Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the names of four Indian pilots and bestowed them with “astronaut wings” and thundered in his characteristic style, “this time around, the countdown, the timing, and even the rocket would be ours”. He was speaking at the inauguration of space infrastructure projects at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre on 27 February 2024.ISRO has planned for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission for launch in 2025.
This shows the strong resolve of the Indian Prime Minister to put India on top and his vision for 2047 when we will have our own space station by 2035 and our boys will be wandering on the moon surface by 2040. The Gaganyaan space mission is the first step in this direction to demonstrate India’s capability for human spaceflight by sending a team of three crew members into a 400 km orbit for three days. The stress is on safe return to Earth and landing in the Indian sea waters.
Such ambitious goals are definitely achievable but with some caveats. ISRO has a strong track record in space exploration with successful launches to Mars and the Moon and insertion of Aditya L1 into a halo orbit on the continuously moving Sun–Earth line at a distance of 1.5 million km from the Earth. The first module for the Indian space station is planned for launch at the end of this decade and the complete roadmap is ready to have our own station by 2035. But, the challenges would come from the technical hurdles due to various reasons causing delays and can push the timelines. Consistent and sufficient funding is yet another factor that is very important in space missions. If enough money is sunk into these projects, there is every reason to succeed in our objectives.
A lot depends on the Gaganyaan mission that is very complex and ensuring the safety of astronauts and the reliability of human spaceflight will be put to testing. It will also tell us about any more testing and development, that is requiredto have our own space station. India could potentially collaborate with other space agencies to share resources and expertise. The involvement of private companies could accelerate progress and provide additional funding, if need be. New technologies could emerge in our fast evolving technological world that will make the goals easier to achieve.
ISRO has already demonstrated its technical ability to send a probe to the moon using the hardware already at hand. The fact that LVM3 M4, the rocket that was used for Chandrayan 3 mission was originally designed to send satellites to geostationary transfer orbit. The ability of ISRO to modify and improve upon the existing hardware technology is amazing and forms the backbone of all its successes.
One question that definitely arises in the minds of people is the timeline of these projects. Are these timelines realistic? Though, not an expert in this field my confidence comes from the fact that if United States could put humans on the Moon in a little over 8 years (1961-69) using 1960s technology, then ISRO has already a head start. There is no reason that a small, say a Salyut –class space station cannot be put in orbit by 2035, initially. As far as the engineering goes, it’s achievable. Looking at the world’s greatest space programs one thing becomes very clear that the biggest hurdle of any space program to overcome is that of funding that is always connected to the political climate in the country. And with the current political will at the highest level strongly in favour of space missions India’s forays into space science will not see any deceleration but instead will march ahead strongly.
Another question, people may ask, “Why India needs to spend so much money in space technology?” I am sure there will be arguments for and against such a question. But, one needs to know the benefits. The benefits could range from economic development to national security to scientific research to prestige. It can impact a wide range of economic sectors, such as agriculture, communication, and disaster management. Can monitor crop yields, provide weather forecasting services, and maps. Today, we don’t have to ask for an address, just fix the location on your cell phone and there you go. Think of monitoring border areas with Pakistan and China or tracking the enemy or even the terrorist movements. Today, world’s army use satellites to track missile launches and provide real-time intelligence on enemy positions.
We should remember that space exploration is a source of our national pride and prestige and our success in this arena will raise our image on the global stage. I would add to echo of Prime Minister’s sentiment in the end, “the present time is ours, the global leadership is ours and decision to have a house in space is ours”.
Former Sr. scientist, CSIR-NGRI
