By Girish Linganna 

 

 

INDIA is gearing up for an ambitious schedule of up to 30 space missions over the next 15 months, highlighting its plans for a substantial increase in both civilian and commercial space endeavours. These missions, scheduled for the remaining days in the current fiscal as also the entire 2024-25 fiscal year, will encompass a variety of objectives including scientific research, commercial ventures, missions funded by users, and demonstrations of new technologies. Among these, seven trial flights will support India’s Gaganyaan manned space mission, while nine additional missions will be conducted under the supervision of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Additionally, 14 launches are allocated for the emerging commercial space industry in India, coordinated by New Space India Limited (NSIL). Of these, seven are slated for launch vehicles including four Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), one Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) which is typically utilised for reaching geostationary orbit, and two launches using the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

 

The remaining seven launches are designated for trials by private sector entities. In the realm of private ventures, there are plans for both suborbital and orbital missions by commercial companies such as Agnikul Cosmos, which will be launching the Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator), and Skyroot Aerospace with its Vikram-1 rocket. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), an autonomous entity affiliated with the Department of Space created for the encouragement, regulation, and supervise of commercial space activities, disclosed the launch schedule on February 8. This schedule detailed past and future missions, including the early January mission that successfully launched an X-ray astronomy satellite, and the forthcoming mission of the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite. The latter is scheduled for launch aboard GSLV-F14 at 17.35 hrs on February 17. Following the introduction of a new national space policy in 2023 aimed at transforming India into a global space center, these plans reflect an expanding space sector with an increase in private sector participation. However, India’s ambitious launch schedule faces several hurdles.

 

These include having only one functioning space launch center, the challenge of managing numerous missions from human spaceflight, NSIL, military operations, and private initiatives all at once, as well as issues with the supply chain. These issues affect the ability to produce a large number of launch vehicles and satellites. Srinivasan Chandrasekhar, a visiting professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), shared these insights with SpaceNews. According to the schedule details, there’s significant unpredictability about achieving the outlined launch goals. Srinivasan suggests that a more realistic expectation might be achieving 10 to 12 launches within the 15-month timeframe. Achieving even this reduced number would still be considered a noteworthy success. Especially concerning are the commercial initiatives. The companies involved are currently conducting development flights, which introduces a lot of uncertainty regarding their ability to adhere to the planned schedule. Srinivasan pointed out that, of the seven additional launches mentioned in the schedule, only two have confirmed payloads. He believes that, even with an optimistic view towards securing more launch contracts, it’s improbable that the targets set by NSIL will be reached. There are promising prospects as well. The launch of the European Space Agency’s Proba 3 mission, planned for the third quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year, could once again highlight the capabilities of India’s PSLV on the international stage.

 

Srinivasan also mentions that launches similar to those done for OneWeb using the LVM-3 launcher could further enhance India’s reputation in space. Realising the goal to execute 30 launches within a 15-month period would be an impressive feat. However, India is expected to undertake sustained efforts to increase its space access and the frequency of its launches over the long term. One major challenge for India’s space launches is that there is only one main launch site: the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, which has two launch pads for PSLV and LVM3 rockets. To help address this, a new spaceport is being built in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu, specifically for private launch companies. Following the achievements, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled plans to build an Indian Space Station by 2035 and aims to send the first Indian 8 astronaut to the Moon by 2040. Realising these ambitions will necessitate ongoing efforts and reforms, along with overcoming broader challenges. The Indian space sector stands to gain greatly from a more vigorous promotion of its domestic industry, according to Srinivasan. (IPA) (The author is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru.)