“Their rocket, Vikram S, is ready. Though this rocket is not going to launch a satellite in orbit, it is going to be a sub-orbital mission. It will demonstrate that young people with a dream to build something big can actually do so in India,” he said.
Somanath said there is an ecosystem to build rocket systems with available industries and the support of the infrastructure created by ISRO. “Ground stations, tracking, navigation, safety, and command to destroy are in place. We are happy that the work we did with IN-SPACe has infused enthusiasm in the sector,” he said. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN–SPACe) is a single-window autonomous agency under the Department of Space of the Government of India.
The country has been able to build rockets using indigenous technology but is still dependent on electronic devices procured from outside and this continues to be an issue while building complex space systems, he remarked. Though Bengaluru is the centre of design of electronic devices, manufacturing and production is still far away, he cautioned.
Somanath said about 100 startups were registered with them and were working closely in various domains of the space sector.
Addressing a plenary session on Thursday here at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 on ‘R&D of India – Innovation for Global Impact’ he said ISRO has signed MoUs with companies to work closely which include hand holding in space technology and building processes from start to finish.
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A significant number of companies have the potential to become big players in the space sector and ISRO is playing the role of a facilitator and is helping them in building technologies, Somanath added. He said, out of 100 startups at least 10 are working on developing satellites and rockets.
Talking about ISRO, he said the organisation is playing an important role in smart city projects and smart manufacturing processes
He said some of the areas that ISRO is working on include bringing back satellite technology, propulsion systems used in engine manufacturing which have been successfully tested, green and hybrid propulsion system, nuclear propulsion, launch of small rockets with the use of additive technologies, energy storage systems, functional materials, carbon fibre technology, electronic devices, robotics, drone technologies, quantum technology used in encryption and disruptive technologies.
Launch of Chandrayaan-3
“In a few months from now, there is a possibility of launching Chandrayaan-3. We will be studying the Sun and celestial events, and are looking to collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),” Somanath said.
Chandrayaan-3 is a planned third lunar exploration mission by ISRO. This follows Chandrayaan-2, where a last-minute glitch in the soft landing guidance software led to failure during landing. Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and is scheduled to be launched in June 2023.
On an unrelated note, the ISRO Chairman said LEO constellation satellites are becoming increasingly important for providing communication services.
“The interest in the moon has been rekindled in terms of colonisation,” he said.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are smaller than their counterparts and their orbits are much closer to Earth, so the rockets needed to launch them are also smaller and cheaper.
More than 30 individuals globally have become astronauts on account of space tourism activities happening across the globe, he said.
Data from space is very important, and this along with analytics and decision-making support has become an important tool for which we can build technologies and businesses in this country, he said. Decisions made using these analytics are not in real-time.
Somanath lauded some startups operating in the satellite applications space like SatSure, Vasundharaa and Pixxel, which are using remote sensing data from satellites to provide solutions. “SatSure helps lending in the banking sector. Vasundharaa and Pixxel are looking at building their own satellites as satellite data is a scarce commodity. Today, there is a fusion between earth observation, communication, positioning and timing of services. This has an effect on many business activities in India and the world over,” he said.
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