Gaining from space
Though India’s approach to space has been pragmatic, it is hindered by a lackadaisical approach by policymakers. India must recognize the stagnancy and myopia of its space program and come up with a long-term vision.
Though India’s approach to space has been pragmatic, it is hindered by a lackadaisical approach by policymakers. India must recognize the stagnancy and myopia of its space program and come up with a long-term vision.
If its space assets are used effectively, India could have a formidable fleet of five to 10 satellites dedicated for military use and dozens more for the advancement of its economy.
China has affirmed its status as one of the world’s leading space powers by sending three astronauts into space this week. Should India – which has one of the world’s six major space programs – take efforts to imitate its neighbour? Can it develop such capabilities? At what cost though, and for what benefit?
India will do well to expand its positive and trust-laden cooperation with Russia in commerce, technology, and education, into a broader regional one, and establish a more meaningful presence in Central Asia. This will also assist in the future acquisition of energy resources in the region.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Kazakh President Nazarbayev to strengthen ties and announced a Joint Action plan for 2011-14. Should the countries enhance their “arms-length transactional” relationship, a deeper alliance can be forged to include untapped sectors with immense potential
The Navy, Coast Guard, Police and maritime companies now encounter new threats, as piracy threatens the Indian seas and our trade routes. This calls for a united approach in combating threats and even more so, for a single governing body for maritime issues.
The India-Kazakhstan relationship is in need of a massive overhaul. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Astana is full of possibilities that can transform the relationship from a short-sighted association into a broad-based, strategic, long-term one focusing on energy, security, trade and technology.
While ISRO works on maturing the GSLV technology, India should cash in on GSLV’s younger sibling - the successful and highly reliable PSLV - to compete in the international launch business.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi has the potential to mitigate sixty years worth of distrust between two of the world’s most populous countries and truly improve bilateral relations. What is stopping the two Asian giants from cooperating?
Rocket science hasn’t gone very far, but rocket economics just made the leap. India needs to get into that game fast or risk losing a unique opportunity