India’s Space Program in 2023: Taking Stock
2023 witnessed some rather game-changing updates to India’s space vision.
India space program
The Long Evolution of India-US Space Relations
India’s tryst with scientific and technological advancement can be traced back to its post-independence objective of creating a scientific society that reflects European positivism through technological advances rather than the Gandhian vision of a peasant society. India’s space program is the outcome of this idea, and was embarked upon by some of the country’s most … Read more
The Slow Militarization of India’s Space Sector
Advertisement Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal V.R. Chaudhari recently opined that the militarization of the Indian space sector was a reality. He stated that the domain of space was historically utilized for both civilian and military purposes, citing the example of the German V-2 rocket. He had also stated that the Indian Air Force … Read more
The Strategic and Geopolitical Significance of India’s Chandrayaan 3 Lunar Mission
Advertisement India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission has been a focus of discussions across the globe since it landed successfully on the Lunar South Pole on August 23. The timing of the landing had both strategic and geopolitical implications. At the time of the landing, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attending the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, … Read more
Defining ‘Responsible Behavior’ in Space Is a Growing Necessity
Advertisement Outer space was considered a largely peaceful domain until a decade ago. No longer. The situation has been worsening progressively with countries pursuing destructive activities in space. Unless corrective steps are taken to regulate the kind of activities states engage in in outer space, exploration and peaceful use of outer space even in the … Read more
India’s Space Cooperation With the Middle East
Advertisement Since the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the national scene in India in 2014, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, or West Asia has emerged as a fulcrum of activity for the Indian government. While the traditional view holds that India’s engagement with the region is primarily focused on economics, … Read more
The Lunar Race Between India and Russia: What’s at Stake?
Advertisement The end of August is going to be a critical time for space policy, geopolitics, and astropolitics. Later this month, India and Russia will separately attempt the first-ever soft landing on the South Pole of the Moon. All other lunar probes by the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and China have either landed … Read more
India Launches a Lander and Rover to Explore the Moon’s South Pole
Advertisement An Indian spacecraft blazed its way to the far side of the moon Friday in a follow-up mission to its failed effort nearly four years ago to land a rover softly on the lunar surface, the country’s space agency said. Chandrayaan-3, the word for “moon craft” in Sanskrit, took off from a launch pad … Read more