The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) accomplished a major feat last week by launching 104 satellites at one go, breaking the record held by Russia (37 satellites) and the earlier US record (29). Isro’s missions have far-reaching impact both from a commercial as well as national security perspective. India has every reason to be proud of its achievements, but there are still certain aspects of its space programme that need more attention. The need for a holistic space policy cannot be underestimated. Isro has issued a couple of sector-specific policies such as for remote-sensing and Satcom (satellite communication), but it is time that India put in place a policy that is all-encompassing and issued from a central agency rather than India’s civil space agency. It will be ideal if there is a national security strategy that is driving India’s broad ambitions on where it wants to go by 2030, for instance, and then have a clear requirement-based perspective. Given the growing requirements, India must tackle one other important dimension: commercialization and increasing private sector participation. Lastly, the current momentum towards developing global norms for outer space activities should be considered as India contemplates its space policy. Globally speaking, space debris, potential weaponization of space, cyber arms race in outer space, and anti-satellite (Asat) weapons are becoming major challenges, pushing states to write new rules of the road. India, being an established space player, should play an active role in shaping these and not lose the opportunity.

(Live Mint)