Space Alliances Could Aid India’s Strategic Pursuits

Context: Launch of Indian Space Association (ISpA) as a part of Centre’s follow-up of reforms, has numerous benefits in space sector of India.

Significance of Indian Space Association (ISpA)

• Integration platform: This industry body can serve as a platform to bring public space agencies and private players together to work on making the most of India’s potential.
• Prioritising start-ups: ISpA excited the interest of tech start-ups, who are keen to leverage its facilities to spread their wings into the far yonder.
• Leading innovation: Reforms aimed at commercialization of near-earth contraptions for use of telecom services, internet apps and so on, with competition among companies expected to lead them up innovation curve.
  • Mapping of India and pin-pointing of locations could be sharpened with the help of orbital devices designed for domestic purposes.
• Space tourism, for which a market may emerge in future.
• Streamlining ISRO’s role: ISRO to focus on space exploration and research. These are vital not just for knowledge, but also India’s strategic orientation, and a successful industry could form a bedrock for ambitious missions.
• From a security vantage-point, space must not just be kept free of weaponry, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 needs to be upheld by all.
  • Addressing China threat: Given Beijing’s record of rule-defiance and assertion of territorial claims, its respect for exploratory principles farther away cannot be counted upon.
  • Scope of expanding space dimension under