Indian space pgm rooted in int'l cooperation rather than competition: ISRO chief
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO Chairman V Narayanan on Tuesday said that India's space programme was conceived as a people-centric and application-driven initiative, rooted in international cooperation rather than competition.
Highlighting six decades of the country's space journey, Narayanan said the programme had evolved from modest beginnings into a globally respected ecosystem that serves not just India but the international community, with collaboration as its core philosophy.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the US-India Space Business Forum, the ISRO chief noted the contribution of USA in India's space programme.
Space-related activity in India started in 1962, 15 years after the independence and the first rocket India launched was made in the US and supplied by NASA.
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Narayanan underlined that the Indian space mission is mainly for the benefit of people.
"The Indian space programme was started not to compete with anybody but to bring advanced space technology for the benefit of the common man of India," Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space, said.
He stressed that the vision of the programme has expanded over time to serve global needs while remaining human-centric.
"Today, we strongly believe it is not only for the common man of India, it also serves the global community. And it is a human centric, application oriented program," he said, calling for deeper international partnerships in space exploration and commerce.
Welcoming US delegates and industry leaders, he said the forum symbolised the growing convergence between India and the United States in the space sector.
"This type of programme should be collaborative; an internationally collaborative one, and in that context the US-India Space Business Forum has brought almost 14 business partners from the USA," Narayanan said.
Recalling early Indo-US cooperation, he cited the launch of India's first sounding rocket in 1963 and subsequent joint missions, including satellite applications, health observation studies, and lunar exploration.
"Let me thank the US team for the outstanding support at that point of time, what you extended was the beginning of the space activity in the country," he said.
Referring to recent milestones, Narayanan highlighted joint achievements such as the Chandrayaan missions, the NISAR satellite, and commercial launches, stating that cooperation had matured into a partnership of equals.
"It demonstrated to the world the emotional collaboration, rather than just collaboration, between India and the US, and a strong bond was demonstrated through this mission," he added.
He also pointed to the rapid growth of India's private space ecosystem following sectoral reforms in 2020 and outlined ambitious future goals, including building the country's own space station by 2035 and undertaking crewed lunar missions.
"Space is common for the entire global community, and the benefit should be enjoyed by every citizen of this globe," Narayanan said, and called for sustained global cooperation.
He said Indian industry today contributes a substantial share of mission hardware and software, enabling ISRO to scale operations while reducing costs and timelines.
"Approximately 75 per cent of the funding and realisation comes through Indian industries, because it is the Indian industries which build most of the hardware and software," Narayanan said.
Looking ahead, the ISRO Chairman outlined an ambitious roadmap that includes Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5, Mars and Venus missions, expansion of Earth observation and navigation constellations, and the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
He said India is targeting the launch of its first space station module by 2028 and a fully operational multi-module Indian space station by 2035, while also working towards a crewed lunar mission by 2040.
Narayanan said India's long-term human space exploration plans would require a new class of heavy-lift launch vehicles with vastly higher capability than those currently in service.
Recalling that India's first successful launch vehicle in 1980 could lift barely 35 kg to Low Earth orbit (LEO), he said future crewed lunar missions would demand rockets capable of lifting 80-100 tonnes, necessitating the development of entirely new architectures, propulsion systems and manufacturing ecosystems.
He said ISRO is already working on next-generation launch vehicles with a 30,000-kg LEO capacity as an intermediate step, but stressed that achieving lunar human missions by 2040 would require scaling up several times over through sustained technological development and international collaboration.
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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
