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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
India's space sector must shift beyond ISRO, go global: Pawan Goenka
India's space sector needs to move beyond dependence on ISRO, build globally competitive full-stack solutions, and aggressively pursue international markets, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) Chairman Pawan Goenka has said. Speaking at the annual India Space Congress organised by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA) on Wednesday, Goenka said firms in the sector should stop worrying about 'when will ISRO give me business' and instead pursue other government departments — both in India and abroad. Goenka also highlighted the need to build foundational models for geospatial and earth observation applications by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data fusion. 'There is so much that is happening outside the space sector in terms of technology that has to be brought inside the space sector, and there is no one better to do that than the private sector,' he said. One such area is space internet of things (IoT), which he said must be pursued more aggressively. Referring to constellations of small or nanosatellites that manage IoT devices and sensors across the globe, space IoT is already being used for real-time tracking of ships, aircraft and trucks in remote locations. He also said India's own regional satellite navigation system, NavIC, needs to be brought into mainstream civil applications through technological integration. Developed by ISRO as an alternative to foreign systems such as GPS, NavIC remains underutilised outside strategic sectors. Major bids soon Two major initiatives — the Earth Observation Constellation and Satellite-as-a-Service (SataaS) — will see final bids next week, Goenka said, allowing the private sector to engage with government support. SataaS is a business model where satellite operators provide access to satellite data, imagery, communications or navigation services on a subscription or pay-per-use basis, rather than requiring customers to own or launch their own satellites. One such offering is the Earth Observation Constellation, a group of satellites specifically designed to collect data about the Earth's surface, atmosphere and environment. These satellites work together to provide frequent, high-resolution imagery and other data for applications like environmental monitoring, agriculture, disaster management and urban planning. Goenka called for moving from a 'build-to-print' model to a design-centric mentality. He said ISRO is already working on reusable rockets, in-orbit servicing, space robotics and space manufacturing — areas pioneered commercially by companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX. Stating that regulatory uncertainties and spectrum assignment issues have now been addressed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Department of Telecommunications, Goenka said three licences have already been granted for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations for communication. These, he said, are expected to help bridge India's digital divide.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Work hard to enable India to take humans to moon by 2040: Former ISRO Chief tells youth
Former ISRO Chief and Space Commission member A.S. Kiran Kumar on Sunday asked youth to work hard to make India a space capable nation and enable the country to take humans to moon by 2040. Speaking on the topic 'Igniting the future: ISRO's legacy and beyond', at the Ramakrishna Mutt in Mangaluru on Sunday, Mr. Kumar said the nation, which is moving towards becoming world's largest economy, cannot ignore space economy. The space economy is a trillion dollar economy. Space tourism and space adventure provided tremendous opportunity. Mr. Kumar said, 'Unless our capability in space mission is demonstrated other nations will not take note of India. Youngsters should become leaders and showcase our capability in space science.' Works are on towards having country's own space station by 2035. 'By 2040 we have to take humans to moon and bring them back,' the former ISRO chief said. The government is allowing more people to work in space science. Private entities and consortium of firms are being allowed to launch their satellites. Since the start of the space programme for non-military purpose in October 1957, ISRO has leapfrogged in space technology to indigenously develop different launch pads and launch a number of satellites, he said. 'NavIC, the country's own satellite-based navigation system developed by ISRO, is helping fishermen to navigate through sea in a safe way and find fish. With the feed from satellites and other information, there is advance information about cyclones, which has helped government to evacuate and save lives of people from places that are likely to be affected,' he said. The feed from satellites is also helping forecast crop yield. The use of satellites in hitting precise targets in enemy nation was demonstrated in the recent Operation Sindoor, he said. The youth, he said, are left with lot of problems to solve. 'You have tremendous capability. Rise and lead the country to regain the glory as the place of harmony and peace,' he said.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
India unveils smart desi bomb that can cripple enemy's airfields 100 km away without crossing into hostile territory
The Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) has wrapped up the development of the Smart Anti‑Airfield Weapon (SAAW), a 125‑kilogram and 1.85 m long glide bomb designed to put enemy runways and support facilities out of action from about 100 km away. The made-in‑India munition positions the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) to hit critical ground targets without sending aircraft into heavily defended airspace. Weapon built for airfield denial SAAW carries an 80‑kilogram high‑explosive warhead and aims to disable runways, taxiways, bunkers, radar sites and fuel depots. Because the bomb glides instead of using a rocket motor, it costs less to produce than stand‑off missiles of similar reach. Dual guidance improves accuracy Engineers combined an Inertial Navigation System with satellite signals from GPS and NavIC to steer the bomb to within seven metres of a target. A newer version adds electro‑optical or imaging‑infrared seekers, cutting the circular error probable to under three metres during the final dive. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Vietnam (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo Stand‑off strike keeps aircraft safe With a 100‑kilometre range, combat jets can release SAAW while still outside most surface‑to‑air missile envelopes. The weapon's compact weight lets it fit on many IAF fighters and trainers without affecting flight performance. Compatible with multiple IAF platforms Flight tests since 2016 have proven carriage and release from Jaguar, Mirage 2000, MiG‑29, Su‑30 MKI, LCA Tejas and Hawk‑i aircraft. Designers have also cleared the bomb for the upcoming HAL CATS Warrior unmanned combat air vehicle. Live Events Production and orders under way The programme, approved in 2013, entered production in December 2021 when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the first batch to the IAF. Earlier this month the air force sent the Ministry of Defence a proposal to buy the satellite‑guided variant; clearance is expected soon. Bharat Dynamics Limited is the production agency, and officials are studying export options in line with India's defence‑export plan. Next step: imaging‑infrared seeker DRDO teams are testing an imaging‑infrared seeker to sharpen terminal accuracy even in GPS‑denied zones. Successful trials will move the system toward full operational clearance.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
ETAutoTech Summit 2025: Pawan Goenka urges ISRO-Auto industry collaboration on sensor tech
Sensor technology is fast becoming the beating heart of next-gen vehicles. As cars evolve into intelligent, software-defined machines, India has a golden opportunity to tap into its space ecosystem for cutting-edge innovation. Speaking at the ETAutoTech Summit 2025 in Bengaluru, Dr. Pawan Goenka , Chairman, IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre), shares that among the various technologies, sensor technology should be the first to go when it comes to technology transfer from ISRO to automotive sector. 'ISRO has some 50 odd different sensors that can see application into the automotive industry ,' he shares, adding that technologies from ISRO and DRDO in the areas of sensors, ADAS and camera should be looked at by the automotive industry in collaboration with ARAI for its commercial viability. There are close to 14 space technologies that have been identified for possible transfer to automotive sector. 'There should be no one sensor that should be imported in India. We must leverage indigenous capabilities.'Dr. Pawan Goenka Goenka emphasises that two ISRO centres house hundreds of scientists dedicated solely to sensor development . He called on the auto industry to form a collaborative task force with ISRO to adapt and customise space-grade sensors for road-ready applications. 'If we can put a group together in the automotive industry to work with ISRO, we can translate the space sensor technology to automotive sensor technology,' he notes. 'There should be no one sensor that should be imported in India,' he states. 'We must leverage indigenous capabilities.' Reflecting that the technology of ISRO is very expensive and would need a recalibration and refinement to suit the automotive sector, Dr. Goenka says, 'We need to work together to make the cost right, and remove features that may be unnecessary for automotive. That's how we create viable, local solutions.' Asked about slow pick up of NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellations) technology, he says, 'Three more navigation satellites will soon be launched. With that, NaVIC will be able to do everything and would be little better than GPS in terms of accuracy and data.' He adds, 'Government is making every effort to push NavIC in civilian applications to reduce dependency on foreign systems for something so critical as navigational data. NaVIC is already in use for our strategic needs and is successful.' Beyond individual technologies, Dr. Goenka stresses on the need to build Brand India, both globally and domestically. He urged Indian manufacturers to focus on quality, R&D, and technology ownerships. 'We have come a long way. Today, Indian companies are producing world-class products, using local manufacturing and sourcing,' he says. 'Now, we must aim to build and position Brand India alongside Germany, Korea, and Japan on the global automotive stage.' However, he emphasises on the need to further improvements in quality and a stronger focus on R&D. 'If we look at any vehicle closely today and the technologies it has, how much is coming in from India - it is close to zero,' he reflects. Looking ahead, Dr. Goenka sees a major global opportunity in Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and urges Indian tech leaders and automotive industry to take the lead. 'India has the core software and systems expertise. If we act now, we can become the SDV capital of the world,' he shares.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
ISRO's 2025 setbacks mirror 1988 — and that's not bad news
Nearly 37 years ago, in 1988, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was reeling under two successive failures of the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV). Critics had then questioned whether ASLV is capable of flying at all. The Expert Review Committee headed by the then director of the National Aerospace Laboratory at Bangalore, Roddam Narasimha, examined the causes of failure and observed that 'the investigations have not revealed any major technological problems that cannot be handled with the capabilities and skills already available in ISRO…. space projects outside India have gone through similar experiences, but lessons learnt from such failures can establish the basis for future successes'. After two successive failures this year, it might seem like deja vu for ISRO, but these lines from the committee's report will form a silver lining. Early this week, ISRO's reliable workhorse, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), failed to launch the Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-09) into sun-synchronous polar orbit. It is only the fourth time that PSLV has failed in 62 launches since 1993. In January this year, GSLV successfully launched NVS-02, a surveillance satellite, but could not place it in the correct geosynchronous orbit. NVS-02 is part of a collection of satellites that will form the backbone of India's positioning system NavIC, a subcontinental answer to the United State's Global Positioning System (GPS). Most likely, having missed its correct position in the sky, NVS-02 will not be part of NavIC. Even as detailed reports on these failures are awaited, the reasons are not about a lack of mastery over the technology of satellite launches and placement in a desired orbit. In comparison, the failures of ASLV in 1988 – an inadequate digital autopilot system to poor control during the transition from one stage to another — were far more fundamental. Despite rare failures, the PSLV has emerged as a reliable and cost-effective launch platform for small satellites weighing up to 2,000 kg. Since 2015, PSLV has helped ISRO generate about Rs 3,861 crore from satellite launch services. In this segment, India's market share is only about 3 per cent, and this potential remains untapped. The failures remind us that despite the mastery over technology and repeated successes, space exploration will remain an unforgiving territory where even minor errors will be harshly punished. A mildly unhinged screw in a train might be harmless, but on a rocket it can be a disaster. There are many such instances. In 1988, about 50 seconds after the ASLV-D2 was launched, control over the rocket was lost for only about half a second after the first-stage ignition. This half-second error propagated quickly, and the rocket crashed into the sea. NASA launched the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998. It failed due to a misunderstanding between two teams that used different units for distance measurement, one using meters and the other using inches. The lunar module that carried Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969 was luckier. With hardly any fuel left, it landed far from the designated place due to an unexpected extra thrust. Expecting such eventualities, the US President's office had a prepared speech in case the astronauts did not return alive. Fortunately, that speech never had to be used. With lakhs of components and hundreds of interconnected subsystems, the reasons for rocket failures vary widely. Usually, failure implies that the rocket could not place the satellite in the intended orbit. By this yardstick, in the last two decades, the worldwide rocket launch failure rate is about 5-10 per cent. Nearly 58 per cent of the failures arose from propulsion systems responsible for rocket flight. This week's PSLV-C61 failure belongs to this category. ISRO's initial assessment attributes the failure to a pressure drop in its third-stage engine. Further, 36 per cent of failures are due to incorrect functioning of systems that control the trajectory, altitude, and separation of the rocket. Modern rockets are controlled by computer software, which itself is another point of failure. Since 2000, about 14 per cent of failures could be traced back to software glitches. Failures are a great leveller. They haunt more advanced spacefaring nations, such as the US and Russia, as much as they hurt India. The Vanguard rockets the US employed during the 1950s had only a 27 per cent success rate. Russia's famed Soyuz rockets, too, have failed, most recently in 2018 while carrying astronauts to the International Space Station. Space exploration is fraught with failures. For ISRO, 2025 has kicked off with challenges but not setbacks. As the Expert Committee spelt out in 1989, research, design and operations must be made rigorous in 'evolving solutions to the complex problems posed by the advanced technologies' in launch vehicle programmes. In the world of space exploration with zero tolerance for errors, this is the only way to recover from failures. The writer is a professor of Physics at IISER, Pune. Opinions are personal
