GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Science and Technology: Space
Source: TH
Context: The Indian government has approved a new space policy, which allows non-government entities (NGEs) to offer national and international space-based communication services through self-owned or leased satellite systems.
- Non-government entities refer to organizations or institutions that are not directly controlled by the government e.g., Private companies, NGOs, community organizations
Non-Government Entities (NGEs) can:
- Establish and operate ground facilities for space objects operations, such as telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) Earth Stations and Satellite Control Centres (SCCs)
- Offer national and international space-based communication services, through self-owned, procured or leased geostationary orbit (GSO) and non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellite systems.
- Use Orbital resources to establish space objects for communication services over India and outside.
- Manufacture and operate space transportation systems, including launch vehicles, shuttles
- Engage in the commercial recovery of an asteroid resource or a space resource.
For Details on the ISP 2023: Click here
Pros and Cons of the Indian Space Policy (ISP) 2023:
| Pros | Cons |
| Increased private sector participation. ISRO will be able to focus on R&D more. | Risk of the private sector dominating the sector. Also, overreliance on private entities could lead to potential issues if these entities fail or underperform. |
| Expanded space economy by increasing India’s share in the global space economy to 10% | The benefits of the expanded space economy may not be equally distributed, potentially exacerbating existing socioeconomic inequalities. |
| Clear roles and responsibilities of different entities | The policy does not specify how resources will be allocated between different entities involved in the space sector, which could lead to potential conflicts. |
| Utilization of cost-effectiveness in the sector to increase competitiveness | The space sector can have a negative environmental impact, and the policy does not explicitly address how this will be mitigated. |
| Improved national security in the space domain | – |
Insta Links
Mains Link:
What is India’s plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space programme? (UPSC 2019)
Discuss India’s achievements in the field of Space Science and Technology. How the application of this technology has helped India in its socioeconomic development? (UPSC 2016)
