capacity. India cannot undertake double digit launches annually.
Disagreements over governance: There are disagreements on how best to govern space activities on the moon and other celestial bodies.

Some novel solutions:

Multifaceted Engagement: The standard solution to induce long term cooperation is to sustain the engagement between academics, the private sector and stateled entities in the two countries.
Collaborative Approach over Projects: Sustained engagement could also take the form of collaborating on highly specialized projects such as the NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.
Building Capacity: India could send its astronauts to train at American private companies. This could help India reduce its dependence on Russia while ISRO builds its own astronaut training center.
Private Sector Participation: Another novel arrangement could be a consortium led by the government owned NewSpace India Limited which involves private companies in the U.S.

Additional Information:

About NASA’s ARTEMIS Programme:

ARTEMIS stands for ‘Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.’
It is NASA’s next mission to the Moon.
With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.
It has three ongoing missions:

- Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight around and beyond the Moon, launching 29 August 2022.
- Artemis 2, a crewed flight beyond the Moon will take humans the farthest they’ve ever been in space.
- Artemis 3, a mission that will land the first female astronaut and first astronaut of colour on the Moon to spend a week performing scientific studies on the lunar surface.

About Gaganyaan:

India’s maiden human space flight mission under the Gaganyaan programme is targeted to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft that is intended to send 3 astronauts to space for a minimum of seven days by 2023, as part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.
Developed by: The spacecraft is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), consists of a service module and a crew module, collectively known as the Orbital Module.