As of now, 75 space-related projects have been listed under the innovation scheme of the Defence Ministry
New Delhi: With the expected space budget to be around Rs 25,000 crore in the coming years, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Anil Chauhan has said the Indian armed forces will focus on space assets for surveillance, long-range engagement (directing missiles) and future warfare, a special report by Ajay Banerjee in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
Gen. Chauhan wwas inaugurating “DEFSAT”, a three-day space seminar and exhibition, at the Manekshaw Centre here on Wednesday
The government had big targets for space augmentation and its exploration, he said.
“We need a self-reliant space system as space is crucial for the survival of the armed forces. The forces will augment space-based capability for early warning systems. We are looking at space-based intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets. Low earth-orbiting satellite will be needed,” said the CDS.
He said the Indian forces could not remain reliant on other countries. “We need a secure ‘navic’ (space-based navigation) constellation for long-range engagement and satellite-enabled) 5G systems,” he said.
“We need counter-space capabilities to safeguard assets,” General Chauhan said, adding that space could be used as a force multiplier to enhance combat capabilities in traditional domains of land, air, sea and even the cyber field.
He called upon all stakeholders, private sector included, of the defence space ecosystem to work on bolstering counter-space capabilities as a deterrent for safeguarding the country’s space assets.
As of now, 75 space-related projects have been listed under the innovation scheme of the Defence Ministry. “Under this initiative, five contracts have been signed and four more contracts are at various stages of documentation,” said General Chauhan.
A dependable space ecosystem within the nation was growing, he said, adding that there were 204 start-ups in the space sector with 54 additions in 2023 itself.
“In 2023, we as a nation invested $123 million in the sector,” he said, adding that the Indian space economy was currently estimated to be around $8.4 billion and was expected to grow to $44 billion by 2033.
The seminar was organised by CENJOWS, a think-tank under the CDS, along with the Satcom Industry Association-India.
India, Australia sign agreement
At ‘DEFSAT’, the Satcom Industry Association-India and the Space Industry Association of Australia signed a pact to deepen collaboration and drive mutual growth in the space industry.
***********************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com