Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue 2019 Day 2 highlights: It's time to talk about India's space explorations & her challenges

Tomasz Kozlowski (@EU_Amb_India): India will have a critical role to play in future space governance. We have committed to the prevention of an arms race and weaponization. The cooperation must seek to make outer space governance more predictable and reliable.#ORFKC2019 pic.twitter.com/SY5Wf109Yr

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel of India and Europe in Space

Report on space collaboration between India & EU launched today

ESPI & ORF has released a new report today at the Dialogue about the collaboration between the European and Indian space agencies.

At the panel of India and Europe in Space

Panelists in this conversation are Jean-Jacques Tortora ​Director, European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), Tomasz Kolowski  EU Ambassador to India and Narayan Prasad Co-Founder, SatSearch.

Jean Jacques Tortora (@ESPIspace): ORF is a key player in the India-Europe space cooperation.#ORFKC2019 pic.twitter.com/ZdncMkHnKM

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

*Astrobiology research in India is real – and cool!*

You don't have to leave Earth's orbit to explore space. @SiddharthPandey breaks down what exploration of extraterrestrial life entails & some of the places right here in India they're using to prepare Mars rovers to seek out life on the Red Planet. #ORFKC2019 @ORFonline pic.twitter.com/XMAWRVpZCy

— Tech2 (@tech2eets) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Exploration

Divyanshu Poddar @divyupoddar: India seems to ignore the technology aspect of science and that needs to change. Learning from failures is what is needed to be instilled within the Indian scientific community to enable them to take on greater challenges. pic.twitter.com/9fxzuoqAX8

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Exploration

Does space need artists too?

Divyanshu Poddar: Oh yes it does. There’s a big human element to being a space-faring race. And that’s a role artists play better than anyone.

At the panel for Space Exploration

Fear of failure limits our youngest engineers

Divyanshu Pandey: One of the biggest takeaways from  working as an educator is that students aren’t ready to lose. Once it’s over, it really is over for them and that’s something our training programs need to include. There’s plenty more, but the fear of failure is very limiting for our young engineers.

At the panel for Space Exploration

Ajay Lele @IDSAIndia: With an aim for 500 transponders, India still has only approximately 300 in use showcasing their lack of adequate technology for communication satellites pic.twitter.com/X2qPpVktL4

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Exploration

One way to do this is a separate working group for space exploration and education

Siddharth Pandey: Education outreach is a strong component in the roadmap, and is being left out of the conversation. If we want to venture into more science and exploration, we need to start bottom up, and that starts in schools.

At the panel for Space Exploration

Exploration can be a priority for India but isn’t​ 

Siddharth Pandey: I think ISRO needs to be certain, and yet adaptable with its space program. It is a unique position in terms on its budget and ambition to do a bit of both – technology and exploration. One of the way it can do that is partner with larger space agencies on the BIG missions.

At the panel for Space Exploration 

Is the Indian space program ambitious?

Ajay Lele: Ambitious isn’t the goal of India’s space program to begin with. So far, India has been adapting itself to become a tool to add to its socio-economic development. Space exploration is one area where we haven’t really flexed our muscles, but could perhaps do it once national priorities change.

It’s time for the next panel on the ambitions and challenges of India’s space programs

Panelists in this conversation are Ajey Lele, Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; Siddharth Pandey, Head of Amity Space Centre and the Centre of Excellence in Astrobiology, Amity University and Divyanshu Poddar and will be moderated by Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Distinguished Fellow and Head, Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation.

At the panel for Women in Space

: There have been only 2 women as heads of a Space Agency in the world. But, even though India has 12% of women in this field, why have we not had more than one head the ISRO agency? We need to answer this question for the future #WomeninSpace #ORFKC2019 pic.twitter.com/4svzROZO19

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Q. Neelu Khatri: What companies in India do you think can spearhead the effort to help build policies for the space sector?

A: I’ve been part of a couple of global companies that have come to India, but the national space agency is less than liberal with opportunities to expand in the sector. The contracts to partner with private industry need to be nurturing, and not limiting.

“It really does start from within.”
Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, President of @Honeywell_Aero, talks about why the push for more women to take up positions of power in the industry needs to come from women themselves. #ORFKC2019 @ORFonline pic.twitter.com/sIzGQRem5e

— Tech2 (@tech2eets) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Surbhi Baghotia @isro : Why are we talking about how to achieve having women in space when we have successfully achieved twomen in space missions already. A great feat for all women around the world. #WomeninSpace #ORFKC2019 pic.twitter.com/1ntYAWdKSR

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Gender laws in space: We have a lot to (un)learn

Ashok G V: Before we write laws for space and other planets, we need to unlearn what we “know” We need to start teaching people that gender isn’t binary any more, it is also a choice today. I worked on a case once when a group of transgender people legally objected to another transgender person being in a lesbian relationship with a woman. Theres an example of the complexity that gender laws for the future of space needs to consider.

At the panel for Women in Space

Ashok G.V. @factumindia : the future of gender in space exploration is still under-represented. The overall representation of women among the total number of astronauts is only 11 percent. #ORFKC2019 #WomeninSpace

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Can we afford to have the same gender stereotypes in space that we do here on Earth?

At the panel for Women in Space

Women astronauts have had it BAD so far

Ashok G V: A lot of things came in the way of women astronauts taking flight over the years. The first studies looking at the effects of space on women were early – in the 70s – but those too, were so there’d be secretaries, cooks and caretakers in space like here on Earth.

At the panel for Women in Space

Neelu Khatri @Honeywell_Aero: Unfortunately, space and aerospace have limited numbers of women, for plenty of reasons either less women entering the field or moving forward in the professional world. But this needs to change and has been changing. #WomeninSpace #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Women are their own solution to gender parity in the space industry

Wing Commander Neelu Khatri: What amazes me is the grit and fierceness with with some women work in the industry. Global companies want some of our finest women in space. The ground is not very even for women in this industry specifically, but turning your threats to opportunities falls on the women themselves for now. It’s on us, and I firmly believe that.

At the panel for Women in Space

Susmita Mohanty @suz_moonwalker : India has a very accomplished space program and with the acceleration of climate change, the next generations need to be entrepreneurs as Earth will very soon not be habitable. #WomeninSpace #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Women in Space

Being a space entrepreneurs means freedom

Susmita Mohanty says that, “I left Boeing and started my first company, Moonfront, with a friend. I did it because being an entrepreneur affords you freedom. You can speak your mind in a way that you simply can’t in a company that isn’t yours. Back then “startups” were very rare. Today, it’s almost every tenth word we hear.”

At the panel for Women in Space

#ORFKC2019 panel ➝ #WomenInSpace

Susmita Mohanty, @Earth2Orbit. • Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, @Honeywell_Aero • Ashok G.V. • Surbhi Baghotia, @isro. • @Jessluellawest pic.twitter.com/tuO6lpfKc1

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

Women in Space panel kicks off

The next conversation is the much-awaited women in space dialogue. This is the first time ORF has included it in their space dialogue. Panelists include Susmita Mohanty, Co-Founder and CEO, Earth2Orbit; Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, CEO, Boston Analytics; Ashok G V, Partner, Factum Law and Surbhi Bhagotia, Scientist D, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO. They will be moderated by Jessica West, Program Officer, Project Ploughshares.

Spotlight Speaker 

Neelu Khatri @Honeywell_Aero : The biggest need for the sector today, how do we hunt for the right opportunities and how to get the right talent for running it. #ORFKC2019 pic.twitter.com/EP2Qc50IZR

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

Spotlight Speaker 

Neelu Khatri @Honeywell_Aero : India is now spending 1.9 billion dollars funded from ISRO, along with more than 40 SMEs supporting ISRO which has led to a credible relationship behind the success of India in the space sector industry. #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

Spotlight Speaker 

What’s it like being a member of India’s private space industry?

Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, President of Honeywell Aerospace, takes the stage to shed some light on the good, bad and ugly of running a private sector space enterprise in India

At the panel for Space Security

Alexandra Stickings: We saw this with China’s recent landing on the moon’a far side as well, the media immediately jumped to show the possible military implications of the achievement. Despite their growing presence in space, I think that’s an unfair way to see all the progress China makes in space.

At the panel for Space Security

Are China’s growing military capabilities in space disguised in their tech advances in space?

Chandrashekhar Srinivasan: The Chinese space station will be open to international collaboration, and its important to remember that any activity has both civilian and military uses.

At the panel for Space Security

Jean-Jacques Tortora: By the year, space is growing to have a larger influence from private space industry, and they will have a greater role to play in security. I’m rather hopefully and happy to share that thought with you all today.

At the panel for Space Security

US Federal government official Neevy van Laningham explains the “peaceful” intentions behind the country setting up its soon-to-materialise military wing in space, the US #SpaceForce. #ORFKC2019 @ORFonline pic.twitter.com/0NmjUXFCO7

— Tech2 (@tech2eets) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Security

Jean-Jacques Tortora (@ESPIspace): International regulations ensure the safety of operations in orbit and the EU advocates for the creation of a Code of Conduct for this purpose. #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Security

Col. P.S. Bath (@adgpi): 2016 white paper laid down China's space vision as becoming a space power in all respects and reliably guarantee space security. #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Security

Jean-Jacques Tortora (@ESPIspace): EU expects space traffic management to be a collaborative affair, to include crowd-sourcing of data and international cooperation. #ORFKC2019

— ORF (@orfonline) April 30, 2019

At the panel for Space Security

EU’s Code of Conduct a strong indicator of its interest in space security

Jean-Jacques Tortora: Although the EU’s Code of Conduct had a short period of effectiveness, the fact that EU drew up a space security policy of its own goes to show it’s interest and dedication towards ensure safety in space.