Indian Space Association

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Concept :

CDS Gen. Anil Chauhan has said that the world is witnessing the militarissation of space at the Indian DefSpace Symposium organised by the Indian Space association (ISpA) in association with DRDO.
According to the CDS (General Anil Chauhan), the very nature of warfare is on the cusp of major transformation with space being used to enhance combat capabilities in land, sea and cyber domains

Militarisation Of Space

It refers to the use of outer space for military purposes, including the deployment of military assets such as satellites, weapons, and communication systems.
The term generally refers to the integration of space capabilities into military planning and operations, as well as the use of space-based assets for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and navigation.

Weaponisation Of Space

The Weaponisation of Space refers to the development and deployment of weapons systems in outer space. It is the next level of militarisation and envisages a situation where space is being used for military warfare. In this term, it can be said that space becomes the new frontier of war.

Initiatives by India towards the militarisation of space

In 2019, India concluded the first table-top joint war game called ‘IndSpaceEx’ – run by the military and space scientists.
Demonstration of India’s Anti-Satellite (ASAT) capability under Mission Shakti.
Establishment of the new tri-service Defence Space Agency (DSA) – tasked with operating the space-warfare and Satellite Intelligence assets of India.
Mission DefSpace was launched in 2022 for the development of innovative solutions in the space domain by the industry.
Indian DefSpace Symposium, organised by the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and the DRDO under Mission DefSpace, to create a platform for all stakeholders who have a keen interest in boosting India’s military space capability and plans.
Indian Space Association (ISpA) is a voluntary association of leading space industries established with the objective of providing advisory and advocacy support to the space industry in India.

Indian Space Association (ISpA):

ISpA aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian Space industry ISpA will be represented by leading domestic and global corporations that have advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies.
ISpA will undertake Policy Advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian Space domain, including the Government and its Agencies, to make India self-reliant, technologically advanced and a leading player in the space arena.
ISpA will also work towards building global linkages for the Indian space industry to bring in critical technology and investments into the country to create more high skill jobs.

Significance of ISpA:

One of the main goals of the organisation is to supplement the government’s efforts towards making India a global leader in commercial space-based excursions.
Of late, ISRO’s rockets have been carrying the payload and communication satellites of various countries; now, private players will also look to touch on this space with the new organisation.
Several private sector companies have shown an interest in India’s space domain, with space-based communication networks coming to the fore.

Other Related Organisations:

IN-SPACE:
Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) was approved in 2020 to provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.
NSIL:
In the 2019 Budget, the government had announced the setting up of a New Space India Limited (NSIL), a public sector company that would serve as a marketing arm of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
Its main purpose is to market the technologies developed by ISRO and bring it more clients that need space-based services.
That role, incidentally, was already being performed by Antrix Corporation, another public sector undertaking working under the Department of Space, and which still exists.