RACE TO BE A SUPERPOWER IN SPACE

To become a space superpower, India has to build on its recent successes, involve the private space sector and aim for global space frontiers

- Dr Amitabha Ghosh

Till as late as 2003, India did not have a planetary science programme. Barely 21 years later, India has successfully landed or deployed multiple rovers and orbiters on the Moon and Mars. The journey of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been spectacular. This is a moment to ask what India needs to become a superpower in space exploration and how it can achieve this.

What does the future, say the next 20-30 years, hold for space exploration? What will its frontier look like in the future? This is the arena where India has to excel and be relevant. Here are some such exciting frontiers in space exploration.

Back to the Moon with humans: The US is all set to go back to the Moon with humans, followed by China. The Artemis Program will put American astronauts on the Moon in 2026. The US has been there before, but this time it will not be to merely visit but to set up a base, which will be staffed by astronauts 365 days a year. It may be supported by multiple governments, like the International Space Station, or it could be private-operated by Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos.

The search for life on Mars: We have learnt a lot about Mars from multiple rover and orbiter missions since 1996. We have learnt about the presence of water at the poles and in the Martian subsurface, we have learnt about Martian earthquakes and dust storms. It is possible that in future, there may be evidence of past life-microscopic in nature-on Mars. The search for life on Mars is expected to continue for the next couple of decades and will remain a frontier of space exploration.

THE GIANT STEPS

• Building vastly more powerful launch vehicles will give India more options in space exploration