Private space tourism could redefine recreation

By TIN Media | India Published 1 year ago on 12 July 2022
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INDIA:

Promoting space activities in the private sector has started to be done through the Indian Space Promotion and Authorization Centre.

In-Space recently made headlines by approving two early birds to launch their payloads to level the playing field. Dhruva Space Pvt. Ltd. from Hyderabad and Digantara Research & Technologies Pvt. Ltd. from Bangalore are the first to signify this new beginning.


It was approved to launch the technology demonstration payload Dhruva Space Satellite Orbital Deployer (DSOD 1U). Dhruva Space, a start-up in space technology, focuses on developing the space engineering solutions required for satellite platforms that may be used for any purpose.

For its part, Digantara Research & Technologies creates sensor networks, platforms, and data products for "Space Situational Awareness," which are end-to-end solutions for safe and sustainable space operations. Digantara's "Robust Integrating Proton Fluence Meter" (ROBI), a proton dosimeter payload, was also approved by In-Space.

Under the Department of Space, In-Space is a single-window, independent, and autonomous nodal agency (DoS). The agency was established in 2020 to popularise, approve, oversee, and monitor the space activities of non-governmental private organizations (NGPEs) in India. The chairperson of In-Space is Pawan Kumar Goenka, a former managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra.


Astro tourism can be thought of as an astronaut's career-long interest in astronomy. Anyone may find stargazing to be a relaxing activity, whether they do it in observatories or special dark sky areas. The act of traveling into space for commercial, pleasure, or adrenaline-fueled purposes is known as space tourism. Only an elite few people, like Bezos, Branson, Musk, and others, have been able to afford it thus far. Although many people wish they could travel to space, the enormous cost is the main barrier. Though it is uncertain whether this is attainable, it would be good if technical developments might contribute to cost reduction.

The nascent sector of space travel might be supported by publicity and instruction. In-Space beginning to develop space courses in engineering colleges and other educational institutions, such as the Indian Institute of Technology, could be a step in this direction (IITs). In-Space is currently in discussions with the University Grants Commission, as the media has already been informed (UGC).

A program called the "Technology Development Fund" (TDF) was started by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to draw new entrepreneurs to the aerospace and defense industries. The Make in India initiative covers this. There are also ongoing government initiatives like the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). AIM was created in India to promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and over the years it has supported numerous space technology-related programs and challenges.

The ATL Space Challenge was introduced at a national level in September by AIM, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Among the four challenges were Explore Space, Reach Space, Inhabit Space, and Leverage Space. YouTube sessions were walked by the students. The challenge attracted more than 2,500 entries from 6,500 pupils. Ahead of the year, the Top 75 teams were revealed.


As part of the nation's many space mission projects, Indian satellites are already in orbit. Now that space tourism is set to launch, space debris, or space junk, such as tiny paint flecks and retired satellites, comes to mind. These objects could block or possibly crash with active orbiting satellites if they are left in space.

Environmental damage can also result from accumulated orbital debris. With the addition of new radars and optical telescopes, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has improved its ability to track orbital debris. The "Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis" is known as Project NETRA. The project, with a projected cost of Rs 400 crore, intends to provide India with the SSA capability, used by other space powers to "anticipate" dangers from debris to Indian satellites. The GEO or geostationary orbit scene, where communication satellites operate at a distance of 36,000km, is what NETRA uses as a long-term sustainability indicator.


Could there be equipment in the future that could remove this space junk and place it in a far, tiny orbit where it wouldn't collide with active satellites? Could something be added to defunct and decommissioned satellites to make them functional again, even only temporarily? A metaphorical inert satellite travelling silently strikes me as unsettling. An encounter with such a satellite wouldn't be desired by anyone. In any case, the repair of a satellite could create a large number of new positions in spacecraft. Ah, I see. To do it probably need high-tech resources.

 


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