BENGALURU: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath said that of all areas of the space sector, mission operations are the most profitable, which is why the Indian space agency is pushing for more private players in the sector.
Speaking at the International Conference on Spacecraft Mission Operations (SMOPS-2023) on Thursday, Somanath said, “The purpose of the conference is to showcase mission operations as an emerging domain. The space mission operational domain is an economical activity domain where there is a possibility for industries.
When it comes to startups, everyone wants to build and launch satellites, no one wants to take up the building of other components, like antennas or transmission equipment. But there is money there. Rockets are not able to provide quick and sustainable profits, 80-85 per cent of the money in the space sector comes from downstream work - building equipment, ground communication, network equipment and providing services.”
The two-day conference focuses on mission operations, which include the automation, maintenance and control of spacecraft. Somanath said that ISRO’s intention is to ensure that as more private players emerge in the space sector, they rely on Indian companies to provide operational assistance in the maintenance of their satellites and other spacecraft. “There are thousands of satellites. Where do they get support for tracking and data dissemination? We want people from India to take up these endeavours. We want private players to establish ground stations and build up networks so that they can provide their services to the world. It is a good business opportunity,” he added.
Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said that both IN-SPACe and ISRO would help handhold private players interested in exploring the domain, adding “The importance of mission operations is growing. As there is an increase in space missions, the role of mission planning also increases. The reason why the domain hasn’t been explored further is that it is tacit knowledge, not something that is concrete and tangible.”