India’s Union Budget 2021-2022 consists of a number of key announcements for its Space sector endeavors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget on Monday, February 1st, announcing that four Indian astronauts are undergoing training for India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission, as part of a joint partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia’s Roscosmos Corporation. The first unmanned launch is slated for December 2021.
As part of Budget 2021, Sitharaman also stated that the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV-C51) carrying satellites from Brazil and India, will be launched under NewSpace India Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Space. The minister added that 2021 would also be the year of Chandrayaan-3, the successor to the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the far side of the moon in 2019, and announced a financial allocation of Rs 4000 crore for conducting deep ocean survey projects from Space over five years, for the exploration and conservation of oceanic biodiversity.
India’s first human flight Space program
The Gaganayaan is a crewed orbital spacecraft designed to carry three astronauts into Space for at least seven days, India’s boldest Space mission to date. The spacecraft is expected to consist of an orbital module made up of a service module and a crew module. The mission is estimated to cost a sum of Rs 10,000 crore, and the GSLV Mk-III, also known as LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), will be deployed for the launch. While the date for the manned mission has not been announced yet, it is expected to follow shortly after the unmanned mission.
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Private sector in Space
Last year, the Centre had allocated Rs 13,479 crore for the development of India’s domestic Space technology. Budget 2021 reflects the government’s continued focus on enhancing India’s Space capabilities, having already allowed private sector enterprises to use the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facilities and other relevant assets to improve their capacities. The Indian National Space, Promotion & Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), set up under the Department of Space and assisted by the government’s many far-reaching reforms in the sector, has been working to further encourage private sector participation in a wide range of Space activities.
There are currently three major Space projects that ISRO is looking to complete by the end of 2025 – the Gaganyaan mission, the Mangalyaan-2, and the Shukrayaan mission. It is also planning to work on developing a heavy-lift launch vehicle, semi-cryogenic stage, reusable launch vehicle, advanced propulsion, next-generation avionics, advanced materials, dynamic Space applications, and efficient integration of Space-based services, as well as advanced Space science missions.
Enhancing domestic Space capabilities
At present, more than 500 companies partner with ISRO to carry out a range of Space activities, including providing materials, mechanical fabrication, electronic fabrication, system development, integration, and more. The announcements made in the Union Budget 2021 will further help open up the Space sector to private industries, playing a key role in enhancing the diffusion of Space technology and boosting the Space economy within the country.
