PM Modi’s Birthday Special: A Quantum Leap In India’s Space Journey During His Tenure

PM Modi took office as Prime Minister in 2014, and since then, the BJP government under his leadership has made numerous significant decisions that have contributed in transforming several institutions in the country.

New Delhi: The nation celebrates the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the most charismatic political figures in the world, today, on September 17. Born in 1950 in Vadnagar, a small and nondescript town in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, PM Modi came into the world in a poor family, and his childhood witnessed many ups and downs. However, he overcame all odds and, through sheer dedication, ascended to the top position of Prime Minister of the country.

PM Modi took office as Prime Minister in 2014, and since then, the BJP government under his leadership has made numerous significant decisions that have contributed in transforming several institutions in the country.

The Modi government has taken several steps to advance the country’s technology sector, particularly the space sector. Under his governance, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has witnessed a quantum leap in India’s space journey. India now stands at par with the selects club of countries like the USA and Russia, which began their space journeys several decades ago.

Special Boost To Space Sector

PM Modi has given a special boost to the space sector and opened it up for public and private participation, with an increasing number of startups. Today, India has become the first country to achieve a soft landing on the south pole of the moon, and now we are ready to study the upper atmospheric dynamics of the sun with the country’s maiden solar mission – Aditya-L1. Premier space organizations such as USA’s NASA are collaborating with our space agency and even seeking expert inputs from us.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, during an interview, mentioned that ISRO used to conduct launches very occasionally. However, after PM Modi opened the doors of the space sector to private sector participation, ISRO is now working with nearly 150 private startups.

ISRO has become a premier launchpad of the world, having launched as many as 389 satellites of other countries in the past nine years, earning the country Rs 3,300 crore. Notably, India also made a world record by launching 104 satellites on board PSLV-C3 on February 15, 2017, out of which 101 belonged to international customers.

Space Sector Budget Increased

The space sector budget increased from Rs 5,615 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 12,543 crore in ten years, marking a 123 percent rise. With increased satellite launches, the Indian space agency’s launch rate also jumped from 1.2 yearly launch missions before 2014 to an impressive 5.7 satellites since 2014.

As the government has stated that numerous barriers were broken in 2020 by unlocking the space sector, giving private entities access to ISRO technologies and facilities. This included the establishment of the first private launchpad and mission control center in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

Notably, around 140 startups have flourished in the country’s space sector since 2020, thanks to the newly-formed space regulator, IN-SPACe, which created an ecosystem of industry, academia, and innovation, reshaping the narrative of space exploration.

India Joins Hands With Other nations

India has also forged pioneering space partnerships with several countries during these nine years. One of the most noteworthy collaborations occurred when India signed the NASA-led Artemis Accord during PM Modi’s visit to the US this year.

The primary goal of this accord is to promote peaceful Moon exploration, and the government has highlighted that data from Chandrayaan-3 could be instrumental in supporting Artemis human landings. Additionally, the Indo-US joint satellite project, NISAR, worth Rs 470 crore, represents the first instance of joint hardware development between two agencies for an Earth-observing mission.