Antariksha Abhyas 2024, a three-day exercise that began on 11 November in Delhi, concluded today, November 13. It was organised by the Defence Space Agency of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. It was a unique exercise conducted to secure India’s strategic goals in space while integrating the nation’s space capabilities into military operations.
Key highlights
- Space has become a critical frontier in terms of defence and national security.
- Space exploration has become critical for nations, and India is proactively making and implementing strategies in this regard.
- As space has become a highly congested, contested, competitive, and commercial frontier, the exercise conducted by the military was quite impressive, showcasing their capabilities to protect India’s interests in space.
- The military consistently makes efforts towards technology innovation and development while collaborating with key organisations like DRDO and ISRO.
- The exercise was aimed at enhancing awareness about space-based assets and services and also measuring the operational dependency on space.
- It also helped identify operational vulnerabilities in times of disruption or malfunctioning of space-based assets or services.
- Antariksha Abhyas witnessed the participation of the Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel.
India’s space sector and ISRO
- The Indian space sector has undergone significant transformation in terms of innovation and exploration in recent years and experienced tremendous growth.
- ISRO demonstrated exceptional expertise and successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 Solar Mission.
- Moreover, the possibilities are being explored to commercialise ISRO’s technologies.
- India is also forging international collaborations to enhance its space capabilities. For instance, it is working with NASA on the NISAR Mission, which is expected to be launched in early 2025.
Challenges before the Indian space sector
- Limited Private Sector Participation: The private sector participation in the space sector is very limited, with a minor share of private companies. Some startups have emerged in the sector in recent years, but there is a need to promote them. Their increased participation will help with technology and funds.
- Brain Drain: It is a daunting challenge before the sector as a majority of talented students prefer to work with a foreign organization. It’s important to attract them with better facilities, opportunities, and pay.
- Inadequate Space Infrastructure: India lacks space infrastructure. Though efforts have been made in this regard in recent years, it needs to be accelerated. It needs more facilities like Sriharikota.
