Opinion
Mint Quick Edit | ISRO’s boosters: What’s good for science is good for business
Summary
- India’s cabinet has approved ambitious projects for the space agency, including an Indian space station, another moon mission and an orbiter for Venus, all to be achieved at low cost in global reckoning. In time, all this action should yield valuable spillover effects.
On Wednesday, India’s cabinet approved an ambitious programme for its space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). Projects include a space station to be built as part of its Gaganyaan initiative aimed at human space-flight, another Moon mission via Chandrayaan-4, and an even bolder one to explore Venus.
An Indian station placed in space would allow valuable scientific research, the next Moon visit will aim to get the craft back home with lunar samples to study, and an Isro spacecraft orbiting Venus would enable various aspects of this planet’s surface and atmosphere to be examined closely. Since Venus is believed to have been formed under conditions similar to Earth’s, we may even learn a few things about where our own planet might be headed.
Also read: Cabinet’s $2.7 billion funding for Isro’s Chandrayaan-4 to Gaganyaan to boost private firms
The Gaganyaan budget has been upped to ₹20,193 crore, but this is low by global standards. The outlay for the Venus orbiter is just ₹1,236 crore, while the lunar project has ₹2,104 crore earmarked for it.
Various industries will chip in, which should have spin-off benefits for the economy. Eventually, all this action should translate to competitive private participation in the space sector.
