As mankind’s activity is transforming the outer space, India needs urgent and radical reforms in its space sector for better sustainability. Analyse(200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· Space programmes have for long been viewed as either strategic or symbols of national prestige for big countries that are prepared to invest significant resources in the pursuit of a credible presence in outer space.
· Japan is scheduled to launch the UAE Mars probe this year. India’s own ISRO is also working with the UAE on its Mars mission. The first Emirati Astronaut, Hazza al-Mansouri spent more than a week in the US-Russian space station.
· It is about cornering a slice of the rapidly growing commercial space industry — part of a major effort to diversify the UAE economy away from its reliance on hydrocarbons..
· As launch costs came down, the private sector has become more ambitious. SpaceX plans to launch hundreds of satellites into the low-earth orbit to provide internet services.
· India, however, is quite some distance away from adapting to the unfolding changes in the global space business. In its early years, India’s space programme that was constrained by lack of resources found innovative ways of getting ahead in space.
· Although the ISRO encourages private sector participation in the national space programme, its model is still very 20th century — in terms of governmental domination.
· As it looks at the growing role of the private sector and the effort by nations like the UAE and Luxembourg, Delhi needs to move quickly towards a new model for India’s space activity.
· It needs a regulatory environment that encourages a more dynamic role for the private sector and promotes innovation. It will be a pity if India squanders the many advantages of its early start in space by delaying the much-needed reform and reorganisation of its space sector.
