UPSC DAW Mains Answer Writing 2025 6th August

UPSC DAW Mains Answer Writing 2025 6th August

Question

Critically analyse how recent space missions reflect and advance India’s strategic, scientific, and economic interests in space exploration. (15 marks, 250 words) 

Model Answer

Introduction:  

  • India’s space programme has moved from cost-effective access to strategic depth, powered by missions like Chandrayaan-3, Axiom-4 (first Indian visit to the ISS), and the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight. These missions showcase technological maturity, policy reforms (Space Policy-2023), and expanding public-private partnerships, aligning space with national security, science, and the economy.  

 How recent missions reflect & advance India’s interests: 

  •  Strategic interests: 

  • Chandrayaan-3 made India the first to soft-land near the lunar south pole, key for future resource access and cislunar presence. This boosts status and bargaining power in norms-setting. 

  • Axiom-4 (2025) placed an Indian IAF Group Captain on the ISS, signalling credible crewed-space capability, strengthening interoperability and access to station-class research. 

  • Gaganyaan (crewed mission targeted for Q1-2027) institutionalises sovereign human-spaceflight; human-rated LVM3, crew escape and re-entry systems deepen strategic self-reliance. 

  • Space sustainability & security: DFSM (Debris-Free Space Missions) targets >99% PMD success by 2030; SpaDeX (2025) proved autonomous docking, a building block for a national space station and on-orbit servicing. 

  • Hard-power baseline: India retains ASAT demonstrator credentials (Mission Shakti, 2019) while committing to safe operations. 

  • Scientific interests:  

  • Chandrayaan-3 returned first in-situ high-latitude thermo-physical and geochemical measurements (E.g., ChaSTE temps ~355 K; APXS volatile & elemental results), refining models of polar regolith and lunar evolution. 

  • Axiom-4 enabled Indian microgravity experiments (biotech, algal growth, HMI in microgravity), creating protocols and talent for long-duration LEO research feeding into BAS/space-station plans. 

  • Gaganyaan drives advances in life-support, avionics, crew escape, TPS, parachute recovery, building national testbeds for human-rated systems and future lunar/planetary ambitions. 

  • Economic interests:  

  • Commercial launch: India has launched hundreds of foreign satellites and earned ~US$143 mn (2015–2024) in forex from launch services, validating PSLV/LVM3 as dependable offerings. 

  • Policy tailwinds: Indian Space Policy-2023 opens the value-chain; FDI Press Note 1 (2024) allows 100% FDI in many segments, catalysing private capital, start-ups, and manufacturing. 

  • Demand creation: LEO satcom liberalisation (e.g., Starlink GMPCS licence on June 6, 2025; IN-SPACe authorisation on July 8, 2025) expands downstream markets (backhaul, IoT, rural broadband). 

  • Macro outlook: FICCI–EY (2025) projects India’s space economy to US$44 bn by 2033 (~8% global share). Globally, space economy reached US$613 bn (2024), indicating strong headroom. 

 Critical issues & gaps: 

  • Regulatory & IPR frictions: 

  • Need a comprehensive Space Activities legislation (liability, insurance, IP ownership in PPPs/joint missions).  

  • Current reliance on policy/exec guidelines (RSDP, Geospatial Policy) leaves grey zones on high-res EO data, export controls, and dual-use tech. Puttaswamy (2017) underscores privacy-by-design in geospatial/satcom applications. 

  • Contracts & dispute risk: 

  • Antrix–Devas saga highlights reputational and enforcement risks; SC (India, Jan 2022) upheld Devas’ winding-up for fraud; the US Supreme Court (June 2025) remanded an award-enforcement case, illustrating cross-border complexities. 

  • Capability constraints: 

  • Supply-chain depth (human-rating subsystems, advanced materials, radiation-hard electronics) and R&D intensity need scaling to meet human-spaceflight cadence and sample-return goals. 

  • Sustainability & congestion: 

  • Meeting DFSM 2030 targets requires ops discipline across government & private operators; SSA/IS4OM capacity must keep pace with growing Indian and foreign constellations operating over India. 

 Way Forward:  

  • Legislate & clarify IPR: Enact a Space Activities Act with clear IP ownership, liability caps, insurance norms, export control compliance, and data-sharing standards aligned to Geospatial Guidelines 2021. 

  • Mission-linked industrial policy: Tie Production-Linked Incentives and sovereign anchor orders to human-rating supply chains, docking/servicing, and in-space manufacturing; leverage IN-SPACe single-window for faster clearances.  

  • International cooperation: Maximise NISAR science return and tech diffusion; align with COPUOS sustainability norms while pursuing LUPEX, TRISHNA, and commercial rideshare leadership.  

  • Finance & markets: Operationalise FDI Press Note 1 (2024) with model contracts, export-credit and risk-sharing; deepen venture debt for space-hardware start-ups.  

  • Human capital: National microgravity users’ programme (ISS partnerships + Gaganyaan precursors) and a ‘Space Skills Stack’ across IITs/NITs for avionics, life-support, materials, and space law. 

 Conclusion:  

  • Chandrayaan-3 consolidated scientific credibility, Axiom-4 opened a sustained human-research pathway, and Gaganyaan will convert that momentum into sovereign crewed capability. Together, with reforms (Space Policy-2023, FDI-2024), DFSM sustainability, and private participation, they align space with national power, frontier science, and new markets. The next leap demands law-policy certainty, deeper supply chains, and global partnerships to translate milestones into durable leadership.