India Needs a Comprehensive Space Policy

Space is considered to be the final frontier for human survival¹. The 21st century explorations are increasingly focused on building and launching of spacecraft for myriad purposes; ranging from non-commercial activities to operating space stations, commercial human space flight, planning missions for mining on celestial bodies, etc. Space missions of sending rovers and orbiters to distant celestial bodies have become a norm, and no more a monopoly of few dominant countries. Vikram Sarabhai, ‘father of the Indian space programme’, emphasizing the importance of space programme in India mentioned that ‘there are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose.