India plans 30 space missions in next 14 mth
Included in the proposed missions are the test flights relating to India’s human space mission, Gaganyaan
A total of 30 space launches - commercial and non-commercial by government and private players-- are being planned from India over the next 14 months from the Indian spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said on Thursday.
Included in the proposed missions are the test flights relating to India’s human space mission, Gaganyaan.
This was stated by IN-SPACe, the regulator for the private sector in the space industry, in its integrated launch manifesto using Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) infrastructure.
“About 30 launches are planned for 2023-24 (Q4) and 2024-25 from SDSC (Satish Dhawan Space Centre) half of which are catering to the commercial space sector of India with the rest being user-funded, scientific missions or technology test launches,” IN-SPACe said.
According to IN-SPACe, out of the 14 commercial missions identified, seven launches are being undertaken by NewSpace India Ltd -- the commercial arm of Department of Space - including the realisation of two Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) from the L&T-HAL consortium.
This marks a substantial increase in launch activity compared to previous years and is a positive indicator of the expanding space ecosystem in the country.
This initiative aligns with the directives of the recently-ratified Indian Space Policy, entrusting IN-SPACe with authorisation of launch manifesto for launch-infrastructure created through public expenditure.
The launch manifesto comprehensively covers user-funded, scientific missions and other technology demonstration launches by ISRO along with the commercial launches and associated primary and co-sharing passengers.