{"id":146594,"date":"2024-12-11T20:25:50","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&#038;p=146594"},"modified":"2025-03-03T10:43:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T05:13:18","slug":"indias-space-development","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/indias-space-development","title":{"rendered":"Deepening India&#8217;s steps as a Key Space-Faring Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India aims to achieve ambitious space goals over the next two decades, focusing on reusable rockets like the ISRO&#8217;s Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV). To ensure strategic autonomy in space, India must also involve its private sector in developing more such rockets.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Milestones in India&#8217;s Space Development<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>First Sounding Rocket: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 21 November 1963 the first sounding rocket (a U.S.-made Nike-Apache rocket) lifted off from Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sounding rockets are <\/span><b>one or two stage solid propellant rockets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> used for probing the upper atmospheric regions and for space research.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Aryabhatta Satellite: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 19 April 1975, India launched its first satellite, Aryabhatta, named after the famous Indian astronomer. It was<\/span><b> fully designed and built in India <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rohini Satellite: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 18 July 1980, India successfully launched SLV-3 from Sriharikota Range (SHAR), placing the Rohini satellite (RS-1) into orbit.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>SLV-3 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3) was India&#8217;s first experimental satellite launch vehicle.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>ISRO&#8217;s Evolution and Ambitious Plans:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Initially focused on achieving self-reliance, ISRO has made remarkable progress in developing technologies for space exploration.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, the organization is<\/span><b> focused on expanding its space capabilities, including the <\/b><b><i>Gaganyaan<\/i><\/b><b> mission to send humans to space <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and further plans for a space station and lunar exploration by end of the next decade.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Roadmap for India&#8217;s Space Future<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s space program is building towards more ambitious goals, which include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Uncrewed Lunar Missions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Several uncrewed missions to the moon will be conducted to perfect the necessary technologies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Human-Centric Technologies:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mastery of human-centric technologies for safe and sustainable space travel is critical for long-duration missions, including to the moon.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Powerful New Rockets:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> New rockets with heavier payload capacity are needed to support human missions and other advanced space endeavors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>NGLV: India\u2019s Next Generation Launch Vehicle<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A major step in fulfilling India\u2019s space ambitions is the development of the NGLV, recently approved by the Union Cabinet.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Heavy Lift Capability:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It will<\/span><b> triple the payload capacity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of ISRO\u2019s most powerful rocket, the LVM3 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III).\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This increase in payload capacity will ease restrictions on weight and volume, allowing for more complex and larger missions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reusability:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A major part of the NGLV will be <\/span><b>reusable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a significant shift from ISRO&#8217;s current expendable rockets.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reusability will allow for controlled descent back to Earth, reducing costs but lowering payload capacity. This trade-off is necessary to make rockets financially viable in the long term.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">For the first time, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched\u00a0 GSAT-20 (renamed as GSAT-N2), a communication satellite on SpaceX\u2019s Falcon-9 rocket. The satellite weighed 4,700 kg.<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.7979%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Global Competition<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>SpaceX&#8217;s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Falcon 9 rocket, with a capacity of 5,500 kg to the Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) in reusable form, outperforms ISRO\u2019s LVM3, which can carry only 4,000 kg to the GTO.<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">A more powerful expendable Falcon 9 can carry 8,300 kg, while the Falcon Heavy and SpaceX\u2019s Starship rockets have even greater capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Starship\u2019s Advancement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> SpaceX\u2019s Starship, which completed its sixth test flight recently, is already far ahead in terms of capacity and reusability.<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">With the ability to carry over 21,000 kg to GTO and 100,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Starship is pushing the boundaries of what reusable rockets can achieve.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Other Competitors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Blue Origin, American aerospace company, China National Space Administration (CNSA), etc are also working on reusable rockets.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Public-Private Collaboration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> By offering contracts to Indian private companies to develop reusable, heavy-lift rockets, the Department of Space can leverage private sector innovation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Foreign Collaboration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Indian companies can collaborate with international partners, such as foreign rocket engine manufacturers, to overcome gaps in expertise and technology.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Milestone-Based Funding:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A funding mechanism where private firms receive payments based on meeting key milestones could ensure accountability and reduce cost overruns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By building a robust space ecosystem and addressing challenges head-on, India can ensure its continued leadership in space exploration for decades to come.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.4967%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Mains Practice<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/the-role-of-public-private-partnership-in-strengthening-indias-space-infrastructure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. India\u2019s Space sector is witnessing rapid advancement, yet faces challenges in achieving self-reliance in heavy-lift launch capabilities. Critically examine the role of public-private partnership in strengthening India\u2019s space infrastructure, while discussing the strategic importance of Indigenous reusable rockets for India\u2019s space ambitions. ( 15 M,\u00a0 250 words)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Editorials<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Daily Main Answer Writing<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Test Series<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India aims to achieve ambitious space goals over the next two decades, focusing on reusable rockets like the ISRO&#8217;s Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV). To ensure strategic autonomy in space, India must also involve its private sector in developing more such rockets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":146546,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2089],"subject":[2092],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/146594"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/editorial-analysis"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146594"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/146594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146596,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/146594\/revisions\/146596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146594"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=146594"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=146594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}