ISRO To Involve Private Sector For Gaganyaan Mission

COVID-19 pandemic might have created a hurdle for ISRO's space missions. The premier space agency has new initiatives to ensure the success of these missions. ISRO chairman K. Sivan said that the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) program will play a role in space explorations, with several private enterprises onboard.

ISRO Partners With Private Players

The IN-SPACe program was approved by the Union cabinet, which means ISRO will function as a nodal agency to hand-hold and promote private sector participation in space programs. Interested private space companies can directly apply to the IN-SPACe program and ISRO will evaluate and process it.

At the same time, IN-SPACe will have its independent directorates for technical, legal, safety, and security monitoring, and will also carry out promotional activities. The private space agencies will be presented with opportunities to undertake research and development to identify co-travelers for interplanetary missions as well.

Having private companies in space activities will also open up India's assets, including data. "Reforms in the space sector are aimed at tapping the potential of (the) entire country for unlocking its potential by enabling private enterprises and startups to undertake end-to-end space activities," K. Sivan said in a press statement.

Private Companies In Space Missions

Some of the missions lined up by ISRO include the Gaganyaan and the Chanrayaan-3 missions. A report by The Quint notes that private companies will also have a say in these missions. K. Sivan said that the private sector can contribute to some technological development as each of these missions require very high-end technology development.

"The private sector will definitely have a say in the development of the technology that will be utilized in these missions," he added. Presently, ISRO is working on the Gaganyaan mission, where it plans to send four astronauts to the low-Earth orbit as the first human spaceflight from India. The mission is scheduled to liftoff in 2022 to celebrate India's 75 years of independence.

Apart from the upcoming missions, the private sector will be working with ISRO on other policies as well. For one, ISRO has a new navigation policy proposed with changes in the remote sensing data and SATCOM policy. These changes aim to align an open and inclusive space sector.