The talents and resources of space-tech start-ups should be tapped for flagship initiatives such as landing an Indian astronaut on the moon and building the Bharat Antariksh Station rather than encouraging unhealthy competition with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), former Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G.
Madhavan Nair has said.
Dr. He called for cooperation among ISRO, start-ups and the industry for the future progress of India’s space programme. Dr. Former director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre M.C. Dathan, former KELTRON chairman and ISRO veteran N. Narayana Moorthy, ISRO Pensioners’ Association president A.G. Rajendran and general secretary Johnson S. Fernandez spoke.
Nair dismissed concerns regarding the role of private players in the Indian space programme saying that ISRO-private industry relations had begun 50 years ago with the SLV-3 project.
Nair said that, in his assessment, ISRO alone has the capability to achieve the aims of landing an Indian astronaut on the moon or building India’s space station. “Only ISRO can conceive the total mission, break it up into sub-systems, qualify them and fructify the missions in minimum time,” he said. What is required is a cooperative environment rather than unhealthy competition, he said. On concerns over foreign funding in space start-ups, he said the government should look into such issues.
