Panellists share insights on perspectives of G20 countries on Space economy

 SHILLONG: Under India’s G20 Presidency, the precursor meeting of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting (SELM) commenced today in Shillong. The focus of the two-day event is to showcase all the capabilities of ISRO and the Department of Space and to collaborate on future science missions.

The inaugural programme of the meeting held at a hotel by Marriott was attended by Meghalaya Chief Minister Shri Conrad K. Sangma, Union Minister of State (Finance) Pankaj Chaudhury, Union Minister of State (Ind. Charge) Science & Tech Dr Jitendra Singh (virtually), G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Space (DOS) Somanath S., Chairman IN-SPACe Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka and other dignitaries.

Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhury in his address said that Indian economy is growing at a faster rate and the major contribution to this grow this from the New Space Segment. Stressing the need to conduct space activities in a responsible manner, he said that efforts are being made to promote New Space to further fuel the space economy. As all the G20 members have established space agencies and industries, the country should also look forward to possible alliances, he said.

Chaudhury also said that space-based technologies are recognised as one of the key contributors to growth and prosperity. He added that space technologies like satellite-based earth observation, satellite communications, and satellite navigation have positive impacts in agriculture, disaster management, transportation, health, and addressing climate change issues.

Hinting at the commitment of the government to developing and promoting space technology for the nation, the minister said, The Indian Space Programme was evolved with the intention of harnessing the benefits of space technology for solving the problems of the common man. The Government of India has recognised space as a key contributor to developing the Indian economy in the times to come. To enable this, the government has opened up the Indian space sector for private investments through the 2020 space sector reforms”.

Talking about the opportunities in space technologies, he said that the country needs a vital alliance of responsible space actors to enhance the contribution of the space economy to the global economy.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, while virtually addressing the inaugural session, said that significant progress has been made as far as India’s space sector is concerned. He said, “Over these last few years, space technology has penetrated all walks of life, and as a result, there is a huge demand for space-based services, which have huge commercial potential. So far as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is concerned, it has been striving hard to meet the demands for space-based services, and at the same time it is also realising the need to concentrate on research for developing new technologies and new applications”.

“The government headed by Prime Minister Modi took a path-breaking decision to open up the space sector for Indian private industry through the 2020 Space Sector Reforms in order to enhance the participation of the private players in end-to-end space activities. The increased private industry participation will eventually result in increased contribution of India to the global space economy,” he further added.

In his address, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K. Sangma expressed gratitude for the decision of the Prime Minister to hold the G20 programmes throughout the country, saying, “If we look at the entire theme that has been brought in today—discussion on space technology and economy—and the fact that it is happening here in Shillong, it is something that I really feel very privileged about.”.

Sangma said that in recent times India has seen a large number of reforms, and while the country as a whole has moved forward, northeast India and states like Meghalaya, which had not seen the same kind of growth economically, have been able to become a part of the economic growth and success of this great nation.

Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa, said in his address that India firmly believes that the country, as a global community, must think and act as one in this journey to and through the final frontier—space. He referred to the historical event and the thought shared by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian citizen who went to space: “Anyone who goes to space tries to look at his own country first, but soon it appears that there is no boundary between the countries and the entire world is one family where our destinies are integrated.”

He appealed to the delegates and participants to take a moment to consider how this thought, shared decades ago, is reflected in the theme of India’s G20 Presidency, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” or “One Earth. One Family. One Future.”

Speaking about the enormous potential of space technology, Shri Kant said that from providing digital communication services in the hardest-to-reach places to monitoring cyclones, rainfall, and crop cycles, space-based technology solutions help all our nations leapfrog in socio-economic development. The G20 must recognise that space-based technology solutions play a central enabling role in such development in each of our nations and also as a global community, he added.

Speaking about the Indian Space Policy 2023, Shri Kant said that the policy was announced earlier this month with the goal of institutionalising and facilitating private sector participation in the space sector for India. “It continues to hold the vision of Dr Vikram Sarabhai at its core and provides a framework of roles and responsibilities for ISRO, IN-SPACE, and the private sector to work together towards establishing India as a hub of the global space economy. This approach encourages the development of meaningful partnerships with the international community,” he added.

Shri Somanath S., Chairman, ISRO, in his address lauded the activities undertaken by the Northeastern Space Applications Centre and said that it is looking specifically at the problems of this region across different issues. The Chairman hoped that the effort everyone put in today will produce some fruitful outcomes and assist the space community at different levels in each of our nations. Stressing the power of the G20, he further added that the application of space technology for the benefit of mankind will increase many folds and can play the role of an economic contributor and benefit the global economy. Speaking about the need for cooperation among the nations for the development of space technology and its applications, he said that there have been a great deal of bilateral relationships involving all these nations, and these relations should be further strengthened.

During the technical deliberations in today’s programme, the delegates discussed the perspectives of the respective G20 countries on the space economy and the present state of the space economy in the respective countries. Efforts by the respective governments to promote space economics, including the New Space Initiative, and the challenges faced were also discussed. Following this, a session on the policy perspectives of the space economy was also held, where there were curated talks on specific aspects of the space economy by think tanks and experts.

The second session on space economy was moderated by Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman of INSPACE, who provided insightful discussion on “the evolving Indian space policy framework and future outlook”. The panel consisted of other prominent leaders in the relevant fields, and they deliberated on various topics like a framework for measuring the space economy, New Space and responsibility for sustainable and safe space operations, the new space economy in the G20 countries, and opportunities for collaboration, etc. (PIB)

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