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

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.

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

At the panel for Space Exploration

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

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

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

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.

At the panel for Women in Space

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

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

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

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

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 

Spotlight Speaker 

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

At the panel for Space Security

At the panel for Space Security

At the panel for Space Security

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.

At the panel for Space Security

At the panel for Space Security 

At the panel for Space Security 

China’s interest in militarizing space comes in many different forms

At the panel for Space Security 

Cyber threats aren’t one, they are enablers of many others weapons, too

Chandrashekhar Srinivasan: Space is now a very critical component in war. Nuclear and conventional weapons may have been married decades ago, but cyber threats are something that’s linked to all of them.

At the panel for Space Security 

At the panel for Space Security 

At the panel for Space Security 

Alexandra Stickings says “With the growing number of uses for space technology, you don’t have to be a space actor to have an influence or impact on space security. Any new space security policy will need to be open to these threat growing in form every few years, if not every decade.”

At the panel for Space Security 

The third panel for the day, on Space security, is now a-go

Panelists speaking on it are Alexandra Stickings, Space Policy Fellow from RUSI; Chandrashekhar Srinivasan from the NIAS; Col. P S Bath, Director of the space Perspective Planning Directorate in the Indian Army and Jean-Jacques Tortora, Director of ESPI. The discussion will be moderated by Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation. 

At the panel for Space Cooperation

At the panel for Space Cooperation

India’s ASAT test was not a safety threat, even if NASA claimed it was

Comm. Nishant Kumar: I’d like to clarify something about the ASAT test. India has considered the dangers of space debris ahead of the missions. Whatever debris was generated by the space debris was intended to fall back to earth as it did, just as in simulations

At the panel for Space Cooperation

Brazillian diplomat Pedro Ivo Ferraz da Silva announced that they will be launching their first 100% Brazilian satellite.  Amazonia 1, next year. 

At the panel for Space Cooperation

At the panel for Space Cooperation

Vulnerability of developing nations should be considered in space policy

Rogel Mari Sese: New policies in security and general policy need to consider this as a confidence building measure to ensure that useful cooperation remains healthy and lasts for decades/the foreseeable future

At the panel for Space Cooperation

Space cooperation is a necessity today

Rogel Mari Sese: Developing countries are weaker in multinational partnerships than developed ones – they are both economically and politically disadvantaged, and that’s common to all emerging players in space.

At the panel for Space Cooperation

At the panel for Space Cooperation

At the panel for Space Cooperation

NavIC an example of India’s regional cooperation

Comm. Nishant Kumar says “Indian satellites in NavIC launched in May 2017 are also part of regional cooperation initiatives in South Asia with other nations in the region. One use of this collaboration is better disaster management in the region.”

At the panel for Space Cooperation

India is part of over 100 international collaborations in space

Comm. Nishant Kumar says that “International cooperation is hardwired into India’s space program. There are over 100 such cooperation agreements India is part of for data sharing, policy advisories, and scientific projects including climate change.”

At the panel for Space Cooperation

Why does the US want a Space Force?

Neevy van Laningham says, “The reasons US created the Space Force are varied, but mostly to ensure unfettered access and freedom to use space resources. Also, space technology is crucial to every aspect of life and ensure their safety is a full-time job that warrants an independent organisation.”

We’re into our second panel of the day on space security

Expert on the panelist are ​Neevy van Laningham, Officer at Federal Government, Washington D.C. Truong Ninh Thuan, Associate Professor, Vietnam National University Gp. Capt. Nishant Kumar, Director, D&ISA, MEA Rogel Mari Sese, Program Leader, National Space Development Program, Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology Pedro Ivo Ferraz da Silva, Diplomat, Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi and moderated by Chaitanya Gopal, Sales Manager, Space Watch Global 

Spotlight Speaker:

Spotlight Speaker:

India has a plan in the works for in-flight refueling technology

It’s quite advanced. Looks something like this.

Spotlight Speaker:

Don’t leave out the possibility of asteroid-mining

Dr Pillai: Asteroids are also a big potential source of minerals and fuel for space. Though, some of them are dangerous and heading our way fast. Solar sails are one way we’re attempting to divert dangerous asteroids away.

Spotlight Speaker:

Mining the moon for Helium3

With over a million tonnes of Helium3 on the moon, it will probably be the first fuel we mine for. It also has useful byproduct including water that make it doubly useful

Spotlight Speaker:

Big avenues for space industry in the near future

Dr.Pillai: Creation of space satellite for all spacecrafts in the geostationary orbit as a permanent space station for in-space servicing, fleet management, monitoring satellites in space and better natural disaster prediction are important avenues for the industry to grow.

Spotlight Speaker:

Need of the hour in space exploration today

Dr Pillai: Water, minerals, air and fuel are some of the biggest limiting factors to us exploring space. Cracking these is the bottleneck and breakthrough the global research community is working hard on today.

Spotlight Speaker:

Spotlight Speaker:

A brief history of India’s wins in Space

Dr Sivathanu Pillai from ISRO walks us through a brief history of the Indian Space Program – from Chandrayaan-1 finding water, to the wildly successful Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan, to Rakesh Sharma, the first man in space. Now, we’re now looking at the first Indian astronauts on an Indian vessel in space 2022.

Spotlight Speaker:

Young space entrepreneurs are the creators of our future in space

Dr Sivathanu Pillai, ISRO, DRDO and IIST Chennai says “Young entrepreneurs in space have my best wishes, and I find their spirit captured in a poem by Carl Sagan — The Pale Blue Dot.

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Politics on Earth complicates peace in space

Daniel Porras: Political realities on the ground are a key obstacle to peace in outer space. Dialogues in space would be much easier without messy international (political) relationships. That’s a shame, really.

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Who owns the space above a country?

Victoria Samson, “Just to clarify, countries DO NOT own the air and space above them. That’s insane, and you can’t put a satellite up there without going through the same protocols you would if it was launched elsewhere in orbit.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Too late to avoid militarization in outer space

Amb. Rakesh Sood from ORF says “Traffic management for satellite in orbit is definitely something that’s underway and realistic, but peace in outer space? It’s a little too late for that.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Daniel Porras says, “That said, both the US and India (as the origin and launching nations) will be liable if the satellites do destroy an active satellite in or orbit.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Who’s liable for unlicensed, illegal launches involving multiple countries?

Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation says, “On the illegal SWARM satellites launched on an ISRO PSLV rocket last year the onus was not on India to fix.” 

Aboard India’s mission to Mars, Venus, France may send its scientific instruments.  

France and India are cooperating on the Gaganyaan project — India’s human spaceflight mission, especially in the area of space medicine said French envoy to India Alexandre Ziegler.  

Read more about the lastest update.  

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Countries can object to a proposal at any time, and they do

Daniel Porras says “Challenges and objections raised by member nations can be anytime during the process, including right before a report is released or published. That doesn’t help with the number and speed of reports and treaties released. The work done behind the scenes and the output in terms of number of such policies simple aren’t comparable.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Disarmament in space is a layered & complex ongoing discussion

Daniel Porras says “We still don’t have a definition for what a space weapon is, were only now exploring the scope of peace treaties for space. Should we combine the technology and ethics in the same document or entirely separate? These discussions are underway.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

UN’s two dedicated groups for disarmament in space

Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow at UNIDIR says “At the heart of UN’s work in space security are Trust and Confidence Building Measures (TCBM) guidelines. PAROS (Prevention of Armament in Outer Space) and the Conference on Disarmament, which meets thrice a year every year in Geneva.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

A space treaty for the modern age is no picnic

Jessica West says “There are a lot of challenges that this Treaty is now facing. As the number of member nations grows, so too does the number of voices, and the opposition to suggestions made. Progress is slow, but we’re optimistic.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

The UN’s Space 2030 Treaty

Jessica West says #Space2030 by the UN has an ambitious agenda – specific goals towards Safety, Security and Sustainability over the next decade.

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Turns out someone has a recipe for peace in space!

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

On governing space

Jessica West from the Space Security Index says “Space governance was born with the UN COPUS (Peaceful Use of Outer Space) which has grown to have 90+ member countries today..”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Sophie Gauthier says “Unions that are made up of members from state, non-state and civil interests will diversify ideas but also make for better space governance in a country.”

At the panel for Collective Governance of the Global Commons

Today, space governance needs countries to be proactive.

Sophie Gauthier, a diplomat from the French Embassy says, “Implementing what we discuss and agree on, for starters. The onus is often on individual countries and states to take them up and go further.”

The day will open with a panel on how common goods like space can be governed by a collection of space-faring nations. 

There will be 3 spotlight speakers Wing Commander Neelu Khatri, Lt. Gen. Taranjit Singh, A Sivathanu Pillai, ISRO who will be shining light on some pretty interesting topics as well.

There are going to 7 different panels today in areas that are critical to building a thriving space community in India.

*Inaugural talks on Day One*

The Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr Rod Hilton joked about how his 7-year-old daughter has the perfect attitude towards tackling some of today’s biggest space challenges. 
He’s also a Star Wars fan!

*Inaugural talks on Day One*

Dr B N Suresh from the Indian Space Research Organisation spoke briefly about the need for more Space Situational Awareness.

*Inaugural talks on Day One*

Also on the first day were a few words on India’s long partnership with the French Space Agency CNES by the French Ambassador to India, Alexandre Ziegler.

The Chairman of Observer Research Foundation, Mr.Sunjoy Joshi, opened the session with a welcome address

Day One saw some inaugural talks from the organizers and dignitaries.

Hello, 
We’re at the ORF Kalpana Chawla Space Dialogue today. The event is one of the biggest annual events that discusses current concerns, solutions and policy in space.