Sustainability must for powering space exploration: Experts

BENGALURU: With increasing number of space projects and missions, cost of rocket fuel and concerns of increasing space debris, the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 on Thursday heard a clarion call given for sustainability in space technologies and related activities.  

Addressing a conclave themed ‘Sustainability in outer space powered by digital technologies’, Stefan Gustafsson, Senior Vice-President of Strategy & Sustainability of Swedish Space Corporation, said, “For decades, space was really important for scientific purposes, security policies and geopolitics… Now space is more crucial for almost every societal function, including the financial system. If we don’t have time signals from navigation satellites, to assets for logistics or positioning or communication or whatever it could be... Simply put, space is really everywhere.”

Highlighting the use of digitisation for sustainability, he said space is a domain where you host a lot of advanced IT equipment for the benefit of humans. “But we need to ensure it is done in a sustainable way. A separate body should be set up to ensure the best practices are in play... We need governments to hold more conclaves, invite experts and hold discussions. There has to be friction between governments and industries for them to find solutions,” he added.

AK Anil Kumar, Associate Director, ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), said it is essential for space agencies to keep watch and make sustainable space programmes for mankind’s benefit. “ISRO is strictly abiding by all guidelines set for sustainability by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, which was accepted by the UN. An Indian representative is the chair of a UN group working for long-term sustainability in Geneva, and we are working towards safeguarding it,” he added.

Laxmesh BH, Head, Missiles & Aerospace Business, Larsen & Toubro, said space infrastructure in India is moving towards fostering a space econom, which would play a crucial role in helping India achieve its goals. “India has seen liberalisation of various sectors like telecom over several years, but we are now looking at liberalisation of the space sector in India. And, I am sure this will happen much earlier,” he added.