Paper: GS – III, Subject: Science & Technology, Topic: Space Technology, Issue: ISRO’s Transition to Systemic Space Capability.
Context:
ISRO’s recent mission successes have raised expectations, but the focus now shifts from technological demonstration to building Systemic Space Capability for executing multiple complex space missions in parallel.
Key Takeaways:
Background:
- ISRO has evolved from a resource-constrained agency into a globally credible space organisation through sustained mission successes.
- ISRO achieved major milestones with the Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-3 soft landing, and Aditya-L1 solar mission.
- It developed indigenous cryogenic engine technology, enabling heavy-lift capability through GSLV Mk-III. ISRO’s cost-effective engineering has earned international partnerships and commercial credibility.
- These achievements have raised expectations for ISRO’s capacity to undertake more complex and frequent missions.
Analysis:
1. From Mission Success to System Reliability:
- Future missions require routine execution, not exceptional effort.
- Repeated delays or anomalies in one mission cascade across multiple programmes.
- Institutional processes, redundancy, and predictability now matter more than one-time breakthroughs.
2. Capacity Constraints and Parallel Mission Load:
- ISRO is simultaneously handling Gaganyaan, Lunar and solar missions, Earth observation satellites, NGLV development.
- Limited testing facilities and launch slots risk systemic congestion.
3. Governance and Legal Gaps:
- Liberalisation has opened space activities to private players, but there is no clear space liability and insurance framework. There exists an ambiguous accountability between ISRO, NSIL, and IN-SPACe
- ISRO risks becoming the default authority and risk bearer, undermining efficiency.
4. Industrial and Manufacturing Ecosystem:
- Global space competition is shifting toward High launch frequency, Private manufacturing depth, Cost competitiveness.
- India’s space ambitions depend on scaling industrial capacity, not ISRO alone.
Challenges:
- Low heavy-lift launch cadence
- Infrastructure and testing bottlenecks
- Legal and regulatory ambiguity
- Overdependence on ISRO for routine operations
- Slow maturation of private launch and manufacturing ecosystem
Way Forward:
- Enact a comprehensive national space law covering liability, insurance, and dispute resolution.
- Clearly demarcate roles of ISRO, NSIL, and IN-SPACe.
- Insulate ISRO from routine commercial launches to focus on frontier science and strategic missions.
- Expand testing infrastructure and launch capacity.
- Accelerate private-sector participation in manufacturing and launch services.
Conclusion:
ISRO’s next phase will be defined not by headline missions but by its ability to institutionalise excellence, build a strong industrial ecosystem, and execute complex space missions routinely. Converting technological success into systemic capability is India’s real space challenge ahead.
Source: (The Indian Express)
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