INDIA’S achievements in space continue to earn global admiration. This week its space agency launched no less than 104 separate satellites with a single rocket. Before this, the most satellites ever put into orbit in one launch had been 37 in a Russian mission three years ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has taken a close interest in the space program, rightly hailed the multiple deployment of so many satellites as a remarkable achievement which he added was another proud moment for India and its scientific community.
And there is even more to this success story. Only three of the satellites launched from the Sriharikota space center were Indian. The other 101 came from other states, 96 were American and others came from Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UAE. Each of these was a commercial launch. Space is an expensive business, which is why two private US groups are vying to deliver commercial launches with reusable rocketry.
When the Indian Space Research Organization was set up 48 years ago, it was thought of as a “nice-to-have” token of modernity which managed its first satellite launch in 1975 using rocketry that drew heavily of imported components. But only five years later, India’s scientists had produced the SLV-3 using parts entirely manufactured in India. They have since gone on to design and produce two other rockets that have been used for commercial launches.
Other countries are beating a path to India’s door for their satellite launches because they cost less than rivals. But competitive pricing has not meant shortcuts or shoddy workmanship. India’s reputation for being laid back and failing to deliver on time has been demonstrated to be false by the fact that satellite customers all note the reliability as well as the advantageous pricing on Indian launches.
Since 1990, ISRO has sent up 33 rockets only one of which has failed completely and just one other was described as “a partial success”. On top of this in 2008, at its first attempt, the ISRO put a satellite into orbit around Mars.
There are, of course, those who question the expenditure on India’s space program when the country has so many other pressing problems back on earth. Yet it is worth pointing out that hardly anyone questioned the hundreds of billions of dollars Washington poured into NASA when America had and indeed still has ugly social issues and millions of severely disadvantaged citizens. The same blind eye to challenges back on earth has been turned by the Chinese and the Russians.
Moreover, there is a powerful argument that the achievements of space programs really do have a spillover effect. The classic example is the ballpoint pen that was developed by NASA so astronauts could write in zero gravity. Though state-sponsored Russian and Chinese computer hackers frequently grab the headlines, Indian coders are widely acknowledged to be some of the best in the world. They underpin the country’s outstanding IT industry and have made significant contributions to the ISRO’s guidance and control systems.
And there is one achievement of India’s space program that is all too often overlooked. The sheer pride that the majority of Indians take in their country’s technical prowess adds to the feelings of hope and confidence in India’s future. Therefore, Modi speaks for all Indians when he lauds ISRO’s remarkable successes.
