India for global space collaborations to benefit mankind: Union Minister
New Delhi, October 2023: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has emphasised that India stood for international space collaborations for the larger benefit of mankind and for the outer space to be used only for peaceful purposes and kept free of conflict.
Delivering the keynote address at a two-day Conference on ‘Space – The final frontier for China in its quest for global leadership’, organised by the Centre for Contemporary China Studies of the Ministry of External Affairs at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan here, he said, “We have consistently adhered to the principles of transparency, accountability and peaceful uses of space. And, therefore, we urge upon every other nation including China to engage in open dialogue with others so that we share each other’s missions, ventures without being secretive or suspicious and also ensure that we preserve a secure, safe and stable environment”.
Noting that India’s space programme was not only globally competitive but also excelling, Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated that it was entirely peaceful and that ISRO is collaborating with world’s leading space agencies to bring ‘ease of living’ for the common citizen.
“Even though the USA and the then Soviet Union had started their space journey long before us and America also landed a human being on the surface of Moon in 1969, it it is nevertheless our Chandrayaan that brought home the evidence of water on the surface of Moon,” he said, adding that the NASA offered a joint space mission to the International Space Station during the visit of PM Modi to the United States this year.
Dr Jitendra Singh said India’s space missions are designed to be cost effective, building upon human resources and skills. “The Russian moon mission, that was unsuccessful, cost Rs.16,000 crore, and our (Chandrayaan-3) mission cost just around Rs.600 crore,” he said.
The Union Minister gave full credit to Prime Minister for enabling India’s space scientists to vindicate the dream of their founding father Vikram Sarabhai by “unlocking” India’s space sector and providing an enabling milieu in which India’s huge potential and talent could find an outlet and prove itself to the rest of the world. “Prime Minister Modi has broken taboos of the past. Starting from just four space startups in 2014, within just 3-4 years we have more than 150 Startups,” he said.
He also pointed out that ISRO has launched more than 380 foreign satellites, earning more than 220 Million euros and over 170 Million US dollars by launching American satellites. “India’s space economy today stands at about $8 billion, which I agree is not a very relaxing figure, but our own projection is that by 2040 we will be $40 billion. But more interesting is that according to some international observers, for example a few weeks back the ADL (Arthur D Little) Report mentions that we could have the potential of $100 Billion by 2040,” he said.
