Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Chithral Fernando yesterday met the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, requesting that technology from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) be provided to prevent the loss of lives of Sri Lankan fishermen in the high seas.

In a statement on social media, MP Fernando said that during the young political leaders’ visit to India last June, he had the opportunity to visit ISRO in Bangalore and It was learned that, in addition to space exploration, ISRO has developed and is successfully using the DAT-SG (Distress Alert Transmitter – Second Generation) system, which employs satellite technology to prevent disasters faced by fishermen in the high seas.

“After further studying the matter, I met with Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and requested that steps be taken to provide this technology for the benefit of Sri Lankan fishermen, starting with pilot testing along the coastal areas of the Puttalam District,” he said.

MP Fernando further said that, in addition, he had requested the Indian High Commissioner to provide the Indian NAVIC technology software, which facilitates fishing activities, to the Sri Lankan fishing community. (Newswire)

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India’s space agency, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) seems to have embarked on the journey to revolutionize its space field through two major mantras. First, increasing collaborations and partnerships for space research and technology, heavily envisaged by space diplomacy, claiming its role in future space exploration and capacity expansion. Second, its focus on increasing efficiency by achieving cost advantage through the inclusion of private players, in the wake of recent reforms in Indian Space Policy last year. ISRO’s growing international collaboration in the space sector is the dividend of the following three factors: its expertise and its efficiency that ISRO has painstakingly gained over decades, and the political will to engage and boost the global space economy through effective diplomacy and cooperation.

ISRO has begun to exercise its long-due role in expanding the national as well as international space economy. Since its extremely humble beginnings in 1969, the performance of ISRO from rags to riches has always commanded international respect and admiration. Now that ISRO has proved its mettle by executing multiple missions successfully, the ISRO’s outward-looking role at the global level is more of a logical corollary. Currently, ISRO has an ongoing project called NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) at advanced stages with NASA, which is their flagship partnership project. NISAR will map the globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally consistent data for understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, biomass, sea level, groundwater, and natural hazards. It will augment the earth’s observation capabilities through cutting-edge radar imaging.

Another one, the TRISHNA (Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) mission is a collaborative project of ISRO and France’s National Space Agency (CNES). The project is bound to deliver high spatial and temporal resolution monitoring of Earth’s surface temperature, emissivity, biophysical and radiation variables for surface energy budgeting at regional to global scale. The mission stands to caters to water and food security challenges while focusing on the effects of human-induced climate change and efficient water resource management through evapotranspiration monitoring. ISRO has also been in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX). JAXA is developing a rover while ISRO is developing landers for the mission. The project is collaborative in multiple ways as the rover would be used by NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) as well.

ISRO already has a cooperation mechanism in place for activities like earth observation, satellite navigation, space situational awareness and the establishment of a transportable terminal at Cocos-Keeling Island (CKI) to support India’s GAGANYAAN programme with its Australian counterpart. Australia-India has had more than a decade-old partnership due to the MoU of ‘2012 India – Australia Inter-Governmental MoU for cooperation in Civil Space Science, Technology and Education’.

India also strengthened its relationship with Israel on the science diplomacy front by exploring potential opportunities for working together in the future including the launch of Israeli satellites in the Indian launcher, along with their ongoing activities including cooperation in electric propulsion system and GEO-LEO optical link.

ISRO has been establishing bilateral and multilateral relations with space agencies and space-related bodies to build and bolster existing ties between countries and take up new scientific and technological challenges. It also aims to improve space policies and ensure international frameworks for the exploitation and utilisation of outer space for peaceful purposes.

ISRO’s partnership is not only limited to the developed countries, rather its collaboration expands to ensure knowledge transfer to the developing countries, establishing it as a major potential mentor for the Global South. In August 2023, the Kenyan Defense Minister with his cohort visited ISRO to explore the opportunities to establish a partnership with India on space programs and learn from its successes. India has extended a ‘customised training program’ to the Kenya Space Agency to enhance the African nation’s space research and technology. India is also in conversations with Mexico for building and launching a remote-sensing satellite for the latter. India has also joined hands with UAE for cooperation in space economy and has already assisted the UAE in its first nano-satellite. Cooperation is also being sought with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, among others.

At the same time, the Indian leadership has been applauded for taking the bold and progressive step of opening the space economy to the private sector. The step ensures that the boost to the space sector comes from the private sector as well, exploiting the private sector’s capabilities to their full potential. Thus, with the opening up of the sector to private players, which was hitherto under the monopoly of the government, the sector stands to ensure cost-effective production solutions to the Indian space economy, along with the macroeconomic agenda of employment generation. Through its well-felicitated “forward-looking” Indian Space Policy 2023, the government has allowed the private sector to conduct end-to-end space-based activities in satellite communication, their launches, remote sensing, and satellite navigation . Involvement of private entities stands to provide India an edge by expanding its boundaries of capacity and capabilities, increasing production efficiency by reducing costs, and, in turn, producing large numbers of space-exploration instruments available to the global launch service community .

The role of private sector gets important for ISRO’s collaborations as well. ISRO chairman has already talked about the scope for India’s private firms to operate and carry out business in foreign nations with whom space sector collaboration has been unexplored, such that Indian private firms can build satellites and supply them to Mexico.

With more than 230 agreements with over 55 countries and five multinational bodies, India’s space agency has definitely taken up an outward-looking role in expanding the global space economy through satellite and capacity building. India has set a vision to expand its space economy to $40 billion by 2040. On the other hand, international observers believe that the India has potential to expand it to $100 billion over the next one and a half decades. Thus, nationally as well as internationally, ISRO and other entities from India focusing on space-related endeavors are on the path of promising contributions not just to international space exploration, but also in defining the polices regarding utilization of space. (Times Kuwait)

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Australian-Indian in-space servicing arm Space Machines Company has signed a launch service agreement with Isro’s commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) for the launch of second Optimus spacecraft weighing 450kg, the largest Australian-designed and -built spacecraft so far.

Slated for a launch on board NSIL’s new mini rocket Small Satellite Launch Vehicle in 2026, this mission, named Space MAITRI (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation), will mark a defining moment for both nations in the area of space collaboration.

The mission will address the problem of increasing levels of space debris around Earth, which endanger both future space ventures and astronaut safety.

Space MAITRI is assisted by an $8.5 million grant from the Australian Space Agency, and is part of the International Space Investment (ISI) India Projects program.

At the India Space Congress 2024 held in Delhi, Rajat Kulshrestha, CEO and co-founder of Space Machines Company, and NSIL CMD Radhakrishnan Durairaj formally announced the signing of the agreement. Isro chairman S Somanath and Australian high commissioner to India, Philip Green OAM, were also present at the occasion.

Speaking on the pact, Philip Green OAM, Australian high commissioner to India, said, “It is terrific to see this historic launch agreement signed here… Australia and India are important strategic and natural partners in the space sector; an inherently global industry.”

After the announcing the pact, NSIL CMD Durairaj said, “This collaboration with Space Machines Company exemplifies the spirit of international cooperation in space and highlights the strategic partnership between Australia and India.”

By focusing on debris management and sustainability, the mission aligns with the core values and objectives of both countries, promoting responsible space operations and mitigating the growing threat of space debris. “As an Australian-Indian, I’m especially proud that the Sanskrit word ‘MAITRI’ meaning friendship and goodwill encapsulates the spirit of this pioneering international collaboration,” Kulshrestha said.

Australian Space Agency head Enrico Palermo also hailed the pact. “This formal agreement and mission will leverage our countries’ respective capabilities and unique strengths to make space activities more sustainable,” he said.

“Like India, Australia’s commercial space sector is rapidly growing, and we are producing innovative space technologies that benefit life on Earth. The mission will inspire future explorers and further enhance international cooperation in this critical domain,” he said. (TOI)

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The Indian Space Research Organisation has sucessfully commenced testing of its semi-cryogenic engines that would power future launch vehicles.

The very first integrated test on an intermediate configuration of the 2000 kN (Kilonewton) semi-cryogenic engine carried out at the newly-commissioned Semicryogenic Integrated Engine & Stage Test facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday was successful, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said.

The test is a step towards developing a 2000 kN thrust engine, which works on Liquid Oxygen (LOX)-Kerosene propellant combination, for future launch vehicles, an ISRO statement said.

The intermediate configuration, designated as Power Head Test Article (PHTA), comprises all the engine systems except the thrust chamber.

It was the first of a series of tests planned to validate the design of the propellant feed system, including the low-pressure and high-pressure turbo-pumps, the gas generator, and control components.

The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO has undertaken the design & development of a semi-cryogenic engine with 2000 kN thrust with Indian industry participation, and it will power the booster stages of future launch vehicles.

Wednesday’s test is a major milestone before integrating the complete engine and its qualification, ISRO said.

“This test demonstrated the complex chill-down operations spanning about 15 hours duration that was conducted successfully, meeting all the required conditions for engine start. After the chill down of the LOX circuit, the feed circuit of kerosene was filled, and LOX was admitted into the gas generator by opening the injection valve. Successful performance of the test article helps derive the sequence of operations for further tests,” it said.

The new facility at IPRC with a state-of-the-art Programmable Logic Controllers-based control system and data acquisition system, is capable of testing semi-cryogenic engines up to 2600 kN thrust and will support the subsequent testing and qualification of the fully integrated semi-cryogenic engine and stage, ISRO said.

This test, the space agency said, has demonstrated the successful performance of the test facility and PHTA in the first attempt itself.

According to ISRO, the Semi Cryogenic Propulsion System Project envisages the design and development of a 2000 kN semi-cryogenic engine and ‘SC120 stage’ that will enable the development of a heavy-lift capability for future Indian space transportation systems. (NDTV)

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An Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter launched on a mission that had never been undertaken in the early hours of April 2nd in Karnataka. Reusable Launch Vehicle, or RLV, was being transported by the helicopter in order to perform India’s first precise, quick unmanned landing.

The Chinook broke records for transporting a winged body to such a height by flying to a height of 4.5 kilometres. When the RLV touched down at 7:40 AM, having met all of its criteria, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other Indian tech organisations marked a significant turning point for India’s space industry.

Sustainable space exploration will be achievable thanks to its low cost; Space X now has competition. In 2014, the New York Times was obliged to issue an apology for a racist cartoon it had published ridiculing India’s ‘Mangalyaan’ Mars orbit mission. The cartoon suggested that the space club was an exclusive club that India still had to earn its way into. 20 years later, things have changed, and yet again, the Western press has been proven to be inaccurate.

India has improved its space missions because to the diligent work of the ISRO and other notable Indian organisations. India has improved the payload capacity of its rockets and successfully created a space programme that has excelled its competitors in terms of tech and expertise, forcing space players all over the world to go to India for assistance.

This is another illustration of the need of never underestimating Indian scientists or the new political regime at the Centre, which is determined and capable of getting things done no matter what. In the 1960s, a little-known fishing village named Thumba in the southern Indian state of Kerala is where the Indian space narrative first began.

The speed of the Indian space voyage has been exponential and unmatched, from satellite launches and operations to technological invention and the development of commercial satellite launch facilities. From launch until landing, the Indian Space Programme has created strong and extensive Standard Operating Procedures.

By launching its satellites, India’s space exploration agency ISRO, which controls the country’s space industry, has helped other nations and the country itself reach important milestones. 36 satellites of OneWeb, a UK-based firm with Indian ownership, were just successfully launched by ISRO’s Launch Vehicle Mark III, completing the first generation Low Earth Orbit constellation. The head of the Indian Space Research Organisation, S. Somanath, commented on the launch of PSLV C55.

“Today, after this launch, we are preparing to commence the launch campaign of PSLV-C55. This launch is for NSIL & to be launched most probably by the end of March. So the launch campaign will commence today by placing the rocket at the launch pedestal in a new facility”.

More recently, ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) accomplished a successful landing, taking India one step closer to realising its goal of developing a self-sustaining space programme and space plane. “First in the world” technology was used to launch the vehicle. A winged body was transported by helicopter to a height of 4.5 kilometres, where it was then released for a self-contained landing on the runway.

ISRO has joined an exclusive group of space organisations thanks to the successful demonstration of its cutting-edge and economical technology. India has become a global leader in providing third-party launch services with the help of ISRO. By launching satellites for 34 countries, India has generated enormous revenue to date totaling USD 279 million through the ISRO. The development of various application fields, including as weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, disaster management, and agriculture, has been significantly aided by India’s space industry.

According to experts, this Indian initiative would soon transform the game. An age of expansion, innovation, and faster investment in the space economy has arrived as a result of the sector’s opening to private participation in all phases of activities. With this reform, the government has given Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) the ability to manage their own space activities, made ISRO’s infrastructure and resources available to private businesses, and encouraged the next generation of innovators.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi during one of his conferences with ISRO officials said that “Our reform approaches are based on four pillars. First, the private sector should have the freedom to innovate, second, is the role as an enabler, third preparing youth for the future, fourth is treating space as a resource for progress”.

In keeping with its commitment to become self-sufficient, India will soon launch “Gaganyaan,” the nation’s first-ever Aatmanirbhar human flight. The project’s goal is to launch a three-person crew into orbit for five to seven days and return them safely to Earth.

From 2022 to 2023, India committed $137 billion to the Department of Space for the efficient execution of all its missions. A survey by the Indian Space Association (ISA) and Ernst & Young (EY) predicts that the market for satellite production would increase from $2.1 billion in 2020 to $3.2 billion in 2025, while the market for launch services will increase from $567.4 million to $1 billion in the same period.

India has formed space project collaborations with the United Nations, BRICS countries, as well as with Israel, NASA, and the European Space Agency for the greater good of people all over the world. India’s innovative technological work has benefited the country’s space industry. Government initiatives and reforms are on track to fundamentally alter the Indian space industry and speed up the sector’s expansion.

India made history by being the first nation to successfully enter the orbit of the Red Planet. Mangalyaan was the first and most cost-effective trip to Mars. Only 11% of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN)’s $75 million budget went towards it. The space spirit of India is unstoppable and determined. According to experts, India’s lunar exploration programme would be successful soon. (NewsX)

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