space

The space industry players are expecting rocket speed in ushering in policies and programmes for the entry of private sector players and also activating their regulator, finalising the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms and passing of the Space Activities Bill and others.

"2021 is the year where a framework has been established for sharing the facilities and expertise of ISRO with startups. This started with the landmark MoU signed between ISRO and Skyroot Aerospace in September. This framework is going to benefit several startups to gain competitive advantage in the commercial space world," Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Skyroot Aerospace, told IANS.

Experts in -- rockets/propulsion -- from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and also from outside are studying the data sent by the failed GSLV-F10 rocket to arrive at the failure cause, said an official of ISRO. On August 12, India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 (GSLV-F10) carrying the country's first Geo-Imaging Satellite (GISAT-1) failed to complete its mission as its cryogenic engine did not ignite.

The private sector players raised funds, got components manufactured overseas, designed rockets and satellites from home. "We began the year with the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that placed into orbit 19 satellites including Brazil's earth observation satellite Amazonia-1," K. Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space (DOS)