Need for miniaturisation of satellites, reusable launch platforms to boost our space-based capabilities: CDS Anil Chauhan

NEW DELHI: To boost collaboration between Indian space and defence sectors, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Tuesday stressed the need for “developing dual-use platforms and exploring the field of miniaturisation of satellites” to augment the country’s space-based capabilities.
At the ‘Indian DefSpace Symposium 2023’, organised in association with DRDO, CDS Gen Chauhan said, “The aim for all of us should be towards developing dual-use platforms with special focus towards incorporating cutting-edge technology and we must expand our NAVIC (navigation) constellation, provide agile space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and ensure secure satellite-assisted communications. We also need to explore the field of miniaturisation of satellites and reusable launch platforms to mitigate cost, challenges and accelerate the pace of augmenting our space-based capabilities.”
He also said, “The populating of the space domain and the emergence of a dynamic threat environment to our space assets also demands that we enhance our space situational awareness capability. There's also a requirement to safeguard our assets with counter space capabilities. We must build resilience and redundancy in a space-based infrastructure.”
At the event, DRDO chairman Samir V Kamat said, “We at DRDO have started increasing our focus on the very critical space domain with focus on space-based surveillance, space situational awareness, protecting our space-based assets. We are now looking at working very closely with industry as well as academia right from the development stage and have started DRDO industry-academia centers of excellence in about 15 institutions mostly within the country. We request academia, startups, MSMEs and larger companies to work with us closely so we can help our country achieve these capabilities much faster than what we have been able to do for all other systems.”
The event also organised a session with experts from the defence and technology sectors, which analysed China's military capabilities, including its space-based assets, and how they are affecting the balance of power in the region.
The Indian Space Symposium is the first-of-its-kind event focused on creating a platform for all stakeholders, who have a keen interest in boosting India’s military space capability and plans. The platform will bring together experts from multiple domains to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the field of defence, making it an excellent networking opportunity for attendees from the defence, DRDO, and government sectors, as well as industry professionals. Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (Retd), director general, Indian Space Association, said, “The symposium will pave the way forward of how we leverage international space cooperation and also the policy and strategy for building an overall comprehensive difference space strategy. I would like to thank the CDS and DRDO chairman. Their presence underlines the importance of this growing domain of warfare where I assure you that the industry is ready to contribute and play its part in this national endeavour.”