Ad Astra, With a 'Uniquely Indian Flavor'

摘要

India's space program has a bold agenda this year: It aims to launch five rockets and four satellites, all built at home. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) already has 11 remote-sensing satellites in orbit—the largest constellation of civilian eyes in the sky. This record puts India securely in the global space club. Part of India's achievement is to have joined at a modest cost. ISRO's $1.5 billion annual budget is almost 10 times smaller than NASA's. But its dreams are not modest. In the coming years, ISRO plans planetary exploration missions, a reusable launch vehicle, and a program to send astronauts into space. "In a very tough economic environment, India remains one of the few countries in the world which maintains and even reinforces its space program," says ]ean-Yves Le Gall, chair and CEO of Arianespace in Paris. "This is absolutely remarkable."