Here's an interview with the ISRO Chairman by Hyderabad-based ETV:
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan talks about the upcoming GSLV-MkIII and Chandrayaan-2 missions, as well as the Human Spaceflight program. I'll say that I feel India should pursue space tourism though, because it can help to bulk up India's space program by adding an additional source of revenue. It can be done through ISRO's commercial arm, Antrix Corp. If India ever sends a mission to the Moon, we could temporarily take the space tourism offline, and divert those extra personnel and resources to devote them to the Moon mission. If we don't tap the space tourism market, then others will and it will be our loss.
4 comments:
sorry to pour cold water on your posts about indian scientific establishments, but what i say is the truth - the indian agencies are incapable of scientific and technological achievements. what you have in them is a bunch of managers and bureaucrats.
your idea that india should devote its resources to space tourism is really funny. india's best bet is to create an international mission and take credit for managing the mission without contributing to the engineering aspects.
Sorry to put a damper Rajiv; many other nations have been cautious despite similar romantic public notions.How much of Indian tech is "Indian" in ISRO? The NASA space program has had numerous failures hidden from the public eye. Caution is definitely a good word at this time.
I hear what you're saying guys, but India can do for space tourism what it's been doing for medical tourism - offering a first-rate experience at cut-rate costs. This will bring in a greater flood of customers, which in turn will spur buildup of our infrastructure and resource supply in this direction.
Even if the technologies are not all homegrown - were PCs and operating systems used in our IT revolution all homegrown - it will not impede our broader the advancement into this sector.
Furthermore, one of the best ways to migrate to the high-end of the value chain is to invest in capital-intensive industries where the barrier to entry is very high. This helps to keep out the competitors, and allows you an emptier playing field that you have a better chance of dominating.
India has achieved some advantages through its aerospace sector, in possessing some unique capabilities which not every country has. India also has a need to maintain a high level of aerospace technology, due to the unique regional challenges it faces.
Note that even the UK has recently launched its United Kingdom Space Agency recently, which gives a little hint that space technology is an area that is once again regaining momentum. The openings in this market may likely continue in the near future, due to NASA's imminent hiatus from the scene thanks to Obama's differing priorities. Now is the time for India to press home its advantages to gain a stronger entry on a firmer footing.
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