The Indian Space Program

The launch of the country's heaviest satellite, the GSAT-11, which will boost India's broadband services by enabling 16 Gbps datalinks across the country; the launch of the GSAT-7A, the military communication satellite; and the launch of the GSLV Mk III-D2, the GSAT 29, and the Anti-Satellite (ASAT) test are just a few examples of India's achievements in the domain¹. India has emerged as a major actor in space exploration in recent years, having undertaken successful Moon and Mars missions. Space science and exploration missions like Chandrayaan-1 (Moon mission), Mangalyaan (Mars mission), AstroSat, and Chandrayaan-2 are producing vital scientific data and adding to the global knowledge base².

While these accomplishments are significant, the space community's duty and problems have risen, particularly as security needs at the space frontier have expanded in recent years. The Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva is deadlocked, negotiations on steps to prevent the weaponization of outer space are nearing a stalemate, and the recommendations prepared by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space have received little support.

In the twentieth century, rivalry over enhanced space capabilities was limited to the two global superpowers, the United States (US) and the Soviet Union. The difficulties have gotten more complex as space technology has been more democratised and more actors, including private ones, have entered the field. Outer space has become an inseparable aspect of modern geopolitics, as well as the national security contexts of all major spacefaring states. The improvements being made in the sector, whether by state agencies or private companies, are raising severe concerns about international security, global governance, and war ethics.

The Origins of India's Space Program

Space research operations began in India in the early 1960s, while satellite applications were still in the experimental stage in the United States. With the live broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games across the Pacific by the American satellite 'Syncom-3,' Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of the Indian space programme, instantly saw the possibilities of space technology for India.

In 1962, the Department of Atomic Energy established the INCOSPAR (Indian National Committee for Space Research) under the direction of Dr. Sarabhai and Dr. Ramanathan. On August 15, 1969, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was established. ISRO's primary goal is to develop space technology and apply it to diverse national purposes. It is one of the world's six biggest space agencies. The Department of Space (DOS) and the Space Commission were established in 1972, and ISRO was transferred to the DOS on June 1, 1972.

Since its start, India's space programme has been well-coordinated, with three different elements: communication and remote sensing satellites, a space transportation system, and application programmes. Two major operational systems have been established: The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) for telecommunications, television broadcasting, and meteorological services, and the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) for natural resource monitoring and management, as well as Disaster Management Support.³

India has one of the world's oldest space programmes, having been in existence for more than five decades, and is regarded as a well-established spacefaring nation. Today, the country is increasingly refocusing its space programme on national security. The latest successful anti- satellite (ASAT) missile test conducted by India adds a new chapter to the country's defence capability.⁴ Prior to India, only three countries had proved this capability: The United States, Russia, and China. While the test represents a huge scientific and strategic breakthrough for the country, it also highlights India's aspiration to become a major space power. Given India's connection with its neighbours, the exam has a wider geopolitical significance.

Anti-Satellite Missile Test

It is the technological capacity of hitting and destroying satellites in orbit using missiles launched from the ground. The technique is designed to destroy, if necessary, hostile satellites. However, the test can only be performed on one's own satellite.

ASAT has faded from discussion, even in security circles, until China performed a test in January 2007. The tests undertaken by the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s were viewed as a remnant of Cold War era power politics and were even forgotten. The Chinese effort to destroy one of its own ageing satellites brought to light the importance of nations' space assets being protected.⁵

Satellites are incredibly important infrastructure for any country since a big number of key applications are satellite-based. This includes navigation systems, communication networks, broadcasting, financial systems, stock exchanges, weather forecasting, disaster management, land and ocean mapping and monitoring tools, and military applications. All of these uses are rendered ineffective if a satellite is destroyed. It is capable of crippling and bringing down enemy infrastructure while posing little harm to human lives.

Promoting Indo-European space technology collaboration

The European space programme, like India's, has its roots in harnessing space for peaceful and development goals. The similarities between the two programmes provide an ideal environment for collaboration. Unlike other major spacefaring nations, who developed their space programmes primarily for military purposes, India and Europe have stayed dedicated to expanding space technology for the benefit of humanity. Navigation, remote sensing, and space debris reduction are all possible avenues for collaboration between India and Europe. India has worked on a number of projects with the European Space Agency and has lately began working with specific European nations such as France.

India and Europe have enormous potential for collaboration. The diversification of India's space programme provides several potential to deepen collaboration with Europe. India and Europe play critical roles in tackling world challenges of mutual interest, such as space security, safety, and sustainability. Besides from government-to-government collaboration, national governments must interact and cooperate on the space programme by including other stakeholders such as commercial sector players who may contribute to the sustainable use of outer space. Indo- European collaboration must be consolidated in order to form coalitions that may contribute value to space technology and cooperation. Europe has played and continues to play an important role in the growth of India's space programme by identifying particular areas of collaboration such as data sharing from earth observation satellites. In the field of space, the two are drawing closer together. India exemplifies how underdeveloped countries may be successful. Both countries have shared a long history of utilising space centres in France and India for launches most recently India’s GSAT31 was launched by Ariane, a French facility, and the Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites of France were launched on the Indian PSLV⁶.

Some believe, however, that Indo-European space relations have been robust in terms of agreements but have fallen short in terms of real execution. The mounting fears about space debris following India's ASAT test are justified, and hence India and European nations will need to work together to address the issue. Both entities have comparable ideals when it comes to the peaceful usage of space. Responsible behaviour must be fostered, and international law must be fully implemented. Any discussion of space-related concerns, on the other hand, should be presented with a pragmatic attitude. In the future, both India and Europe must maintain a deep and long- standing space collaboration focused on capacity building.

Outer Space Treaty of 1967

India has signed the Outer Space Treaty. The pact forbids countries from launching "any objects carrying nuclear weapons or other types of weapons of mass devastation" into orbit around the Earth. It also forbids the deployment of such weapons on celestial bodies such as the moon or in outer space. The moon and other celestial bodies shall be utilised only for peaceful purposes by all treaty parties.⁷

There are four other international treaties that specifically address principles agreed upon in the Outer Space Treaty:

• The Rescue Agreement of 1968
• The Space Liability Convention of 1972
• The Registration Convention of 1976
• The Moon Treaty of 1979

These accords, as well as other issues concerning space jurisdiction, are overseen by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). None of these, however, restrict the type of test that India just conducted. The international community has been discussing the necessity to implement openness and confidence-building measures in outer space activity (TCBMS). In this context, the European Union has also created a draught code of conduct (CoC). However, major nations have yet to agree on the concept of adopting a Code of Conduct. Another central proposition suggested jointly by Russia and China is the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space (PPWT) rather than merely Weapons of Mass Destruction, which is opposed by the US and the EU.

India's part in having a codified space policy

The strength of India's space programme resides in the effective utilisation of its space assets in the service of its people. Since the start of its mission, India has used 73 mission launch vehicles and launched 104 satellites, 48 of which are still operational. The government is presently making significant progress in various high technological missions. In addition to addressing local requirements, ISRO has launched more over 300 satellites for other countries as part of collaborative cooperation missions. India's space assets have made important contributions to telemedicine, planning, search and rescue, communication, education, geology, and oceanology, among other sectors.⁸ India does not have an open space policy, and the discussion over the necessity for one is heating up. In recent years, developments such as increased militarization of space and early trends toward weaponization of space have heightened debates surrounding notions such as peaceful usage.9

In order to enhance space technology for development, India has signed space cooperation agreements with 51 nations and five international organisations, and has trained approximately 3,000 officials from 109 countries.10 The success of India's space strategy, which continues to be based on utilising space in a sustainable and peaceful manner, should be lauded. India emphasises that outer space is the "shared legacy of mankind," and that it is the obligation of all spacefaring nations to conserve and promote the advantages of breakthroughs in space technology. To guarantee that space is used sustainably and peacefully, space operations must be carried out in conformity with appropriate international laws, norms, and regulations. India is dedicated to the peaceful use of outer space and feels that space technology may assist deliver new solutions.

With the current condition of world politics entering a stage of regression, a new arms race in the form of military-oriented uses for space is gradually dominating. Negotiations to build global governance measures, whether legal instruments like the Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) or political instruments like the International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities (ICoC), have made little progress over the years. Furthermore, the distinctions between nuclear, conventional, cyber, and space are becoming increasingly hazy, making it difficult to examine these areas in isolation. As a result, there is a need for collaboration and integrated interactions across many stakeholders. Space, on the other hand, must be utilised solely for peaceful reasons, and any weaponization of Outer Space cannot be accepted in the long run. International collaboration should be used to safeguard the safety and security of space- based assets.

Views are personal.

1 https://www.isro.gov.in/missions

2 https://www.isro.gov.in/astrosat-0

3 The Indian Space Programme, by Gurbir Singh, Astrotalkuk Publications

4 https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/changing-indian-space-policy-landscap

5 https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2019/03/27/history-anti-satellite-weapon-us-asat-missile.html

6 https://www.isro.gov.in/

7 https://www.investindia.gov.in/team-india-blogs/understanding-international-agreements-utilization-outer- space

8 Brief History of Rocketry in ISRO, by P V Manoranjan Rao and P Radhakrishnan (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18142056-a-brief-history-of-rocketry-in-isro)

9 https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/changing-indian-space-policy-landscap

10 https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-021-00390-7