This volume discusses the emergence of space exploration as a new pivot of the global space economy in the decade of 2020s. Space exploration and human spaceflight will soon become vital strategic initiatives in the imminent second space age, evolving from scientific pursuits to mega-economic projects. As the scope of international cooperation in space forays into soft science diplomacy, the second space age opens opportunities for India to mount its space program as an ambitious yet conscientious, proficient, and cordial player in the global space economy. This book, — Explores imminent trends in space exploration and interplanetary connectivity plans, their returns to the global economy of the future, and impact on the global astropolitical order; — Analyses the techno-economic significance of India’s space exploration by reviewing the legal, ethical and philosophical challenges; the limits of global space exploration policies; and the economic lacunae for the astropolitical gains; — Examines the transformational trio of Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan and Gaganyaan; dawn of the second space age; interplanetary connectivity projects; besides discussing the viability of humans becoming an interplanetary species. Part of The Gateway House Guide to India in the 2020s series, this topical volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of international relations, geopolitics, foreign policy, space policy, South Asian studies, strategic studies, and international trade.

This volume discusses the emergence of space exploration as a new pivot of the global space economy in the decade of 2020s. Space exploration and human spaceflight will soon become vital strategic initiatives in the imminent second space age, evolving from scientific pursuits to mega-economic projects. As the scope of international cooperation in space forays into soft science diplomacy, the second space age opens opportunities for India to mount its space program as an ambitious yet conscientious, proficient, and cordial player in the global space economy. This book, -- Explores imminent trends in space exploration and interplanetary connectivity plans, their returns to the global economy of the future, and impact on the global astropolitical order; -- Analyses the techno-economic significance of India's space exploration by reviewing the legal, ethical and philosophical challenges; the limits of global space exploration policies; and the economic lacunae for the astropolitical gains; -- Examines the transformational trio of Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan and Gaganyaan; dawn of the second space age; interplanetary connectivity projects; besides discussing the viability of humans becoming an interplanetary species. Part of The Gateway House Guide to India in the 2020s series, this topical volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of international relations, geopolitics, foreign policy, space policy, South Asian studies, strategic studies, and international trade.

This book provides answers to the questions of why human-kind should go into space, and on the relative roles of governments and markets in the evolution of the space economy. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach to answer those questions. Science and technology define the boundaries of what is possible. The realization of the possible depends on economic, institutional, and political factors. The book thus draws from many different academic areas such as physical science, astronomy, astronautics, political science, economics, sociology, cultural studies, and history. In the literature, the space economy has been analyzed using different approaches from science and technology to the effects of public expenditures on economic growth and to medium term effects on productivity and growth. This book brings all these aspects together following the evolutionary theory of economic change. It studies processes that transform the economy through the interactions among diverse economic agents, governments, and the extra-systemic environment in which governments operate. Its historical part helps to better understand motivations and constraints - technical, political, and economical - that shaped the growth of the space economy. In the medium term, global issues - such as population changes, critical or limited natural resources, and environmental damages – and technological innovations are the main drivers for the evolution of the space economy beyond Earth orbit. In universities, this book can be used: as a reference by historians of astronautics; for researchers in the field of astronautics, international political economy, and legal issues related to the space economy. In think tanks and public institutions, both national and international, this book provides an input to the ongoing debate on the collaboration among space agencies and the role of private companies in the development of the space economy. Finally, this book will help the educated general public to orient himself in the forest of stimuli, news, and solicitations to which he is daily subjected by the media, television and radio, and to react in less passive ways to those stimuli.

Fifty years in the making, India's Space Programme is fulfilling the vision of its founders and delivering services from space that touch the lives of 1.3 billion people every day. In addition to operating a collection of satellites for weather, Earth observation, navigation and communication today, India has a spacecraft orbiting Mars and a space telescope in Earth orbit. This book provides the big picture of India's long association with science, from historical figures like Aryabhata and Bhaskara to Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, the key architects of its space program. It covers the scientific contribution of Indian scientists during the European Enlightenment and industrial revolution. It traces the technological development of Tipu Sultan's use of rockets for war in the 1780s; the all-but-forgotten contribution of Stephen H Smith's use of rockets as a means of transport in 1935 in northern India; and the emergence of Sriharikota – India's spaceport, the heart of India's modern Space Programme. • A detailed account of how a fishing village in Kerala was transformed into a space centre and used to launch India's first rocket into space on 21 November 1963. • A detailed summary of India's space infrastructure – launch vehicles, deep space network, Telemetry, Tracking and Command and space assets in orbit. • Description of how the ordinary people of India benefit from the services delivered by the space programme • Why India chose to go to the Moon and Mars and how it got there. • The prospects for India's ambitions in space for human spaceflight, national security and scientific exploration • An analysis of how India's Space Programme may play out on the global stage. Will it compete or collaborate with China, USA and Russia in space? This detailed work, in 645 pages, 29 tables and 9 appendices, is richly illustrated with 140+ illustrations (some images published for the first time) and supported by over 1,000 references. It is written for the non-specialist, offering a big-picture view.

How do you build a scientifically and technologically strong modern nation with limited means and resources? Indian scientists faced this challenge seven decades ago when the country became independent and confronted a world rapidly advancing in science and technology. In the years that followed, they battled poor funding and archaic regulations to build India's science infrastructure from scratch. This fascinating narrative captures the story of the struggles and triumphs of these leaders of science and the world-class institutions they founded. From the cosmic-ray experiments at the Kolar Gold Fields to ISRO's stunning space observatory built under severe constraints, from the construction of one of the world's largest radio telescopes in Ooty to the development of structural biology at IISc and, most recently, the significant contributions of the country's scientific institutions towards tackling a global pandemic - Space. Life. Matter. brings to readers the path-breaking advances made by India's scientists to original research and what they mean to the nation's progress. Deeply informed, enlightening and inspiring, this singular, comprehensive account of the pride of place that Indian science occupies in the world is essential reading for all.