INDIA GETS ITS SPACE ADDA

The plan to commercialise Indian space operations in partnership with the private sector is gradually coming together. EPISODE #51

Dear Reader,

A very Happy Monday to you.

Last week, largely outside the glare of mainstream media, India birthed its first dedicated think tank (or Adda in slang) for space: Spaceport SARABHAI.

It has a simple mission: to become the hub for debates, dialogue that will foster space-entrepreneurs from India. The initial brains trust behind the venture are two space-entrepreneurs Dr Susmita Mohanty and Dr Narayan Prasad. The latter also doubles up as the unofficial chronicler of India’s rapidly transforming space programme, especially with his must listen to podcast, NewSpace India.

With this India has all but one building block in place to spawn a new era in commercial space activities in which the private sector will partner (and cease being an understudy) to the Indian Space Research Organisation. The only missing element in the new architecture is the formal policy makeover, which the union government claims is imminent.

This week therefore I pick up from the launch of the think tank to recap the makeover of India’s space programme. It is opening up an incredible business opportunity for space start-ups. I wouldn’t be surprised in future if some of them join the growing list of unicorns from India.

A big shoutout to Madan Sir, Rajit, Gautam, Premasundaran and Vandana for your informed responses, appreciation and amplification for last week’s column. Gratitude also to all those who responded on Twitter and Linkedin. Reader participation and amplification is key to growing this newsletter community. And, many thanks to readers who hit the like button 😊.

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash

REACHING FOR THE SKIES

A virtual event last week birthed India’s first dedicated think tank on Space. Spaceport SARABHAI or S2 as they have christened themselves is based out of Bengaluru, but has a footprint extending over New Delhi, Berlin (Germany), Sendai (Japan) and Boston (United States).

The obvious question is why is the setting up of a new think tank significant? This is because it is one of the building blocks which creates the architecture defining India’s new space ecosystem. One in which the private sector will trade-up from being a mere vendor to partner Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)—the bulwark of India’s remarkable achievements in space. S2 is just one more step in stitching together the new edifice.

Recently we saw the formation of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), an industry body that will act as the bridge between the government and the private sector. Delivering the inaugural address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally acknowledged the proposed changes when he said that the government was doing away with ‘artificial’ divisions like public and private sector.

And then in the run-up to the launch of ISpA, the government undertook a rejig of Isro’s functions. It set up the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to ensure smoother coordination with the private sector as partners in future space projects. IN-SPACe oversees permissions and regulations to private companies and the sharing of the existing space infrastructure, including testing facilities, developed by Isro.

And in 2019, the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) was set up to optimise the ability of the Indian space sector to provide services and products to international clients. In fact the first successful execution of a commercial deal by NSIL was the launch of a Brazilian satellite, PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1, in March this year.

The think tank therefore fits in with India’s emerging playbook for space. The new ecosystem is being developed around Isro, with key functions like commercialisation of projects/services and management of the space infrastructure being farmed out to new entities. And a think tank to continue the conversations both within the country and abroad makes eminent sense. I am surprised that existing think tanks have not reacted to this opportunity.

Regardless, the new think tank shares its name with Vikram Sarabhai, often referred to as the key person who steered India’s amazingly successful space programme. In fact, the inaugural event saw some fantastic anecdotes on Sarabhai being shared by a clutch of people whose careers overlapped with him.

If you wish to watch the 90-minute event please click the link below.

A Quick Recap

Regular readers of this column would recall an earlier episode immediately after the setting up of ISpA. In that I had sought to delineate the changes that are underway and place them in perspective, something that will provide the backdrop while examining the setting up of a think tank dedicated to space.

I have already summed up the major developments in my introductory note and above. However in case you do wish to read it afresh then please click the link embedded below:

INDIA RESETS ITS STAR TREK PLAN

Thereafter I had followed up with a long feature piece in Khaleej Times, the Dubai-based newspaper, which was published a fortnight ago. It had several industry voices including Narayan Prasad, co-founder of S2.

The feature captured the emerging commercial opportunity for India as global space activities move into top gear. At present India accounts for less than 2% of the over $400 billion global space business pie.

“The rapid proliferation of disruptive technology, especially in microelectronics, is powering an entirely new growth trajectory in satellite ventures. This is because the bulk of the sub-system, made up of the payload and the telemetry system which transmits the data, comprises microelectronics.

Disruptions in technology have reduced the cost of microelectronics and have, alongside, progressively made them sturdier — capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and thereby even better for space applications. Not only did this pack more into satellites, it also made them cheaper and smaller in size.

Simultaneously, this also enabled the operation of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as opposed to the existing Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO). In the case of the latter, the satellites were big as they have to operate at 36,000 km above the earth, while LEOs revolve, weighing less than 100kg, at heights less than 2,000 km. Being closer to earth, the cost of the components in the subsystem, especially the telemetry, is that much lower. Consequently, the conversation has shifted from GEO to LEO communication. The only drawback is that LEO satellites have a maximum shelf-life of five years. However, with SpaceX discovering reusable rockets, the costs of launching these satellites are plumbing new lows.

“The cost of access to space has come down. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to launch something it would have cost you $150,000 per kilogram. Today, companies like SpaceX are offering that at $5,000, which is an order of magnitude change,” says Narayan Prasad, Chief Operations Officer at Satsearch, a global platform to buy and sell space products and services.”

If you wish to read the piece please click here.

And then more recently I revisited the subject in an opinion piece published in the Economic Times.

I am sharing a screen grab below.

If you wish to read the piece please click here.

The Think Tank

The creation of S2 happens in this backdrop. It brings up the penultimate building block for creating the new ecosystem for space activities in India. It is never easy to transition from an old to a new regime. Especially in this context where it has largely remained out-of-bounds (or at best controlled access) to the private sector.

While Isro, despite being a public sector entity, has done an outstanding job—having launched 100-plus satellite missions, 70-plus launch vehicle missions (including the ones to Mars and the Moon), and the ongoing plan (Gangayaan) to send Indian astronauts into space—the new task needs collaborations as well as a constant exchange of ideas. A think tank therefore makes eminent sense.

Not only will it provide an intellectual watering hole for exchange of ideas, but it can also help manage the transition from a closed regime by stimulating a dialogue among all the stakeholders. The delay by over a year in the roll-out of the new regime by the union government only reaffirms the belief that this makeover will require considerable heavy lifting.

An official statement from S2 lists out its objectives as:

• Give India an international voice;

• Grow the body of knowledge that informs critical areas of space policy;

• Build public perspective through writings, events and conversations;

• Provide policy guidance to the government through research, stakeholder feedback, opinion pieces and private outreach;

• Transform India into a developed space economy by 2030.

S2 has already initiated industry-sponsored management research. One of the studies proposes to answer the provocative question as to why space-entrepreneurs prefer to incorporate their companies abroad. The conclusions from this study could provide pointers to policy gaps—relating to ease of doing business in India—that the government will need to fill.

In the final analysis it is clear that the private sector in India, especially the space-entrepreneurs among the Millennials, have responded positively to the proposed makeover. It is now for the union government to walk the talk.

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Recommended Listening

Glad to share the launch of a room on Twitter Spaces—a platform, like Clubhouse, hosting audio conversations. The room which has the moniker NooTopic is the joint effort of a motley crew made up of Debu Mishra, Srinath Sridharan and me.

It debuted last night and will be a weekly room focusing on the future defined around the powerful intersection of technology, culture and economy. I will at some stage share a link/podcast so you can listen to the recording. Frankly, the best bet is to catch it live. So watch out for next week’s episode.

In case you are struggling to figure what is “NooTopic”, it is a play on the word “nootropic”. In turn this is derived from the amalgamation of two ancient Greek words to describe natural substances to consume to improve one’s mental agility. WebMD dubs it a cognitive enhancer or a “smart drug”.

Till we meet again next week. Stay safe.