Opinion: India's Space Odyssey Under PM Narendra Modi
India's space missions symbolise our determination to push boundaries and be at the forefront of space exploration
India's space programme achieved a historic milestone with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), marking a significant step in the nation's human spaceflight journey.
Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilot, became the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma.
This achievement, 41 years after Sharma's flight, underscores India's growing prowess in space exploration and its strategic use of international partnerships to advance its ambitions, under the aegis of the Modi government.
Selected as one of the four astronauts for ISRO's Gaganyaan mission, India's first indigenous human spaceflight programme, Shukla underwent rigorous training at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. During his 18-day stay on the ISS, Shukla conducted over 60 scientific experiments, including seven designated by ISRO.
A key experiment, Myogenesis, conducted at the Life Sciences Glovebox, explored skeletal muscle degradation in microgravity, aiming to develop therapies for astronauts and patients with muscle-degenerative diseases on Earth. These experiments will bolster India's microgravity research ecosystem, enhancing its scientific capabilities. Shukla also engaged in public outreach, including a live videoconference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ham radio sessions with students, inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM fields. For India, Ax-4 was a strategic step toward the Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for 2027, which aims to send Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit using indigenous technology. The Ax-4 mission, costing approximately Rs 548 crore, solidified India's position as an emerging space power, inspiring millions and paving the way for future endeavors, including a planned space station by 2035 and a lunar mission by 2040.
Remember, even before the Axiom mission, India witnessed history being created on August 23, 2023, as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. With the soft landing on the lunar south pole, on the dark side of the moon, India became the 1st country to land on the lunar south pole and only the 4th country in the world, after the United States, Russia, and China, to have achieved the magnificent feat of landing on the moon. India's Space economy is expected to be worth over $13 billion by 2025, endorsing PM Modi's ambitious Space-oriented plans. The Chandrayaan-2 mission cost India Rs 978 crore. But the Chandrayaan-3 project cost was much lower at Rs 615 crore. Again, India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1, came at a cost of merely Rs 378 crore, to study the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona). In 2017, ISRO launched a record 104 satellites aboard PSLV-C37 from Sriharikota, of which 101 belonged to international customers, signifying India's increasing presence in the global Space industry. There was a time when India was denied cryogenic rocket technology. But the scientists of India not only developed indigenous technology but today with its help, dozens of satellites are being sent to Space simultaneously.
Space, the final frontier, has captivated our imagination since time immemorial. The call of the cosmos and the curiosity to know more about our origin, is the driving force for Space explorations. But venturing into Space is costly and dangerous. India's Chandrayaan-2 mission encountered a setback in 2019 when the lander Vikram failed to achieve a soft landing on the moon's surface. However, from this failure, India learned valuable lessons. PM Modi did not flinch even for a moment and like a true leader, he stood in solidarity with India's scientific community. The Chandrayaan-2 mission served as a catalyst for innovation, prompting the scientific community to analyse and rectify the challenges faced. In fact, it is the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2 which has been providing key inputs in real-time, to help its successor Chandrayaan-3 which eventually made a flawless landing on the moon on August 23, 2023. Indian Space forays under the Modi government are helping in sectors such as agriculture, railways, smart cities, water-mapping, robotic surgery and defence. PM Modi's unwavering support for ISRO and his endorsement of cost-effective Space missions aligns with the nation's ethos of frugality, allowing India to achieve remarkable feats without burdening its economy. Moreover, Modi's emphasis on the practical applications of Space technology in agriculture, disaster management and national security underscore his commitment to harnessing Space capabilities for the betterment of Indian society.
India's space missions symbolise our determination to push boundaries and be at the forefront of space exploration. ISRO operates on a modest budget; the Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan, for example, had a price tag of just $75 million, less than the cost of an average Hollywood blockbuster like say Interstellar which had a far higher budget of $165 million. As India continues its journey into the unknown, exploring the moon and beyond, it inspires and instills hope for a brighter future. Well, India's tryst with the dark side of the moon showcases how a leap of faith is sometimes, all that it takes to leapfrog a million years ahead.
India has launched about 557 satellites, including 431 foreign satellites for 34 countries as of July 30, 2023, primarily through ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), formerly Antrix. This includes a record-breaking launch of 104 satellites in a single mission in 2017, with 101 being foreign satellites. Total satellites launched under the aegis of PM Modi are 450, both Indian and foreign. Out of the 431 foreign satellites launched by India until 2023, over 389 were launched between 2014 and 2023 itself, endorsing that a significant portion of foreign launches occurred under Modi's leadership. ISRO, for instance, conducted 58 launch vehicle missions between 2014 and 2025, a 38% increase from the 42 missions before 2014. Clearly, India's Space Odyssey under the Modi government is set to conquer many milestones, with the just concluded Axiom Mission 4, being just the tip of the iceberg.
Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson for BJP, and Bestselling Author of 'The Modi Gambit'. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
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