IDN TAKE: THERE IS SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT ISRO!

India launched its first space research observatory and several US Satellites on 28th September 2015. The observatory, named ASTROSAT, will help Indian scientists intensify space exploration efforts by studying distant celestial objects and conduct deeper analyses of star systems. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wants to expand India's influence in the competitive, $300 billion global space industry. India planned to conduct 58 missions from 2012 through 2017, but only 17 have been completed to date. To achieve PM's goal of ISRO being a commercially competitive entity in the global launch arena, ISRO needs to get its act together and fix critical issues which are list below: 

LACKLUSTER FOCUS

ISRO scientists last year scored big on the global stage when their low-cost Mars mission entered the red planet's orbit on its very first attempt. The spacecraft has since been delivery astonishing images from Mars. Earlier ISRO elicited unqualified admiration from both public & the scientific community on its Moon mission. Despite the recent successes, the growth of India's space program has been stymied by lack of heavier launchers and slow execution of missions.

• In December, India successfully tested a new, more powerful rocket - the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III - that can put heavier payloads into space, but it is not yet operational. ISRO took 20 years to develop the Mark III which by any standards is way too long.

• ASTROSAT took more than 10 years to develop and launch.

• The failures of the indigenously developed Cryogenic engine in April 2010 and then the crash of the launch vehicle GSLV-F06 in December were major setbacks. The development of the cryogenic engine has taken too long which has directly affected the human space program due to the lack of a heavy launcher.

• Another major irritant for ISRO has been the Devas Multimedia deal for broadband spectrum that politicians and media described as a scam bigger than the 2G corruption scandal. But experts say ISRO is still full of honest people and that the Devas deal was not a scam at all; but they also say the organisation is straying from its core ideals.

• ISRO has been slow to outsource launcher development as a more active participation from domestic industry by industry-built and assembled launch vehicles would have accelerated PSLV launches. Godrej and some other firms are frustrated at what they say is the slow execution of projects and lack of government support, which are hampering India's efforts to compete with China and Russia as a cheaper option for launching satellites. ISRO seems to have fallen into the same self-interest trap as other Indian Public Sector units such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd which wants the entire pie for itself.

• Despite launching the state-of-the-art GSAT-10 in September 2012, built and launched at an expense of Rs. 750 crore and nearly three years later, the Indian satellite communication space is in disarray and remains reliant on foreign satellites. So far, the men behind the Mars orbital mission are way below in communication satellite capacity, compared with smaller nations like Thailand or Malaysia. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to materialize his digital India dream, then satellites are the only way to provide broadband connectivity to remote corners of India.

Conclusion

ISRO can hardly afford to get mired in organisational hiccups when the space race is heating up. China has made rapid strides in the last five years, putting a man in space and sending its own space lab. Advanced nations are moving in to colonise space and use it for their strategic advantage and this is possible through a human space program endeavor. For India to remain in this game, ISRO must buckle up and perform quickly.

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