NEW DELHI: S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, emphasized on Wednesday the necessity for India to reduce the cost of access to space, citing its potential to facilitate more small satellite launches and attract new entrants into the space sector.
Speaking at the third Annual India Space Congress (ISC) 2024, attended by delegates from over 300 global space organizations and 30 countries, Somanath stated, “Bringing down the cost of access to space is a global trend, and India must also look at it. Space can never be solely for business and economy; it must inspire generations to innovate for humanity.”
The Chairman of ISRO emphasized India’s growing space capabilities and the need for new participants to expand its operations. He noted a lack of domestic demand in the satellite launch market but suggested that could change with increased satellite technology applications. Large corporations are interested in entering the sector but seek clarity on timelines.
Regarding future ambitions, he mentioned Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s vision for Amrit Kaal, which includes advancing human space activities beyond the Gaganyaan mission, aiming for a Moon landing by 2040.
However, current Indian rockets lack the capacity for round trips to the Moon. Developing rockets with higher payload capacity is crucial for bringing back samples and planning future human missions, he explained. He also said, “Though GSLV MKIII (LVM3) is the biggest rocket that we have, it is not big enough. We need to develop the capability to bring samples back and then send humans to the Moon and bring them back,”.
The ISRO chief highlighted Gsat-20, a high-throughput Ka-band satellite boasting more than 50 Gbps of connectivity capacity, scheduled for mid-August launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The satellite has secured clearance for its launch preparations in the United States.
