From moonshots to diplomacy: India makes its presence felt

Khaleej Times

13-06-2025

As Chandrayaan-3 gently descended onto the uncharted lunar south pole on August 23, 2023, mission control at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) erupted in celebration. But far from the jubilant engineers and the blinking consoles in Bengaluru, the ripples were felt in foreign ministries across the globe — from Washington to Paris, and beyond. India had just become the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole, joining an elite club of spacefaring nations.
The triumph was scientific, but the implications were profoundly strategic. It signalled, unmistakably, that India's space programme is no longer just about rockets and research; it is now a central pillar of its foreign policy.
This is space diplomacy, Indian style: pragmatic, purposeful, and increasingly pivotal to New Delhi's global engagement.
For long has India's space programme operated in relative isolation, nurtured by strategic autonomy and limited budgets. But in today's multipolar, tech-driven world, space is no longer the final frontier. It is a geopolitical arena. And India is stepping in with intent.
India's evolution from a regional space actor to a global scientific and strategic partner is neither accidental nor cosmetic. It reflects a deliberate recalibration of its foreign policy priorities in the 21st century - one where soft power, science, and strategic technology converge.
Take, for instance, the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the United States. During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2023 state visit to Washington, space was a dominant theme. The two countries signed agreements enabling ISRO and NASA to collaborate on joint missions, including the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite in 2024, designed to monitor climate change through high-resolution imagery. This mission, the world's most expensive Earth observation satellite to date at nearly $1.5 billion and weighing close to 3,000 kilos, epitomizes how space cooperation is shaping broader conversations around climate, security, and sustainability.
With France, too, India has built one of its most enduring space alliances. For over six decades, the Indo-French space collaboration has ranged from satellite launches to scientific exchange. Today, it extends to joint ventures in Earth observation, maritime surveillance, and even space situational awareness, a reflection of the countries' shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
The India-Bhutan satellite, jointly developed to enhance remote sensing capabilities in the Himalayan kingdom, is again not just a goodwill gesture but a strategic investment in regional stability, resilience, and trust.
What makes India's space diplomacy uniquely effective is its blend of accessibility, credibility, and ambition. Add to it India's affordable launch services and it makes it a win-win for all. The numbers underscore this: Since 1999 until July 2023, ISRO had launched 431 foreign satellites for 34 countries.
India's burgeoning private space ecosystem adds another dimension to its diplomatic toolkit. With the liberalisation of the space sector in 2020 and the establishment of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to facilitate private participation, several startups are redefining the possibilities of Indian space innovation. As of December 2024, around 330 industries, startups, and MSMEs are associated with IN-SPACe for activities ranging from authorization and data dissemination to technology transfer and access to ISRO facilities. Their agility and cost-efficiency make India an attractive partner not just for state actors but also for global commercial ventures.
India's space diplomacy is not merely about prestige. It is about building coalitions of capability, creating a framework for shared technological futures, and asserting strategic autonomy in an interdependent world. By turning space into a conduit for cooperation rather than competition, India is not just launching satellites; it is launching a new era of international engagement.