SS Mantha, a space industry consultant based in Mumbai, talks about India’s evolving space technology sector.
Could you talk about how India’s space industry is developing?
The Indian space industry is vibrant, self-reliant and poised to be at the forefront of space technology today. From building its first satellite, Aryabhata way back in 1975, launched with the help of the then Soviet Union, Isro has come a long way to where it launched 104 satellites in one go and on a single rocket on Wednesday. The department of space and Isro of the government of India has been extremely proactive and has ambitious plans for the development of Indian space technology.
Which countries are India’s biggest competitors when it comes to the sector and what advantages does India have over them?
South Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, Israel, Iran, and the US are all competitors. However, cost, credible programmes, technology transfer in certain areas are advantages that India provides which probably would be hard to match for many of the other countries.
With Isro’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, launched in 2008 and the Mars orbiter mission, which successfully entered Mars orbit two years back, India is firmly in the midst of the space technology-enabled countries. The Indian effort certainly cuts costs in addition to being a commercial proposition on cost-to-performance basis.
What are the major challenges when it comes to India growing its space industry?
Emerging technologies as a means of competitive differentiation, credible suppliers, ageing workforce, manufacturing challenges, commercial versus defence requirements, safety, security, cost escalations and perceived vulnerabilities are all major challenges.
Are there enough private players in the industry in India?
Largely, the Indian space programme is state-driven. However Isro procures about 70 per cent to 80 per cent of components and services from private sector contractors. Some major players are Larsen & Toubro, Godrej and a host of SMEs.
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