Isro after Branson, Bezos: Space technology will get increasingly privatised. India needs its own entrepreneur rocketeers July 11, 2021, 8:57 PM IST
The writer is Associate Fellow, The Takshashila Institution. His research focuses on matters relating to outer space and geopolitics
As British billionaire Richard Branson and his fellow travellers return from their 90-minute suborbital flight onboard the Virgin Galactic VSS, he can take satisfaction in beating his rival, Jeff Bezos by a few days. However, Bezos is unlikely to be very bothered as he launches into an even higher altitude on July 20 with three other passengers, including his brother.
This billionaire space race makes for an entertaining spectacle but it is simply one manifestation of a broader phenomenon: the increasing privatisation of space activity. The rise of commercial space enterprise comes at a time when humans are more dependent on space than they have ever been before
Isro after Branson, Bezos: India needs its own entrepreneur rocketeers
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Last Updated: Jul 12, 2021, 10:49 AM IST
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This billionaire space race makes for an entertaining spectacle but it is simply one manifestation of a broader phenomenon: the increasing privatisation of space activity.
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As British billionaire Richard Branson and his fellow travellers return from their 90-minute suborbital flight onboard the Virgin Galactic VSS, he can take satisfaction in beating his rival, Jeff Bezos by a few days. However, Bezos is unlikely to be very bothered as he launches into an even higher altitude on July 20 with three other passengers, including his brother.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will assist development projects in the Northeast by offering optimum utilisation of satellite imaging and other space technology for better accomplishment of targets. Chairing a high-level meeting with senior officers of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and ISRO scientists, Singh said six out of the eight states of the Northeast have already sent their proposals for execution by the ISRO, while the remaining two, Sikkim and Assam, will send their proposals soon. The ISRO will assist development projects in the Northeast through space technology and will contribute by offering optimum utilisation of satellite imaging and other space technology applications for better accomplishment of infrastructural projects in all eight states, he said.
With over 350 private space companies, India in fifth place globally
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India has 368 firms compared to 288, 269 and 206 in China, France and Spain, respectively. Japan and Russia have 184 and 56. The report lists 368 firms in India compared to 288, 269 and 206 in China, France and Spain, respectively. (Representative photo: PTI)
(This story originally appeared in on Jun 03, 2021)Amid all the pandemic gloom, good news emerging from India’s space tech sector is that the number of private firms more than 350 is already more than Japan, China and Russia, putting India in fifth place globally. Of the 10,000-odd firms analysed as part of a global report that projects the space tech economy to touch $500 billion by 2025, over 5,500 are in the US, followed by the UK, Canada and Germany. The report lists 368 firms in India compared to 288, 269 and 206 in China, France and Spain, respectively. Japan and Russia have 184 and 56, respectively.